Murder Charge Dismissed For Death Row Inmate Involving Shooting Of Houston Police Officer

Mug shot of Alfred Dewayne Brown at age 21.  Photo: TDCJ

Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson has dismissed capital murder charges against a man who spent nearly a decade on Texas Death Row for the murder of a Houston police officer.

Alfred DeWayne Brown was sentenced to death in the 2003 killing of Houston Police Officer Charles Clark and a clerk during the robbery of a check-cashing store. He claimed he was at his girlfriend’s house, and a call he made from a landline phone could prove it. Phone records that were never produced during his capital murder trial were later found in the garage of a homicide detective. In November The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Brown’s conviction because the phone records supported his claims of innocence.

“After very careful and deliberate consideration, I have decided that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to proceed with a new trial,” Harris County DA Devon Anderson explained.

Anderson said her decision involved prosecutors with experience in murder cases involving police officers.

“They re-investigated the entire case. It takes time to do that. We want to make sure we got it right. At this time, we do not evidence to proceed on this case,” said Anderson.

Within hours after the announcement, Brown walked out a free man. The district attorney wouldn’t comment further because the investigation into Clark’s death remains open.

Tweets from the Houston Police Department

Murderer of HPD Off Clark will be released today. This is not a wrongful conviction but has been granted a retrial in light of new evidence

— HPOU (@HPOUTX) June 8, 2015

Murderer of HPD Off Clark will be released today. This is not a wrongful conviction but has been granted a retrial in light of new evidence

— HPOU (@HPOUTX) June 8, 2015