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Texas Death Penalty Blog

Death penalty cases and legislation in Texas and elsewhere.
By "Persian Cowboy"

Post Frequency: 3.3/day

Last Entry: July 21, 2016 at 22:00:00

Governor Perry Continues to Play Politics with Death Penalty Issue By Refusing to Accept Recommendation of BPP for Clemency for Robert Thompson

Posted on November 24, 2009
"Rick Perry continues to play politics with the death penalty. He should have accepted the recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute the death sentence of Robert Thompson. It would not surprise me if Rick Perry one day replaces the members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles who voted in favor of clemency for Thompson, just like he replaced his own appointees on the Texas Forensic Science Commission in the midst of their investigation into the Todd Willingham case...

Attorneys File motion Asking Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Sharon Keller be recused from any participation in Stay Request of Danielle Simpson

Posted on November 18, 2009
From the Palestine Texas Herald Press:Late Tuesday afternoon, Simpson's attorneys David R. Dow and Katherine C. Black filed a postconviction writ of habeas corpus; a motion for a stay of execution; and a motion asking Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Sharon Keller be recused from any participation in the case...

Breaking News: Board of Pardons and Paroles Recommends that Governor Perry Commutes Death Sentence of Robert Thompson

Posted on November 18, 2009
Call the Governor and leave a voice message at 512 463 1782 or email him through his website at http://governor.state.tx.us/contact. Urge him to accept the recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to grant Robert Thompson clemency and commute his sentence to life...

Three Executions in Three Days in Texas, Starting Today

Posted on November 17, 2009
Texas is set to execute three people in three days starting today, November 17. The first is Gerald Cornelius Eldridge, who is mentally ill and has an IQ of 72. Eldridge, 45, was sentenced to death for the 1993 shooting deaths of his former girlfriend, Cynthia Bogany and her nine-year old daughter Chirissa in Houston...

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Pending U.S. Executions

Posted on November 16, 2009
2009November17th ~ Larry Bill Elliott (Virginia)http://www.vadp.org/alerts/execution-alerts/october-5th-execution-date-set-for-larry-elliott.html17th ~ Gerald Eldridge (Texas)18th ~ Danielle Simpson (Texas) - Volunteer19th ~ Robert Thompson (Texas)December 2nd ~ Cecil Johnson, Jr...

If You Hire an Attorney, You Won't be Sentenced to Death

Posted on November 15, 2009
If you hire a lawyer, the chances are you won't be sentenced to death in Houston. University of Denver Criminologist Scott Phillips reviewed 504 capital indictments over three decades in Harris County, Texas, and found that defendants who hired lawyers for the entire trial were never sentenced to death -- and were more likely to be acquitted...

STARVIN' FOR JUSTICE 2010

Posted on November 12, 2009
June 29 through July 2, 2010 17th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC Read the who, what, when, where, why and how of this important annual abolitionist event by visiting our website...

Viewpoint: Postponed justice

Posted on November 11, 2009
"Postponed Justice" is the title of Jillian Sheridan's editorial in the Daily Texan.The Texas Senate Committee on Criminal Justice held a hearing yesterday to talk with the Texas Forensic Science Commission?s new chairman, John Bradley. They discussed, among other things, whether or not Bradley is serving as a political pawn for Gov...

John Bradley's Use of Misinformation to Push His Political Agenda

Posted on November 11, 2009
Yesterday, John Bradley, the new chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, testified to the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice. The question is whether Bradley's testimony to the committee or any comments he gives to the media can be trusted. Based on the statements he gave to the media during the last session of the Texas Legislature regarding the Law of Parties bill, Bradley seems to be comfortable using hyperbole if not outright propaganda-like misinformation to push his own political agenda...

Ehsan Fattahian was Hanged Early This Morning

Posted on November 11, 2009
Iran Human Rights, November 11: According to reliable sources in Iran, the Kurdish political prisoner Ehsan Fattahian was hanged in Sanandaj today. The numerous campaigns by the local and international human rights groups to stop his execution did not give any result...

Tune in Online: Hearing Tuesday on Texas Forensics

Posted on November 09, 2009
In Austin tomorrow morning, the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee will question John Bradley, the newly appointed chairman of the state Forensic Science Commission, about the panel?s ongoing work. Before Gov. Rick Perry replaced four commission members, the panel was in the process of reviewing forensic evidence used against Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in 2004...

Keith Hampton Running for Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Posted on November 09, 2009
A few months ago, TMN wrote a post asking "After Todd Wilingham and Sharon Keller debacles, where are the Democratic candidates challenging members of the Court of Criminal Appeals?" Where are the Democratic candidates challenging the incumbents on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals who are running for re-election in 2010? The CCA allowed an innocent person to be executed - Todd Willingham...

Eric Wrinkles on the Oprah Winfrey show

Posted on November 09, 2009
Tomorrow at 4 pm EST, the Oprah Winfrey show will focus on the case of Eric Wrinkles, who was sentenced to death in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, for killing his estranged wife and two of her relatives while he was in a meth-induced psychosis. The show includes interviews with Wrinkles and victims' family members...

John Bradley: FSC Investigations Should be Secret

Posted on November 09, 2009
?It?s not a good idea to conduct an investigation in a public forum?- John BradleyWilliamson County District Attorney John Bradley thinks Forensic Science Commission investigations should be secret and not open to public scrutiny, according to the following article by Mary Alice Robbins of Texas Lawyer...

Rep. Hank Johnson Introduces Bill to protect innocent Americans from Execution

Posted on November 06, 2009
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), along with Constitution Subcommittee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers [D-MI], Crime Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Scott [D-VA], Rep. Anthony Weiner [D-NY] , Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee [D-TX], and Ways and Means Subcommittee Chairman John Lewis [D-GA] today introduced the Effective Death Penalty Appeals Act (H...

