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Month: March 2015

Willingham’s Prosecutor Subject of Formal Accusations of Misconduct

Prosecutor Accused of Misconduct in TX Execution Case by Maurice Possley, The Marshall Project, The Texas Tribune March 18, 2015  In a major turn in one of the country’s most-noted death penalty cases, the State Bar of Texas has filed a formal accusation of misconduct against the county prosecutor who convicted Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man executed in 2004 for the arson murder of his three young daughters. Following a preliminary inquiry that began last summer, the bar this month filed a disciplinary petition in Navarro County District Court accusing the former prosecutor, John H. Jackson, of obstruction ofContinue readingWillingham’s Prosecutor Subject of Formal Accusations of Misconduct

Dr Gerald Hurst Dies; He Revealed Faulty Science Used to Convict and Execute Todd Willingham

Dr. Gerald Hurst, the arson expert who blew the whistle in the case of Todd Willingham, has died. We ran into him several times over the years, including at the hearing held by Judge Charlie Baird on the Willingham case when he testified. He was a marvel and will be sadly missed.     From the Washington Post: In early 2004, Dr. Hurst wrote an in-depth fire investigation report which revealed that the Texas State Fire Marshal Office’s findings around the Cameron Todd Willingham case were based on a flawed investigation and outdated science . . . Hurst disseminated hisContinue readingDr Gerald Hurst Dies; He Revealed Faulty Science Used to Convict and Execute Todd Willingham

Senator Eddie Lucio Jr Files Historic Bill in Texas Senate to Abolish Death Penalty

Texas State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr has filed legislation to abolish the death penalty in Texas. This is the first time a state senator has ever filed legislation to completely abolish the death penalty in Texas. It happened because organizations in Texas held the Statewide Texas Lobby Day to Abolish the Death Penalty on March 3 and death row survivors Ron Keine and Sabrina Butler from Witness to Innocence and Scott Cobb of Texas Moratorium Network met with Senator Lucio’s general counsel and requested that Senator Lucio file abolition legislation. (There was an abolition bill filed in the Texas Senate in 1969, but it would not have completelyContinue readingSenator Eddie Lucio Jr Files Historic Bill in Texas Senate to Abolish Death Penalty

Media Coverage of 2015 Statewide Texas Lobby Day to Abolish the Death Penalty

Exonerated death row inmates fight execution in Texas KVUE – ‎Mar 4, 2015‎ AUSTIN — Texas leads the nation in the frequency of the use of the death penalty, and every year, one state legislator works to abolish it. On Tuesday, Rep. Harold Dutton (D-Houston) filed bills, for the seventh time, that aim to abolish the death penalty in … Death penalty opponents take uphill battle to end executions to the Texas Capitol Dallas Morning News (blog) – ‎Mar 3, 2015‎ AUSTIN—Death row exonerees on Tuesday called for lawmakers to abolish the death penalty—a long-shot bid in Texas where capital punishment has broadContinue readingMedia Coverage of 2015 Statewide Texas Lobby Day to Abolish the Death Penalty