Texas appeals court agrees: Fort Worth man was convicted of wrong crime as teen
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday vacated a Fort Worth man’s 1997 false conviction, bringing him a step closer to justice.
James Aaron Dyson, 41, was sentenced to 50 years in prison when he was 17 for shooting a man who had killed his best friend. While Dyson admits the shooting occurred, prosecutors at the time charged him with engaging in organized crime and presented false evidence that Dyson was a member of the R-13 gang, which enhanced the charge and sentencing guidelines.
Dyson spent the last two decades fighting for his innocence while vehemently denying he was a gang member or that the shooting was gang-related. In August 2020, Steve Conder with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit investigated Dyson’s claims and agreed.
In March, the DA’s office and Dyson’s attorney, Chris Self, presented evidence that Dyson was not a gang member. That evidence was sent to the court of criminal appeals for review.
On Wednesday, the appeals court agreed with the evidence and ultimately removed Dyson’s gang conviction.
Dyson, who was released from prison in May, served more than 24 years. The crime committed — aggravated assault — has a maximum sentence of 20 years.
“James Aaron Dyson has more than served his sentence,” Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson said in a news release. “This isn’t something I say lightly or often. My sworn obligation is to make sure verdicts and sentences are correct. This one wasn’t. He deserves to be out of prison.”
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 4:29 PM.
