Greg Kelley finds path forward in axe-throwing several years after exoneration

LEANDER, Texas - Almost six years ago, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals exonerated Greg Kelley.

Kelley is a former Leander High School football star who was wrongfully convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child in 2014.

He spent three years in prison before evidence proved his innocence.

Greg Kelley speaks on experience

Local perspective:

For Greg Kelley, life did not always feel like it was on target.

"In 2014, I was wrongfully convicted for a crime I did not do," said Kelley. "I was sentenced to 25 years in prison."

His senior year of high school in Leander, Kelley was wrongfully convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. He served three years in prison before getting out on bond.

Then came a bullseye for his case. A post-conviction Texas Ranger Investigation found evidence pointing to another suspect. 

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals exonerated him in 2019.

"I wanted to be a better person than when I came in," said Kelley. "Not just for me, but this woman who stood by my side. That future daughter that I now have who is seven months old that I wanted so badly to be a dad and that was robbed from me, to get football back, which I did."

He also launched an axe-throwing company called Tomahawk Targets. He makes and sells targets with skills he learned behind bars.

"When I was in prison, I learned a lot about power tools," said Kelley. "I learned how to craft. I spent a lot of my time in the craft shop working in the factory, learning how to craft things. It was a way for me to find peace in a very difficult time."

He also has two traveling axe-throwing trailers, which have made it all the way to F1.

"One thing I realized in prison is I know how to spend time alone. I'm okay with being alone, but I've also missed hanging out with people," said Kelley. 

It's teaching others that he enjoys the most with this new passion.

"People just explode with excitement and enthusiasm," said Kelley. "If I could be a part of that in anybody's life, whether it be helping team building events at companies or just providing an awesome experience for a kids' birthday party. That would be awesome. That's why I do it."

A sense of healing and community is what he aims for now, and it starts with his trailers.

"There’s a way to still love and to still move forward and to still obtain and grab your life by the horns and go get after it," said Kelley. 

Kelley said he’s expanded his business to Houston, too. A friend in jail struggled to find work after being released with a felony on his record. His axe-throwing business helped that friend get back on his feet.

Kelley is finishing his degree at UT in kinesiology.