Austin, TX

Texas high school football scores: Austin-area UIL replay updates, highlights from Week 7

Published

1 year ago

October 12, 2024

Texas high school football scores: Austin-area UIL replay updates, highlights from Week 7

Mark Champ
| Special to Austin American-Statesman

Most of Central Texas’ top programs escaped Week 7 without any major upsets, as Westlake beat Austin High and Georgetown beat Rouse on Thursday night, then Anderson topped Hendrickson and Dripping Springs held off Bowie in key district matchups on Friday.

This was our thread throughout Friday night for updates and scores from across Central Texas:

LBJ 51, Manor New Tech 0

Dripping Springs 38, Bowie 35

Anderson 55, Hendrickson 24

Weiss 63, Hays 13

Bastrop 67, Connally 21

Lago Vista 36, Gonzales 13

Lampasas 30, Brownwood 20

Burnet 43, Marble Falls 7

A&M Consolidated 77, Lehman 0

Langdon makes it close

Bowie’s Owen Langdon hauled in a long Cruz Tello pass as the Bulldogs has closed the Dripping Springs lead to 38-35 with less than 2 minutes left.

The Tigers recovered the onside kick and are looking to run out the clock in a pivotal 26-6A clash.

Jack Tyndall’s short plunge on 4th and 2 gave the Tigers a first down and they are now running out the clock.

Dripping Springs holds off Bowie 38-35.

Bastrop walloped Connally 67-21.

Weiss bested Hays 63-13.

Anderson crushed Hendrickson 24.

Finals

Vandegrift 47, Cedar Ridge 0

Leander 19, Killeen Chaparral 7

Hill Country 65, SA Brooks Collegiate Academy 13

Bullard Brook Hill 35, Hyde Park 34

Brentwood Christian 49, Arlington Grace Prep 19

Taylor 57, Northeast 0

San Saba 38, Johnson City 15

Round Rock 29, Hutto 14

Eastside 70, Achieve 0

Stony Point 21, Manor 18

Vista Ridge 30, McNeil 18

Lake Travis 56, Del Valle 7

College Station 63, Cedar Creek 0

Wimberley 59, Salado 28

Geronimo Navarro 35, Jarrell 14

Blanco 46, Rogers 39

Giddings 52, Caldwell 35

Granger 39, Iola 19

Llano 49, Luling 0

Mason 58, Thorndale 14

Lexington 70, Thrall 7

Burnet 43, Marble Falls 7

SA East Central 50, San Marcos 0

Eastside steamrolls Achieve

Eastside crushed Achieve 70-0.

Round Rock was 15 points better than Hutto 29-14 in a 25-6A contest.

Lake Belton rallied to squeak by Glenn 42-41 in a District 8-5A Division 1 tilt.

Stony Point edged Manor 21-18.

Vista Ridge pockets a 30-8 win over McNeil.

Lake Travis crushed Del Valle 56-7.

Tigers holding to 3-point lead entering 4th quarter

After a 27-yard punt return, Dripping Springs is set up on the Bowie 25 yard line to start the fourth quarter with a 31-28 edge.

Maddox Maher and Jack Tyndall has made Bowie pay for the poor punt coverage as Dripping Springs has scored again as Tyndall hauls in a pass to give the Tigers a 38-28 lead early in the final quarter.

Weiss leads Hays 49-7 in the fourth.

Lake Travis is not having trouble with Del Valle as the Cavaliers are rolling the Cardinals 56-7 in the fourth quarter.

Anderson leads Hendrickson 41-24 in the fourth.

Taylor has completed its 57-0 shutout over Northeast.

Houston St. Pius X leads St. Michael’s 22-7 at half.

Hill Country closed out SA Collegiate Academy 65-13.

Bullard Brook Hill held on to nip Hyde Park 35-34.

Liberty Hill continues to lead Elgin 44-39 in the third quarter.

San Saba blitzed Johnson City 38-15.

Burnet is shutting out Marble Falls 43-0 in the final quarter.

Wells hits from long distance

Rowan Wells has scored his second touchdown, this one from 28-yards out as Bowie has narrowed the Dripping Springs lead to 31-28 with less than 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

Bowie’s Tramell Banks has just picked off Maddox Maher and the Bulldogs take over on their own 10.

