New arrests made for murder in which victim's brother was convicted as lone gunman

A reader alerts me to a possible false conviction out of Brownwood, and a recent one, to boot. Reports the Abilene Reporter-News ("Was Brownwood man wrongly convicted of killing brother? New arrests made in case," Jan. 10):

A recent twist in a December 2009 Brownwood murder case may cast doubt on the guilt of a man convicted of killing his brother, authorities said.

New information has led to two arrests and an ongoing investigation into additional suspects into the death of Ronald Philen, said Micheal B. Murray, Brown County District Attorney.

In November, Randall Philen, 52, was sentenced to life in prison by a jury that found him guilty of shooting his younger brother, Ronald, 49, in the chest. A motion for a new trial was filed by the district attorney’s office Tuesday.

“If it is determined that Randall Philen was not a party to the crime, this office will act swiftly to dismiss the murder charge against him,” Murray said. “If it is determined that he was a party to the crime, then he will be retried in light of all available information.”