Texas Appeals Court Stays Execution of Death Row Inmate
Source: Courthouse News
A Texas appeals court on Friday stayed the execution of a black man who has been on death row for more than 20 years for the rape and murder of a white woman. His attorneys say it is scientifically impossible to pin the killing on him based on new evidence.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted Rodney Reeds habeas claim, remanding his case to the trial court to vet his claims that prosecutors did not share evidence proving his innocence with his defense team and presented false testimony.
(snip)
Reeds lead attorney, Bryce Benjet at the Innocence Project in New York, says in court filings that no DNA evidence other than Reeds sperm connected him to the pickup or the site where Stites body was found. They say he was having an affair with Stites and had consensual sex with her in the days before her murder.
Reeds attorneys also say courts have ignored evidence pointing to Fennell as the killer.
They claim three leading forensic pathologists found the states theory of Reeds guilt medically and scientifically impossible because based on their review of crime scene photos, Stites had been murdered hours before Fennell claimed she had left their apartment to drive to work.
Read more: https://www.courthousenews.com/texas-appeals-court-stays-execution-of-death-row-inmate/
FYI Fennell was the murdered woman's husband.
Mersky
(4,986 posts)New evidence needs to be heard out in court.
Merlot
(9,696 posts)griffi94
(3,733 posts)He was also a cop and he did 10 years in prison for kidnapping.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,222 posts)Fennell plead guilty, which probably means the original charges were more serious.
He was the original suspect in the case. He failed a polygraph TWICE. A coworker of his, who went to her funeral, heard him say "You got what you deserved" over her grave.
DFW
(54,448 posts)I contribute to them regularly, since they are often the only thing preventing the unjustified ritual state murder of the wrongly accused and convicted.
And, by the way, where are the "pro life" people when it counts, hmmm?
herding cats
(19,568 posts)They and the ACLU are my two most trusted.
Rodney King deserves his second day in court and this stay is a good thing. There's too many uncertainties in this case to just ignore.