Manor has rallied to take a 18-14 lead over Stony Point in the fourth.

Giddings leads Caldwell 35-14 in the 3rd.

Blanco leads Rogers 39-31 in the final quarter.

Burgess gives Tigers 2-score lead

Aidan Burgess hit a 38-yard field goal as Dripping Springs has extended its lead to 31-21 over Bowie late in the 3rd quarter.

Vandegrift pitched a shutout whitewashing Cedar Ridge 47-0.

Leander pulled away from Killeen Chaparral winning 19-7.

Lexington handling Thrall in district opener

In the 13-3A DII opener, Lexington has not had any trouble with Thrall in a 70-0 contest that has reached the fourth quarter.

Bowie has forced a turnover on downs as the Bulldogs take over on their own 39 for the initial possession of the second half.

Dripping Springs still leads 28-21.

Mason is not having any issues as the Cowpunchers lead Thorndale 58-14 in the final quarter.

Rodriguez extends Lions lead

Despite reaching inside the Chaparral 1, Leander had to settle for a field goal as Rene Rodriguez hits from 24 yards to give Leander a 17-7 lead in the fourth quarter.

LBJ is shutting out Manor New Tech 44-0 at half and it will be a running clock for the second half.

Rick Cantu is reporting that Liberty has piled up 376 yards in the first half while Elgin has amassed 245 as Liberty Hill leads the Wildcats 37-26 at the half.

Stony Point leads Manor 14-12 i nthe third.

Vandegrift is blanking Cedar Ridge 47-0 in the fourth.

Vista Ridge is up on McNeil 23-0 in the third stanza.

Round Rock leads Hutton 15-7 in the 3rd.

Taylor is flying past Northeast 50-0 at the half.

Lago Vista leads Gonzales 26-7 at half.

Mitchell puts Lions in front

Leander’s 6-foot-4 qb Logan Mitchell has scored on a one-yard sneak as the Lions have taken their first lead of the night leading Killeen Chaparral 14-7 in the third stanza.

Calvin Kesler has recovered a fumble and Leander has taken over at the Bobcat 29.

Anderson is doubling up Hendrickson 34-17 at the half.

Round Rock leads Hutto 15-7 in the 3rd quarter.

Liberty Hill leads Elgin by 11 at half 37-26.

Updated scores

Hill Country 29, SA Brooks Collegiate Academy 6 (2nd)

Bullard Brook Hill 21, Hyde Park 14 (2nd)

Vandegrift 37, Cedar Ridge 0 (half)

Vista Ridge 16, McNeil 0 (half)

Stony Point 7, Manor 6 (1st)

Liberty Hill 37, Elgin 20 (2nd)

Dripping Springs 28, Bowie 21 (half)

Anderson 24, Hendrickson 17 (2nd)

Granger 7, Iola 0 (1st)

Madisonville 28, La Grange 21 (2nd)

San Saba 28, Johnson City 7 (half)

Geronimo Navarro 28, Jarrell 7 (half)

Llano 42, Luling 0 (half)

Killeen Chaparral 7, Leander 0 (3rd)

Glenn 7, Lake Belton 0 (1st)

Bastrop 33, Connally 14 (2nd)

Dripping Springs hits pay dirt again

Jack Tyndall scores from 5 yards out as the Tigers have scored on all three possessions as Dripping Springs leads Bowie 21-14 late in the first half.

But not to be outdone, Cruz Tello hit Rowen Wells on a 39-yard scoring pass as the Bulldogs are tied with the Tigers 21-21 with 1:30 left in the half.

It didn’t take long for the Tigers to regain the lead as Maddox Maher hits Cooper Reed on a 68-yard scoring pass as Dripping Spring answers the Bowie score and it is now 28-21 with 1:15 left in half.

Elgin claws its way back into game

After Kyle May’s second TD for Liberty Hill, Elgin scores as Jalen Owens hauls in a pass from 52 yards to narrow the Panthers’ lead to 20-14 with 8:58 left in the half.

Cruz Tello calls his own number as Bowie responds to Dripping Springs and the game is now tied at 14-14 with 5:45 left in the opening half.

Vista Ridge leads McNeil 16-0 at half.

