", He calls his wife, Gaebri Anderson, "totally unreal," adding, "I don't think there's a woman out there that can compare to the amount of heart and faith she hasI would be a damn fool to ever try to let that go. Furthermore, the filing also alleged, Cummings had previously represented this third suspect in another matter and therefore refrained from investigating that person as well. I said it in the documentary, Hills said. it took a tirelessadvocate, an unconvinced lawyer and an opened-minded district attorney to take up the case, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Gregory has since also founded a company by the name of Tomahawk Targets, which makes custom axe throwing boards and corn hole sets, and has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Cedar Park and several of its officers for his wrongful conviction. "It was an honor being able to be given this as I shook the hand of the current principal and was given a tour of a school where I once created wonderful memories. And after Shawn Dick took office in 2016 and became the Williamson County district attorney, even the prosecutor's office sided with Kelley and his supporters. We had to fall in love with each other's hearts through these letters.". Wrongly convicted former Leander safety Greg Kelley has entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal again, more than seven years after the former Texas high Both just 17 at the time, thetrialmade them grow up fast. ", And when he was convicted, Kelley recalled, "a groundswell of support from above started coming up and people started having my back. Early on, as soon as his name was out there, the case was taken up in the court of public opinion by child welfare activistsand the Internet took it from there. She continued, "I had no doubt in my mind. Rankings for the 2023 NFL draft: Top prospects at every position from Kiper, McShay, Miller, Reid, Kiper's new Big Board rankings for the 2023 NFL draft: Top 25 prospects, Syracuse QB Shrader to miss spring practice, Sources: Asst. Three trades in a chaotic top five, The new law changing service academy football, and the coaches pushing back, Realignment chatter: How the Pac-12 holds the key to it all. Brydon said. Greg Kelleyhas hopes and dreams, like a lot of people. "When you're in there as a pedophile you're already the scum of the earth." I knew what kind of person he was. Court documents filed by Hamptonin December 2018 stated that they also had athird suspect, whose name was not made public,who hada prior arrest on a charge of indecency with a child and had also lived in the home where the abuseallegedly took place. "Me and my family, that nightmare that we went through, is something I don't wish on my worst enemy. But even in the middle of the nightmare, he found bright spots. But while that was the outcome Kelley had been praying for, his life hasn't simply snapped back to normal. wife Gaebri, who supported him throughout the whole ordeal, before his conviction was officially vacated while she attended the Broadway Dance Center. Kelley started playing varsity football at Leander High School in Texaswhere high school football on Friday rivals church on Sunday as a religious What I found was the fact that Greg Kelley was a star high school football player in Texas worked as a double-edged sword for him. NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? After that, Kelley had to wait and see what the Texas Court of Criminal Appealswould say. I didn't expect any of that. "I want to give back," he said. His name wasn't cleared yet, but the young man was feeling hopeful. [11], Decider considered whether to "Stream It Or Skip It" and called to "Stream It" as did 73.5% on their Twitter poll. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. Kelly Gregg was born in Wichita, KS. In 2013, with four scholarship offers on the table, a steady girlfriend and the future looking bright, the 17-year-old was accused ofmolesting a 4-year-old boy. I'm still waiting for that decision from Texas, to see if I'm going to be a walk-on this fallif we have a fall season.". Keith Hampton hadalleged inKelley's appeal that theaccused'strial lawyer, Patricia Cummings, had not adequately defended him, namely by refusing to take a harder look at McCarty as a possible suspect due to a conflict of interest, having representedmembers of the McCarty family some years prior. They tied the knot in Austin this past January. Following a walk-on tryout at Texas, Kelley signed as part of Eastern Michigans 2021 recruiting class and practiced with the team during the 2020 season. He was unable to definitively conclude who the perpetrator was, but he had three suspects: Kelley, Johnathan McCarty and an unnamed third person. District Judge Donna King recommended in December 2017 that Kelley's conviction be overturned, writing in her decision that the state wouldn't have been able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt ifcertain evidence that had come to light since had been presented at trial. ", But though Kelley is committed to holding the parties he feels are responsible for damaging his life"financially, emotionally, mentally, physically"accountable, he told E! "I've gotta continue to live life.". WebInto