The following is an archived video story. The text content of that video story is available below for reference. The original video has been deleted and is no longer available.

Murder Charge Dropped In 2006 Williamson County Death


The Williamson County District Attorney has dismissed murder charges against a man accused of killing his fiancée six years ago.

Patric Fairs was charged with killing Philise Estes in Round Rock on Jan. 30, 2006.

Originally police thought Estes had committed suicide but they later charged Fairs with murder.  He had left the state but was arrested in California last year.

Fairs’ attorneys say they discovered law enforcement had never tested many pieces of evidence, including DNA and fingerprints, in the six years after the murder.

“The items which we discovered and requested forensic testing should have been identified by the previous prosecutor, and should have been forensically tested, before this case was ever presented to the grand jury.  These were simple things like basic fingerprint comparisons,” defense attorney Jennifer Earls said.

"Nothing has been looked at, nothing is being investigated, there is no information and there is no testing,” said defense attorney Jeremiah Williams.

John Bradley was Williamson County District Attorney at the time of the arrest.

KEYE TV tried to talk to Bradley, but he never returned our request for an interview.

“He told me that he's been praying consistently that he would be home by Christmas, and I looked him in the eye and said this is an answered prayer,” said Williams.

Fairs’ lawyers say he will return to his home in California.  Fairs played basketball for the University of Texas in the mid-1980s.

By Adam Racusin