Deadlocked at half

In a fast-moving half in which Leander reached the red zone three times, but came away empty each time, the Lions and Killeen Chaparral are scoreless at half.

Hendrickson has just scored and is now tied with Anderson 7-7 in the first quarter.

Zaire Nuells’ touchdown run has given Liberty Hill a 13-6 lead over Elgin late in the first quarter.

Maddox Maher just hit Cooper Reed on a 14-yard scoring throw as Dripping Springs has scored on its opening two possessions and the Tigers lead Bowie 14-7 with over 10 minutes left in the half.

They have reached the half at Monroe Stadium as Vandegrift is dominating Cedar Ridge 37-0.

Vista Ridge has scored its second touchdowns as the Rangers lead McNeil 13-0 in the second.

Lake Travis appears not be having any difficulty with Del Valle as the Cavs lead 28-0 in the first.

Bowie answers Tigers

Cruz Tello hit Owen Langdon for 6 as Bowie takes its opening possession 75 yards to knot Dripping Springs 7-7 with 1:28 remaining in the opening quarter.

Vandegrift has added another TD as the Vipers now lead Cedar Ridge 30-0.

La Grange and Madisonville are all even 7-7 in the first.

Llano is all over Luling 35-0 in the second quarter.

San Antonio East Central whitewashing San Marcos 22-0 in the opening quarter.

Anderson leads Hendrickson 10-3 in the first.

Bastrop is tied with Connally at 7 in the first.

Cavs out early

In a 26-6A contest, Lake Travis has scored 2 early touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead over Del Valle.

In the other 26-6A tilt tonight, Dripping Springs scored on a Jaceton Gotta run as the Tigers lead Bowie 7-0 with over 7:21 in the first.

Vandegift has scored again and now leads Cedar Ridge 23-0.

Rangers score first

Vista Ridge has scored and leads McNeil 7-0 in the opening quarter in a 25-6A contest.

Two trips have been fruitless for Leander as Rene Rodriguez just missed a 37-yard field goal. The Lions and Chaparral are still scoreless.

Bullard Brook Hill has taken a 14-7 first quarter lead over Hyde Park.

Glenn leads Lake Belton 7-0 at Bible Stadium.

Vandegrift now leads Cedar Ridge 16-0 in the second stanza.

Scoreless entering the second in Killeen

Despite a massive advantage in yardage, Leander and Chaparral are tied at 0 entering the second quarter.

Granger leads Iola 7-0 in the opening stanza.

San Saba is blanking Johnson City 14-0 in the first.

Mason is on top of Thorndale 13-7 in the first.

Unbeaten Lexington has raced out to a 21-0 lead over Thrall in the first.

Brentwood Christian pockets a win

Brentwood Christian upped its record to 4-2 with a convincing 49-18 win over Arlington Grace Christian this afternoon.

Hyde Park and Bullard Brook Hill are knotted at 7 in the first.

Stony Point has a narrow 7-6 lead over Manor in the first.

Vandegrift is seeking its second straight shutout as the Vipers are up on Cedar Ridge 9-0.

College Station has scored again and now lead Cedar Creek 14-0 in the first.

Leander’s impressive drive for naught

Leander drove to inside the Killeen Chaparral 2 but fumbled the ball away as the Lions came away empty.

College Station has scored first and leads Cedar Creek 7-0 early in the first.

We’ve got you covered

Check out Sunday’s Statesman for recaps on the a few of tonight’s key games.

Rick Cantu is covering the Elgin and Liberty Hill game

Colby Gordon is reporting on the Anderson – Hendrickson matchup.

Caleb Yum is at Burger Stadium covering the Bowie – Dripping Springs tilt.

District races shaping up

Entering week 7 of the high school football seasons, the push for the playoffs has begun.

