TCADP

On May 15, 2015, the State of Texas put Jeffrey Williams to death for the murder of plainclothes Houston police officer Troy Blando in 1999 while being arrested for stealing a car.  The U.S. Supreme Court denied his last appeal regarding a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.  Read more from the Associated Press, via the Austin American-Statesman.

It was the sixth execution to take place in Texas this year, out of twelve nationwide, and the first involving a case from Harris County since District Attorney Mike Anderson was sworn into office in January.    Texas has executed 498 people since 1982.

With the May 21 scheduled execution of Robert Pruett stayed for DNA testing, the next execution is scheduled to take place on June 12.

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*Updated on May 15, 2013* A state district judge has formally withdrawn the May 21 execution date for Robert Pruett.  A hearing will take place on June 3 regarding the DNA testing and to set a new date.  Read more in the Austin Chronicle.

According to the Texas Tribune (“Execution for Prison Guard Murder Delayed for DNA Tests,” May 9, 2013), “State lawyers agreed Thursday to a 60-day reprieve for death row inmate Robert Pruett, who was scheduled for execution May 21, after the inmate filed a request for DNA testing, arguing it may prove his innocence in the 1999 stabbing of prison correctional officer Daniel Nagle.”  The focus of the DNA test is a palm print found on a disciplinary write-up that was torn up and spread near Nagel’s body.

Read more from the Texas Tribune, including an earlier article about the case.

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In other case developments, today’s Austin Chronicle includes an update on legal appeals on behalf of Jeffrey Williams, who is scheduled to be executed on May 15, 2012.  Read the article.  Thanks to Steve Hall at StandDown Texas for posting.

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On May 7, 2013, the State of Texas put Carroll Parr to death for the 2003 drug-related robbery and killing of Joel Dominguez in Waco.  It was the fifth execution to take place in Texas this year.  Read an account from the Associated Press.

Earlier in the day, a Galveston County jury sentenced Bartholomew Granger to death for the murder of 79-year-old Minnie Ray Sebolt outside the Jefferson County Courthouse in 2012.  According to the Associated Press, “Granger, 42, showed no remorse as he admitted opening fire on his daughter and running her over with his truck because she had testified against him in a sexual assault case, but he insisted he didn’t kill Sebolt. His daughter and her mother were among three women wounded in the attack.”  The trial was moved to Galveston so that jurors did not have to walk by the crime scene every day.

Read more about this case from the Beaumont Enterprise.

This is the first new death sentence imposed in Texas in 2013.  In 2012, Texas juries sentenced nine people to death.    View death sentences by county at http://tcadp.org/1976-2012-county-map/.

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Moments ago, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed into law a bill that repeals the death penalty.  Maryland is now the  18th death penalty-free state.   According to the Baltimore Sun, the death penalty had been on the books in Maryland for more than 300 years.

Congratulations to our colleagues in Maryland and everyone who worked to achieve this legislative success!

Read about the bill-signing ceremony in the Baltimore Sun.

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Executions

The State of Texas is scheduled to carry out three executions in May. Read about their cases on the TCADP blog and participate in vigils in your community.

Texas accounts for four of the ten executions carried out nationwide to date in 2013.  The State has executed 496 people since 1982.

Legislative Updates
Two important legislative hearings related to the death penalty took place last month in Texas, and TCADP was there, every step of the way. On April 16, the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee considered House Bill 2458, which seeks to prohibit the imposition of a death sentence or execution under any judgment that was sought or obtained on the basis of race. The hearing included a lengthy exchange between legislators and TCADP Executive Director Kristin Houlé. Read about it here.

On April 29, starting at 10:50 PM, the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1703, which calls for the repeal of the death penalty in Texas. First up at the podium was Anthony Graves, who spent 12 years on death row and faced two execution dates for a crime he didn’t commit. Needless to say, he held the members spellbound with his story. Read our account of the hearing, and check out a compilation of Vicki’s live tweeting from the committee room!

Earlier that day, State Representative Jessica Farrar acknowledged Bob Van Steenburg, who served as the President of the TCADP Board of Directors from 2009 to 2013, from the floor of the Texas House of Representatives! House Resolution 478 by Rep. Farrar congratulates Bob on his service to the people of Texas and his tireless efforts to engage the public and legislators on the death penalty issue. Hooray, Bob!

We are grateful to everyone who contacted the members of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee last month to urge hearings on House Bills 1703, 2458, and 2614, and to the intrepid members of the TCADP Lobby Corps who stayed with us at the Capitol until midnight on Monday!

Please make one more call (or email) to the Committee members this week to thank them for conducting fair and open hearings on HB 1703 and HB 2458 and urge their support for repealing the death penalty in Texas.  Contact information is available here.

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In other legislative news, on Thursday, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley will sign the bill that repeals the death penalty in his state! Check the TCADP blog tomorrow for coverage.

Spring 2013 Newsletter

TCADP 2013 Spring Quarterly Newsletter

In this issue:
Voices of Texas: Diane Allen
2013 Legislative Session
Death Penalty Developments
“The Trial of Jesus” in Austin
News from the Field
Thank You, Members, Donors, and Partners for Justice!
Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty
and more…

Read it now!

