MEDIA ADVISORY
October 4, 2023
CONTACT: Kristin Houlé Cuellar, Executive Director
Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
512-552-5948 (cell)
@TCADPdotORG
MEDIA ADVISORY: Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty to Host World Day Against the Death Penalty Solidarity Events Across the State
Texas set to execute Jedidiah Murphy on World Day Against the Death Penalty, October 10
AUSTIN – After a rare six months without an execution, the State of Texas plans to put Jedidiah Murphy to death on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, a date recognized globally as World Day Against the Death Penalty. To mark World Day Against the Death Penalty and protest Murphy’s scheduled execution, the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) is hosting solidarity events in Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, and San Antonio.
“We lament the resumption of executions in Texas, especially on a day where people around the world raise their voices in opposition to the death penalty,” said Kristin Houlé Cuellar, TCADP Executive Director. “TCADP remains steadfast in our resolve to end the death penalty in the Lone Star State. We invite all Texans to join us on October 10 to bear witness to the cruelty of capital punishment and send a strong message to lawmakers that it is time for our state to abandon the death penalty and invest in effective public safety solutions.”
Jedidiah Murphy was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001 by a Dallas County jury for kidnapping and killing 79-year-old Bertie Cunningham while in the throes of a mental health crisis brought on by years of abandonment, neglect, and abuse. Murphy immediately accepted responsibility for his crime and expressed profound remorse for his actions. In the 23 years he has spent on death row, he has experienced a spiritual and personal transformation grounded in his Jewish faith. Murphy has filed an application with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles in which he asks for the commutation of his death sentence to a lesser penalty or, in the alternative, a 180-day reprieve.
The following solidarity events will commemorate World Day Against the Death Penalty.
EL PASO:
WHO: TCADP, Restorative Justice Ministry, El Pasoans Against the Death Penalty
WHAT: Interfaith citywide prayer vigil
WHEN: Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 3:00 PM MST
WHERE: Memorial Park
1701 N Copia St
El Paso, TX 79930
AUSTIN:
WHO: TCADP, Texas Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty
WHAT: Interfaith Vigil
WHEN: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 12:00 PM CST
WHERE: Texas State Capitol (Sidewalk on 11th Street)
1100 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
DALLAS:
WHO: TCADP
WHAT: Interfaith Vigil
WHEN: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 6:00 PM CST
WHERE: Frank Crowley County Courthouse
133 N. Riverside Blvd
Dallas, TX 75207
FORT WORTH:
WHO: TCADP
WHAT: Interfaith Vigil
WHEN: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 6:00 PM CST
WHERE: All Peoples Church
1959 Sandy Lane
Fort Worth, TX 76112
SAN ANTONIO:
WHO: TCADP, Catholic Mobilizing Network, University of the Incarnate Word, Pax Christi Texas
WHAT: Interfaith vigil, panel
WHEN: Tuesday, October 10, 2023
12:00 PM (Vigil)
7:00 PM (Panel)
WHERE: San Fernando Cathedral (Vigil)
115 Main Plaza
San Antonio, TX 78205
University of the Incarnate Word (Panel)
4301 Broadway
San Antonio, TX 78209
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The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty is the only statewide grassroots advocacy organization dedicated solely to ending the death penalty in Texas. Led by staff in Austin and Dallas and a statewide Board of Directors, TCADP has more than 13,000 supporters and 37 organizational affiliates. TCADP collaborates with local, state, and national partners to reduce the use of the death penalty and advocate for change at the county and state level.