Texas Lawyers Violated Legal Ethics Over Expired Execution Drugs
An expert told the Observer that state’s attorneys “deceived the court by their silence” over supplies of lethal injection drugs.
Death Penalty
Juror Speaks Out Hours Before Execution in Death Penalty Case
One of the people who voted to convict Kosoul Chanthakoummane said the condemned man’s appeal deserved to be heard.
Recent Execution Based on Discredited Forensic Science
Kosoul Chanthakoummane is set to be executed August 17 for the murder of a Dallas realtor in a case built on hypnosis and faulty evidence.
Stereotypes Could Send An Innocent Texas Woman to the Execution Chamber
A psychologist explains how myths and biases can prompt false allegations—and irreversible mistakes, especially in cases involving trauma victims like Melissa Lucio.
A Texas Mother Could Be Executed in April. Was Her Child’s Death Really a Murder?
Melissa Lucio, whose execution could take place this year, claims her innocence.
Rodney Reed and Texas’ Troubling Reliance on the Death Penalty
A court ruling this week sets up yet another high profile showdown over Texas’ use of the ultimate punishment.
A Wrongful Execution in Texas Points to the Fallibility of the Death Penalty
A new documentary, The Phantom, explores the case of Carlos DeLuna and bolsters the disturbingly convincing case that Texas executed the wrong man.
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Mentally Ill and Sentenced to Death
After 45 years, Texas’ longest-serving death row inmate was resentenced last week due to a long history of severe mental illness. But state lawmakers this session again declined to ban the death penalty for people like him.
Exploring the Rise, Fall, and Lingering Trauma of the Death Penalty in Texas
In his new book, journalist Maurice Chammah ties Texas' embrace of capital punishment to the state's frontier mythos.
On Rodney Reed Case, Greg Abbott Gets a Political Reprieve
A last-minute court intervention relieved political pressure on the Texas governor, who was ultimately able to keep his capital punishment bona fides intact.