Judge exonerates man convicted of killing Limerick priest in 1981

An Ector County judge has exonerated James Reyos, who was jailed in 1983 for the murder of Fr Patrick Ryan. Picture: Facebook/The Innocence Project

The man who was convicted in 1983 in Texas for the murder of an Irish priest has been exonerated by a county judge, and his case will be transferred to the US Court of Criminal Appeals.

James Reyos, an Apache Native American, had been convicted of the murder of Limerick priest Fr Patrick Ryan and sentenced to 38 years in prison.

However, during a hearing in March of this year, the Ector County judge was given evidence of Mr Reyos’ innocence by his legal team at the Innocence Project of Texas (IPTX).

In a statement issued by the Innocence Project yesterday, Mr Reyos said: “I have always believed that one day the world would know I did not kill Father Ryan.

“Today’s ruling puts me one step closer to finally clearing my name.”

His attorney Allison Clayton, deputy director of IPTX and director of the Innocence Clinic at Texas Tech School of Law said: “We are so thankful for today’s ruling, which significantly advances our pursuit of James’ complete exoneration.

“We could not have gotten here without the outstanding work of OPD and the Ector County DA’s [district attorney’s] office.

“We all anxiously await a final ruling from the Court of Criminal Appeals.”

Fr Patrick Ryan, 49, and originally from Doon, was found beaten to death in a motel room in Odessa, Texas on December 21, 1981, having checked in under the name John Killey.

The Odessa Police Department reopened the investigation into the murder earlier this year following the identification of three suspects after fingerprints taken from the scene in 1981 found matches in the US national fingerprint system last year.

Sergeant Scottie Smith previously told the Irish Examiner that there had been considerable damage caused to the room that night, including holes in doors, blood spatters on the walls, and the bed was broken.