Melissa Lucio’s execution is stayed
April 26, 2022
Two days before Lucio was scheduled to be executed, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (the equivalent of a state supreme court) issued a stay.
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While we’re on the subject . . .
April 26, 2022
“Why Is Toforest Johnson Still on Alabama’s Death Row?” former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Drayton Nabers, Jr., asks in his op-ed in
An execution in Texas, a reprieve in Tennessee, and a stay in South Carolina
April 25, 2022
Two of three planned executions for this month were stayed, while Texas held its first of five planned for this year. Texas executed Carl Buntion
Rev. Caroll Pickett Dies
April 25, 2022
The Rev. Caroll Pickett, who, as prison chaplain on Texas’s death row, witnessed 95 executions, died earlier this month. He was 88. He told the
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issues temporary reprieve for Oscar Smith
April 22, 2022
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee issued a temporary reprieve for Oscar Smith on Thursday, WKRN.com reports. “Due to an oversight in preparation for lethal injection, the
In brief: April 2022
April 19, 2022
In Missouri, Carman Deck is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday for the 1996 killings of James and Zelma Long. Deck’s 1998 death sentence had
Bipartisan group of Texas legislators meets with Melissa Lucio on death row
April 12, 2022
In less than three weeks, Melissa Lucio is scheduled to be executed by Texas for the killing of her two-year-old daughter, despite overwhelming evidence her
Jury to determine life or death for Parkland school shooter
April 5, 2022
Jury selection for the penalty phase of the trial for Nikolas Cruz began this week. Cruz pleaded guilty in October to killing 17 people and
While we’re on the subject . . .
March 29, 2022
On “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” Oliver explains just how overwhelmingly difficult it is to be exonerated for a wrongful conviction even in the
In brief: March 2022
March 29, 2022
In Kentucky, a bill prohibiting the execution of people with serious mental illness passed last week. HB 269 adds mental illness to the list of
Melissa Lucio appeals to Texas governor and pardons board for clemency
March 23, 2022
Last week, lawyers for Melissa Lucio submitted a clemency application to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole. And a
Alabama Executes Matthew Reeves
January 28, 2022
Alabama executed Matthew Reeves last night despite the fact he had an intellectual disability. His execution was the second state killing yesterday after Oklahoma executed
California man is freed on DNA evidence after 38 years in prison
November 29, 2022
“What has happened to Mr. Hastings is a terrible injustice,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said at a news conference announcing Maurice Hastings’ release
In brief: November 2022
November 29, 2022
In Texas, Tracy Beatty was killed early last month despite valid questions about whether his crime qualified for the death penalty. Beatty was found guilty
Alabama’s cruel and unusual execution protocol results in another botched execution
November 23, 2022
For the second time in two months, Alabama botched an execution. Corrections officials ended their attempt to kill Kenneth Smith on November 17 after trying
While we’re on the subject. . . .
November 15, 2022
The problems with Alabama’s July execution of Joe Nathan James, Jr., during which it took the execution team three hours to kill him because of
SCOTUS roundup: Andre Thomas, Rodney Reed, Dylann Roof
October 25, 2022
Andre Thomas The Court, in a 6-3 decision, rejected an appeal by Andre Thomas’s lawyers to review his case because it was tainted by racism.
SCOTUS denies cert filed by three California DAs
October 25, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court shot down an attempt by three California district attorneys to intervene in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s lethal
Oklahoma: execution frenzy continues; more evidence of Glossip innocence
October 25, 2022
Oklahoma killed Benjamin Cole last week, a severely mentally ill man who did not understand the legal proceedings surrounding his execution. The 57-year-old Cole was
Surprising verdict against death for the Parkland shooter
October 25, 2022
When the jury in the death penalty trial of Nikolas Cruz, who pled guilty to killing 17 students and teachers and wounding 17 others at
In brief: October 2022
October 24, 2022
In California, a new report from the U.S. Department of Justice describes how the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department
