Michael Nevarez, now 45, pleaded guilty to murder this week. He was 16 when he approached Wittman and his friends on July 14, 1997, and asked for a cigarette, authorities said. After Wittman gave him one, Nevarez pulled a gun and demanded money. Wittman fought back and was shot multiple times. He later died at Baylor University Medical Center.

Martin Santillan, who was 24 at the time, was convicted of capital murder in 1998 and sentenced to life in prison. He maintained his innocence. He was released in December 2022, and a judge dismissed the charge against him in March 2023, formally clearing his name after more than 25 years behind bars.

Dallas County investigators reopened the case in 2021 and ordered new DNA testing on a Dallas Stars jersey found near the crime scene. The testing helped identify Nevarez, who was located and arrested in Colorado. Earlier testing had not produced conclusive results.

“Today's outcome is an important step toward accountability for Damond Wittman's murder and for his family, who have waited decades for justice,” Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot said. He also said Santillan’s imprisonment underscored “the profound consequences of a wrongful conviction.”

Centurion Ministries, a New Jersey-based innocence organization, first brought Santillan’s case to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit in 2008. The organization argued that flawed police work and unreliable eyewitness identification contributed to his conviction. “Their evidence really consisted of a lone eyewitness,” said Paul Casteleiro, an attorney with the group.

When Santillan was exonerated, Creuzot said his DNA was not on the jersey investigators believed the perpetrator had worn. Santillan’s release brought joy to his family, but also came after years of missed milestones and losses. His sister, Mayte Cantu, said he was unable to be with the family when several relatives, including their mother, died.