WEATHER ALERT
Texas executes Brazoria County man for stomping death of infant son
Read full article: Texas executes Brazoria County man for stomping death of infant sonTravis James Mullis was sentenced to death in 2011 for killing his 3-month-old son in Galveston. He was the fourth person executed in Texas this year.
Bipartisan Texas House majority urges clemency for man facing execution in shaken baby case
Read full article: Bipartisan Texas House majority urges clemency for man facing execution in shaken baby caseLawmakers cite new scientific evidence that they say proves Robert Roberson, who is set for execution on Oct. 17, did not kill his daughter.
When the science crumbles, Texas law says a conviction could, too. That rarely happens.
Read full article: When the science crumbles, Texas law says a conviction could, too. That rarely happens.Texasā 2013 law that allows for new trials in cases with flawed scientific evidence was pioneering. But the stateās highest criminal court has rejected most of those challenges.
Supreme Court to review death penalty appeal challenging Texasās DNA testing law
Read full article: Supreme Court to review death penalty appeal challenging Texasās DNA testing lawRuben Gutierrez was sentenced to death for the 1998 Brownsville murder of an elderly woman. His execution was stayed in July.
Texasā highest criminal court declines to stop execution of man accused in shaken baby case
Read full article: Texasā highest criminal court declines to stop execution of man accused in shaken baby caseLawyers for Robert Roberson say the science used to sentence him to death is questionable and that prior health issues could explain the death of his 2-year-old daughter in 2002.
Texas criminal appeals court removes Tomas Gallo from death row because of his intellectual disability
Read full article: Texas criminal appeals court removes Tomas Gallo from death row because of his intellectual disabilityThe court re-sentenced Gallo to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriendās 3-year-old daughter.
State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucioās death sentence
Read full article: State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucioās death sentenceIn a rare joint statement, the district attorney and the defense agreed that prosecutors withheld evidence that could point to a Rio Grande Valley womanās innocence in the death of her toddler.
Texas criminal appeals court takes man off death row over intellectual disability
Read full article: Texas criminal appeals court takes man off death row over intellectual disabilitySince Randall Mays was sentenced to death in 2008 for the murder of two sheriffās deputies, his lawyers have argued his intellectual disability exempts him from execution.
Texas executes Ivan Cantu for Dallas murders despite doubts of his guilt
Read full article: Texas executes Ivan Cantu for Dallas murders despite doubts of his guiltFaith leaders and jurors from the original trial launched a public campaign to reconsider recanted testimony in Cantuās case. Texas courts declined.
Despite mounting doubts about his guilt, Ivan Cantu running out of time to avoid Texasā death chamber
Read full article: Despite mounting doubts about his guilt, Ivan Cantu running out of time to avoid Texasā death chamberConvicted of killing his cousin and his cousinās fiancĆ©e, the death row inmate hopes recanted testimony and other new details spur a review of his case.
Texas executes David Renteria for 2001 murder of El Paso girl
Read full article: Texas executes David Renteria for 2001 murder of El Paso girlRenteriaās attorneys unsuccessfully argued that the El Paso District Attorneyās Office violated his constitutional rights by not releasing all documents in his case. He was the eight person executed in Texas in 2023.
Texasā top criminal court halts William Speerās execution hours before he was scheduled to die
Read full article: Texasā top criminal court halts William Speerās execution hours before he was scheduled to dieSpeer has been on death row for decades after strangling another inmate at a Texas prison. The victimās sister and faith leaders have both called on the parole board to halt the execution.
Convicted murderer Scott Panetti isnāt sane enough to be executed, federal judge rules
Read full article: Convicted murderer Scott Panetti isnāt sane enough to be executed, federal judge rulesPanetti murdered his in-laws in 1992. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2007 set new court precedent with his case, raising the bar on the constitutional restriction against executing the insane.
Texas courts struggle to resolve criminal appeals that got lost in Harris County for decades
Read full article: Texas courts struggle to resolve criminal appeals that got lost in Harris County for decadesOverlooked in the churn of one of the countryās busiest courthouses, the forgotten appeals included two death penalty cases, and one from a man whoās already finished his 20-year sentence.
Texasā highest criminal court emphatically rejects death row inmate Rodney Reedās claim of innocence
Read full article: Texasā highest criminal court emphatically rejects death row inmate Rodney Reedās claim of innocenceReed, a Black man on death row for more than 25 years, has gained international support for his claims that he did not kill 19-year-old Stacey Stites, a white woman. Another appeal over DNA testing of evidence is still pending.
Texas judge cancels Ivan Cantu execution after new evidence suggests he might be innocent
Read full article: Texas judge cancels Ivan Cantu execution after new evidence suggests he might be innocentTwo jurors from Cantuās 2001 double-murder trial now support his appeals, which claim prosecutors relied on false testimony and withheld crucial evidence.
