Michael Nevarez, 45, pleaded guilty to murder this week. A Dallas County jury then gave him 21 years in prison. The DA's office says so.

The killing happened on July 14, 1997. Damond Wittman, 21, was outside a Deep Ellum nightclub with friends. Prosecutors say a man walked up and asked for a cigarette. Wittman gave him one.

Then the man pulled a gun and demanded money. Prosecutors say Wittman tried to fight back. He was shot several times. He later died at a hospital.

Prosecutors say Nevarez was 16 at the time.

Someone else paid the price. In 1998, a jury found Martin Santillan, 24, guilty. The charge was capital murder. He got a life sentence. Santillan said he was innocent.

Court records show the case rested on one eyewitness. That person picked Santillan from six photos. It was the second time the person looked at photos. At trial, five people said he was at another nightclub. It was about 12 miles away. No DNA tied him to the shooting.

Santillan spent more than 25 years in prison. In 2008, a group called Centurion Ministries asked the DA's office to look at his case again. Early DNA tests gave no clear answers.

In 2021, the DA's office tested a Dallas Stars jersey. It was found near the scene. Police thought the shooter wore it. A newer test found DNA from unknown people. That led to Nevarez. Dallas police and Colorado Springs police helped. He was arrested in Colorado.

Santillan was released in December 2022. In February 2023, the state's top criminal court agreed. It said he was innocent. A Dallas judge dismissed the case in March 2023. The DA's office said sorry to him in court.

At that time, District Attorney John Creuzot said, "Today, we would not have taken it to trial."

A grand jury charged Nevarez in November 2023. This week's guilty plea and sentence end the case against him.

Creuzot spoke about the sentence this week. He called it "an important step toward accountability." He said Wittman's family has "waited decades for justice."

He also said Santillan "lost more than 25 years of his life for a crime he did not commit." Creuzot said his office has a duty to find the truth and fix past wrongs.