Here are the district standings

25-6A Standings

Vandegrift 3-0

Cedar Ridge 3-1

Round Rock 3-1

McNeil 2-2

Hutto 2-1

Manor 1-2

Vista Ridge 1-2

Westwood 1-3

Stony Point 0-4

26-5A Standings

Westlake 2-0

Dripping Springs 2-0

Lake Travis 1-0

Bowie 1-1

Austin High 1-2

Del Valle 0-2

Akins 0-2

29-6A Standings

Cibolo Steele 2-0

NB Canyon 2-0

Johnson 1-1

SA East Central 1-1

Judson 0-1

Schertz Clemens 0-1

San Marcos 0-2

8-5A Division I Standings

Cedar Park 3-0

Leander 2-0

Georgetown 2-1

Lake Belton 1-1

Rouse 1-2

East View 1-2

Killeen Chaparral 0-2

Glenn 0-2

12-5A Division I Standings

A&M Consolidated 3-0

College Station 3-1

Weiss 3-1

Hays 2-1

Hendrickson 2-2

Lockhart 2-2

Anderson 1-2

Cedar Creek 0-3

Lehman 0-4

11-5A Division II Standings

Liberty Hill 2-0

Bastrop 2-0

Elgin 2-0

Pflugerville 2-1

Connally 1-1

Navarro 0-2

McCallum 0-3

Crockett 0-3

13-4A Division II Standings

Jarrell 2-0

Gonzalez 1-0

Wimberley 1-0

Lago Vista 1-1

Salado 1-1

Geronimo Navarro 0-2

Smithville 0-2

13-2A Division II Standings

Burton 2-0

Granger 2-0

Somerville 2-0

Bartlett 1-1

Iola 1-1

Snook 0-2

Milano 0-2

McDade 0-2

Walker flying high

After rushing for 212 yards and scoring 4 times last week plus throwing a 2-point conversion pass last week against Killeen Chaparral, Georgetown’s Jett Walker followed up that with 258 yards on 22 carries last night in the Eagles’ 42-14 win over Rouse.

The 6 foot 2, 212 pound running back scored on runs of 17, 24, 88 and 32 yards as Georgetown upped its district mark to 2-1.

For the season, Walker has run for 1030 yards with 14 scoring jaunts.

Cedar Park in; East View out

#1 – Liberty Hill (4-1, 2-0) – The Panthers return to District 11-4A Division II play in a battle of district unbeatens hosting Elgin (2-3, 2-0).

#2 – Weiss (5-1, 3-1) – After losing to A&M Consolidated 25-19 in its District 12-5A Division I opener, the Wolves have averaged 68.33 points a game during their 3-game winning streak. Weiss hosts Hays (3-2, 2-1) at The Pfield tonight.

#3 – Georgetown (5-1, 2-1) – Since falling to Leander in their District 8-5A Division I opener, the Eagles improved to 2-1 district play with a 42-14 win over Rouse last evening. Georgetown will take on East View next week.

#4 – Pflugerville (4-1, 1-1) – After being shocked by Elgin 2 weeks ago, the Panthers returned to the win column with a convincing 52-14 District 11-5A Division II win over McCallum. Pflugerville will host Liberty Hill next Friday.

#5 – Cedar Park (4-2, 3-0) The Timberwolves remain one of 2 unbeatens in District 8-5A Division I as the Timberwolves escaped with a narrow 31-29 win over East View last night. Cedar Park returns to action next Friday taking on Glenn.

4A/Others remain the same in Statesman’s rankings

4A/others

#1 LBJ (5-0, 1-0) – Remains on top after a 50-3 verdict over Travis in its district 14-4A DI opener last week. The Jaguars look to remain unscathed as they take on Manor New Tech tonight in Manor.

#2 La Grange (4-1) – Fresh off their bye week, the Leopards open 4A District 11 Division II play facing Madisonville.

#3 Lampasas (5-1) – The Badgers head into their District 4-4A Division I as they host Brownwood this evening.

#4 Thrall (5-1) – After scoring 62+ points the last three weeks, the Tigers will be put to the test as they open 3A District 13 Division II hosting 6-0 Lexington. For the season, Thrall is averaging 48.17 points per game.

#5 Thorndale (4-1) – Looking to keep its 4-game winning streak intact, the Bulldogs travel to to Mason to face the Cowpunchers in the 2A District 14 Division I opener.

#1 – Lake Travis (5-0, 1-0) – After having last week off, the Cavs return to action next week hosting Del Valle.

#2 – Westlake (5-1,2-0) – For the second straight week, the Chaps cruised to a Thursday night district win. as Westlake wore down Austin High 49-7. Next week, the Chaps return to play under the Friday night lights hosting Bowie.

