(WTAQ-WLUK) – Two brothers who spent more than 20 years in prison but were released after their convictions were overturned appeared before a state panel Friday, each seeking more than $2 million in compensation. A decision on the claim was not released Friday.
Robert and David Bintz were convicted in 2000 for the murder of Sandra Lison in 1987. DNA testing of another suspect, William Hendricks, led to their convictions being overturned in 2024.
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.
David Bintz is seeking $2,159,328.45. Robert Bintz is seeking $2,153,698.20.
The Claims Board voted on the claims in closed session. The results will be published in a written decision sometime in the future. If the board recommends a higher amount, it would be forwarded to legislators.
Robert Bintz’s attorney. Jarrett Adams, read a statement on his behalf, explaining the toll his conviction and prison has taken.
“I never got to have my own family, and a house that I can call home. My health deteriorated while I was in prison; I had minor health issues before I got locked up. My privacy has been robbed from me the last 25 years, and was replaced by stress and anxiety. I loved travelling the states, had many more trips I wanted to do. I missed all the simple things in life that makes life beautiful. I kept my faith for the last 25 years. Here I am, as a old man, released into a world I no longer know, and I am still adjusting,” Adams stated.
David Bintz also spoke.
“Everything has changed so much. The world didn’t wait for me. I’m 70 years old. I have nothing. I missed out on the main parts of my life. I was forced to trade 25 years for scars, tears, time lost I will never get back,” he said.
Brown County District Attorney David Lasee said it was not appropriate for the state to take a position on the Bintz’s claim itself.
Lasee did note that after the DNA testing of William Hendricks pointed to him as a suspect, the state agreed that the Bintzes convictions’ should be vacated because the state could no longer meet the burden of proof.
“Maybe it’s semantics, but I want to clarify that we did not stipulate that there was clear and convincing evidence of their innocence because that’s not what we do. That’s not the standard we operate under. And I have some concerns about the affirmative statements that William Hendricks committed this offense, particularly when we operate in a court of law; when attorneys operate in a court of law, we know what the standards are. Mr. Hendricks was not investigated. His name did not appear in any of the discovery materials. I don’t know that that is a fault of investigators. There was no tie to Mr. Hendricks and this crime at the time,” Lasee said.
Lasee also noted the jury considered a statement from David Bintz at the trial, as well as DNA evidence excluding the Bintzes from the fluid samples at the scene.
About the confession, Adams characterized it as questionable after six hours of interrogation.
Lison was bartending at the Good Times 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 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.
