Ruling could mean new execution date for man convicted in prison guard's murder
A death row inmate convicted in a Texas prison guard's murder lost another appeal Wednesday at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/18/TxTrib-Pruett-012.JPG)
-
![Robert Pruett, seen here in a 2013 interview, was sentenced to death in 2002 for the murder of correctional officer Daniel Nagle.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
Supreme Court says Texas can’t use old medical standards for death row inmates
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Texas death row inmate Tuesday, sending his case back to the appeals court and invalidating the state's method of determining if a death-sentenced inmate is intellectually disabled and therefore ineligible for execution. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/abe1a3a12d0c9f38bc0bc49c2e678f9e/DONT%20USE%20Bobby%20Moore%20New%202.jpg)
![Bobby Moore has been on death row since 1980, convicted of murdering James McCarble, a 72-year-old grocery clerk, during a robbery.]()
Credit: TDCJ/Abby Livingston -
Legislature should prioritize judicial security, Texas Supreme Court chief justice says
In his State of the Judiciary address Wednesday, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht discussed bail reform, the cost of legal expenses, mental health issues and a host of other topics. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/02/01/Nathan_Hecht_State_SOTJ.JPG)
![Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht delivered his State of the Judiciary Address in the state House chamber on Feb. 1, 2017.]()
-
Texas lawmakers aim to eliminate death penalty for convicts who didn't kill
At least two Texas Democrats and one Republican are pushing to reform the death penalty under the law of parties, which holds those involved in a murder equally responsible, even if they weren't directly involved in the actual killing. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/07/23/TXT-JeffWoodRally-Richmond001.jpg)
![Mitzie and Danny Wood, parents of Jeff Wood, at a rally in July 2016 at the Governor's mansion. Their son, Jeff, was sent to death row under the controversial law of parties statute.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Appeals denied, execution set for man in murder he says he didn't commit
A man who claims he is innocent is set to be executed Thursday evening in a robbery turned double murder in Dallas County. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/01/23/TERRY_EDWARDS_TDCJ.jpg)
![Terry Edwards was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2002 murders of Mickell Goodwin and Tommy Walker.]()
Credit: TDCJ -
Use our database to learn more about prison units across Texas
Use the Tribune's Texas Prison Inmates database to learn more about Texas' prison units and the more than 143,000 inmates housed inside them. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/02/18/Unsafe_Prisons__JW031_copy.jpg)
![The William G. McConnell Prison Unit in Beeville, Texas.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney -
Forensic video analysis goes under the microscope in Texas
A Texas case shows that as cameras become more omnipresent, disputes over how such recordings are handled and analyzed are more likely to arise. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/12/14/SecurityCamera.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Jonathan McIntosh / flickr -
Waco man's death sentence, conviction thrown out over seizure of texts
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals threw out the conviction and death sentence of a Waco man Friday after ruling that the trial court's admission of text messages was unconstitutional because they were seized without a warrant. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/12/07/TDCJ-inmate-AlbertLove.png)
![Albert Love]()
Credit: TDCJ -
Execution halted again for Dallas man who killed his daughters
John Battaglia shot and killed his two young daughters in 2001. He now has another chance to prove he is mentally incompetent to be executed. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/29/john_battaglia.jpg)
![John Battaglia and his two daughters, Liberty (left) and Faith, who he murdered on May 1, 2001.]()
Credit: Dallas County Court files -
Justices debate definition of intellectual disability in Texas death row case
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared fairly split among party lines in Texas’ latest death penalty case, which focuses on how to define intellectual disability among death row inmates. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/72135637681bc1a801980c2e4196b39d/DONT%20USE%20Bobby%20Moore%20SCOTUS%20BW.jpg)
![The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Bobby Moore, a man who has been on death row since 1980, in March 2017.]()
Credit: TDCJ/AbbyLivingston -
Is it legal to burn a U.S. flag? A Texplainer.
President-elect Donald Trump believes those who burn the flag should be jailed. Is it legal to burn the American flag? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/09/18/Flags_Over_Capitol.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: John Jordan -
Prison Guard's Convicted Killer Wins Another Execution Stay
Robert Lynn Pruett, convicted in the 1999 stabbing death of a state correctional officer, has won another stay of execution from a Court of Criminal Appeals judge. His lethal injection was set for August 23. Full Story
![Robert Pruett, seen here in a 2013 interview, was sentenced to death in 2002 for the murder of correctional officer Daniel Nagle.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
Latino Voters in Texas Sue to Bolster Influence on Electing Judges
Seeking to bolster their chronically sparse representation on the state's highest courts, seven Latino voters are suing Texas to challenge the state's longtime method of electing judges statewide. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/02/18/BDS_4567.jpg)
![Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals justices listen to Chief Justice Nathan Hecht's State of the Judiciary speech to legislators on Feb. 18, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Appeals Court Halts Texas Man's Execution in Shaken Baby Syndrome Case
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Thursday halted the upcoming execution of Robert Roberson. Roberson's legal team argues that Roberson's conviction in the death of his daughter was based on junk science. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/11/30/Roberson-2.jpg)
![Robert Roberson III is a Texas death row inmate.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
District Attorney Drops Conviction Against Man Who Spent 20 Years on Death Row
Since 1977, prosecutors have said Kerry Max Cook raped, murdered and mutilated Linda Jo Edwards. On Monday, they set aside the conviction following claims of misconduct and DNA evidence tying another man to the crime. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/KerryMaxCook.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Woman Fighting 1993 Murder Conviction Gets a Key Victory
A judge has ruled that a West Texas woman convicted of setting her uncle on fire is innocent of murder, basing his decision on new analysis of evidence presented at her 1993 trial. Sonia Cacy has been on parole since 1998. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/SoniaReportGraphic.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Texas Court Halts Execution in Dallas Murder
The execution of a man whose original trial included a hypnotized eyewitness was stopped by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Friday evening. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/27/Flores_Huntsville.jpg)
![Charles Don Flores, on death row for the 1998 murder of 64-year-old Elizabeth Black during a burglary.]()
Credit: TDCJ/Jolie McCullough -
Scott Walker — No, Not That One — Wins Court of Criminal Appeals Runoff
A candidate who ran a low-key campaign and shares a name with the governor of Wisconsin won the GOP runoff race for a seat on Texas' highest criminal court. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/24/Criminal_Appeals_Runoffs.jpg)
![Republican candidates for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals faced off in the May 24 runoff. Place 2: Mary Lou Keel and Ray Wheless; Place 5: Scott Walker and Brent Webster.]()
-
Two Contentious GOP Runoffs for Court of Criminal Appeals
One candidate shares a name with a much more famous Republican. Another is accused of being a Democrat in disguise. A third has repeatedly pledged to take a criminal law certification test, which he’s already failed at least once. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/17/Keel_v._Wheless.jpg)
![State District Judge Mary Lou Keel (l) and state District Judge Ray Wheless]()
-
Former Death Row Inmate Fights for Compensation
Freed after a decade on Texas death row for a murder he says he didn't commit, Alfred Dewayne Brown thinks he's entitled to compensation from the state, but Comptroller Glenn Hegar is saying no. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/10/BrownReleased.1.jpg)
![Alfred Dewayne Brown hugs his sister Connie Brown on the day of his release, June 8, 2015.]()
Credit: Karen Warren/ Houston Chronicle