The State of Texas is scheduled to carry out one execution this month:

• Derrick Charles is scheduled to be put to death on May 12, 2015.  He was convicted of killing his 15-year-old girlfriend, Myiesha Bennett, her mother, Brenda Bennett, and her grandfather, Obie Lee Bennett, in 2002 in Harris County.  Charles was 19 years old at the time.

The State of Texas has carried out six executions to date in 2015.  Two individuals scheduled to be executed last month – Robert Pruett and Richard Vasquez – received stays.  Six people have received stays of execution this year, although the stay granted to Lester Bower by the U.S. Supreme Court has been lifted and his execution rescheduled for June 3, 2015.  At this time, no executions have been scheduled past June 18, 2015.

Attend a vigil in your community on the day of executions in Texas. Information and updates on cases are available on our website and through Facebook and Twitter.

Information and updates on these cases are available on TCADP’s website.

Advocacy at the 84th Texas Legislature

“The death penalty has worn out its welcome.”  That’s the message Anthony Graves delivered to members of the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence during his riveting testimony last week in support of House Bill 1527.  The hearing on HB 1527 – State Representative Jessica Farrar’s abolition bill – took place on Wednesday, April 29, 2015. Anthony went on to tell the committee the death penalty does not work and the fact that he spent 18 years in prison, including 12.5 years on death row, and faced 2 execution dates should concern all of us.

MFSA was pleased to hear Mr. Graves speak at our 2014 Annual Conference Luncheon.

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Stays Execution of Rodney Reed

STAY OF EXECUTION TEXAS. COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

Today, February 23, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the execution of Rodney Reed, which was scheduled to take place on March 5th.  The court issued the stay to consider new evidence that may establish Reed’s innocence in the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites.

Here’s a statement from Reed’s lawyer, Bryce Benjet, a staff attorney with the Innocence Project, which is affiliated with Cardozo School of Law:

We’re extremely relieved that the court has stayed Mr. Reed’s execution so there will be proper consideration of the powerful new evidence of his innocence. We are also optimistic that this will give us the opportunity to finally conduct DNA testing that could prove who actually committed the crime.

The new evidence includes affidavits that confirm Reed’s romantic relationship with Stites and statements from three forensic examiners who reviewed the case and believe Stites was likely killed hours earlier than previously thought, challenging the timeline of her death as presented at Reed’s trial.

Six judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals agreed to the stay, which is “pending further order of this court.”

Read more about today’s ruling from the Texas Tribune and the Austin American-Statesman.

If you can’t join us for the full day, consider attending the awards luncheon and keynote address by former District Attorney Tim Cole.  You won’t want to miss it!

Also, please note that anyone wishing to place an ad in the conference program, reserve an exhibitor table, or sponsor a table at the awards luncheon must do so by Friday, February 6th.

Rio Texas is pleased to be a sponsor of this conference.

Executions in 2015

Scheduled Executions
February 4: Donald Newbury
February 10: Lester Bower, Jr.
March 5: Rodney Reed
March 11: Manuel Vasquez
March 18: Randall Mays
April 9: Kent Sprouse
April 15: Manuel Garza
April 23: Richard Vasquez
April 28: Robert Pruett
May 12: Derrick Charles

Executions
January 21: Arnold Prieto
January 29: Robert Ladd

Stays of Execution
January 28: Garcia White

New death sentences decline nearly 80% since 1999, remain geographically isolated

(Austin, Texas) — The State of Texas put 10 people to death in 2014, the fewest executions in the state since 1996, according to the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s (TCADP) new report, Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2014: The Year in Review.

“Over the last 15 years, we have witnessed significant change when it comes to use of the death penalty in Texas, mirroring national trends. Texas has gone from a peak of 40 executions in 2000 to the fewest executions in nearly two decades,” said Kristin Houlé, Executive Director of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2014: The Year in Review is available online.  Contact report author Kristin Houlé at khoule@tcadp.org to receive a copy directly via email.  See the report for additional charts illustrating trends related to executions and death sentences in Texas.

