In this edition:
Scheduled executions: Texas set to execute Moises Mendoza on April 23
Texas legislative updates: Death penalty abolition bill gains two coauthors; Texas Senate passes bill to expand the death penalty; TCADP Deputy Director Tiara Cooper honored in the Texas House of Representatives
In case you missed it: TCADP webinar and Instagram series on late adolescence and the death penalty; videos from the TCADP 2025 Annual Conference
Featured events: Sister Helen Prejean in Austin on April 4; TCADP Book Group meeting on April 30
TCADP in action: Contact us to arrange for a speaker or participate in a community event
Quote of the month
On March 24, 2025, the El Paso County District Attorney announced his office will not seek the death penalty for the man who killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso in 2019. Nearly two dozen other people were injured during one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
In explaining the decision, District Attorney James Montoya said, “It became clear, as we met with the families one by one, that there is a strong and overwhelming consensus that just wanted this case over with, that wanted finality in the court process.”
In July 2023, Patrick Crusius was sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms in federal prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to hate crime charges. A sentencing hearing for the state case, during which he is expected to plead guilty and receive additional life sentences, is set for April 21, 2025. Families will be able to give victim impact statements at that time.
The State of Texas is scheduled to execute Moises Mendoza on April 23, 2025. A Collin County jury convicted him of killing Rachel Tolleson in 2004; Mendoza was 20 years old at the time of the crime. We will provide guidance on how you can express your opposition to this execution once we receive more information from his legal team.
To date this year, 10 people have been executed nationwide in seven states. This includes two men in Texas: Steven Nelson and Richard Tabler.
David Wood, who was scheduled to be put to death on March 13, 2025, received a stay from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals after he raised eight claims, including that he is actually innocent and that the State obtained its conviction by presenting false testimony and suppressing exculpatory evidence.
In April, three other states have scheduled executions: Florida; South Carolina; and Alabama. Texas has another execution scheduled in May: Matthew Johnson is set to be put to death on May 20.
Death penalty abolition bill gains two coauthors
Two members of the Texas House of Representatives have signed on as coauthors of House Bill 454, which calls for the abolition of the death penalty: State Representative Lulu Flores (House District [HD] 51-Austin) and State Representative Christina Morales (HD 145-Houston). They join the bill’s author, State Representative John Bucy (HD 136-Austin), in taking a public stance on this issue.
Thank Representatives Flores and Morales for their leadership and support for HB 454 by emailing them at Lulu.Flores@House.Texas.Gov and Christina.Morales@House.Texas.Gov. (If you are a constituent of either of these Representatives, be sure to let them know!) We will alert you if the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence schedules a hearing on the bill.
Senate passes bill to expand the death penalty
On March 26, 2025, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 990, which would make the murder of a child under the age of 15 a capital crime eligible for the death penalty. Current Texas law allows for a possible death sentence if the victim is under 10 (without requiring other aggravating factors).
TCADP is disappointed the Senate has passed this bill at a time when Texans are turning away from the use of the death penalty, when victims’ families are speaking out about the toll the process takes on them, and when new evidence of the flaws and failures of our capital punishment system continues to come to light. SB 990 also reinforces the inherent arbitrariness of the application of the death penalty.
The bill was sponsored by State Senator Paul Bettencourt (Senate District [SD]-7 Houston). The final vote in the Senate was 26 ayes and 5 nays. Please take a moment to email the five Senators who voted against SB 990 (especially if you live in their districts):
State Senator César J. Blanco – SD 29
State Senator Molly Cook – SD 15
State Senator Sarah Eckhardt – SD 14
State Senator Royce West – SD 23
State Senator Judith Zaffirini – SD 21
The format is firstname.lastname@Senate.Texas.Gov, for example sarah.eckhardt@senate.texas.gov.
SB 990 has now moved to the Texas House. We will share updates and action requests as necessary.
TCADP Deputy Director Tiara Cooper honored in the Texas House of Representatives
TCADP Deputy Director Tiara Cooper was honored in the Texas House of Representatives last month as the recipient of the 2025 Texas Legislative Black Caucus Outstanding Texan Award for House District 100 in recognition of her “trailblazing advocacy for others.” The award was presented at the Texas Legislative Black Caucus’ Annual Advocacy Day on March 19, 2025, at the Texas Capitol in Austin.
In case you missed it
TCADP Webinar: Marking 20 Years of Roper v. Simmons and Redrawing the Line
On March 25, 2025, TCADP hosted a special webinar featuring attorneys, professors, students, and friends of individuals who were sentenced to death for crimes that occurred when they were 18, 19, or 20 years old. This event took place as part of our commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Roper v. Simmons, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in which the Justices ruled the death penalty for individuals under age 18 at the time of the crime is unconstitutional. Many of the same reasons cited in the Roper decision, including lack of maturity or impulse control and what we know about brain development, apply to late adolescence.
During the webinar, our esteemed panelists—Richard Burr; Dr. William Bush; Nakia Lambert; Ryan Flaco Rising; Dr. Bidhan Roy; and Lana Zegart—shared insights and personal reflections based on research and experiences with people who were sentenced to death as late adolescents. All of them gave powerful reasons why Texas lawmakers should support House Bill 2055 by State Representative Joe Moody, which would render individuals under the age of 21 at the time of the crime ineligible for the death penalty.
Watch a recording of the webinar (passcode #=t0lu$q).
View TCADP’s series on late adolescence and the death penalty on Instagram.
Videos from the TCADP 2025 Annual Conference
It has been six weeks since the TCADP 2025 Annual Conference: Becoming Catalysts for Change took place in Austin, but we are still buzzing with the energy and solidarity we felt that day. This one-minute video features some of the powerful remarks of our keynote speaker, State Representative John Bucy, as well as the heartfelt comments of Chip Bach from the Friends Meeting of Austin, one of our award recipients. You can also view a 30-second recap of the conference.
Conference: Death Penalty and Religion
On April 4 and 5, 2025, the University of Texas Capital Punishment Center is hosting its biannual conference: Death Penalty and Religion. Keynote speaker Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, will speak between 12:30 and 1:45 PM on Friday, April 4, 2025, in the Eidman Courtroom at the University of Texas School of Law (727 East Dean Keeton Street; Austin, Texas 78705). The event is open to the public. View directions and parking info.
TCADP Book Group
The TCADP Book Group meets every six to eight weeks on Zoom and reads a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and memoirs. Our next selection is The Black Rose: Collected Poems by Terence Andrus. We will discuss the poetry collection on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at 7:00 PM CT. Register here. (Note: If you have signed up for previous book group meetings, you do not need to register again. Royalties from sales of The Black Rose are being donated to TCADP in Terence’s name.)
TCADP in action
Last month, TCADP staff and members delivered presentations on the death penalty at churches, law schools, and community forums, gathered together for coffee and fellowship, and participated in the 29th Annual César E. Chavez March for Justice in San Antonio. If you would like to host a speaker at your faith community or college campus or organize a TCADP presence in an upcoming community event, email TCADP Deputy Director Tiara Cooper at TCooper@tcadp.org.