After 24 years on death row, a re-sentencing trial and an escape attempt, Gustavo Julian Garcia, 43, was executed Tuesday evening.
Criminal Justice
Get the latest Texas Tribune coverage on criminal justice, including crime, courts, law enforcement, and reforms shaping the state’s justice system.
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Criminal Justice
Federal Lawsuit Claims Excessive Force by Austin Police
One week after an Austin police officer shot and killed an unarmed, black 17-year-old, two San Antonio tourists filed a federal excessive force lawsuit against several Austin Police Department officers.
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Criminal Justice
Rep. Ron Reynolds Fending Off Conviction, Challengers in Primary
He’s appealing a a five-count barratry conviction and facing a field of strong Democratic primary challengers, and yet state Rep. Ron Reynolds is surprisingly upbeat about his chances to keep his seat and his law license.
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Criminal Justice
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Found Dead in West Texas
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, 79, was found dead of apparent natural causes Saturday morning at the Cibolo Creek Ranch resort near Marfa, a Presidio County official confirmed.
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Criminal Justice
Commission Wants Restriction of Bite-Mark Evidence
The Texas Forensic Science Commission on Friday recommended that prosecutors temporarily stop using bite-mark evidence in criminal cases until questions are answered about its scientific validity.
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Criminal Justice
Families Accuse Bank of Laundering Gang Money
The families of several U.S. citizens murdered in Mexico filed a lawsuit this week against HSBC Holdings and its subsidiaries alleging the company supported various drug cartel activities by laundering millions of dollars for gangs.
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Bordering on Insecurity
After Deportation, Killer Returned Easily to U.S.
Deported to his native Mexico for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, Juan Leonardo Quintero returned to Houston and easily resumed his life. When he killed a police officer in 2006, Quintero became a poster child for loose border enforcement.
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Criminal Justice
Three Supreme Court Justices Face Challenges
In all three state Supreme Court seats up for election this year, Republican incumbents face primary challengers on March 1 – but that’s where the similarities end.
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Bordering on Insecurity
“Criminal Aliens” Flashpoint of Border Security Debate
How to deal with, or talk about, foreigners who commit crimes in the United States — the government’s term for them is the politically incorrect “criminal aliens” — has prompted heated calls for vastly different solutions.
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Criminal Justice
Disbarment of Former District Attorney Upheld
The Texas Board of Disciplinary Appeals Monday upheld the disbarment of former Burleson County District Attorney Charles Sebesta Jr. for professional misconduct in the capital murder case of Anthony Graves.
