The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
Lawyers for Robert Roberson say the science used to sentence him to death is questionable and that prior health issues could explain the death of his 2-year-old daughter in 2002. Full Story
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Former schools police chief Pete Arredondo faces 10 criminal charges, while former school district officer Adrian Gonzales faces 29 counts. Full Story
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Pete Arredondo, the former chief, and former officer Adrian Gonzales face felony charges of abandoning or endangering a child. Full Story
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Records don’t name the attorney general’s office, but their details line up with the accusations former top deputies made against Paxton. Full Story
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The arrests were the result of the second police crackdown on pro-Palestine demonstrations at UT-Austin. The first protest, on April 24, resulted in 57 arrests, which were also dismissed. Full Story
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Officer Chris Taylor was tried for murder last year, but jurors couldn’t reach a verdict. A grand jury this week declined to indict him on any criminal charges. Full Story
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Gonzales, who was on death row for the rape and murder of Bridget Townsend in Medina County, is the second person to be executed in Texas this year. Full Story
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A Texas woman allegedly tried to drown a 3-year-old at an apartment complex pool in suburban Dallas after making racist remarks toward the child’s mother. Full Story
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Justices ruled that the federal government did not violate a Texas man’s Second Amendment rights when barring him from possessing firearms. Full Story
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The Texas Criminal Court of Appeals cited stunning allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that led to Cook spending 20 years on death row. Full Story
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Michael Cargill, owner of Central Texas Gun Works, sued over the ban. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with him in a 6-3 decision Friday. Full Story
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The Texas attorney general accused Austin of violating state law after voters in 2022 approved an ordinance decriminalizing marijuana possession. Full Story
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The lawsuit claims the companies shipped an enhanced trigger system that allowed the gunman to convert a firearm into a fully automatic or semi-automatic weapon. Full Story
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Other cities have passed similar measures, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued to block them from going into effect. Full Story
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Daniel Perry was pardoned more than a year after a jury convicted him of murdering police brutality demonstrator Garrett Foster in 2020. Full Story
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The new initiative will target companies that illegally collect and sell users’ data, Paxton’s office said. Full Story
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The move is a shift in strategy for Republicans who previously focused on other South Texas races even after federal authorities filed criminal charges against the Democrat. Full Story
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Republicans across the party’s political spectrum denounced Trump’s guilty verdict on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records. Full Story
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Some of the problems that prompted a judge to order a new election in a 2022 Harris County race occur often, especially in high-turnout elections, election officials said. Full Story
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In a separate settlement, the city of Uvalde will pay $2 million to the families, create a permanent memorial to the victims and provide enhanced training for police officers. Full Story
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