Tonight, June 30, 2021, the State of Texas executed John Hummel. Ten years ago, he was convicted of killing his wife, Joy Hummel, and his father-in-law, Clyde Bedford. Hummel, who is an honorably discharged Marine, had no history of violence prior to the terrible night of December 17, 2009. His behavior while incarcerated undermined the jury’s determination […]
Category: execution
In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you will find information about John Hummel, an honorably discharged Marine who faces execution by the State of Texas on June 30. You can also read about recent and upcoming events, including a webinar focused on what happened on death penalty related bills at the 87th Texas Legislature.
Update, 8:30 PM, May 19, 2021: Tonight, the State of Texas executed Quintin (“Quin”) Jones despite the pleas for mercy from his great-aunt Mattie Long, who is the sister of the victim, Berthena Bryant, as well as an outpouring of support from people worldwide touched by Quin’s heart wrenching appeal for his own life. As the first execution to occur […]
In this edition: Scheduled executions: Have you signed the petition in support of clemency for Quintin Jones? Case updates: Courts recommend new trials for two individuals and overturn death sentences in two other Texas capital cases, including for the longest-serving individual on death row In case you missed it: Texas Department of Criminal Justice will allow clergy in […]
In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you’ll find information on the next execution scheduled by the State of Texas, as well as a new report on exonerations nationwide in 2020. Save the date for our next webinar and book group discussion.
Update as of 7:40 PM, July 8, 2020: The State of Texas executed Billy Wardlow tonight, July 8, 2020, despite an outpouring of support from legislators, juvenile justice and neuroscience experts, and so many others. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider his appeals, and there was no word from Texas Governor Greg Abbott in […]
Today, Ruben Gutierrez, who is scheduled to be executed by the State of Texas on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his execution in order to consider his request to allow a Christian chaplain in the execution chamber, a request that was routine in hundreds of Texas executions until April 2019, when the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) changed the rules. The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops filed an amicus brief in support of Gutierrez.
Late Friday night, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas’s stay of execution of Ruben Gutierrez, who seeks DNA testing of evidence pointing to his innocence. Gutierrez also is challenging Texas’s denial of a Christian chaplain’s presence during his execution, which is scheduled for Tuesday, […]