In this edition:
Scheduled executions: Two executions set for September
Advocacy in action: Support clemency for Ker’Sean Ramey
TCADP 2027 Annual Conference: Nominate an individual or organization for an annual award (and save the date!)
Organizational updates: TCADP welcomes two new board members
Upcoming events: Film screening in El Paso; meetup in Abilene; panel discussions in Dallas and Austin; a webinar with Corinna Barrett Lain; plus the TCADP Book Group, International Wrongful Conviction Day, and World Day Against the Death Penalty
Quote of the month
“When the system gets it wrong and they convict an innocent person, they create two sets of victims.”
– Barbara Bradley Hagerty, author of Bringing Ben Home
Her latest story for The Atlantic, “The Other Victims of a Wrongful Conviction,” addresses the complexities victims’ family members must navigate in the wake of an exoneration. You can hear from Barbara and the two men at the heart of her incredible story–Ben Spencer and Jay Young–in an interview with Think from KERA in Dallas on August 20, 2026.
After three months with no scheduled executions in Texas, the State is set to put two people to death in September. LeJames Norman and Ker’sean Olajuwa Ramey were sentenced to death for the murders of Samuel Roberts, Tiffani Peacock, and Celso Lopez during a botched robbery in Edna, Texas (Jackson County) in 2005. Norman was 19 at the time of the crime, Ramey was 20. In a highly unusual occurrence, the State has set the executions of these codefendants just one week apart – on September 16 for Norman and September 23 for Ramey.
TCADP is not presently issuing a call to action for LeJames Norman in deference to the wishes of his legal team. If you would like to contact the Governor of Texas to express your opposition to all executions, you can submit a comment here. If you live in Texas, we encourage you to consider joining a vigil in your area.
For Ker’Sean Ramey, we’re asking you to support his application for clemency by contacting the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. See the advocacy alert below for details about his case and how you can help us draw attention to the egregious constitutional issues that plagued his trial.
Texas also has set one execution in October and two in November. We will share information about these cases when it is available.
To date in 2026, 24 people have been executed nationwide, including four in Texas. Florida carried out an execution on September 1st and has two more set this month. Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee also have scheduled executions in September.
Advocacy in action: Support clemency for Ker’Sean Ramey
Ker’Sean Olajuwa Ramey faces execution by the State of Texas on September 23, 2026, despite profound constitutional violations that led to his conviction and death sentence. Ramey was convicted of killing Sam Roberts, Tiffani Peacock, and Celso Lopez during a botched robbery in 2005 in Edna, Jackson County, Texas. He was 20 years old at the time of the crime and has spent nearly half of his life on death row.
Executing Ker’Sean Ramey would be a serious miscarriage of justice. Here are three reasons why:
- Ramey received abysmal representation from a part-time lawyer who had no capital trial experience and did not conduct his own investigation of the case nor call a single witness during the guilt phase. The lawyer spent his days as a practicing dentist and only ran a solo law practice on the side in the evenings.
- Due to his lawyer’s deficiencies, jurors did not hear critical mitigating evidence that could have persuaded them to spare Ramey’s life. Instead, they were presented with judicially discredited testimony from the State’s expert on future dangerousness. Jurors deliberated for only 14 minutes before sentencing Ramey to death.
- Ramey was prosecuted in a county with a documented history of excluding jurors based on race. At his trial, the State systematically excluded all potential Black jurors, resulting in a nearly all-white jury (11 white, 1 Hispanic) judging a Black defendant. His attorney did nothing to oppose this jury composition.
How you can support clemency for Ker’Sean Ramey
We’re asking you to email the members of the Texas Board and Pardons and Paroles directly at bpp_clemency@tdcj.texas.gov to urge them to recommend clemency for Ker’Sean Ramey (include his TDCJ #999519 and DOB 06/04/1985 in your appeals) and to share your concerns with Governor Greg Abbott.
Copy and paste the message to the Board and Governor provided in our action alert or craft your own letter based on the information we have shared about the case. Additional contact information for the Board and Governor is also available at that link. Please contact the Board by Friday, September 18, 2026.
TCADP 2027 Annual Conference
TCADP is accepting nominations for our annual Courage, Appreciation, and Media Awards. With these awards, we recognize outstanding individuals and organizations who have made significant and selfless contributions towards ending the death penalty in Texas.
All award recipients will be honored during the TCADP 2027 Annual Conference, which will take place in Austin, Texas on Saturday, February 20, 2027. Stay tuned for announcements about this informative and inspirational day of advocacy!
