[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/inmate-wrongly-convicted-of-child-murder-sues-texas-for-1-million\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/inmate-wrongly-convicted-of-child-murder-sues-texas-for-1-million\/","headline":"Inmate Who Was Wrongly Convicted of Child Murder Sues Texas for $1 Million","name":"Inmate Who Was Wrongly Convicted of Child Murder Sues Texas for $1 Million","description":"Texas inmate Michael Blair ended up on death row for the gruesome murder of a 7-year-old Texas girl. His protestations that he was innocent fell on deaf ears until more than 10 years later genetic tests proved he did not kill the girl. Now he is asking the state of Texas for nearly $1 million...","datePublished":"2012-11-19","dateModified":"2022-09-06","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/author\/broden-mickelsen\/#Person","name":"Mick Mickelsen","url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/author\/broden-mickelsen\/","identifier":16,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/30690d9f76c45bf5d61434169e78762d673b1ac9b949489cf69f1c78d567fc27?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/30690d9f76c45bf5d61434169e78762d673b1ac9b949489cf69f1c78d567fc27?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Broden, Mickelsen LLP","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Broden-and-Mickelsen-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Broden-and-Mickelsen-Logo.png","width":378,"height":77}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/lawyer-team-about-us.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/lawyer-team-about-us.jpg","width":806,"height":668},"url":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/inmate-wrongly-convicted-of-child-murder-sues-texas-for-1-million\/","about":["Criminal Defense","News","Violent Crime"],"wordCount":382,"articleBody":"Texas inmate Michael Blair ended up on death row for the gruesome murder of a 7-year-old Texas girl.His protestations that he was innocent fell on deaf ears until more than 10 years later genetic tests proved he did not kill the girl.Now he is asking the state of Texas for nearly $1 million for his wrongful conviction. The demand may not be excessive for a man who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Recently a $2.7 million settlement was reached in the case of a New York woman who was falsely accused of murdering her daughter.But Blair\u2019s bid for compensation is controversial because he is still behind bars. That\u2019s because while he was in jail he confessed to raping two other children and he\u2019s serving multiple life sentences for the crimes.The inmate\u2019s request has gone up to the Texas Supreme Court. Associated Press reported the case is \u201cforcing a re-examination of laws designed to offer exonerated inmates a new start.\u201dWhile Blair\u2019s claim has been denied on a number of occasions by the state comptroller, if the court rules in his favor, the comptroller might have to pay him $80,000 for every single year he was incarcerated for the murder.Blair was charged with the murder of Ashley Estell, who vanished from a soccer game in 1993 in Dallas. She was found strangled by the roadside. Blair was found loitering close by and was picked up by the police. He had been convicted of previous sex crimes.Assistant Solicitor General Philip Lionberger told AP lawmakers had never imagined a case like Blair\u2019s would arise and it has sparked calls for a change in the law.Jeff Blackburn, the state Innocence Project\u2019s chief counsel told AP he believed Blair has a legitimate claim.\u201cI think we can all agree that nobody really likes the result in this case. But that\u2019s not the point,\u201d he said. \u201cThat time, in Michael Blair\u2019s life, was wrongfully taken from him, and the state should pay for it.\u201dWhile this is a controversial case the wrongful conviction is just another of many we have reported on in Texas. It\u2019s alarming to think whoever committed this terrible crime in Dallas may still be at large."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Inmate Who Was Wrongly Convicted of Child Murder Sues Texas for $1 Million","item":"https:\/\/www.brodenmickelsen.com\/blog\/inmate-wrongly-convicted-of-child-murder-sues-texas-for-1-million\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]