Criminal justice

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. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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." Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

3D-printed gun designer Cody Wilson gets probation in child sexual assault case

by Stacy Fernández

Wilson pleaded guilty to injury of a child and will be required to register as a sex offender. Full Story 

Federal judge orders Galveston County to have defense lawyers at bail-setting hearings

by Jolie McCullough

Galveston County, like Harris and Dallas, was sued for bail practices that lawyers and judges have said discriminate against poor criminal defendants. Full Story 

"We failed as an agency": Texas prison officials admit violating court order on air conditioned units for inmates

by Jolie McCullough

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Bryan Collier was questioned in court for about two hours for not complying with a court order to keep some Texas prisoners in air conditioned housing. Full Story 

Texas executes Mark Soliz for a 2010 Johnson County slaying. He said fetal alcohol disorder should have excluded him from death.

by Jolie McCullough

Soliz and another man were convicted in the shooting death of a Johnson County woman during a robbery in her home. His lawyers pushed to stop his execution, saying fetal alcohol spectrum disorder should be treated like an intellectual disability. Full Story 

“The stakes could not be higher”: Judge threatens to lock up Texas prison officials over air conditioning violation

by Jolie McCullough

A federal judge was visibly frustrated Friday as he suggested that putting state officials in uncooled cells might be the only way to get their attention after they broke a settlement agreement to keep some inmates in air conditioning. Full Story 

Lawyers say the Texas judge who presided over this Jewish death row inmate's trial later called him anti-Semitic slurs

by Chase Karacostas

Lawyers for Randy Halprin, a member of the "Texas Seven," are requesting a stay of his execution amid allegations that the judge who handled his case made racist and anti-Semitic comments during his time on the bench. Full Story 

A judge told Texas to put some inmates in air conditioning. Lawyers say prison officials are violating that order.

by Jolie McCullough

In a motion Thursday, the prisoners' lawyers asked the judge to hold prison officials in contempt and issue fines. They also accused the agency of hiding multiple instances of noncompliance with the court order. Full Story 

Texas executes Billy Crutsinger in Fort Worth slayings of two elderly women

by Jolie McCullough

Crutsinger had pushed to stop his execution based on claims of bad lawyering during his trial and in the appellate process. Full Story