Reed has long said he was wrongfully convicted for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites. His lawyers will now be able to renew their legal fight for testing of crucial crime scene evidence.
Roxanna Asgarian
Roxanna Asgarian was the law and courts reporter for the Texas Tribune from 2022 to 2023. Previously, she covered the child welfare and criminal justice systems as an independent reporter in Houston. Her first book, “We Were Once A Family: Love, Death, and Child Removal in America,” a deeply reported story of a murder-suicide that claimed the lives of six children, was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in March 2023. A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Roxanna got her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and her master’s degree from the Craig Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York. Roxanna is based in Dallas.
Posted in
Courts
Texas removed six Black children from their homes. Their adoptive parents drove them off a cliff.
After a murder-suicide in 2018, a reporter spent years investigating Texas’ troubled foster care system. Too often, it prioritized terminating parental rights over keeping birth families intact.
Posted in
Politics
Texas billionaire Red McCombs dies at 95
The businessman gave huge donations to the University of Texas at Austin and is credited with bringing the San Antonio Spurs basketball team to the Alamo City.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Texas should tell parents their rights when it investigates child abuse claims, lawmaker proposes
Most reports of child abuse or neglect turn out to be unfounded. But while under investigation, parents with little understanding of their rights or the process often make decisions that could impact the fate of their families.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Judge rejects bid by families of plane crash victims to throw out deal letting Boeing avoid prosecution
The families say they were shut out of discussions over the deal between the federal government and Boeing. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor said courts don’t have authority to override it.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Appeals court ruling says alleged domestic abusers have a constitutional right to keep their guns
Advocates for domestic violence victims were stunned by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, which continued a string of court decisions citing the Second Amendment to erase gun restrictions.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
In a Texas federal courtroom, families of those killed in Boeing 737 MAX crashes finally have their voices heard
The airplane manufacturer was accused of fraud for misleading federal regulators about the safety of its jets, but stayed out of court by making a deal with prosecutors. Victims’ families say they were cut out of the process.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court tells Texas to reconsider executing man convicted with faulty DNA evidence
Areli Escobar was sentenced to death in 2011 for an Austin murder, but even prosecutors now agree his conviction relied heavily on faulty DNA testing by the discredited Travis County crime lab.
Posted in
Courts
Appeals court to decide if First Amendment should have protected Laredo’s “big crazy lady” from arrest
Priscilla Villarreal was arrested over her Facebook postings. In a rare proceeding, the entire 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will weigh whether she can sue, a case that could have major ramifications for citizen journalists like her — and professional ones.
Posted in
Energy
Greg Abbott calls for investigation into Atmos Energy following disrupted natural gas services during freeze
Atmos, a major natural gas provider for the state, apologized for last week’s service disruption that left some Texans without heat during freezing weather.