The Questions the Death Penalty Cannot Answer
“I Am Ready, Warden,” a new short documentary, exposes the unresolved pain on all sides of a Texas execution.
Michelle Pitcher
Michelle Pitcher is a staff writer at the Texas Observer covering criminal justice, housing, and education. She received her master’s in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley and was part of the team at The Marshall Project that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. Her reporting has been featured on NPR, FiveThirtyEight, The Dallas Morning News, and more. Michelle was born and raised in Dallas and is now based in Austin.
Articles by Michelle Pitcher
Riding the Pines in Palestine and Rusk
Railways have long defined these East Texas towns, and the Texas State Railroad aims to keep that history on the books.
GOP Claws Back Dem Judicial Seats with Big Money and Big Red Wave
The Judicial Fairness PAC pumped millions of dollars into an effort laser-focused on ousting Dems from appellate courts from Houston to Dallas.
Roberson’s Scheduled Execution Halted After Frenzied Legal Fight, Lawmakers’ Intervention
If efforts fail, Robert Roberson would be the first man executed in America for a murder conviction based on the controversial “shaken baby syndrome” diagnosis.
In Texas’ High Criminal Court Races, the Stakes Are Life or Death
Bipartisan opposition to planned execution highlights power of state’s top criminal appeals court as Paxton-backed candidates and Dem opponents vie for open seats.
Solidarity from Solitary and Beyond
Texans are organizing inside and outside of prisons to empower incarcerated workers, who labor in dangerous conditions without pay.
Bipartisan Legislators Join Calls for Clemency for Robert Roberson
The condemned Texas man was convicted of killing his daughter in 2003 based on an outdated ‘shaken baby syndrome’ diagnostic process.
A Slice of Life in Watermelon Country
The annual Luling Watermelon Thump has been a Central Texas staple for more than 70 years.
Junk Science, ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome,’ and the Fate of Robert Roberson
An East Texas man could soon become the nation's first person killed by the state based on the controversial hypothesis.
Waiting Out the Storm in Prison
Incarcerated Texans describe conditions in prison following Hurricane Beryl.