Three Times Satanic Panic Sent Innocent People To Jail In Texas

There has recently been a renewed interest in the "Satanic Panic" that gripped Texas and the rest of the country in the 80s and early 90s. You can think of this time as a modern-day witch hunt. The devil lurked behind every corner, and people became suspicious of everyone and everything around them. You never knew when your neighbor you knew for 20 years would wind up being an evil "Satanist" waiting to prey on you and your children.

Satanic Panic In Texas: A Modern-Day Witch Hunt

As you can probably imagine, not everyone was an evil Satanist waiting for their chance to steal your children. This didn't stop many people from being wrongfully accused of heinous crimes that they didn't commit. Friends turned on friends, family members turned on one another, and people viewed as "outsiders" were often accused of these despicable deeds.

Over the past several years, Texas has made a point of exonerating those who had been falsely accused of "satanic crimes". It's heartbreaking to see these innocent people who lost everything because of wild accusations and bad "evidence".

Melvin Quinney Cleared Of False Accusations Linked To Texas Satanic Panic

Melvin was convicted of indecency with a child in 1991. The primary testimony used to seal Melvin's fate was that of his son, John. His mother, therapists, and a range of other adults had convinced John that his father was the leader of a Satanic cult. Eventually, John developed "memories" of events that had taken place. Supposedly, any time John tried to say that the unspeakable things had never happened, the therapists and his mother would say that he had been brainwashed. They convinced him that his father was evil.

Melvin was finally exonerated and released from prison in February of 2023. For 32 years, he lived with this hanging over him.

The Kellers; A Texas Couple Accused Of Running The Preschool From Hell

In what is one of the more insane stories from the Satanic Panic era in Texas, you have the Kellers. Dan and Fran were accused of some unbelievable things. The allegations ranged from ritualistic child abuse to having the children bathe in blood. At one point, there was even an accusation that they would fly the children to Mexico to participate in rituals. Of course, they would have them back and cleaned up just in time for parents to pick them up. Absolute insanity.

The two served 21 years of their 48-year sentence before being released.

The San Antonio Four; LGBTQ And The Devil

The San Antonio Four are four women who were openly lesbians that were accused of committing heinous crimes against the nieces of one of them. The neices had spent a week or so with their aunt, and once that week was up, all hell broke loose.

During that week the aunt had spent time around her friends with her neices. All of them would find themselves accused of performing satanic rituals and sexually assaulting the young girls. They were convicted in 1997. Their records weren't cleared until 2018.

It's unfortunate that any of these individuals ever had to answer for the outlandish accusations that were brought against them. It's a shame that pseudo-science and fear were allowed to rob so many people of their lives.