Justice is blind. That’s the axiom people use to explain away some of the biggest injustices ensured by the criminal justice system. For former teen football prospect Greg Kelley, a court in Austin, Texas almost took away 25 years of his life after he was falsely accused of being a predator at a daycare run by his friend’s mother.
According to a report released by People, nearly a decade ago Kelley was considered a suicidal inmate at the Williamson County Jail. He was even wrapped in a smock to help the institution prevent any irreversible mishaps under their watch. Kelley reached that point after years of trying everything he could and getting nothing but disappointment.
Kelley was reportedly a standout safety for the Leander High School Lions football team and was looking forward to a life full of promise. He had secured a scholarship at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He had even already met the love of his life in his high-school sweetheart, Gaebri Anderson — who would become his rock during his lowest moments.
In late 2013, Kelley called Anderson while she was shopping at a grocery store to tell her that he was the main suspect in an aggravated sexual assault against two 4-year-olds at his mother’s daycare. Anderson immediately passed out after learning her boyfriend might be facing considerable time behind bars. But even then, she was sure it was only a matter of time before authorities realized they had made a mistake. As we know, the law doesn’t always get it right.
The story soon became yet another heavily covered case out of Texas. Even when it seemed like he would never make it out, Kelley and his lawyers insisted on his innocence. Yet, in 2014, when he was just 19 years old, he was convicted and handed a 25-year sentence. Overnight, he was branded another horrible predator.
For nearly half a decade, the couple fought as hard as they could against the wrongful conviction, grinding away in the appeals courts. Eventually, they presented enough evidence for District Court Judge Donna King to conclude that no reasonable court could have found Kelley guilty.
The court found that the person most likely to be guilty was Kelley’s former teammate, Jonathan McCarty, from the high school football team. Later, one of the children even retracted his accusations against Kelley.
Eventually, Kelley was released from prison. He promptly filed a civil suit against the city of Cedar Park and was awarded a $500,000 settlement. Additionally, he received $258,000 from the state plus an additional $1,200 monthly — the least they could do after robbing him of the vital years he could have used to build his future.
Nowadays, Kelley and Anderson are building their life together. They already have one child and hope to have more. They are both grateful for everything they’ve managed to achieve, but in quiet moments Kelley still admits, “I have trauma. … It haunts me. I still struggle. I am not healed.”
