The number of new death sentences and executions declined in 2019, according to a new report from the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP). Texas juries rejected the death penalty in 50% of the cases presented to them this year. The cases that were scheduled for execution this year underscored persistent concerns about the fairness and accuracy of Texas’s death penalty system.
innocence
Support for Rodney Reed grows in light of exonerating evidence
On November 20th the State of Texas plans to execute Rodney Reed for the 1996 rape and murder of Stacey Stites. In 1998 Reed was convicted and sentenced to death by an all-white jury in Bastrop County. DNA evidence found on Stites was the only way investigators connected Reed to the crime. However, Reed testified […]
TCADP November 2019 Alert: Miscarriages of Justice
In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you’ll find information about the three executions scheduled by the State of Texas in November, along with requests to take action on the cases of Patrick Murphy and Rodney Reed. You’ll also find the schedule for film screenings of “The Penalty” and new resources on the death penalty.
State of Texas executes Larry Swearingen despite evidence of innocence
The State of Texas executed Larry Swearingen this evening after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal. He is the 4th person put to death in Texas in 2019 and the 12th nationwide. The Death Penalty Information Center will add him to the informal list of persons executed in the United States with substantial doubts as to their guilt.
TCADP August 2019 Alert: Texas schedules 11 executions
In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you’ll find information about two executions scheduled to occur this month , as well as updates on other death penalty cases. We also remember former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who came to oppose the death penalty, and provide details on a recent interfaith statement delivered to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
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