Eight doses of the state’s supply of pentobarbital, the only drug used in Texas executions, expired on Thursday, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Jolie McCullough
Jolie McCullough was a reporter at The Texas Tribune from 2015 to 2023. She began as a data visualization journalist and then reported on criminal justice policy, ranging from policing and courts to prisons and the death penalty. She joined the Tribune from the Albuquerque Journal, her hometown newspaper. She previously worked at the Arizona Republic and is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Set for execution, death row inmate alleges legal fraud in hopes of a stay
With two days left before TaiChin Preyor’s scheduled execution, his lawyers have tried just about everything to stop it. That includes alleging that his previous counsel committed fraud.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Heat is part of life at Texas prisons, but federal judge orders one to cool it
Most Texas prisons remain un-air conditioned, but a federal judge’s ruling Wednesday called conditions at one prison cruel and unusual and ordered temporary air conditioning for heat-sensitive inmates.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Why the murder charge against the Texas police officer who killed Jordan Edwards is rare
The former police officer who shot and killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards has been indicted on a murder charge, a rare occurrence in a state and nation where criminal charges against an officer are almost nonexistent.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti to get further competency review
Texas death row inmate Scott Panetti, diagnosed with schizophrenia, will be given a new shot to prove his incompetency after a federal appeals court ruling on Tuesday.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Some counties question need of special courts for law enforcement
Texas police officers and other first responders who have job-related mental health issues can soon be diverted into pretrial treatment programs if they commit a crime, but many large counties don’t appear interested in creating the new specialty courts.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Perjury charge dropped against trooper who arrested Sandra Bland
Brian Encinia, the ex-trooper who arrested Sandra Bland in 2015, has had his perjury charge dropped. The prosecution moved to dismiss the charge after Encinia agreed to give up his police license.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas death row inmate loses at U.S. Supreme Court, could face execution date
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a Texas death row inmate Monday, making Erick Davila’s case ineligible for review in federal court.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas Gov. Abbott signs bill to enforce reporting of police shootings
Starting in September, Texas law enforcement agencies could be fined $1,000 a day if they don’t report police shootings to the state in a timely manner.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Execution halted for man convicted in Texas real estate agent’s murder
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday halted the execution of a man convicted in the murder of a McKinney real estate agent in 2007.
