Texas high court vacates convictions in 1992 double slaying

Texas’ highest criminal court has vacated the convictions of four men in the 1992 shooting deaths of two teens, but rejected their innocence claims.

The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals set aside the convictions for Richard Kussmaul, James Long, Michael Shelton and James Pitts Jr. The court ruled Wednesday that DNA evidence clears the four men in the deaths of a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old in Moody.

The court has sent the cases back to McLennan County, where the district attorney’s office will determine whether the defendants can be retried.

Long served a 20-year prison sentence and now works as a technician. He says he’s grateful the court overturned his sexual assault conviction, but he’s disappointed his innocence claim wasn’t granted.