Texas death row inmate Andre Thomasā attorneys apply for clemency, citing mental illness
Read full article: Texas death row inmate Andre Thomasā attorneys apply for clemency, citing mental illnessAt issue is whether Thomas, who gouged out his eyes after confessing the 2004 murders of his estranged wife, their son and her daughter, is competent to be executed in April.
Texas death row prisoners spend decades in solitary confinement. A lawsuit wants to end that ācruelā treatment.
Read full article: Texas death row prisoners spend decades in solitary confinement. A lawsuit wants to end that ācruelā treatment.Men sentenced to death in Texas are held in isolation until their execution dates, with little human contact, medical care or legal help, according to a lawsuit filed to improve treatment of the condemned.
Texas executes Robert Fratta after high courts reject challenges to expired lethal injection drugs
Read full article: Texas executes Robert Fratta after high courts reject challenges to expired lethal injection drugsFratta was convicted in the 1994 murder-for-hire of his wife. Lawyers unsuccessfully challenged Texasā routine of extending the expiration dates of its lethal drugs, a practice begun when many pharmacies began refusing to provide doses for executions.
Texasā execution of Stephen Barbee was prolonged while officials searched for a vein
Read full article: Texasā execution of Stephen Barbee was prolonged while officials searched for a veinBarbee, convicted in the 2005 murders of his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her child, was unable to straighten his arms, which caused the delay. Courts allowed Barbeeās execution despite concerns from his lawyer that his disability would make the process ātorture.ā
Texas executes Tracy Beatty for strangling mother to death
Read full article: Texas executes Tracy Beatty for strangling mother to deathBeattyās lawyers argued unsuccessfully that the 2003 Smith County murder didnāt qualify for the death penalty. Neither the Supreme Court nor Texas Gov. Greg Abbott intervened on Wednesday.
Texas tries again to prove that Scott Panetti is just sane enough to be executed
Read full article: Texas tries again to prove that Scott Panetti is just sane enough to be executedThe convicted murdererās lengthy history of schizophrenia and delusions is well documented, from trying to call Jesus Christ as a trial witness to believing that prison dentists put a transmitter in his tooth.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects request to review Texas death row inmate Andre Thomasā case
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court rejects request to review Texas death row inmate Andre Thomasā caseThomasā attorneys appealed saying that some members of the jury that sentenced him had expressed racist views. In their dissent, the courtās three liberal justices wrote that Thomasā conviction and death sentence were unconstitutional.
Texas judge wonāt let prosecutor cancel scheduled execution of John Ramirez
Read full article: Texas judge wonāt let prosecutor cancel scheduled execution of John RamirezNueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez said he is ethically opposed to the death penalty, but an employee wrongfully requested the execution date against his wishes. Gonzalez sought to cancel the execution two days later.
Texas executes Carl Buntion, the stateās oldest death row prisoner, for Houston police officerās murder
Read full article: Texas executes Carl Buntion, the stateās oldest death row prisoner, for Houston police officerās murderBuntion, 78, was sentenced to death for the 1990 murder of a Houston police officer. His Thursday execution was the first Texas has carried out this year.
Prosecutor moves to stop execution of inmate whose religious freedom case reached U.S. Supreme Court
Read full article: Prosecutor moves to stop execution of inmate whose religious freedom case reached U.S. Supreme CourtThe Nueces County district attorney, Mark A. Gonzalez, has moved to withdraw the death warrant for John Henry Ramirez, convicted of a 2004 robbery and murder.
TribCast: Two death penalty cases draw attention in Texas
Read full article: TribCast: Two death penalty cases draw attention in TexasIn this weekās episode, Matthew speaks with Andrew and Jolie about Texansā role in the confirmation hearing of Ketanji Brown Jackson and two important death penalty cases.
U.S. Supreme Court tells Texas to let a condemned manās pastor touch him and pray aloud during execution
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court tells Texas to let a condemned manās pastor touch him and pray aloud during executionThe Supreme Court ruled that the state likely violated death row inmate John Ramirezās religious liberties when it denied his request to have his pastor lay his hands on him and pray during his upcoming execution.
Rejecting claims of innocence, judge says Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed should not get a new trial
Read full article: Rejecting claims of innocence, judge says Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed should not get a new trialDoubts over Reedās guilt in the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites have lingered for more than 20 years and gained international attention. But a judge decided against recommending a new trial.
As Texas prepares to execute Quintin Jones for murdering his great-aunt, his relatives hope for last-minute reprieve
Read full article: As Texas prepares to execute Quintin Jones for murdering his great-aunt, his relatives hope for last-minute reprieveJones was sentenced to death in 2001 in Tarrant County after he fatally beat his great-aunt, 83-year-old Berthena Bryant, with a baseball bat. But two relatives say theyāve forgiven him and want his sentence commuted to life in prison.