Contact Governor Perry to Urge Clemency for Khristian Oliver, Whose Jury Consulted the Bible During Deliberations on Death Penalty

Posted on November 05, 2009
From 2008 5th Circuit ruling on Khristian Oliver: The jury?s use of the Bible during the sentencing phase of Oliver?s trial amounted to an improper external influence on the jury?s deliberations. However, Oliver has failed to rebut the state court?s factual finding that the Bible did not prejudice the jury?s decision...

KPFT Execution Watch on November 5th

Posted on November 04, 2009
Khristian Oliver's jury consulted the Bible before sentencing him to death. On Thursday, the state of Texas plans to carry out the sentence. If they do, Execution Watch will have a show.KPFT Houston 90.1 FM, HD-2 channelStreaming live 6-7 p.m. CT on kpft...

Juan Melendez - Innocent, Exonerated Former Death Row Prisoner to Tour Texas Nov. 9-18

Posted on November 02, 2009
Last week, three exonerated, innocent former death row prisoners (Curtis McCarty, Shujaa Graham and Ron Keine) attended the 10th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty. While they were here, they delivered a petition with 6,000 names to Rick Perry urging him to acknowledge that Todd Willingham was innocent and to establish a moratorium on executions...

Contact Board of Pardons and Paroles to Urge Clemency for Khristian Oliver, Whose Jury Consulted the Bible During Deliberations on Death Penalty

Posted on November 02, 2009
Kristian Oliver, who is scheduled for execution in Texas on Thursday, November 5, was sentenced to death by a jury whose members consulted the Bible during their deliberations of whether Oliver should receive the death penalty. During deliberations on sentencing, one of the jurors apparently read the following passage aloud to his fellow jurors: ?And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death...

A National Speaking Tour of the CEDP

Posted on September 29, 2009
LYNCHING THEN, LYNCHING NOW:THE HISTORY OF RACISM AND THE DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA.A National Speaking Tour of the CEDPSTOPS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THIS FALL AND SPRING.IN AUSTIN THIS SPRING (DATE TBA)The 2009-2010 Campaign to End the Death annual national speaking tour will be a teach-in Tour on the historic link between the death penalty and lynching in the United States...

Reginald Blanton's mother, Anna Reese, delivers powerful plea for the life of her son

Posted on September 29, 2009
Reginald Blanton's mother, Anna Reese, delivers powerful plea for the life of her son at a rally at the Texas Capitol on Sept 26, 2009. Reginald Blanton is scheduled to be executed in Texas on October 27, 2009. If you can not see the video below, click here to watch it on YouTube...

FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAP: A BOOK TALK WITH BLACK PANTHER ROBERT HILLARY KING

Posted on September 29, 2009
Thursday, October 8th, 8pm, MonkeyWrench Books (110 E. North Loop)Former Black Panther and Angola 3 political prisoner Robert Hillary King speaks on his new book "From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of Black Panther Robert Hillary King." In 1970, a jury convicted Robert Hillary King of a crime he did not commit and sentenced him to 35 years in prison...

Penpal Requests

Posted on September 27, 2009
The following two inmates in Polunsky's general population are hoping to find a pen friend. If interested you can contact them at:Steve Carrington#1491488Polunsky Unit3872 FM 350 SouthLivingston TexasSteven Turknett#1383440Polunsky Unit3872 FM 350 SouthLivingston Texas

8.30.09 Poem and Journal from Kenneth Foster

Posted on September 22, 2009
Hello friends, family and abolitionists! I had a wonderful visit with our friend and brother Kenneth on Sunday at the McConnell Unit. He looks healthy and happy and we were able to take pictures. Unfortunately our visit was through glass, but we have applied for a contact visit through the warden...

Christopher Coleman Execution Watch - September 22, 2009

Posted on September 22, 2009
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, Texas plans to execute Christopher Coleman for a triple homicide in which he denies being the shooter and in which 11th-hour revelations have prompted some to question the fairness of his trial. If his execution takes place, we'll broadcast...

10th Annual March For Abolition Promo Video

Posted on September 21, 2009
The first official March For Abolition video is made by the Austin CEDP's Cartel Pagel.

Governor Perry Defends Execution of Willingham and San Antonio Express-News Responds

Posted on September 21, 2009
The Dallas Morning News is the first to get Governor Rick Perry to speak publicly about the wrongful execution of Todd Willingham. No surprise from Perry. He rejects the scientific analysis and thinks Willingham was guilty. It is time for the people of Texas to elect a new governor...

What I Want My Words To Do To You - UT Film Screening, September 24

Posted on September 18, 2009
The Center for Women's & Gender Studies at UT Austin invites you to a screening of the award-winning documentary What I Want My Words To Do To You. Thursday, September 24, 20098:00 PMCalhoun (CAL) Hall, Room 100 on the UT Campus (See map)Free and Open to the PublicWhat I Want My Words To Do To You offers an unprecedented look into the minds and hearts of the women inmates of New York?s Bedford Hills Correctional Facility...

ABC Nightline to Report on Todd Willingham

Posted on September 18, 2009
BC News' Nightline has announced on Twitter that tonight they will be airing a story by reporter Terry Moran on the case of Cameron Todd Willingham. Check your local listings for the time. Here in Austin Texas, Nightline airs after the local 10 PM news, so at 10:30 pm...

Reception for Texas After Violence Project

Posted on September 10, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 6 - 8 p.m., Reception for TAVP friends & friends-to-be, Mi Madre's Restaurant.Please join TAVP on Thursday, September 10, 2009 for a little bit of music and food, and a few words about why the work of the Texas After Violence Project matters...

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