#3 – Vandegrift (4-1,3-0) – After shutting out McNeil 28-0, last Friday, the Vipers look to stay unbeaten in its district schedule as they look to snap Cedar Ridge’s (3-3, 3-1) 3-game winning streak as they host the Raiders at Monroe Stadium tonight. .

#4 – Dripping Springs (5-1, 2-0) – In a battle of perennial playoff squads the Tigers travel to face Bowie (5-1, 1-1) tonight at Burger Stadium.

#5 – Round Rock (4-1, 2-1) – After suffering its first defeat of the season two weeks ago, the Dragons got back on the winning track with a 45-20 win over Manor. Tonight the Dragons will look to make it two in a row taking on Hutto at Dragon Stadium.

WATCH TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LIVE

Thursday night results

Westlake 49, Austin High 7

Pflugerville 52, McCallum 14

Navarro 20, Crockett 7

Cedar Park 31, East View 29

Georgetown 42, Rouse 14

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Austin, TX

3 Top Texas Longhorn Recruiting Targets Were Blown Away By Their Visits to Austin

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1 minute ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

3 Top Texas Longhorn Recruiting Targets Were Blown Away By Their Visits to Austin

The Texas Longhorns continue to do everything they can to better their team for the future, including dominating on the recruiting trail with some of the most sought-after prospects in the country.

Their latest installment comes after extending offers to offensive lineman Ty McCurry and Jayden Thompson, while also leaving a favorable impression on premier recruit Brayson Robinson.

As they continue to make a push for another top-10 class under head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns made a staunch impression on three of their top targets for the 2028 cycle.

Forty Acres Stands Out

Texas Longhorns defensive back Kobe Black (6) and teammates react after making an interception during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Longhorns continue to make a push on the recruiting trail, hosting some premier targets on the first day of spring camp, and extending offers to McCurry and Thompson. Both players were impressed with what they saw, not just on the football field, either, but from the Forty Acres as well.

“They said I’m their top guy and that they want me back out for a visit soon. “McCurry tells me of his conversations with the Longhorns before continuing on where they stand in his rankings. “I’ve loved the past two times I’ve been in Austin to check out the Longhorns and can 100 percent see them being a contender in my commitment down the line.”

McCurry was a Sports Illustrated freshman All-American and currently stands at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, currently holding 11 offers with many of them coming from the Lone Star State. The other offer from the first day of practice went to Jayden Thompson, number 15-ranked offensive tackle in the 2028 class according to 247Sports.

“My conversations with the coaches went very well, they were all very inviting and helpful,” Thompson told Texas Longhorns On SI of the Longhorns staff. “If I had one takeaway, it would be the tour of not just the football part of the school, but the campus as well.”

Another target for the 2028 cycle is Brayson Robinson, an edge defender out of Mavel, Texas. While he didn’t receive an offer yet, he has quickly garnered interest with some of the top programs in the country. The Arizona State Sun Devils and Alabama Crimson Tide have been on him mainly, but he’s hearing from a lot of schools, including the Longhorns, who impressed him.

“It went amazing and I like how every coach introduced themselves to my family and me,” Robinson told Texas Longhorns On SI about his visit. “I also love the culture.”

With still a while to go until the 2028 cycle becomes the forefront on the recruiting trail, Sarkisian and his staff continue to set themselves up to be at the top of the conversations regarding the premier talent on their target board.

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Severe storms possible in Austin midweek. Here’s what to expect and timings.

Published

12 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Severe storms possible in Austin midweek. Here’s what to expect and timings.

So far this month, Austin’s main weather observation site at Camp Mabry has recorded 0.7 inch of rain, but the year overall has been dry. Since Jan. 1, we’ve recorded just over 2.5 inches of rainfall, which is about 2.75 inches below normal at this point in the year.

While the weekend rain wasn’t exactly a drought-buster, we can still keep our hopes high — or, in the words of a classic infomercial: “But wait … there’s more!”

Morning: We’ll wake early Tuesday under dark and cloudy skies, as the sun doesn’t rise in Austin until 7:46 a.m. because of daylight saving time. Temperatures will be near 70 degrees, but don’t expect the same foggy start we saw Monday. Winds will be a bit gusty out of the south, which will help keep the low-level moisture mixed and prevent it from settling in and creating a layer of fog.

