GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Two brothers wrongly convicted of a brutal murder are now free men after spending 25 years behind bars.
Robert and David Bintz had been serving lifetime sentences for the 1987 murder of Sandra Lison. Advancements in DNA testing technology and a group of dedicated lawyers for both men ultimately led to their recent exoneration.
“He’s (Robert Bintz) very joyful to be released, he’s very happy,” said Jim Mayer the legal director of Great North Innocence Project. “He wanted some snacks for the car some barbecue chips and a coke.”
In 1987, Lison went missing from the Good Times Bar in Green Bay where she worked as a bartender. Police say her body was found later in Machickanee Forest in Oconto County. An autopsy revealed the cause of death was strangulation and police say that there was evidence that she had been sexually assaulted.
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According to court documents, there had been a dispute between the two brothers and Lison over how much she had charged them for beer. David called the bar to yell at Lison and threatened her.