Timeline ofthe case,
2013
Aug. 1: Kelley, 18, is arrested on a charge of sexual assault of a child. From December 2012 to June 2013, after both of his parents fell ill, Kelley had lived at a friend’s home in Cedar Park that was being used as an inhome day care facility. The abuse occurred during that time, according to police.
Aug. 29: Police arrest Kelley again after another 4-year-old boy says Kelley touched him inappropriately.
2014
July 8: On the first day of Kelley’s trial, prosecutors have no physical evidence in the case, telling jurors they will have to decide whether they believe the two 4-year-olds.
July 9: Testifying on the second day of Kelley’s trial, the second boy who accused Kelley says he wasn’t abused.
July 16: Kelley is sentenced to 25 years in prison, a day after he was convicted of two counts of super aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Aug. 13: Kelley’s attorney files a motion for new trial, the first of several efforts to reverse his conviction.
2016
Feb. 11: After two years of attempts to overturn Kelley’s conviction, a state appeals court rules against him. Defense team says it has evidence indicating Kelley couldn’t have been at the home at the time the alleged abuse occurred.
2017
May 25: Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick confirms developments in the case that draw Kelley’s conviction into question, and says Texas Rangers in recent weeks have reviewed significant evidence that someone other than Kelley assaulted the 4-year-old.
Aug. 2: On the first day of a hearing in which Kelley’s lawyers are attempting to establish Kelley’s innocence, Texas Ranger Cody Mitchell testifies that, based on his years of law enforcement experience, he doesn’t think allegations against Kelley were fairly investigated and that he thinks Kelley’s right to due process was violated.
Aug. 4: At the end of a three-day hearing delving into the case, Kelley’s family and supporters are jubilant, saying they believe the testimony showed he deserves to be released from jail as the lengthy appeals process continues. Meanwhile, Dick delivers a sweeping condemnation of the case that led to Kelley’s conviction on child sexual assault charges, calling it a “catastrophic failure” of the criminal justice system — from police, prosecutors and Kelley’s defense lawyer to a juror who says he didn’t believe Kelley was guilty, but allowed other jurors to change his mind.
Aug. 22: State District Judge Donna King grants Kelley bond, and he is released from jail.