Anita Byington case: Victim's cousin upset over release of convicted killer

Anita Byington case: Victim's cousin speaks out

A man who spent 30 years in prison for murder is now a multi-millionaire after the state paid him out. The victim’s cousin isn’t happy.

AUSTIN, Texas - A man who spent 30 years in prison for murder is now a multi-millionaire after the state paid him out. The victim’s cousin isn’t happy.

What we know:

"She was feisty, funny, fearless. She was a character, always cutting up," Anita Byinton’s cousin, Kristina Byington, said.

Anita was killed in 1991. Allen Andre Causey was convicted of her murder. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison. After spending 30 years behind bars, he was released.

Travis Co. DA dismisses case against convicted killer

The Travis County District Attorney has dismissed the case against Allen Andre Causey. Causey was convicted of the 1991 murder of Anita Byington.

In 2023, Innocence Project of Texas attorneys filed a petition seeking a new trial.

"These past three years, it's been like, it's been 100 times more traumatic than I could have imagined. I thought, no, I can handle this, this happened a long time. No, no, no, no, it's like, it's like they killed her all over again," Byington said.

READ MORE

• Anita Byington case: Witnesses shed new info; convicted murderer fights for exoneration
• Murder victim's family outraged at Travis Co. DA as he works to exonerate confessed killer

The attorneys claimed the only evidence against Causey was a confession he was coerced into and during his initial trial, evidence was withheld.

"Mr. Causey spent 30 years in prison for a murder and a crime he did not commit," Innocence Project of Texas Senior Staff Attorney Jessi Freud told FOX 7 Austin in January 2024.

Convicted killer seeks to clear name

The family of Anita Byington, a 21-year-old woman who was killed in Austin in 1991, is speaking out. Her convicted killer, Allen Andre Causey, is fighting for his innocence, he claims the police and prosecutors got it wrong 30 years ago.

Last year, a district judge ruled there was not enough evidence for an actual innocence filing. The case was sent to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Again, the court did not find evidence to show Causey to be actually innocent but found, ‘habeas relief should be granted on the state’s unknowing use of false testimony.’

The Travis County District Attorney dismissed the case and the district judge signed off on it.

"I was outraged, sickened, all of that,’ Byington said. ‘It's horrific, it's horrific. There's no justice in this case."

Causey became eligible for wrongful imprisonment compensation. It is $80,000 for every year in prison. Causey received more than $2.5 million from the state’s comptroller’s office in July.

"I have my cousin's name tattooed on my arm. That's what I have left. You know, this is not right," Byington said.

The other side:

In a statement, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office said, 

"Mr. Causey was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. There is overwhelming evidence pointing to an alternate perpetrator and that his inculpatory statement was false. He has been exonerated, but our work is not done. We will continue seeking justice for Anita Byington and will continue fighting to hold the actual perpetrator accountable."