David, left, and Robert Bintz (Photos source: Wisconsin Department of Corrections)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Two brothers who had their murder convictions overturned are each seeking $2 million from the state, according to their attorney.
Robert and David Bintz were convicted in 2000 for the murder of Sandra Lison in 1987. DNA testing led to their convictions being overturned last year, after spending more than 24 years in prison.
“After a quarter century in a maximum-security penitentiary for a crime they did not commit, we are asking the Wisconsin Claims Board for compensation for the damages the Bintz brothers suffered after being wrongfully incarcerated,” Jarrett Adams, the attorney representing the brothers said. “The Bintz brothers have been released at the age of retirement with nothing to retire with. We pray that the claims board expeditiously grants the award we are requesting because their situation is dire.”
The Wisconsin Claims Board is a five-member board that considers monetary claims against State of Wisconsin Agencies. The maximum amount of compensation the state can give is $25,000, unless approved by the Legislature.
Lison was bartending at the Good Timers Tavern in Green Bay on Aug. 2, 1987, and two days later she was found in the Machickanee Forest in Oconto County. She had been sexually assaulted and killed.
The Bintz brothers were at the tavern that night and were questioned by police in the initial investigation. David Bintz had reportedly had an argument with Lison after he believed she upcharged him for beer.
More than a decade later, while serving time for an unrelated crime, the cellmate of David Bintz told authorities Bintz admitted to Lison’s murder along with his brother.
Despite no physical evidence linking the brothers to the crime, they were convicted in 2000. But the brothers maintained their innocence.
In 2023, DNA testing pointed at William Hendricks, a convicted rapist who died in 2000. Lison’s body was found between the bar and where Hendricks lived. The test results led to the Bintz’s sentences being vacated. They were released from custody in September.
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