Rigoberto Avila Jr. was sentenced to death in 2001 in the death of his girlfriend’s 19-month-old son. In 2018, an El Paso judge recommended he get a new trial because of outdated science used at his trial.
death penalty
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes Abel Ochoa, who killed five family members in Dallas shooting
Ochoa was sentenced to death after the slayings in Dallas of his relatives, including his two young daughters. His defense argued he was in a cocaine-induced delirium.
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Criminal Justice
Texas carries out nation’s first execution of 2020 for domestic violence slaying in Collin County
John Gardner, 64, was put to death for the 2005 murder of his estranged wife. His lawyers had argued the crime wasn’t eligible for the death penalty.
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Criminal Justice
Cesar Fierro spent 40 years on Texas death row. A court tossed his sentence Wednesday for faulty jury instructions.
Fierro was sentenced to death in El Paso in 1980 for the murder of a taxi driver.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executed Travis Runnels for a prison murder. His lawyers said false testimony put him on death row.
A Texas court has twice overturned death sentences because of one man’s false testimony on restrictions placed on prisoners. Runnels argued the same man’s testimony should have stopped his death, too.
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Criminal Justice
Rodney Reed’s execution was set for Wednesday. A Texas court stopped it last week.
The Texas Tribune takes a look at Reed’s case as it is sent back to the local court, which will review claims that he is innocent of the murder that put him on death row.
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Criminal Justice
Texas court stops Rodney Reed’s execution to further review claims of innocence
The ruling came hours after the Texas parole board recommended that Gov. Greg Abbott delay Reed’s death for 120 days.
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Criminal Justice
Pressure is mounting to stop Rodney Reed’s execution. Where does his case stand?
Dozens of lawmakers — both Republicans and Democrats — have asked Gov. Greg Abbott and the parole board to stop Reed’s execution. There are also multiple appeals in the courts.
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Criminal Justice
Federal judge delays execution of “Texas Seven” prisoner over claims of religious discrimination
For the second time, a court has stopped Murphy’s execution over concerns that the Texas prison system’s execution procedures discriminate against non-Christian inmates.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes Justen Hall for murder of woman in El Paso
Hall told a trial judge he needed “to be put down” in 2016. Lawyers questioned his mental health and asked an El Paso court to delay the execution until Hall’s competency can be evaluated.
