A Looming Execution Raises Questions of Race, Responsibility, and Rap
James Broadnax is set to be executed April 30. But someone else has admitted to the crime.
Death Penalty
‘I Got a Lot of People Believing in Me’: Robert Roberson Stares Down Death, Again
Set to be the first U.S. person executed based on the controversial “Shaken Baby Syndrome” diagnosis, Roberson told the Observer last week he hopes his story will mean something.
The Innocent and the Executed: James Beathard’s Long-Forgotten Story
Beathard was put to death in 1999 for murders that his co-defendant claimed to have committed without him. A new documentary-in-progress seeks to bring his case to light.
Robert Roberson Faces New Execution Date in Controversial ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ Case
The new date comes after Ken Paxton took over the case that could lead to the nation's first execution based on the contested diagnosis.
‘You Don’t Have to Kill Us. You Don’t Have to Throw Us Away.’
Clinton Young spent nearly two decades condemned to die. His peaceful, productive time out on bond poses questions about how Texas decides who lives long enough to get another chance.
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.
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.”
Get the newsletter
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.
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.