Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stays first scheduled execution of 2019

Kristin execution, Stay of execution

Update as of 1:30 PM:  The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) has stopped the state’s first scheduled execution of the year, pointing to changes in bite mark science and laws regarding intellectual disability and the death penalty, per the Texas Tribune. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2017 ruling in Moore v. Texas found the state of […]

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New report: Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2018: The Year in Review

Kristin death sentences, executions, Stay of execution, TCADP Annual Report

Death sentences remained near historic low levels in Texas in 2018, yet the state’s capital punishment system is still plagued by racial bias, geographical disparities, and fundamental unfairness, according to a new report from the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP). The number of death sentences and executions in 2018 was consistent with lower use of the death penalty in Texas over the last 10 years. New death sentences remained in the single digits for the ninth time in ten years, with Texas juries condemning seven individuals to death. All seven men sentenced to death in Texas in 2018 are people of color.

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Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stays execution of Kwame Rockwell

Kristin incompetency, Stay of execution, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Today, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stayed the execution of Kwame Rockwell, finding that a Texas trial court was in error in ruling that Mr. Rockwell failed to meet the threshold showing required for funds for a mental health expert.  Rockwell was scheduled to be put to death next Wednesday, October 24, 2018. Following […]

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