In this edition:
Scheduled executions: Four executions set in Texas from February to April
TCADP 2025 Annual Conference: Join us on February 22, 2025, in Austin for a day of inspiration and advocacy, featuring one of the “Texans of the Year”
Updates on Robert Roberson: Texas Attorney General blocks Roberson from testifying at House Committee hearing
In case you missed it: Death row commutations spare 52 lives; year-end reports analyze death penalty use in Texas and nationwide
Featured events: Local celebrations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; TCADP Book Group meeting on January 22, 2025; TCADP General Membership Meeting on February 11, 2025
Your support for TCADP in 2024: Thank you for refueling our resolve!
Texas currently has scheduled four executions: two in February; one in March; and one April.
The State is scheduled to execute Steven Nelson on February 5, 2025. He was convicted of robbing and killing Pastor Clint Dobson at NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington in 2011.
Texas is set to put Richard Tabler to death on February 13, 2025, for killing two people—Mohamed-Amine Rahmouni and Haitham Zayed—in Bell County in 2004.
We will share more information about these cases and opportunities for advocacy as they become available. The first U.S. execution of the year is set for January 31, 2025, in South Carolina, when the state plans to put Marion Bowman to death.
Join us in Austin on Saturday, February 22, 2025, for the TCADP 2025 Annual Conference: Becoming Catalysts for Change. It’s a wonderful opportunity to gain new advocacy skills and meet TCADP members from across Texas and other states. Here’s what we have lined up for the program:
– A keynote address by State Representative Joe Moody, who was just named one of the “Texans of the Year” by the Dallas Morning News for his tireless pursuit of justice for Robert Roberson and others on death row.
– An awards luncheon to honor our 2025 Award Recipients, including attorney Gretchen Sween and former detective Rev. Brian Wharton for their advocacy for Robert Roberson, plus the Friends Meeting of Austin and TCADP member Shirl Solomon for their dedication to the cause of ending the death penalty.
– A panel discussion with three journalists who cover death penalty cases and criminal justice issues, who will discuss some of the ways their work has served as a catalyst for change.
– Workshop sessions on topics including the clemency process in Texas, engaging faith communities, and conservative perspectives on the death penalty.
Registration opens at 9:00 AM; the program will begin at 10:00 AM and run until 4:00 PM. The event will take place at the Thompson Conference Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.
Learn more about the conference and register here! Sponsorship opportunities are available. (Note: Registration rates will increase after February 10, 2024, so don’t delay!)
TCADP has secured a block of rooms at the Best Western Plus Austin Central (919 E Koenig Ln, Austin, Texas 78751) for Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22, 2025, at a group rate of $115/night. Make your reservation online by January 21, 2025.
Robert Roberson faced execution on October 17, 2024, despite overwhelming new scientific and medical evidence of his innocence of causing the death of his chronically ill two-year-old daughter Nikki in 2002. The Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence scheduled a hearing for December 20, 2024, and issued another subpoena for Roberson to appear in person at the State Capitol to provide testimony, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion that blocked Roberson from testifying.
Watch the hearing, which featured impassioned opening remarks from several lawmakers.
For their tireless pursuit of justice for Roberson and others on death row, the Dallas Morning News named State Representatives Jeff Leach and Joe Moody its “Texans of the Year.” The News writes, “… there would be no hope at all that Roberson’s life might be spared were it not for two men who looked past the partisanship, past the cynicism, and chose to take the hard road together in the name of justice, truth and life.”
Texas Monthly also designated the actions taken by Representatives Leach, Moody, and a bipartisan group of other legislators to stop Roberson’s execution one of the “Best Things in Texas” in 2024.
A new execution date has not been sought for Roberson, a matter completely at the discretion of the elected District Attorney in Anderson County. Meanwhile, another name has been added to the National Registry of Exonerations in a case involving a bogus diagnosis of “shaken baby syndrome.” Read this opinion piece by Joshua Burns, who now lives in Dallas and told his harrowing story to members of the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence on December 20, 2024.
Death row commutations spare 52 lives
Last month, the lives of 52 people on federal death row and in North Carolina were spared through executive action. Consequently, in 2024 there were more than twice as many commutations (52) as executions (25) nationwide.
On December 23, 2024, President Joe Biden announced he is commuting 37 of the 40 federal death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. It is the largest number of death sentences commuted by any President in the modern era. The President’s action was widely applauded by civil rights leaders, corrections officials, faith leaders, victim family members, and many others.
A week later, on December 31, 2024, the outgoing Governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, commuted the death sentences of 15 men to life in prison without parole. The last execution in North Carolina took place in 2006. Our colleagues with the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, who led a two-year public campaign calling for all 136 death sentences in their state to be commuted, called the governor’s action a victory for justice. According to the coalition, 12 of the people whose sentences were commuted were tried before 2001, when a series of reforms intended to prevent wrongful convictions drastically altered North Carolina’s death penalty.
Send a thank you note to President Biden here.
Send a note to Governor Cooper here.
Year-end reports analyze use of the death penalty in Texas and nationwide
In December, TCADP and the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) released important reports exposing the systemic flaws that permeate the administration of capital punishment even as use of the death penalty remains historically low.
TCADP’s year-end report, Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2024: The Year in Review, documents recent trends related to use of the death penalty in Texas, including its arbitrary and racially biased application. It includes information about death sentences, scheduled executions, and significant post-conviction rulings last year.
View infographs from the report and read coverage from Houston Public Media, the Baptist Standard, and KERA.
Read an opinion piece about the report by Nan Tolson, Director of Texas Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, which was just published in the Austin American-Statesman (may require a subscription).
Later this month, TCADP staff and the Lobby Corps will hand deliver copies of the report to every legislative office in the State Capitol. The 89th Texas Legislature convenes on January 14, 2025.
According to DPI’s report on national death penalty developments, 2024 marked the tenth consecutive year where fewer than 30 people were executed (25) and fewer than 50 people were sentenced to death (26), while high profile cases attracted significant attention and new, unexpected supporters. Four states—Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas—were responsible for 76% of the executions last year. Read “The Death Penalty in 2024: Year End Report.”
Featured events
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations
In San Antonio, TCADP members will participate in the city’s 38th Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. March and Celebration, which begins around 10:00 AM on Monday, January 20, 2025. If you would like to walk with the TCADP contingent, contact coordinator Mardi Baron at mardibaron@gmail.com for details about when and where to meet.
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 By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Nagle. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, January 22, 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.)
TCADP General Membership Meeting
TCADP’s General Membership Meeting will take place on Zoom on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM CT. Attendees will hear a report on TCADP’s impact in 2024 and elect new board members. We’ll then break into small groups for discussions led by TCADP Board Members. If you have questions about your membership status, email Executive Director Kristin Cuellar at kristin@tcadp.org.
Thank you for your generous support
We are overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone who donated to TCADP in response to our 2024 year-end campaign. With your support, we will limit use of the death penalty, advocate for change at the Texas Legislature, and share the stories of those condemned by our society. Thank you for refueling our resolve!