"Prosecutors may review cold case similar to 2 other slayings," is the title of Chuck Lindell's Austin American-Statesman report.
Last year, Dennis Davis was sentenced to 36 years in prison for the 1985 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Natalie Antonetti, closing a cold case that haunted Austin police and Antonetti's family for 2½ decades.
But recent developments in two strikingly similar slayings — including the 1986 killing that led to the wrongful conviction, and recent exoneration, of Michael Morton — have prompted Travis County prosecutors to consider taking another look at the Davis case.
Buddy Meyer, the Travis County district attorney's office trial bureau director, characterized the effort as a preliminary step that is far short of a formal review of the Davis conviction.
"We're going to discuss the need for a comparison (between cases) to ensure the integrity of the conviction. All we're doing is talking about it, about the need to make a comparison," Meyer said Tuesday.
The three slayings share numerous similarities. All three victims were Anglo brunettes in their 30s who were killed on the 13th of the month.
And:
Five months of news reports about the high-profile Morton and Baker cases reminded Wade Russell, Davis' trial lawyer, of his client. Like Morton, Davis was convicted in a circumstantial case with no witnesses or forensic evidence tying him to the murder, Russell said.
"I'm glad they're looking into it," he said. "I've been hoping for a reinvestigation."
Meyer said Travis County prosecutors would discuss similarities in the cases "in the next week or two, maybe longer." He declined to say who would be involved in the discussions, first reported by The Texas Tribune.
Brandi Grissom's Texas Tribune report was noted yesterday.
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