In this edition:
Scheduled executions: Two more executions set in Texas this month
In case you missed it: Curtis Flowers passes away just six years after his exoneration; Alabama Governor grants clemency to Toforest Johnson; updates on Christa Pike
TCADP 2027 Annual Conference: Registration is now open
TCADP Lobby Corps: Apply now to help advance TCADP’s legislative agenda
Upcoming events: Meetups in Abilene and Austin; TCADP Book Group meeting; an evening with Kerry Max Cook; and Cities for Life
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Please vote tomorrow if you haven’t done so already!
Texans: View a sample ballot from the Texas Tribune. Learn about the candidates for the state’s highest courts here.
Quote of the month
“I have lived long enough with the knowledge of what violence took from my family. I do not want my brother’s memory used to give violence an audience. … Michael deserved the chance to live a full life, and he was denied that chance. The least we can do now is remember that his life was worth more than the way it ended. We should not have to watch another human being die to remember the value of the lives we lost.”
– Kristopher Craig, an Army veteran whose 22-year-old brother, Army Pfc. Michael Pearson, was among the 13 people killed by Nidal Hasan. “Exclusive: Brother of Slain Fort Hood Soldier Urges Trump To Stop Livestream Execution,” Newsweek, October 12, 2026
Hasan faces execution by the U.S. military on December 3, 2026. President Trump called off plans to livestream the execution after fierce backlash from across the political and military spectrum, including from a group of 72 retired generals and senior military leaders, members of Congress from both parties, international leaders, survivors of the Fort Hood shooting, and victims’ family members.
Two people face execution in Texas this month:
– Texas is set to execute John Rubio on November 12, 2026. He was convicted of killing his three young children—Julissa Quesada, John E. Rubio, and Mary Jane Rubio—in 2003 in Brownsville, Texas (Cameron County), out of a belief that they were possessed. Rubio was tried twice and sentenced to death; at both trials he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Most recently, Rubio’s attorneys argued that he is incompetent to be executed because of his long-standing mental illness, including fixed delusions. After a hearing in October 2026, a judge deemed Rubio competent.
The legal team for Rubio is not requesting advocacy by the public in this case. Should you wish to express your general opposition to all executions in Texas, you can submit a message to Texas Governor Greg Abbott here: https://gov.texas.gov/contact/.
– On November 19, 2026, Texas is set to execute Reinaldo Dennes. He has spent nearly 30 years on death row in connection with the murder of Janos Szucs during a diamond heist in Houston in 1996. Security guard David Copeland also was wounded but survived. Dennes is now 70 years old.
The legal team for Dennes is not requesting advocacy by the public. Should you wish to express your opposition to all executions in Texas, you can submit a message to Governor Abbott here: https://gov.texas.gov/contact/.
To date in 2026, 32 people have been executed nationwide, including seven in Texas. Florida accounts for 18 of these executions and has two more scheduled in November. Alabama, Indiana, and Oklahoma also have scheduled executions this month. On December 3, the U.S. military is set to carry out its first execution in 60 years.
Curtis Flowers passes away just six years after his exoneration
It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Curtis Flowers passed away last month at the age of 56, just six years after having his death sentence and conviction overturned. Flowers, a Black man who maintained his innocence throughout six trials, was prosecuted repeatedly by former Montgomery County District Attorney Doug Evans for the 1996 murders of four employees at Tardy Furniture in Winona, Mississippi. The four victims were Bertha Tardy, Robert Golden, Carmen Rigby, and Derrick “Bobo” Stewart.
The first five trials ended in hung juries or convictions that were later overturned. At his sixth trial, Flowers was sentenced to death.
In June 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction in a 7–2 decision, finding that prosecutors had intentionally excluded Black prospective jurors in violation of the Constitution. Flowers was released later that year, and in September 2020, the charges against him were dismissed with prejudice, ending the possibility of another prosecution. A judge later ordered Mississippi to pay Flowers $500,000 in compensation for his wrongful imprisonment. Our hearts go out to the Flowers family.
Alabama Governor grants clemency to Toforest Johnson
On October 20, 2026, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey commuted Toforest Johnson’s death sentence to life in prison without parole, citing concerns about the reliability of the evidence against him. Johnson, who spent nearly three decades on death row, has maintained his innocence in the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William Hardy.
Johnson’s conviction has faced years of scrutiny over an undisclosed $5,000 payment to a key prosecution witness, conflicting accounts of the crime, and evidence supporting alibi witnesses. The county’s district attorney, former judges, prosecutors, and jurors have raised serious concerns about his conviction and called for a new trial. While the commutation spares Johnson from execution, his legal team continues to fight to overturn his conviction and secure a new trial.
