El Paso County District Attorney Yvonne Rosales has been accused of bungling cases and is ensnared in controversy surrounding prosecution of the alleged gunman in the 2019 Walmart massacre.
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
Texas tries again to prove that Scott Panetti is just sane enough to be executed
The convicted murderer’s 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.
Posted in
Economy
Top Twitter executives fired as Elon Musk’s takeover begins
The Texas-based mogul’s $44 billion deal to acquire the social media company closed on Thursday night, less than two weeks ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm election.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Connecticut jury orders Alex Jones to pay nearly $1 billion to Sandy Hook families
The award is the largest the Texas conspiracy theorist has been ordered to pay as part of three defamation lawsuits against him for falsely claiming that the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas may delay trial for alleged Walmart shooter if federal prosecutors want to seek death penalty
A state district judge in El Paso said Tuesday that he’ll wait to see what federal prosecutors decide in their case before moving ahead with a state trial for the man accused of killing 23 shoppers in 2019.
Posted in
El Paso shooting
Chaos surrounding rookie El Paso DA Yvonne Rosales fuels concerns about Walmart massacre prosecution
Mistakes and backbiting have engulfed the El Paso County district attorney’s office. Some question whether she is competent to handle one of the most high-profile death penalty cases in recent Texas history.
Posted in
Politics
In campaign ad, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggests mandatory 10-year sentence for gun-related crimes
New mandatory sentences could be a big policy shift for Texas. But Patrick isn’t providing any details of his one-sentence proposal so it’s hard to gauge its significance.
Posted in
Politics
Mysteries, legal peril follow Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ migrant flights from Texas
Asylum-seekers describe being deceived by a mysterious recruiter and a carefully crafted operation that had little concern for their safety and welfare.
Posted in
Juvenile Justice
Tarrant County sends more kids to youth prisons than any other in Texas. Many blame this judge.
Critics say state District Judge Alex Kim is sending too many children to the state’s failing youth prison system. The longtime GOP politician points to a rise in teen gang violence.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas judge rules that people under felony indictment have the right to buy guns under the Second Amendment
A judge appointed by former President Donald Trump based his decision on a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down New York’s concealed carry law.
