Death Row Inmate's Sentence Reduced to Life
Delma Banks Jr., who has been on death row for three decades, on Wednesday accepted a life sentence and will be eligible for parole in 2024 under an agreement with Bowie County prosecutors.
Banks, 53, was convicted of the 1980 shooting death of 16-year-old Richard Whitehead. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Banks’ death sentence in 2004, finding that Bowie County prosecutors who tried the case suppressed evidence and deliberately covered up their mistakes for decades. A trial to decide a new sentence for Banks was scheduled for October.
Bowie County District Attorney Jerry Rochelle told the Texarkana Gazette that ...
Comments (3)
Anya Khan
I am against the death penalty, but hope the murderer spends the rest of his life in jail.
Michael Hull
Seriously? Did you read the story? Are you sure he's the murderer? No witnesses. No physical evidence. No animosity between the men. No criminal record. Etc...
Christine Thomas
May he live to be paroled! Congratulations to his attorneys for fighting for a sentence other than just another death sentence.