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Texas death row

The latest Texas death row news from The Texas Tribune.

  • An Interview with Sharon Keller

    By Morgan Smith

    The soft-spoken and — until now — media-shy presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals sat down with The Texas Tribune last week to talk about capital punishment in Texas, what she was doing on the afternoon she closed her office at 5 p.m. to a last-minute death row appeal, the flaws in the way the state sanctions judges, what it's like to be known as Sharon “Killer” Keller and the "ridiculous" idea that she doesn't care about defendants or indigent defense. Full Story 

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  • TribBlog: "Frontline" Looks at Willingham Case

    By Morgan Smith

    Two weeks before the gubernatorial election, the season premiere of Frontline features a timely topic: the Cameron Todd Willingham case. All PBS stations in Texas will air it, despite initial hesitation over running the episode — portions of which question the actions of Gov. Rick Perry — so close to Election Day. Full Story 

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  • Inquiring Minds

    By Morgan Smith

    Judge Charlie Baird will decide today whether to recuse himself from an investigation into the innocence of Cameron Todd Willingham, the Corsicana man executed in 2004 for the arson deaths of his three young daughters. But with or without Baird, a bigger question is in play: Is a court of inquiry the appropriate venue to consider Willingham’s guilt or innocence? Full Story 

    John Bradley and District Judge Charlie Baird.
    Credit: Illustration by Tom Pennington/Todd Wiseman

  • Hank Skinner's Last Chance

    By Brandi Grissom

    The U.S. Supreme Court heard testimony Wednesday in a case that could have far-reaching ramifications for criminal justice nationally. Lawyers for Henry “Hank” Skinner maintain that the Texas death row inmate has a civil right to access DNA evidence that could exonerate him in the 1993 murders of his live-in girlfriend and her two sons. Lawyers for the state argue that Skinner exhausted his opportunity to analyze potentially exculpatory evidence when his defense team declined to request testing at his original trial, fearing that the results might be incriminating. Full Story 

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    Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller

  • TribBlog: Keller Cleared

    By Morgan Smith

    A specially appointed court of review vacated the State Commission on Judicial Conduct's sanction of Sharon Keller today, saying the state board acted unconstitutionally in reprimanding the presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Full Story 

    Sharon Keller at the 2010 Texas Republican Convention.

  • The Fire Next Time

    By Morgan Smith

    Under the leadership of Williamson County DA John Bradley, the Texas Forensic Science Commission has waged a masterful war of attrition in the Cameron Todd Willingham case: Stall long enough, and public interest in the internationally controversial capital punishment case — along with political liability for any missteps — will fade away. But the commission’s latest delay, while pushing the resolution of the Willingham investigation securely after the general election, comes against Bradley’s wishes and could represent a sea change on the board that until now has resisted making any broader inquiries into the state’s arson convictions. Full Story 

    Texas Forensic Science Commission Chairman John Bradley listens to other board members during a scheduled meeting on Sept. 17, 2010, in Dallas.
    Credit: Tom Pennington

  • TribBlog: A Matter of Jurisdiction [Updated]

    By Morgan Smith

    While delivering their report, members of the subcommittee charged with reviewing the Cameron Todd Willingham case said that though they believe the science used to convict the Corsicana man was flawed, they aren't prepared to say the fire investigator, whose testimony was used to convict him, committed professional misconduct. Full Story 

    John Bradley, left, is the new chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. Cameron Todd Willingham, right, was executed for setting a house fire that killed his three daughters.
    Credit: Jacob Villanueva

  • Age of Innocence

    By Kate Ergenbright

    More than 120 college students worked 12,300 hours-plus on Innocence Project of Texas cases from 2007 to 2009, according to the Task Force on Indigent Defense. As student participation has increased, so have exonerations. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • Brad Levenson: The TT Interview

    By Brandi Grissom

    After a series of investigative reports revealed serious problems with the quality of legal representation for indigent defendants on Texas death row, lawmakers created the Office of Capital Writs. California lawyer Brad Levenson will be moving to Texas to open the new office and attempt to restore some confidence in the state's busy system of capital punishment. Full Story 

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    Credit: Courtesy Brad Levenson