David, left, and Robert Bintz (Photos source: Wisconsin Department of Corrections)
(WTAQ-WLUK) – The Wisconsin Claims Board is awarding $25,000 each to two brothers who spent more than 20 years in prison before their murder convictions were overturned. However, they could get more in the future if the Legislature agrees.
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.
The board’s 3-2 vote decision was released Thursday afternoon.
The brothers were seeking $2 million each.
For Robert, the board awarded $153,698.20 ($25,000.00 statutory compensation plus $128,698.20 in attorney fees)
For David, the board awarded $159,328.45 ($25,000.00 statutory compensation plus $134,328.45 in attorney fees)
For each man, the board is recommending the state legislature award an additional payment of $1 million.
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 of 2024.
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