The deadline for submitting award nominations is October 16, 2026. View a list of past award recipients.
TCADP is delighted to announce the addition of two new members to the Board of Directors:
Dr. Bill Bush is a Professor of History at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. His scholarly research has focused on the history of children and youth, with a focus on juvenile justice and mental health. Dr. Bush’s current research interests include an ongoing historical study of youthful capital offenders in the United States.
Rachel Jennings teaches English at San Antonio College in San Antonio and serves on the board of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. She is an active member of Travis Park United Methodist Church and has participated in numerous TCADP activities over the years.
Upcoming events
Please save the date for the following events taking place in September and early October. You’ll find additional details on the TCADP website.
Events in September
Java & Justice in Abilene
Join TCADP supporters in Abilene for an informal gathering on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 5:30-7:00 pm at Seven and One Books, downtown at 1138 N. 2nd St. Stop by anytime that evening to share your reasons for opposing the death penalty and help plan future activities in Taylor County!
Film screening in El Paso
TCADP is proud to co-host a special screening of the film La Libertad de Fierro on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at the International Museum of Art in El Paso (1211 Montana Ave, El Paso), followed by a discussion with director Santiago Esteinou and defense attorney Joe Spencer. The film tells the story of César Fierro, who spent four decades on Texas’s death row before his sentence was reduced in late 2019. He was paroled in 2020 during the pandemic and returned to Mexico to rebuild his life after years of solitary confinement. Throughout his ordeal, César has maintained his innocence of the crime for which he was convicted in El Paso in 1980.
Doors open at 6:00 PM; the film screening will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, with the discussion to follow. This free event is open to all. RSVP here.
Conservatives Concerned Discussion with Corinna Barrett Lain
If you missed the chance to hear from Corinna Barrett Lain at the TCADP 2026 Annual Conference or during our book group meeting this summer, here’s another opportunity. Conservatives Concerned will host a webinar with Professor Lain, a death penalty expert and the author of Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection, on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 5 PM CT/6 PM ET on Zoom. Register here.
Panel discussion in Dallas
A special panel discussion, “The Texas Death Penalty: Family and Friends of the Condemned Speak,” will take place on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM at the Dallas Central Library (O’Hara Hall, 7th floor). One of the featured speakers is Leslea Miller, the daughter of Lester Bower, who was executed on June 3, 2015, after three decades on death row. This event is part of Human Rights Dallas’s “Dignity Behind Bars” series.
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. The next book selection is The Volunteer: The Failure of the Death Penalty in America and One Inmate’s Quest to Die with Dignity by Gianna Toboni. We will discuss this on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 7:00 PM CT on Zoom.
Register here to receive book group announcements and meeting links.
Events in early October
Anatomy of a Wrongful Conviction: The Case of Charles Don Flores
Charles Don Flores has spent more than 25 years on death row for a crime he steadfastly maintains he did not commit. His conviction was tainted by hypnotically influenced eyewitness testimony—testimony that is now prohibited by state law.
On Thursday, October 1, 2026, the Social Work Program at St. Edward’s University (3001 South Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704) and TCADP will host “Anatomy of a Wrongful Conviction: The Case of Charles Don Flores.”
Attendees will hear from Charles’s attorney, Gretchen Sween, his friend, Ali Nichols, and journalist Michelle Pitcher of the Texas Observer, who dug into the case for season five of The Unforgotten podcast, “Riding Shotgun.”
Join us from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in the Carter Auditorium in JBWS on the St. Edward’s campus. Come for dinner at 6:00; the panel will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. This event is free and open to the St. Edward’s community and the public. For more information, contact Natalie Beck Aguilera at nbeck2@stedwards.edu.
International Wrongful Conviction Day
Join House of Renewed Hope and the University of Texas- Arlington Criminal Justice Department for a full day of programming in honor of International Wrongful Conviction Day on Friday, October 2, 2026. Texas CCATDP Director Nan Tolson will participate in a panel at 12:45 PM entitled Building Stronger Defenses.
The program will take place from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Maverick Activity Center on UT Arlington’s campus (500 W Nedderman Drive). This event is free and open to the public.
World Day Against the Death Penalty
Since 2003, the global community has recognized October 10 as World Day Against the Death Penalty. Join Kids Against the Death Penalty and others on Saturday, October 10, 2026, for the 27th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty. The event will take place at the Texas State Capitol (1110 Congress Ave) in Austin from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and will feature speakers, information tables, and a walk to the Governor’s Mansion.