GAINESVILLE, Texas (KXII) – The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to reconsider its denial of a retiral for a man who was sentenced to life in prison for a 1996 Gainesville murder.
Michael Newberry, a then 17-year-old, was convicted of the May 1996 murder of Granville Hanks, 62. Hanks had been found dead in a car with a gunshot wound to the head.
In 2025, Newberry sought a new trial following the recent discovery of alleged withholding of evidence in the case.
A judge ruled that relief could be granted for Newberry, but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied that request.
In April, Cooke County District Attorney John Warren stated in a briefing that “After a full investigation of the evidence and an exhaustive review of Petitioner’s trial, the State no longer had confidence in the verdict.”
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