The top prosecutor in Harris County is proposing a new way for Texas to determine if a death-sentenced inmate is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution: use the current clinical books.
death penalty
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Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court examines investigatory funding in Texas death penalty case
A 1995 murder of a Houston woman led a case to the nation’s highest court Monday. The U.S Supreme Court heard arguments on the issue of federal funding in death penalty investigations during the appeals process.
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Criminal Justice
Potential new murder confession delays Texas serial killer’s execution
The execution of Houston’s “Tourniquet Killer” was delayed because prosecutors began to fear he would confess to another murder — one for which a fellow death row inmate faces execution next month.
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Criminal Justice
Texas court halts execution to review claims that co-defendant lied at trial
The execution of Clinton Young, convicted in a 2001 Midland-area murder, was stopped by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The courts will look into claims that Young’s co-defendant lied in his testimony against Young.
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Criminal Justice
Houston serial killer faces execution this week
Anthony Shore, a convicted serial killer, is set to be executed Wednesday evening. His murders in the 1980s and 1990s went unsolved until 2003.
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Criminal Justice
Texas executes Robert Pruett, who insisted on innocence in prison guard’s murder
The man convicted in a 1999 prison guard’s murder always said he was framed by corrupt guards and inmates. After rounds of DNA testing that were deemed inconclusive, he was executed Thursday night.
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Criminal Justice
Days from execution, man convicted in prison guard’s murder insists on innocence
Robert Pruett faces his execution Thursday in the 1999 murder of a Texas prison guard. Pruett has consistently argued his innocence in the case, pushing for multiple rounds of DNA testing on crime scene evidence.
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Criminal Justice
Death row inmate gets new sentencing hearing because lawyer refused to present his case
Hector Medina was sentenced to death in 2008 after killing his two young children. Now, he’s getting a new sentencing trial because his lawyer refused to present evidence to persuade jurors to opt for the lesser sentence of life without parole.
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In Harvey's Wake
Bexar County delays execution because of Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey has delayed the execution of a San Antonio man. Bexar County officials withdrew the execution date because part of the man’s defense team works in the Houston area.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Court halts execution of convicted child killer who claims intellectual disability
A man convicted in the sexual assault and murder of an 11-year-old girl was set to die next Wednesday. But the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stopped his execution amid claims of intellectual disability.