How you can get involved:

• Share the report with your State Senator and State Representative and with faith and civic leaders – forward the press release and report to them.
• Join TCADP at the State Capitol on January 22, 2015 to hand deliver copies of the report to every member of the Texas legislature. Contact Kristin at khoule@tcadp.org to volunteer!
• Join the TCADP Lobby Corps. TCADP is recruiting its third class of Lobby Corps members! This dedicated group of people works with our staff and board members to advance our legislative agenda at the State Capitol.  They have continued to build relationships with legislators and share information about important death penalty developments during this interim period.  Apply now to join the TCADP Lobby Corps!
• Donate – https://secure.qgiv.com/for/?key=tcadp
• Attend TCADP 2015 Annual Conference – Death Penalty Fault Lines: A Seismic Shift in Ground – Now in its 16th consecutive year, TCADP’s Annual Conference is a must-attend event for everyone involved in the abolition movement in Texas.  It features inspiring speakers, informative workshops, and great networking opportunities! Online registration

Saturday, February 21, 2015
8:00 AM to 5:30 PM
St. David’s Episcopal Church
301 E. 8th St.
Austin, Texas 78701

Scheduled executions

Outrageously, the State of Texas just set a December 3, 2014 execution date for Scott Panetti.  Panetti, who has suffered from severe mental illness for more than 30 years, has a fixed delusion that Satan, working through the state, is trying to kill him for preaching the Gospel.  Read background information on his case and watch “Executing the Insane: The Case of Scott Panetti,” which includes heartbreaking interviews with several members of his family.

We will provide updates on this case as they become available.  Please contact TCADP Executive Director Kristin Houlé at khoule@tcadp.org or 512-441-1808 for more information.

Support clemency for Max Soffar

Imagine spending 34 years in prison – most of them on death row in Texas – for a crime you didn’t commit.  Now imagine being told by doctors that in a matter of months, maybe weeks, you will die of liver cancer.  That’s the situation facing Max Soffar, who will die behind bars before any court can exonerate him.  The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recently denied his petition for clemency, citing the absence of an execution date. Read more from Barry Scheck, Co-Director of the Innocence Project, and join him and Sister Helen Prejean in calling on Governor Rick Perry to grant clemency to Max so that he can die at home.  Sign this change.org petition!

TCADP 2015 Annual Conference

Registration for the TCADP 2015 Annual Conference – Death Penalty Fault Lines: A Seismic Shift in Ground – is now open!  The conference will take place on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas.

In case you missed it

Gallup Poll finds decreasing support for death penalty among Republicans
According to the annual Gallup Poll, support for the death penalty among Republicans has dropped nine points over the last decade.  Read more about the reasons behind the decline.

Pope Francis condemns the death penalty
On October 24th, while addressing a group of members of the International Association of Penal Law, Pope Francis called on all people of good will to fight for abolition of the death penalty in “all of its forms” and for the improvement of prison conditions.  Learn more from the National Catholic Reporter.

Cover Story:  TCADP’s Strategic Plan prioritizes 5 areas of importance for furthering our goals of first decreasing and then ending the use of the death penalty.  We invite your support and involvement in these initiatives.

Voices of Texas:On page 4, our colleagues at Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation share with us the best ways to respond to those we know touched by violence.

Death Penalty Developments:  TCADP works to stay apprised of new death sentences, stays of executions and emerging trends in Texas’ response to capital punishment, found on page 5.

Can Social Media Increase Anti-Death Penalty Engagement?  Find the answer on page 6 and learn several specific ways to increase your impact and further our efforts.

Special Events:  Check the TCADP calendar for events of interest happening in your community.

In this powerful presentation, two Christian attorneys, Mark Osler and Jeanne Bishop, stage a mock death penalty trial of Jesus based on current Texas law.  The unscripted courtroom drama features legal arguments and live witnesses testifying about whether Jesus should live or die.  A judge presides and the audience is the jury.

Mark Osler is the author of Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment.  A former federal prosecutor, he teaches criminal law and sentencing at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis.

Jeanne Bishop is a felony trial attorney with the Office of the Cook County Public Defender in Chicago and an adjunct professor of Trial Advocacy at Northwestern University School of Law.  She is also the sister of Nancy Bishop Langert, who was murdered with her husband and their unborn child in 1990.

All are welcome.  For More Information call: 512-282-7274 www.ManchacaUMC.org

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