Texas cranks up the death machine again on Wednesday night…
LARRY SWEARINGEN, condemned in the December 1988 slaying of a woman last seen on the campus of Montgomery Community College. The execution date is the sixth one Mr. Swearingen has received; the courts granted him stays of execution for the previous dates. He has steadfastly
Latest from The Defense Rests
Update: Execution put on hold
Today a federal district judge granted Dexter Johnson’s request for a stay of execution – but not because of claims of brain damage and intellectual disability. The court stayed the execution so that federal public defender Jeremy Schepers can continue his investigation into whether or not Mr. Johnson’s appellate attorney, Patrick McCann was ineffective.
For
Execution Watch: 5/2/2019
On Thursday night Texas will murder again…
DEXTER JOHNSON, condemned for the slaying of a couple in 2006 during a carjacking committed in Houston with four accomplices. Mr. Johnson has fought his conviction during his time on death row, filing appeals based on ineffective assistance of counsel, racial bias, intellectual disability, brain damage and his
In the name of god, I discriminate against you
If you listen to Republicans such as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Senate Bill 17 provides relief for those occupational holders who have sincere religious beliefs. Of course, getting past the fact that back in the day Mr. Patrick, when he was the sports director at KHOU in Houston, once painted himself blue on television,
A look into junk science
On the way home from the office the other night I caught the current episode of the Murderish podcast – “Lime Street Fire.” The episode concerns an arson investigation in Jacksonville. Jami Rice also covered the Cameron Todd Willingham case earlier this year.
The episode is important because it looks at the evolution of arson
Execution Watch: 3/28/2019
On Thursday night the Texas killing machine fires up again…
PATRICK MURPHY, convicted under the Texas law of parties, which allows prosecutors to charge a person linked with a murder as if they, too, had pulled the trigger. He was in a group of convicts that in 2000 made the biggest prison escape in Texas
Execution Watch: 2/28/2019
Tomorrow night the State of Texas will murder once again…
BILLY COBLE, 70. One of the oldest people on death row, he was sentenced to death for the 1989 murders of his estranged wife’s parents and brother in Axtell. The brother was a Waco police officer. On appear, Mr. Coble asserted that his trial was
Addendum to a botched drug raid
Here is a link to the actual warrant for the botched drug raid. The article states that the warrant had been uplifted to Scribd, but when you check the link you will find that the warrant has been removed from the site. I guess there is a limit to Art Acevedo’s transparency when the shit
Anatomy of a botched drug raid
Last month five officers from the Houston Police Department were injured – four were shot – in a drug raid gone incredibly wrong. At the time we were barraged with statements from HPD that the police raided the house, shot the dogs and killed the residents, Donald Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, because a confidential informant
Execution Watch: 1/30/2019
Tonight the Texas killing machine is back in action…
ROBERT JENNINGS. Sentenced to death for the 1988 shooting of a Houston Police vice officer at an adult bookstore, Mr. Jennings was on parole at the time of the killing. Witnesses said the vice officer was arresting a bookstore clerk for showing movies without a license.