In this edition of our monthly newsletter, you’ll find information on the scheduled execution of Ruben Gutierrez and how you can support his application for clemency or a reprieve. You’ll also find updates on other Texas death penalty cases and the results of the 2020 Houston Area Survey, which measured record-low support for the death penalty.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stays execution of Randall Mays
On May 7, 2020, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) granted a stay of execution to Randall Mays and remanded his intellectual disability claim to the trial court for a review on the merits. Mays was set to be put to death on May 13, 2020. It was the third execution date he has […]
TCADP May 2020 Newsletter: COVID-19 continues to impact use of death penalty in Texas
This edition of our monthly newsletter addresses the continued impact of COVID-19 on use of the death penalty and prison conditions in Texas. It also includes updates on cases involving intellectual disability claims, federal executions, and use of the death penalty worldwide.
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stays execution of Edward Busby
On April 27, 2020, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) granted a 60-day stay of execution to Edward Busby. Busby was scheduled to be put to death on May 6, 2020 for the 2004 robbery and murder of 77-year-old Laura Lee Crane in Fort Worth. This is the fourth time since mid-March that the […]
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stays execution of Tracy Beatty
Today, March 19, 2020, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (“CCA”) granted a 60-day stay of execution to Tracy Beatty due to the global pandemic. Beatty was scheduled to be executed on March 25, 2020. Five years ago, he received a stay from the CCA after his attorneys argued Beatty received deficient legal help at his […]
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stays the execution of John Hummel
Today, March 16, 2020, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (“CCA”) granted a 60-day stay of execution “on its own motion” to John Hummel, who was scheduled to be put to death on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. The order came about an hour after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously rejected Hummel’s application […]
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturns death sentence of Cesar Fierro, nearly 40 years after his conviction
On December 18, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) overturned the death sentence of Cesar Fierro, who has spent nearly 40 years on death row. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1980 by an El Paso jury for the shooting death of Nicolas Castanon, a crime he claims he did not […]
Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2019: The Year in Review
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.
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