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Death Penalty

Pam Perillo’s Sisterhood of the Condemned

She's a death row survivor, but she doesn't think she's really any different from her friends who are still set to die.

by Michelle Pitcher

Keep Reading

New Report Highlights the ‘Fatal Flaws’ Behind Wrongful Capital Convictions

by Michelle Pitcher

Pro-Life, Anti-Death Penalty

by Michelle Pitcher

‘I Got a Lot of People Believing in Me’: Robert Roberson Stares Down Death, Again

by Michelle Pitcher

Concept art of a lethal injection gurney, with places to strap down the arms. Oct 03, 2023

Advocates Request Clemency for Jewish Man on Death Row

Jedidiah Murphy is set to be executed on World Day Against the Death Penalty.

by Michelle Pitcher

A photo of Hasmukh Patel in his convenience store is photographed on a backdrop of an old-fashioned Indian sari fabric printed with elephants and camels. Sep 25, 2023

Reconciliation on Death Row

A murder and an execution date changed those on both sides of the bars.

by Neelanjana Banerjee

Ozell Brandley (a Black man) and his nieces, Cassie Brandley and Elizabeth Phillips, visit the grave of Clarence Brandley. Elizabeth Phillips is holding a blue t-shirt which reads, "Clarence Brandley Will be Free." Mar 20, 2023

Clarence Brandley: Unjustly Convicted, Overdue for Justice

One of Texas’ most famous death row exonerees died before winning compensation under a law inspired by his own story.

by Arman Badrei

Arthur Brown Jr. Mar 03, 2023

Two Executions, Many Questions about Mental Health, Innocence

Texas' deadly spring continues: Two Black men, Gary Green and Arthur Brown Jr. are set to be killed this week by the state.

by Michelle Pitcher

The custom "gurney" where prisoners are strapped down, arms spread out to either side, to prepare them for lethal injection. Feb 08, 2023

Texas Executes John Balentine Despite Racist Trial

Though he confessed to the murders, his lawyers argue he might have been spared a death sentence if not for pervasive bias at his trial.

by Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune

A lethal injection drug—sodium pentobarbitol—sits among IV lines used to inject it. TDCJ lawyers likely violated legal ethics rules in disclosing the state's stockpile of these drugs. Jan 30, 2023

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.

by Stephen Cooper

Areli Escobar, a Latinx man, poses with a baby while wearing a black tuxedo and bow-tie. Jan 10, 2023

Supreme Court Sides with Defense on Death Row Case

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will now reconsider Areli Escobar’s case which prosecutors and defense attorneys agree relied on flawed forensics.

by Michelle Pitcher

Oct 12, 2022

Despite Racist Jurors, Andre Thomas Remains on Texas’ Death Row

The convicted man’s lawyer called the prospect of his execution “an ugly spectacle.”

by Michelle Pitcher

The custom "gurney" where prisoners are strapped down, arms spread out to either side, to prepare them for lethal injection. Oct 03, 2022

Texas Bloodlust Usurps Prosecutorial Discretion

John Ramirez will be executed October 5 over the objections of the Nueces county district attorney.

by Stephen Cooper

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