Updates on Christa Pike
As of this writing, Christa Pike is still regaining her ability to communicate and move on her own, according to her attorneys. She survived a failed execution attempt in Tennessee on September 30 after executioners administered two lethal doses of pentobarbital. Pike, who was sentenced to death for killing Colleen Slemmer in 1995 when she was 18 years old, was hospitalized for more than a week before returning to prison. Her attorneys have raised concerns about the execution team’s difficulty establishing IV lines and the psychological and potential lasting physical effects of the botched attempt.
In her first public statement since the botched execution, Pike shares, “I don’t know why I survived that night. I don’t know what comes next. Some days, finding hope is harder than others…I am trying to heal, one day at a time. And I am holding on to the love and kindness of so many people who have reminded me that I am not alone.”
The Governor of Tennessee halted the next scheduled execution and ordered an independent review of the Department of Correction’s actions. Pike’s attorneys are now pursuing legal efforts to prevent a second execution attempt, which could raise significant constitutional questions.
Registration is now open for the TCADP 2027 Annual Conference: The Death Penalty and the Costs We Carry. TCADP’s signature annual event, which brings together supporters from across Texas as well as friends from other states, will take place at the Norris Conference Center in Austin, Texas on Saturday, February 20, 2027.
We are excited to announce that Barbara Bradley Hagerty will serve as the keynote speaker. Barb is an award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author. Her book, Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, a Conviction, and the Fight to Redeem American Justice, tells the story of Ben Spencer, a Black man wrongly convicted and sentenced to life for robbing and killing a white man, Jeffrey Young, in Dallas in 1987; Spencer who was freed after 34 years. Barb’s 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.
The conference will also feature a panel discussion, an awards luncheon, and workshop sessions on a variety of topics featuring experts and voices of experience on death penalty issues. Look for an announcement about our awards recipients later this month.
For anyone who needs accommodations that weekend, TCADP has secured a block of rooms at the DoubleTree by Hilton Austin NW Arboretum (8901 Business Park Dr, Austin, TX 78759) for Friday, February 19, and Saturday, February 20, 2027, at a group rate of $109/night. This includes complimentary breakfast and parking. Make your reservation online.
If you prefer to call Hotel Reservations (1-800-445-8667), you must provide the group name “Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty” to receive the special group rate. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, January 20, 2027.
TCADP Lobby Corps
TCADP is recruiting a new class of Lobby Corpsmembers. This dedicated group of volunteers works with our staff and board members to advance TCADP’s legislative agenda and build relationships with elected officials. We seek to add 5 to 7 new members to our Lobby Corps ranks. Members must be able to visit the State Capitol in Austin in person during the 90th Texas Legislative Session, which will run from January 12 to May 31, 2027.
Applications will be accepted until Friday, November 6, 2026. Select candidates will then be invited to participate in an interview on Zoom in mid-November. Apply now for this unique opportunity to advocate for change with lawmakers!
Upcoming events
Justice on Tap
TCADP Board Members Ali Nichols and Hollie Toups will host a meetup on Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at Pinthouse Brewing (2201 E Ben White Blvd, Austin, TX 78741). This is a great opportunity to meet other TCADP supporters in the Austin area and discuss the latest death penalty developments. You’ll also have the chance to send a postcard to your State Representative to share your concerns about the death penalty. All are welcome!
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 Ballad of Frankie Silver, a novel by Sharyn McCrumb. We will discuss this on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 7:00 PM CST on Zoom. Register here to receive book group announcements and meeting links. (Note: If you have signed up for any previous book group meetings, you do not need to register again.)
Life on Death Row: Conversation with an Exoneree
Kerry Max Cook, the recipient of a TCADP 2026 Courage Award, will speak on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the McCord Auditorium in Dallas Hall on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas (3225 University Blvd, Dallas, TX 75205). Kerry was 22 years old when he was wrongly accused, convicted, and sentenced to death in Tyler, Texas. After two decades on death row with nearly four capital murder trials, three overturned convictions, and a stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found him “Actually Innocent” on June 19, 2024.
Java & Justice in Abilene
Join supporters on Tuesday, November 24, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at Monk’s Coffee Shop, 233 Cypress, in Abilene, Texas. Stop by anytime that evening to share your reasons for opposing the death penalty and help plan future activities in Taylor County!
Cities for Life
Join fellow Austinites in support of abolishing the death penalty on Monday, November 30, 2026, at 6:30 PM in observation of “Cities for Life.” Participants will gather in front of St. Austin’s Church (2026 Guadalupe, Austin, TX) for a short service remembering those who have been executed by the State of Texas this past year and those who have died by violence. This event is co-sponsored by Pax Christi Austin, Friends Meeting of Austin, TCADP, Nonviolent Austin, and multiple places of worship. Free parking is available in the St. Austin’s parking garage at 1900 San Antonio Street.
“Cities for Life” is a campaign led by the Community of Sant’Egidio in support of the abolition of the death penalty all over the world. November 30th commemorates the first abolition of capital punishment, which took place in 1786 in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. More than 2,500 cities have joined the campaign since 2002.