Greg Kelley's senior year in Leander, Texas, he was arrested, convicted, and jailed for sexual assault of a four-year-old boy, and later for a second child, who both attended day I want to close this the right way.". On June 11, Greg moved back to his place, but more than a month later, a woman came forward and told the authorities that her son said that Greg had assaulted him. And once he was convicted, those who had assumed he was guilty figured they were merely being proved right. A second boy also came forward but later recanted his accusation against Kelley. All rights reserved. WebLatest on NT Kelly Gregg including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on NFL.com As "Outcry" points out, McCarty's initial lawyer was close friends with the McCarty family and she declined to look at himas a potential subject. According to the lawsuit filed in May and obtained by the Austin American-Statesman, Kelley alleges that Daileydid not verify Kelley's location the day of the assault, did not investigate other suspects, falsified information about when the assault happened and deleted emails about the case. As he works on putting his world back together, buoyed by his faith and all the lovein his life(including from his now-wife Gaebri Anderson, thehigh school girlfriend who stuck by him throughouthisordeal), he's alsosuing thecity of Cedar Park, formerPolice Chief Sean Mannix and Sgt. He was arrested during his senior year based on a sexual abuse allegation by a 4-year-old child in an in-home day care at a home where Kelley was staying with a friend and his family. I hit the jackpot. An attorney for Cummings told theAmerican-Statesmanthatshe didn't have any evidence against this third person when she was on the case, but "it is significant that they are now saying that he is the one who did this. Greg Kelley went from a football hero to a wrongfully convicted sex offendersentenced to25 yearswithout parole. section: | slug: greg-kelley-to-play-football-at-eastern-michigan-after-wrongful-child-sex-crime-conviction-was-overturned | sport: collegefootball | route: article_single.us | #28. I knew what kind of person he was. Greg plans on following his dreams of getting back into playing football with the hopes that one day he can have the opportunity to play for other teams. Almost two years later, the appeals court agreed, sent their decision back to the district court to formally dismiss the indictment, and King declared an emotional Kelley "formally exonerated.". ", Strangers really did come out of the woodwork. Earning money proved tough while he was still a convicted felon, so he saved up for a ring doing yard work and other odd jobs. "But," he added, "it turned into about six or seven of them turning it more into a hatred towards me. "It breaks my family's heart because I don't deserve that, they don't deserve that. This was an actual ballplayer.". We got to premiere this documentary months before it came out and, sitting there with my family, reliving six years of heartache in a documentary that's about five hoursI mean, there's no words to explain it.". A 6-foot-2, 215-pound safety, Eastern Michigan offered Kelley a scholarship in September, less than a year after he was fully exonerated after having been convicted of sexually molesting a young boy in a case that drew headlines across the nation. This was not a situation where we felt sorry for him. And once he was convicted, those who had assumed he was guilty figured they were merely being proved right. Kelley started playing varsity football at Leander High School in Texaswhere high school football on Friday rivals church on Sunday as a religious (In an unrelated case, Johnathan was sentenced to four years in prison last yearafter pleadingguilty to unlawful restraint and drug charges. "It's what I love. Its been hard to just even live everyday life with the fear of being torn away from my family. News. How much did Kelly Gregg weigh when playing? Who Is Greg Kelley? In May 2017, newly elected Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick agreed to reopen the investigation, and that August, Kelley was released on a $50,000 bond. Still, none of that changesthat he spent almost seven years, including three behind bars, with a cloud ofguilt hanging over his head. It unfolds with astonishing and incomprehensible details of how poorly the case was handled by the district attorneys office and police department and relies heavily on the support that rose up around for the accused. Dick said he would not have even tried Kelley if he was in office at the time, noting that there was not enough evidence to prosecute in his view. Greg Kelley, a former Texas high school football player who had his 2014 conviction in a child sexual assault case overturned due to a faulty investigation, will play football on scholarship for Eastern Michigan. However, he did not see any game action last season. As of now, the Big 12 hasn't canceled football season due to COVID-19, unlike some of the other major college football conferences. Just last week he showed off the high school diploma he finally had a chance to go and get in person. Kelley's friend's parents owned an in-home daycare. And I don't take it for granted. Greg Kelley was