Walter Roy Is Now A Free Man
(Fort Worth, TX) – Walter Roy was sentenced to life in prison more than two decades ago.
Today, he is officially a free man after a conviction integrity review.
In 1995, Roy was at Echo Lake Park when gunfire broke out. Police arrested him and found the gun in a drainage ditch. Testimony during the trial in 1998 referred to him as the actual shooter.
He was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of engaging in organized criminal
activity. Roy also was sentenced to 20 years each on two counts of attempted murder and one other count of engaging in organized criminal activity, which he has already served.
The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit extensively investigated the case and determined that while Roy was a participant to the criminal activity, he was not the actual shooter and false testimony that he was the shooter impacted his punishment.
Based on this review, the TCCDA’s Office agreed that Roy was entitled to a new punishment hearing.
“My sworn obligation is to make sure verdicts and sentences are correct,” Tarrant County
Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson said. “The evidence showed that Walter Roy’s life
sentence was excessive and should be reduced.”
In April 2022, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed and granted Roy a new punishment hearing based on the Conviction Integrity Unit’s review. The review did not find that Roy was innocent, only that he was oversentenced. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied Roy’s actual innocence claim.
Roy has been out on bond since August 2021.
In 2020, Wilson – along with with Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn and Judge Wayne
Salvant – asked Governor Greg Abbott to commute Roy’s sentence to time served, something the Governor rejected.
On Tuesday, Judge Salvant re-sentenced Roy to time served.
“The court will find the sentence has been served and the court will release you from any
bond,” Salvant said.
