Life After Death Row – With Anthony Graves

Peace and Justice Luncheon

Corpus Christi, SWTX UMC Annual Conference, June 13

Anthony Charles Graves was convicted of the August 18, 1992 mass murder of six people in Somerville.  After spending 12 years on Death Row, Mr. Graves’ conviction was overturned on March 3, 2006 by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In an a unanimous opinion, the three-judge Court of Appeals held that the state’s case had hinged on perjured testimony by Robert Carter – the father of one of the victims.  The court concluded that Prosecutor Charles Sebesta had intentionally withheld evidence that could have helped Graves; most notably that Carter had recanted right before he testified at Grave’s August 1992 trial.  After being implicated in the crime Carter was executed in May 2000 for his part in the murders – and in his final statement took sole responsibility for the crime.

Mr. Graves was held for an additional four years in solitary confinement in the Burleson County jail awaiting retrial until October 27, 2010, when he was released after all charges were dismissed by Burleson County Special Prosecutor Kelly Siegler, who concluded, “He’s an innocent man. There is nothing that connects Anthony Graves to this crime.”

Luncheon Flyer: MFSA_Peace and Justice Luncheon 2014