Midday: Sprinkles or light showers are possible through midday, but the heavier rainfall will hold off during the morning. The upper-level low pressure system approaching from the west will help produce active weather across West Texas during the first half of Tuesday.

Afternoon: However, across Central Texas an atmospheric lid, known as a capping inversion, will remain in place until surface temperatures warm up enough for rising air to break through the “cap.” Once that happens, the atmosphere will gradually destabilize through the afternoon and evening, allowing rain and thunderstorms to develop.

Breezy south winds will continue throughout the day, with gusts up to 25 mph. Afternoon temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 70s and lower 80s.

Once the cold front transits east of Austin on Wednesday, drier and cooler weather will settle in for the rest of the work week before 80-degree afternoon temperatures reemerge next weekend.

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Texas Mother Is Exonerated After 22 Years for a Crime That Never Happened – Innocence Project

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Texas Mother Is Exonerated After 22 Years for a Crime That Never Happened – Innocence Project

(Austin, TX – March 9, 2026) Carmen Mejia was exonerated today after Travis County District Court Judge P. David Wahlberg dismissed a 2003 murder charge against her, following a ruling from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) — the state’s highest criminal court — overturning her convictions and finding that new evidence established that Ms. Mejia is “actually innocent.”

The CCA’s decision, on Jan. 22, 2026, found Ms. Mejia actually innocent of the death of a 10-month-old infant in her care who was critically burned from scalding bathwater due to a water heater in her rental home that lacked safety technology. Ms. Mejia has spent the last 22 years in prison for what the State claimed to be murder but now agrees was, in fact, a tragic accident.

“While we are overjoyed that the courts finally recognize that Ms. Mejia is innocent, this grave injustice should have never happened in the first place,” said Vanessa Potkin, Ms. Mejia’s Innocence Project attorney. “Ms. Mejia is a woman of immeasurable strength, who has relied on her deep faith to withstand a traumatic period of her life that most people wouldn’t be able to survive. Her case is far from isolated. There is a clear pattern in our criminal legal system of wrongly accusing caregivers when a child in their care dies from an accident or illness, particularly when those caregivers are women of color. We have seen too many cases like Ms. Mejia’s where false and outdated medical testimony lead to wrongful convictions, and there are undoubtedly thousands more people still wrongly imprisoned because of such testimony.”

“Ms. Mejia, today we acknowledge that our office failed you,” said Sarah Byrom, Assistant District Attorney, Travis County District Attorney’s Office. “The State pursued and obtained a conviction against you for what we now understand was a tragic accident and that failure cost you over 20 years of your life. Nothing that I say, and nothing that we do in this courtroom today can restore the time that was taken from you or undo the pain and separation that you and your children have had to endure.”

A Tragic Accident and Lost Evidence

On July 28, 2003, Ms. Mejia was at home with her four children and babysitting a 10-month-old when the fatal accident occurred. While Ms. Mejia was nursing her youngest child, her eldest daughter tried to bathe the baby. The water heater in Ms. Mejia’s rental home lacked the now-standard safety features, allowing the tub water to quickly reach 147.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Within seconds of being exposed to this high water temperature, the baby suffered third-degree burns. He died in the hospital later that day as a result of complications from the burn injuries.

Instead of recognizing this as the terrible accident it was, police arrested Ms. Mejia for murder.

A combination of factors — in particular, invalid medical testimony and lost evidence supporting Ms. Mejia’s account of the accident — contributed to her wrongful conviction. No medical burn expert was called to testify at trial. Instead, the prosecution’s experts — a medical doctor and retired law enforcement investigator — incorrectly asserted that the baby’s injuries could only have been caused by an adult intentionally holding the child down in scalding water.

As part of their investigation, forensic interviews were conducted with Ms. Mejia’s children after the incident. The children’s statements, which were video recorded, supported Ms. Mejia’s account that this was an accident. However, the recordings disappeared from law enforcement’s custody before the trial, as a result, the jury never heard these corroborating accounts.

At trial, the State presented no evidence of prior mistreatment or violence. Ms. Mejia had no criminal history.

Ms. Mejia steadfastly maintained her innocence, including during her testimony at trial. Nonetheless, the jury returned a guilty verdict, convicting her of murder and injury to a child. She was sentenced to life in prison, lost her parental rights, and did not see her four children again for over two decades.