Case Updates
Nearly 50,000 people have signed the petition by former Harris County prosecutor Linda Geffin for Texas death row inmate Duane Buck. Is your name on this list? Ms. Geffin, former Governor Mark White, and many other prominent Texans believe that Buck deserves a new sentencing hearing that is free from racial bias… during his original trial, the jury was told that Mr. Buck was more likely to pose a future danger to society because he is African American. Sign the petition now to express your outrage at this blatant display of racial discrimination!

Announcements
Festivals, Conferences, Religious Gatherings?
It’s the season for community festivals and religious and civic gatherings! Do you know of any upcoming community events or meetings where TCADP could sponsor an information table and recruit new members? If so, please contact TCADP Program Coordinator Vicki McCuistion at info@tcadp.org or 512-441-1808. See the calendar below for examples of tabling events.

Join the TCADP Social Media Rapid Response Team!
Help TCADP expand its reach and communicate important messages online!  Sign up today to be a part of the TCADP Social Media Rapid Response Team. (You don’t have to be in Texas to be helpful!) http://tcadp.org/social-media-team/
TCADP is on Facebook – become a Fan today!  On Twitter, follow us!

Calendar

May
1: Webinar: Addressing the Needs of Victims in Death Penalty Cases: The Role and Responsibility of the Defense http://bit.ly/11JSJFO
7: Scheduled Execution – Carroll Parr
10-12: Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas
14: The New Jim Crow in Texas w/ Michelle Alexander, King of Glory Lutheran Church, Dallas 1:00pm www.ntnl.org
15: Scheduled Execution – Jeffery Williams; Dallas Religious Organizing Committee 6:00pm, Chapter meeting 7:00pm, dallas@tcadp.org
20: El Paso Chapter Meeting, 7:00pm, elpaso@tcadp.org
21: Scheduled execution – Robert Pruett
25: Dallas International Festival*
31—June 2:  United Church of Christ Conference, Dallas*

For more information about these events or to volunteer to staff a table at an *outreach event, email info@tcadp.org.

Support all of the programs and initiatives described here with a generous donation to TCADP today!

TCADP is on Facebook – become a Fan today!  On Twitter, follow us!  And on LinkedIn – Join Us!

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The State of Texas is scheduled to carry out the following executions in May:

• On May 7, Carroll Parr is scheduled to be put to death for the 2003 drug-related robbery and killing of Joel Dominguez in Waco.  According to a 2012 article in the Houston Chronicle, Parr sought to end his appeals. *Update* Parr was executed on May 7, 2013.
• On May 15, Jefferey Williams is scheduled to be put to death for the murder of plainclothes Houston police officer Troy Blando in 1999 while being arrested for stealing a car.  His attorney is pursuing a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.  Read more about his case from the Austin Chronicle.
• On May 21, Robert Pruett is scheduled to be put to death for the 2002 for the murder of correctional officer Daniel Nagle at the McConnell Unit in Beeville.  In an interview with the Texas Tribune, Pruett contends he was framed.   The article  focuses on staffing shortages at Texas prisons, an issue that Nagle addressed at a rally at the State Capitol in 1999 calling for raises for prison employees.  At the rally, he reportedly said “Someone will have to be killed before the Texas Department of Criminal Justice does anything about the shortage of staff in Texas prisons.”

Texas accounts for four of the ten executions carried out nationwide to date in 2013.  The State has executed 496 people since 1982.

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Late last night, starting around 10:50 PM and lasting until after midnight, the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee considered testimony on House Bill 1703, the death penalty repeal bill by State Representative Jessica Farrar.  Representatives Alma Allen and Lon Burnam co-authored the bill.

Rep. Farrar addressed three major flaws of the death penalty: the risk of wrongful convictions; the cost of maintaining it; and the lack of a deterrent effect.

There was a lively discussion among legislators after the testimony of Anthony Graves, who spent 18 years in prison – including 12 years on death row – for a crime he did not commit.  After being questioned by one legislator about why the death penalty wasn’t appropriate for those who are guilty of committing heinous crimes, Anthony responded with his own question: “How do we as human beings decide that we are going to give up on each other?”

The committee also heard from murder victim family members, religious leaders, and organizational representatives, and from Keith Brooks, the son of Charlie Brooks, the first person executed in Texas by lethal injection in 1982).  TCADP Executive Director Kristin Houle testified on behalf of the organization, telling the committee that “the death penalty is no longer the status quo in Texas.”

In addition, the committee received written testimony in support of HB 1703 from Sam Millsap, the former District Attorney of Bexar County.

The bill has been left pending in committee.

You can find more quotes from witnesses and legislators’ responses on TCADP’s Twitter feed, @TCADPdotORG, and on Facebook.  Thanks to TCADP Program Coordinator Vicki McCuistion for capturing the spirit of the hearing!

Read an account of the hearing from the Associated Press, which provides additional insight into the committee members’ responses to witness testimony, and from Houston Public Radio.

You can also watch the video here (you will need RealPlayer).

TCADP is deeply grateful to everyone who endured the long wait for the committee hearing to begin and for HB 1703 to be called, particularly all those who testified. A huge shout out also goes to the intrepid members of the TCADP Lobby Corps who attended the hearing and stayed with us until the very end, providing critical moral support.   Thank you!!

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