Williamson County State District Judge Ken Anderson faces a court of inquiry, starting Monday, that will determine whether he should face charges over a wrongful murder conviction.
Texas Court Of Criminal Appeals
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Death Row Inmate’s Case Adds to Debate on Recorded Interrogations
Death row inmate Max Soffar says his 1980 murder confession was coerced. As his lawyers say his case highlights a broader debate about false confessions, police and prosecutors say he told them details only the killer would know.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Year in Review: Criminal Justice, Immigration and the Texas-Mexico Border
Prosecutorial misconduct, the politics of immigration and continuing bloodshed in the Mexican drug war dominated Tribune headlines in 2012. Here’s a look back at the crime, immigration and border stories of the year.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Bill Renews Debate on Merging Top Two Courts
State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond has filed a bill to abolish the Court of Criminal Appeals and bring all of its related cases under the Texas Supreme Court. He’s triggering a debate that goes all the way back to Reconstruction.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Father Cleared of Murder Charges Asks Why His Daughter is Still in Prison
Megan Winfrey has watched as her father and brother were released from jail because the dog-scent evidence used in the murder case against them was deemed faulty. But she remains in prison, awaiting a ruling on her plea for acquittal.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Dem Judge Candidate Seeking GOP Votes
Democrat Keith Hampton is focusing his campaign to lead the state’s top criminal court on winning over Republicans. That is the key, he says, to defeating controversial long-time Judge Sharon Keller.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Innocence Project Set to Grade Lineup Policies
Texas lawmakers passed a law they hoped would prevent faulty eyewitness identifications, which have been the leading cause of wrongful convictions. The Innocence Project of Texas is checking to see if the law is being implemented.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Video: Errors in Judgment: Seeking Solutions
Michael Morton’s exoneration last year brought to a crescendo in Texas calls for change in the way that prosecutors are regulated. Morton and others discuss whether there is a need for more accountability for state lawyers and how it ought to be accomplished.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Nearly a Quarter of Overturned Convictions Involve Prosecutor Error
At least 86 Texans’ convictions were overturned between 1989 and 2011. A Tribune analysis finds that in nearly 25 percent of those cases, courts ruled that prosecutors made mistakes.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Death Sentence Thrown Out in 2005 Murder Case
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned a death sentence for Manuel Velez, citing inaccurate testimony during Velez’s sentencing.
