Clinton Young stepped out of the Midland County Jail, the way station between his previous address for the last 18 years and the free world, on the afternoon of January 20, 2022. He’d been anxious all day, sitting in the cell block with an ankle monitor already affixed to his leg, awaiting release on bond.
When he finally exited the building, he hugged his little sister—now a woman in her 30s—for the first time since she was 11. Their last hug had taken place when Young was 19 years old, and on trial for capital murder.
It was below freezing in West Texas, but Young wasn’t worried about the temperature. Even as he greeted his family and supporters, he was already fixated on time: He figured he should leave the jail as soon as possible in case authorities changed their minds.
