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. Full Story
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![Texas Court of Criminal Appeals presiding Judge Sharon Keller and Democratic challenger, lawyer Keith Hampton]()
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Considering Death Row for Organ Donation
Recovering organs from willing convicted murderers may seem like a reasonable method to reduce the organ waiting list, but the proposal is fraught with challenges that make it unlikely to ever be an option. Full Story
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Judge Signals Intent to Side With State, Against Condemned Inmate
A judge in Montgomery County plans to recommend that the state move forward with the execution of Larry Swearingen, who argues that science proves he is innocent of the 1998 murder for which he was condemned to die. Full Story
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![Death row inmate Larry Swearingen during an interview at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas. He was sentenced to death for the murder of Melissa Trotter. He says he is innocent and that she was killed while he was already in jail for other offenses.]()
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Updated: Supreme Court Denies Stay of Execution for Marvin Wilson
The U.S. Supreme Court declined a request to stay the execution of Marvin Wilson scheduled for this evening. Wilson's lawyers argue that he is mentally disabled and should be exempted from the death penalty. Full Story
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![The death row file for Marvin Wilson, who was executed in 2012 for the 1992 murder of Jerry Robert Williams of Beaumont. Wilson's lawyers argued that he was mentally retarded and unfit for execution.]()
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Death Row Inmate's Sentence Reduced to Life
Delma Banks Jr., one of Texas death row's longest residents, on Wednesday agreed to a life sentence for the 1980 murder of Richard Whitehead. He will be eligible for parole in 12 years. Full Story
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Updated: Williamson County Makes Arrest in 1980 Murder Case
Williamson County officials have arrested a 53-year-old former Garland resident in the 1980 murder of Mildred McKinney. The Williamson County Sheriff's Office says it identified the DNA and a fingerprint of Steven Alan Thomas at the crime scene. Full Story
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Texas Will Change Its Lethal Injection Protocol
For Yokamon Hearn's scheduled execution on July 18, officials plan to administer a lethal dose of pentobarbital instead of the three-drug cocktail that has been used since Texas reinstated the death penalty in 1982. Full Story
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Prosecutor Errors Haunt Long Exoneration Fight
Kerry Max Cook is battling with prosecutors to clear his name of a 1978 murder conviction, and says his mission is doomed if he must fight in Smith County. That's where a court ruled misconduct had “tainted this entire matter from the outset.” Full Story
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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. Full Story
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![Manuel Velez was convicted of killing his girlfriend’s infant son in 2005.]()
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TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Our primary night scoreboard and liveblog, Aguilar on runoff strategy, Root and Batheja on Round two of Dewhurst vs. Cruz, M. Smith on how public education candidates fared, Ramshaw on what surprised pundits and pollsters, Galbraith on concerns over our electric grid, Aaronson on which government entities have access to your personal info, Grissom with the latest on the Hank Skinner case, Ramsey on Hispanic Republicans and part three of Tan's family planning series: The best of our best content from May 28 to June 1, 2012. Full Story
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UT/TT Poll: Texans Stand Behind Death Penalty
Texans favor the death penalty, even with the alternative of life without parole. They are also nominally in favor of abortion rights and are more likely than not to favor medically assisted suicide for terminal patients. Full Story
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Texas Among Top 3 States in Total Exonerations
Researchers at two law schools Monday released an unprecedented listing of all the exoneration cases from the last 23 years. Only two states had more exonerations than Texas, according to the report. Full Story
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![Michael Morton stands in a Williamson County courtroom with his attorneys, John Raley of the Houston law firm Raley & Bowick, and Nina Morrison of the New York-based Innocence Project. Morton was officially exonerated Dec. 19, 2011 after spending nearly 25 years in prison for his wife's murder.]()
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James Liebman: The TT Interview
The Columbia University law professor on the in-depth investigation his team conducted that they believe revealed that Carlos DeLuna did not commit the murder for which he was executed in 1989. Full Story
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Updated: Judge Again Denies Motion to Move 30-Year-Old Murder Case
An administrative judge has again denied Kerry Max Cook's request to move his case out of Smith County, a decision the former death row inmate worries will doom his fight to legally prove his innocence. Full Story
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Court Stays Execution of Mentally Ill Inmate
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday stayed the execution of a severely mentally ill inmate convicted of a 1989 robbery and murder at a Fort Worth Steak and Ale restaurant. Full Story
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Death Sentence Reviews Leave Unsettled Issues
Defense lawyers argue that judges in Harris County — ordered to review a psychologist's work in two death penalty cases — are simply rubber-stamping the conclusions of the psychologist, who was reprimanded last year. Full Story
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![Dr. George Denkowski conducted psychological exams for more than a dozen current death row inmates. 1) Anthony Pierce 2) Virgilio Maldonado 3) Calvin Hunter 4) Derrick Charles 5) Steven Butler 6) John Matamoros 7) Joel Escobedo 8) Jamie McCoskey 9) Warren Rivers 10) Tomas Gallo 11) Kim Ly Lim 12) Alfred Brown 13) Coy Wesbrook]()
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Top Criminal Court to Hear Skinner's DNA Plea
The latest installment in death row inmate Hank Skinner's quest for DNA testing comes today as his lawyers argue to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals that a change in state law should allow for testing in his case. Full Story
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DNA Exonerates Two More Inmates in Dallas County
Two men on Monday became the 31st and 32nd individuals to be exonerated by DNA evidence in Dallas County since 2001. Era Sundar of KUT News reports on the faulty eyewitness identification system that may have led to their incarcerations. Full Story
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Filing by Cook's Lawyers Says DA Kept Murder Weapon as "Souvenir"
UPDATED: Former Smith County District Attorney A.D. Clark III denies allegations by Kerry Max Cook's lawyers that Clark had kept the knife linked to Linda Jo Edwards' fatal stabbing at his home. Full Story
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Updated: Former Death Row Inmate Can Get New DNA Tests
A judge today granted Kerry Max Cook's request for more DNA testing in the 1977 murder of Linda Jo Edwards, but the former death row inmate will have to fight to prove his innocence in the same place where he was twice sentenced to death. Full Story
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