criminal justice

Judge halts execution for man convicted of killing two Henderson County deputies

by Jolie McCullough

Randall Mays was scheduled to be executed Oct. 16, but the judge removed the death warrant amid questions that Mays may not be mentally competent to be put to death.

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A GPS company repossessed a Houston murder suspect's ankle monitor for late fees. He was untracked for two weeks.

The incident highlights differences in GPS monitoring for defendants released from jail on money bonds and no-cash bonds. One department has arrestees pay vendors directly, the other has costs go through them.

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Botham Jean's younger brother Brandt Jean hugs former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger after delivering his impact statement to her following her 10-year prison sentence for murder at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas on Oct. 2, 2019.

Amber Guyger was hugged by her victim’s brother and a judge, igniting a debate about forgiveness and race

by Hannah Knowles, The Washington Post

Some were confused, troubled and outraged after Amber Guyger received embraces from both the victim's brother and the judge.

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Members of Botham Jean’s family rejoice in the courtroom after former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was found guilty of murder by a 12-person jury in the 204th District Court at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas on Oct. 1, 2019.

Amber Guyger trial highlighted why Dallas communities of color often distrust law enforcement

by Juan Pablo Garnham and Jolie McCullough

Hours after the former Dallas police officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing Botham Jean, the city's top cop vowed to launch an internal investigation into police behavior exposed at trial.

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A service is held for Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Dhaliwal was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on Sept. 27, 2019.

Sikh Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal remembered as “all that is good"

by Stacy Fernández

A memorial service was held for Sandeep Dhaliwal, the first observant Sikh deputy in Harris County, who was killed in a routine traffic stop Friday.

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With her new Bible in hand, former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger leaves the 204th District Court for jail after receiving a hug from Botham Jean's brother Brandt Jean at the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas on Oct. 2, 2019.

Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger sentenced to 10 years in prison in murder of Botham Jean

by Jolie McCullough and Stacy Fernández

Guyger could have received as few as five years or a sentence of up to life in prison.

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Tents set up near the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, or ARCH, in downtown Austin on Aug. 2, 2019.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatens to intervene in Austin’s “homelessness crisis”

by Alex Samuels and Davis Rich

Abbott’s office lamented reports of “violence, used needles, and feces littering the streets of Austin and endangering Texas residents.”

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A trial judge recommended taking Paul Storey off death row. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said no.

by Jolie McCullough

The state's highest criminal court rejected the judge's finding that Storey should be resentenced to life in prison after prosecutors falsely said at trial that the murder victim's family wanted the death penalty.

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Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger arrives at the Frank Crowley Courts Building, where she is charged in the killing of Botham Jean in his own home, in Dallas, Texas, U.S. October 1, 2019. REUTERS/Jeremy Lock

Amber Guyger joked about Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, mocked her black colleagues in text messages

by Katie Shepherd, The Washington Post

Prosecutors introduced text messages sent by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger that show her making offensive statements.

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Amber Guyger, who is charged in the killing of Botham Jean in his own home, arrives on the first day of the trial in Dallas, Texas, U.S., September 23, 2019.

Former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger found guilty of murder in shooting of Botham Jean

by Stacy Fernández and Juan Pablo Garnham

Guyger shot and killed Jean, who was 26 and unarmed, in his apartment. She said she mistook Jean’s apartment as her own and thought he was a burglar.

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Students walk through "The Quad" at Texas State University. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recently reclassified the school as an Emerging Research University. The Texas Tribune (Hamilton: Research TxState) Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune

Texas State dramatically under-reported the number of sexual assaults on campus in 2016 and 2017

by Shannon Najmabadi

The university said in a statement it has "implemented university-wide processes to help ensure accurate crime statistics reporting moving forward."

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Amber Guyger, who is charged in the killing of Botham Jean in his own home, arrives on the first day of the trial in Dallas on Sept. 23, 2019.

What is Texas' Castle Doctrine and what does it mean in the Amber Guyger case?

by Stacy Fernández

The Castle Doctrine justifies deadly force when a person intrudes on your property. Guyger's case is murky since she thought she was in her apartment but was actually in the apartment of unarmed Botham Jean.

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Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, left, shot and killed Botham Shem Jean in his apartment.

Jury deliberating fate of Dallas police officer who shot unarmed man in his apartment

by Tasha Tsiaperas and Bradley Blackburn, WFAA-TV

A Dallas County jury will decide if Amber Guyger committed murder, manslaughter or no crime at all when she shot and killed Botham Jean in 2018. And a judge said jurors can consider the state's Castle Doctrine while deliberating.

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Steven McCraw, Director of Texas Department of Public Safety, gives his testimony before the House Select Committe on Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety committee on Sept. 17.

After two Texas mass shootings, Greg Abbott wants to strengthen a vague network officials won't discuss

by Carrington Tatum

The governor's executive orders after shootings in El Paso and West Texas are meant to address gun violence without gun control. But a Department of Public Safety network he tapped says it needs more resources — and is remaining mum on how it operates.

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The iWatchTexas application was released in 2018 to help report suspicious activity in school and communities.

How to report a possible community, school safety threat in 10 minutes

by Stacy Fernández

Community members can report a potential threat to iWatchTexas via an app, online or over the phone. The resource launched last year, shortly after the shooting at Santa Fe High School.

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Texas executes Robert Sparks after brutal deaths of his stepsons, wife

by Jolie McCullough

Sparks was convicted in the 2007 stabbing deaths of his family members in his Dallas home. His lawyers sought to stop his execution with arguments of intellectual disability and a jury tainted by a bailiff wearing a syringe tie.

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The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the execution of Stephen Barbee on Sept. 23, 2019.

Texas court halts the execution of Stephen Barbee to consider U.S. Supreme Court precedent

by Jolie McCullough

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay in Barbee's case. He was scheduled to be executed Oct. 2.

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Phil Wood was killed in Austin in 2014 by a driver who left the scene of the accident.

Texas raises sentencing for hit-and-run car accidents to equivalent of DWI manslaughter

by Chase Karacostas and Stacy Fernández

A new law increased the punishment for failing to stop and render aid to match the sentence for DWI manslaughter. The goal is to deter drunken drivers from leaving the scene of an accident.

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Beto O'Rourke speaks at Texas Southern University in Houston during his Presidential Campaign kick off on March 30, 2019.

O'Rourke's plan to legalize marijuana includes clemency for possession sentences and grants for those who already served time

by Patrick Svitek

For his latest policy proposal, the Democratic presidential candidate returns to a cause he has championed since his days on the El Paso City Council.

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Crystal Mason spoke about being accused of voter fraud and her upcoming court case on Sept. 9 2019 in Fort Worth.

Crystal Mason's ballot was never counted. Will she still serve five years in prison for illegally voting?

by Emma Platoff and Alexa Ura

Her lawyers say if her sentence stands, it could discourage low-information voters from going to the polls at all.

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