- Clinton Young spent 20 years on death row for crimes he says he did not commit.
- A judge ruled that Young did not receive a fair trial and set a $150,000 bond for his release.
- He was released Thursday after crowdfunding helped him reach his bond goal and now awaits a re-trial.
After spending 20 years on death row after being convicted on double-murder charges, former Texas inmate Clinton Young was released from prison earlier this week.
Young was convicted on two capital murder charges in 2003, but a new trial by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — permitted in September 2021 — found that the prosecutor in Young's case also worked for the judge presiding in his trial, according to local media outlet KWES-TV.
Judge John Hyde, the now-deceased judge who oversaw Young's original trial, paid the prosecutor, Weldon Ralph Petty, as a judicial clerk, according to court records.
Young was transferred from death row to another facility in October 2021 after District Judge Sid Harle ruled in April 2021 that the working relationship between Hyde and Petty in Young's original case prevented him from having a fair trial, KWES-TV reported.
A $150,000 bond was set for Young on January 19, 2022. After a single day of crowdfunding for 15% of the bond, legal fees, and other expenses, Young was released, according to the foundation made in his name.
"It's not a win until my feet touch grass," Young said after his release, according to a Facebook video.
Young's story garnered both national and international attention after a documentary released in 2021 alleged inconsistent testimonies, new information, and missing evidence in his case. He denied responsibility on the charges he was convicted on.
He now awaits a retrial and can do so out of jail, the Clinton Young Foundation said in a Facebook post.
"Being on death row makes you want to think about your legacy," Young said in a video clip posted to Facebook. "I want to do good things. I want to help other people. I want to fix a broken system."
Young did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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