“In this case from the start, the worst was assumed: That this was an intentional act,” said Collin Bellair, Assistant District Attorney, Travis County District Attorney’s Office, at today’s hearing. “We could not have been more wrong, and it turned a tragic accident into a wrongful conviction.”

A Conviction Collapses Under Faulty Science

One significant person who believed in Ms. Mejia’s innocence during her trial was Art Guerrero, the courtroom bailiff. Ms. Mejia’s testimony and her vehement declarations of innocence stayed with Mr. Guerrero years after her conviction, so much so that he contacted the Innocence Project, the District Attorney’s Office, and another judge, urging a reexamination of Ms. Mejia’s case.

“From the time that you were taken from this place to prison, you were not forgotten … you were not forgotten. There was somebody thinking about you the whole time and just trying to figure out what to do and how to do it,” Mr. Guerrero said, addressing Ms. Mejia at her exoneration hearing.

After the Innocence Project took up Ms. Mejia’s case in 2021, the Conviction Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office also agreed to investigate her innocence claim. During the reinvestigation, they located Ms. Mejia’s children, who had been adopted in a closed adoption and had spent the past two decades wondering what happened to their birth mother, even hiring a private investigator to no success.

In 2024, the Innocence Project filed a writ of habeas corpus in Travis County District Court, challenging Ms. Mejia’s wrongful conviction. Over the course of a year, Judge Wahlberg conducted hearings at which multiple experts presented evidence that — contrary to what the State’ presented at trial — the child’s injuries were consistent with an accidental scalding.

Wendy Shields, senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy — whose decades of research have focused on preventing injuries in the home with particular expertise in scald burns — testified in 2024 that the water heater in Ms. Mejia’s rental home lacked recommended plumbing safety features designed to prevent scald injuries. She explained that this situation is common in homes built prior to the 1980s, like Ms. Mejia’s, before building safety codes were revised to require tap-level protections against scalding.

“Burn injuries remain a leading cause of accidental injury and death among children. My research estimates that approximately 6,500 children experience tap-water scald burns each year in the United States. Between 2013 and 2022, there were approximately 1,600 tap-water scald injuries involving children under age 18 in incidents where another child was involved,” Dr. Shield said today.

“The technology to prevent these injuries already exists. Devices such as thermostatic mixing valves and other temperature-limiting plumbing protections can dramatically reduce the risk of tap-water scald burns. However, these protections are not consistently required in older housing, leaving many families without basic safeguards. This is particularly concerning for renters, who often do not control the maintenance or temperature settings of the water heater in their homes,” Dr. Shield added.

In 2024, Dr. James Gallagher, a burn surgeon and former director of the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center — one of the nation’s leading trauma burn centers — testified that the tub’s incredibly hot water could have caused accidental burn injuries “in a matter of seconds.” He found that “there is no medical evidence to support that this child’s injuries had to be the result of an intentional act by an adult,” directly refuting the 2003 trial testimony of the State’s experts.

One of Ms. Mejia’s daughters, now an adult who missed out on growing up with her mother, also testified about her recollections of the accident, including turning on the water.

At Ms. Mejia’s 2003 trial, the State’s medical examiner testified that the death was a homicide based on the available evidence at the time. Dr. Elizabeth Peacock, who performed the autopsy, reversed the manner of death determination from homicide to accidental in 2025 and testified that she would have “ruled this an accident,” if she’d had all of the information now available. When asked during post-conviction proceedings why she decided to take this step, Dr. Peacock responded with great clarity, because “it’s the right thing to do.”

As a result of the new evidence presented in these hearings, the State’s key experts recanted their testimony supporting the prosecution’s theory that an adult had to have intentionally caused the burns. Judge Wahlberg found that no crime took place and subsequently, the CCA ruled that Ms. Mejia had established her innocence and overturned her conviction.

In dismissing the case based on her “actual innocence,” Judge Wahlberg told Ms. Mejia, “There’s nothing that I can say at this point that will bring back those 23 years. Signing this piece of paper won’t bring it back. There is no amount of money that will ever compensate you for losing the best years of your life. I wish I had that power. What I can do is say to you that there is a reason to hope and believe that your future will be better every day from now on, and I pray that it is so.”

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