GATESVILLE, Texas — The state parole board denied parole Thursday for Joe Bryan who was convicted of murder for the 1985 death of his wife Mickey, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website.
The board wrote, "The record indicates the instant offense has elements of brutality, violence, assaultive behavior, or conscious selection of victim's vulnerability indicating a conscious disregard for the lives, safety, or property of others, such that the offender poses a continuing threat to public safety."
Bryan will be eligible for parole again in April, 2020.
Bryan's family sent a statement to Channel 6's Leslie Draffin saying they were "disappointed at the decision of the Texas Parole Board in denying Joe's parole."
"The reason they gave is that because of the brutality of the crime he is still a threat to the public," the statement continued. "He is going on 79-years-old this year. He has congenital heart problems, a pacemaker and can barely breathe after walking a few feet. He has already served 32 years, for a crime we steadfastly believe he did not commit! His disciplinary record in prison has been pristine!! Does that sound like a person who is a threat to anyone?"
"The parole board continues to release prisoners who say they are remorseful then go out and continue to commit crimes. We have lost all faith in the Texas Justice System to seek the truth and justice!!”
Bryan was convicted in 1986 and sentenced to 99 years in prison but when that trial was reversed Bryan was found guilty again in 1989 and he’s been in prison ever since.
Bryan's defense team got his case in front of U.S. District Judge Doug Shaver in August, 2018.
Bryan's attorney Jessi Freud called into question evidence used to convict him, specifically pointing to a blood covered flashlight found in Bryan's car.
RELATED: 30 Years Later: Convicted killer Joe Bryan's attorneys present evidence hoping for new trial
But in December, 2018, Shaver approved and adopted the recommendation by Bosque County District Attorney Adam Sibley to deny Bryan a new trial.
Shaver's ruling sent the case to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
His family has remained steadfast in their belief in his innocence.
They say he deserves a new trial and wants everyone to know Joe the way they do -- as an innocent man who could never have murdered his wife.