Attend Events

TCADP is pleased to offer virtual programs as well as in-person events such as our Annual Conference. See below for details on upcoming and past events, as well as events hosted by partner organizations.

Upcoming Events

Shaken Baby Syndrome: Examining the Evidence in the Shadow of an Execution
On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, the Cato Institute hosted a virtual event about shaken baby syndrome, featuring a panel of medical and forensic science experts who examined the issue in depth. With the first-in-the-nation execution of Robert Roberson based on the SBS/AHT diagnosis scheduled for October 17, 2024, in Texas, the trustworthiness of the diagnosis is increasingly relevant. Watch the recording.

World Day Against the Death Penalty
Join TCADP as we commemorate World Day Against the Death Penalty. This is a day to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty and raise awareness of the conditions and circumstances affecting people with death sentences. Events will take place in El Paso on October 9, in Dallas and Houston on October 10, and in San Antonio on October 12.

Interfaith Bilingual Vigil Against the Death Penalty
Join TCADP, El Pasoans Against the Death Penalty, and the Restorative Justice Ministry of the Diocese of El Paso for an Interfaith Bilingual Vigil Against the Death Penalty on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at 6:30 PM at St. Raphael Church. 2301 Zanzibar Rd, El Paso, Texas 79925. There will be prayers, readings, reflections, and songs.

“Voices of Change: Rethinking Capital Punishment”
Join TCADP supporters in Houston to commemorate World Day Against the Death Penalty on Thursday, October 10, 2024, and engage in meaningful dialogue about capital punishment in Texas. This event will take place from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 600 Pecore St., Houston, TX 77009. (Parking is available behind the church off Redan Street.)

Event Highlights:
• Keynote speaker: Nan Tolson, Director of Texas Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty
• Moment of silence to honor those who have been executed
• Updates on Robert Roberson’s case

Nan will share her insights on the death penalty from a conservative perspective, offering a unique viewpoint on this critical issue. We will also take a moment to reflect on the lives lost to capital punishment and provide the latest information on Robert Roberson’s case. Sign up on Facebook!

Interfaith Prayer and Solidarity Vigil
In Dallas, there will be an Interfaith Prayer and Solidarity Vigil from 1:00 to 2:00 PM on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at the Lynching of William Taylor Landmark, 114 W Commerce St., Dallas TX 75208. We invite community members, faith leaders, and collective partners to stand in unity with those who are facing the death penalty, especially Robert Roberson. Come learn more about the death penalty and Robert’s case. To register, contact TCADP Deputy Director Tiara Cooper at TCooper@tcadp.org.

Educational Event in San Antonio
On Saturday, October 12, 2024, join TCADP supporters in San Antonio for breakfast and a presentation by Donna Coltharp, an Assistant Federal Public Defender with the Capital Habeas Unit (CHU) of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Texas. Prior to joining the CHU, Donna served on the faculty of St. Mary’s University School of Law. She will share what is involved with defending clients in capital murder cases at both the trial and appellate levels. This event will take place from 8:30 to 10:00 AM in the conference room of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, 2718 West Woodlawn Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78228. RSVP to Mardi Baron at mardibaron@gmail.com.

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 (see below for a list of everything we’ve read together). Our next selection is Bringing Ben Home by Barbara Bradley Hagerty. We will discuss the book on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 7:00 PM CT. Ms. Hagerty will join us for part of the discussion! Register here.

TCADP 2025 Annual Conference
Save the date for our next statewide gathering! The TCADP 2025 Annual Conference will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at the Thompson Conference Center in Austin, Texas. It will feature a panel discussion, a keynote address, and the presentation of awards. We will provide workshop sessions on a variety of topics featuring experts and voices of experience on death penalty issues. Stay tuned for details about this informative and inspirational day of advocacy!

Past Events

Noose to Needle: The legacy of race and the death penalty in Texas
On May 30, 2024, TCADP co-hosted an important conversation about the intersection of race and the death penalty, featuring TCADP Deputy Director Tiara Cooper, Estelle Hebron-Jones, Director of Special Projects for Texas Defender Service (TDS), and Furonda Brasfield, Director of the Noose to Needle Project.

Participants learned about persistent and ongoing racial disparities in Harris County’s use of the death penalty, as documented in a report published by TDS earlier this year and exemplified by the case of Duane Buck. The panelists also explored the historical connections between lynching, racial terror, and the modern death penalty and shared their perspectives on intersectionality. Watch a recording of the webinar on YouTube.

Anatomy of a Wrongful Conviction: The Case of Charles Don Flores
Did you know someone can be convicted and sentenced to death without any evidence linking them to the crime scene? That’s what happened to Charles Don Flores, who has spent more than 20 years on death row for a crime he maintains he did not commit.

On June 8, 2023, TCADP, with support from local and national partners, hosted Anatomy of a Wrongful Conviction: The Case of Charles Don Flores in DeSoto, Texas. During the community forum, attendees heard from these speakers:

Christopher Scott, a Dallas County exoneree
Gretchen Sween, Flores’s appellate attorney
Dr. John Wixted, an expert on memory and eyewitness identification

You can watch the live stream of the event here: https://www.facebook.com/cdf999299/videos. (This was recorded by a friend of Charles Flores who traveled from Colorado to be there!)

Bilingual panel discussion: “The Years of Fierro”
On May 12, 2021, EPF Media, TCADP, and Witness to Innocence hosted a special panel discussion related to the documentary film, “The Years of Fierro,” and the case of César Fierro, who spent four decades on Texas’s death row before his sentence was reduced. He was paroled in 2020. Throughout his ordeal, César maintained his innocence of the crime for which he was convicted in El Paso in 1980. The panel was conducted in English and Spanish and featured the filmmaker, Santiago Esteinou, two of César’s attorneys, Sandra Babcock and Dick Burr, and César himself. Watch and share the recording.