20 Year Texas Murder Convict Now Free Awaiting Fate

Austin, Texas in 2002 was quite a different place than it is today, and that is true across multiple landscapes well beyond the changes in skylines, endless road work, and school districts.

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According to this KVUE article, back in 2002, Philip Randolph Thomas was found murdered and his former student Alvin Stewart, only 18 at the time, was arrested and convicted of his death and robbery. Stewart was sentenced to 85 years, and now he is out on a $1 bond after serving just over 20.

Why has a Travis County judge released Alvin Stewart on a $1 bond?

The judge with the 299th District Court determined that Stewart was failed by the justice system when he was originally tried, and did not receive adequate assistance at trial. More or less, prosecutor Holly Taylor said Stewart's attorney was terrible at their job, and the conviction was influenced by an incredibly poor effort by the defense's representation.

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The biggest piece of information that was omitted at the original trial was the very real possibility the victim was also a perpetrator their self, and had groomed Stewart for years of sexual abuse.

20 Year Texas Murder Convict Now Free Awaiting Fate

The judge has now released Stewart on a $1 bond, and it is up to Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to decide if they want to bring charges again or let the past remain in the past. The process could take several months or even years before Stewart will know his fate, and that cannot be an easy weight to carry, but hopefully the load is a little lighter from this side of a prison's walls.