A killer principal has been released after 33 years behind bars for murdering his wife - but still insists he didn't do it, and has now vowed to clear his name.
Joe Bryan, 81, - who was recently interviewed for a segment on ABC's 20/20 - was convicted of first-degree murder in April 1986 for the murder of his wife, Mickey Bryan, who had been shot in her bedroom in Clifton, Texas, four times with a .357 caliber revolver on October 14, 1985.
He was sentenced to the maximum penalty of 99 years in prison and after his eighth parole attempt, Joe - who has always maintained his innocence - was released in March 2020.
'I'm not a killer. I didn't kill Mickey. I loved Mickey, she was my other self,' he told ABC News.
'I hope to be found actually innocent so it's really truly over with. Then for the first time in 34 years I can have a sigh of relief, and I can go visit Mickey's grave and tell her, 'We know who did it.'
Joe Bryan, a killer principal (left), has been released after 33 years behind bars for murdering his wife, Mickey (right) - but still insists he didn't do it, and has now vowed to clear his name
Joe was convicted of first-degree murder in April 1986 after Mickey had been shot in her bedroom in Clifton, Texas, four times with a .357 caliber revolver on October 14, 1985
Joe and his family believe that former police officer Dennis Dunlap, who was convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of Judy Whitley, a 17-year-old high school cheerleader who also lived in Clifton, may be responsible for Mickey's death.
'I believe that if the Clifton Police Department and the Texas Rangers, along with the justice system, would have arrested Dennis Dunlap for the murder of Judy Whitley, Mickey would still be alive today, and my uncle obviously would not be in jail,' said Cindy Bryan, Joe's niece.
Prosecutors insist Joe is the killer, but the Bryan family have extremely powerful support in the form of thriller novelist John Grisham.
He based his 2019 book The Guardians on the case, and firmly believes Joe is the victim of a miscarriage of justice caused by poor detective work.
Joe claims he was at a principal's conference in Austin, about 120 miles from their hometown of Clifton, the night that Mickey was murdered.
She was found dead the next morning by her boss after she didn't show up to work.
Police initially thought her death was the result of a burglary that had gone wrong, noting that although there were no signs of forced entry, some jewelry and about $1,000 in cash was missing.
Joe and his family believe that former police officer Dennis Dunlap, who was convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of Judy Whitley (pictured), a 17-year-old high school cheerleader who also lived in Clifton, may be responsible for Mickey's death
Joe's story served as the inspiration for John Grisham's 2019 novel The Guardians which tells the tale of a lawyer who was shot dead at his desk. In the book, the killer left behind no clues and there were no witnesses, real suspects or motives
According to Joe, he learned of Mickey's death when a colleague pulled him out of the conference to notify him of the situation.
'You don't want to admit that your life [has] totally changed, and that someone would have the audacity to go [into] our home and kill the most precious person in your life,' he said.
Investigators found evidence allegedly linking Joe to the case after Mickey's brother borrowed his car. He went to consult a friend who was a former FBI agent about his sister's death when the pair reportedly found a flashlight in the trunk that appeared to have specks of blood and pieces of plastic on the lens that resembled bits found at the crime scene.
Although DNA forensics did not exist at the time, crime scene investigators determined that the blood on the flashlight matched Mickey's blood type and the plastic pieces matched those found at the crime scene.
Joe claimed the last time he saw the flashlight was in the couple's bedroom.
He also reported, two days later, that he had found the allegedly stolen cash in his car.
He claimed he had forgotten that the couple took the money with them for a shopping trip a few weeks prior. Police reportedly did not find the money in the vehicle.
Joe was arrested for Mickey's murder on Oct. 23, just eight days after her death.
Joe (right) was arrested for Mickey's (left) murder on Oct. 23, just eight days after her death
