On January 18, the State of Texas is scheduled to execute Anthony Shore for multiple murders in Harris County in the 1980s and 1990s. Sentenced in November 2004, Shore is the last white defendant to receive a death sentence in Harris County.
In October 2017, he received a 90-day reprieve due to his possible involvement in another case. According to the Texas Tribune, Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon appealed to Governor Greg Abbott and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg for more time to investigate rumors that Shore would confess to a murder in which another death row inmate was convicted. Ogg filed a motion to withdraw Shore’s execution date after receiving Ligon’s request, which a judge granted.
There are no pending appeals. If it proceeds, Shore’s execution would be the first in Texas this year, and the first in the United States.
Harris County accounts for 127 executions since 1982, more than any state except Texas. For the first time since 1985, Harris County was not responsible for any of last year’s executions.
Read more from the Associated Press and the Texas Tribune.