a high school football star with a loving girlfriend who was close to achieving his dream of attending the University of Texas on a scholarship. He was convicted a year later and sentenced for 25 years without possibility of parole. ", But though Kelley is committed to holding the parties he feels are responsible for damaging his life"financially, emotionally, mentally, physically"accountable, he told E! Fortunately, Greg has been able to look forward in life. He told Oxygen.comthat the prosecutors' office didn't get "any legal blame in any of this," which he said was unfair. At that time, Gregs father was hospitalized due to a stroke and his mother was suffering from a brain tumor, so his teammate and friend, Johnathan McCarty, offered his place for him to stay. (In an unrelated case, Johnathan was sentenced to four years in prison last yearafter pleadingguilty to unlawful restraint and drug charges. "Picked up my long overdue high school diploma yesterday at Leander High School," he wrote on Instagram. And "I want this kid to feel like he's been delivered justice. Early on, as soon as his name was out there, the case was taken up in the court of public opinion by child welfare activistsand the Internet took it from there. Defensive Back. "We think he's going to be a really good player.". Kelley started playing varsity footballat Leander High School in Texaswhere high school football on Friday rivals church on Sunday as a religiouspracticewhen he was a sophomore. WebA five-part documentary series examining the gripping story of high school football star Greg Kelley and a quest for truth and justice. Brydon told Oxygen.comthat the Kelleys have sincemoved back to the Cedar Park area following their wedding. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Kelley asked his future father-in-law for his daughter's hand in marriage while he was still locked upbut he didn't propose until after he was out. I myself was losing hope, but all these people started believing in me and they started to say, 'Hey, Greg, we're here for you man, we love you, we're gonna get you through this.' WebGreg. He's won titles and has now coached the Lancers to 741 victories. Kelley's case"clearly was the perfect storm of all aspects of the criminal justice system failing," Dick told Oxygen.com. We wanted to make sure that this guy did not want to come right next door to y'all's town, because I know you guys love your town just like we love ours, and do this to somebody else. They both may have had too much confidence in the system, but at least in the end, her faith and trust in Greg was not misplaced. District Judge Donna King recommended in December 2017 that Kelley's conviction be overturned, writing in her decision that the state wouldn't have been able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt ifcertain evidence that had come to light since had been presented at trial. We all agree that if [this person] committed the offense, then Greg's conviction should certainly be reversed.". They tied the knot in Austin this past January. Therefore, even though there was no concrete evidence, apart from his name, and that there was another probable suspect, Jonathan McCarty, Greg was sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole and with only the right to file for a new trial. "When you're in there as a pedophile you're already the scum of the earth." He was unable to definitively conclude who the perpetrator was, but he had three suspects: Kelley, Johnathan McCarty and an unnamed third person. Kelley, who signed last year to play football at Eastern Michigan, entered the transfer portal earlier this week. Together the couple resides in Texas, but they also move around to New York and Los Angeles from time to time. He had proposed to her in 2017 just a day after a Texas judge ordered to vacate his conviction. "But that's not the reason we gave him a scholarship. ", Why Alonzo Brooks' Death Needed Further Investigationand Not Just From Unsolved Mysteries, And when he was convicted, Kelley recalled, "a groundswell of support from above started coming up and people started having my back. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. He had proposed to her in 2017 just a day after a Texas judge ordered to vacate his conviction, KXAN reported at the time. Former Georgia star Jalen Carter, one of the top prospects in next month's NFL draft, has been charged with reckless driving and racing in conjunction with the crash that killed a teammate and a recruiting staff member. The legal team also filed documents naming an alternate suspect, Johnathan McCarty. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops says transfer QB Devin Leary, who had season-ending surgery in 2022 for a pectoral injury, is "close to full go" for the Wildcats. ", He added, "The heartache and division it has created in our town is something that should never happen.". He was convicted and sentenced the following year. The Showtime mini-series premiered on July 5, 2020. Kelley was enrolled at Texas and was preparing to try to walk on the football team, but right as that was about to happen, COVID-19 hit, and Texas halted the walk-on ESPN Enterprises, Inc. 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