Texas Set to Execute Fourth Person of the Year on Tuesday
Matthew Johnson was convicted of the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris in Dallas County.
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
Abbott’s Bail Agenda Could Swell Texas Jails, Test U.S. Constitution
Republicans want to double down on a system that can keep Texans in jail for years without a trial, while attacking bail funds that try to help.
Moises Mendoza to Be Third Person Killed by State of Texas This Year
“We oppose this execution as we do every execution. Capital punishment is an act of state sanctioned violence that violates the sacred dignity of every human life.”
The Sordid, Unscientific Story Behind Lethal Injection
A new book by a national expert explores the failures of the United States’ favored execution method.
David Wood, Set for Execution, Says He Was Never the ‘Desert Killer’
Wood’s attorneys have requested that more than 100 additional pieces of evidence be tested for DNA, but the state has opposed the request for over a decade.
Inside Fort Worth’s Narcotic Farm Experiment
Rehab on the Range tells the story of Texas’ role in one of the largest federal forays into drug treatment.
When a Death Penalty ‘Volunteer’ Changes His Mind
Richard Tabler is scheduled to be executed February 13, making him the second person set to be killed by the state in 2025.
‘How Innocent Do They Have to Be?’: Texas’ First Scheduled Execution of 2025 Raises Thorny Questions
Steven Nelson says he was a lookout for a robbery that ended in a pastor’s death. He’s set to be killed by the state February 5.
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.
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.