Green Bay brothers exonerated After nearly 25 years in prison

Two Green Bay brothers, Robert and David Bintz, are set to be released after spending nearly 25 years behind bars for a murder they didn’t commit. Their exoneration marks only the third time in U.S. history that investigative genetic genealogy has been used to clear a wrongfully convicted person.

A Brown County Court ruled that the brothers were convicted based on hearsay, with no physical evidence connecting them to the 1987 murder of Sandra Lison.

Lison, a mother of two, disappeared on August 3, 1987, and was found the next day in Machickanee Forest in Oconto County. She had been strangled, beaten, and raped. For years, the case remained unsolved until 1998, when a prisoner’s comments led investigators to arrest the Bintz brothers in 2000. Both were sentenced to life in prison.

However, a breakthrough came this year. The Great North Innocence Project, using advances in investigative genetic genealogy, uncovered the real perpetrator, leading to today’s emergency court hearing. The judge wasted no time vacating the brothers' convictions.

“We have a government willing to give all their energy and resources, not to prove someone guilty, but to prove someone innocent,” said the judge. “Sandra Lison will rest in peace because her true murderer is now known.”

Robert Bintz’s attorney, Christopher Renz, spoke on behalf of his client after the hearing.

"It's been so long that I think this is hard for him to take," Renz said. "A lot has changed in the last 25 years. The better part of his life was taken—time with his daughter, his family, his nieces and nephews. There’s a lot to catch up on, and I don’t think he's fully processed what’s coming next.”

Court records reveal the real perpetrator is now deceased. The judge is expected to sign the official order today, setting both brothers free as soon as possible.

We’ll have more in-depth coverage tonight at 10.