Federal Appeals Court Denies Reconsideration of Dylann Roof Appeal
Sep 24, 2021
In a one-page order on September 24, 2021, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied federal death-row prisoner Dylann Roof’s motion seeking to reargue his appeal in front of the full circuit. On August 25, 2021, a special panel of judges from outside the circuit affirmed Roof’s convictions and death sentences for the racially motivated murders of nine parishioners in an historic Charleston, South Carolina African-American church in 2017.
Roof can still ask the U.S.
Florida Supreme Court Denies James Dailey’s Innocence Challenge to His Conviction and Death Sentence
Sep 23, 2021
Calling his evidence of innocence either immaterial or inadmissible, the Florida Supreme Court on September 23, 2021 denied death-row prisoner James Dailey’s post-conviction challenge to his conviction for the 1985 murder of a teenage girl.
Over a strong dissent by Justice Jorge Labarga, the Court ruled that a sworn declaration by Jack Pearcy, later recanted, that he alone had committed the murder, was inadmissible and could not provide a legal basis to overturn Dailey’s conviction. It also…
Alabama Federal Court Overturns Marcus Williams’ Death Sentence
Sep 23, 2021
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama granted a new penalty hearing to death-row prisoner Marcus Williams on September 23, 2021, finding his counsel ineffective for failing to investigate and present “a constitutionally adequate mitigation case during the penalty phase of his trial.”
The ruling came following an evidentiary hearing ordered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in 2015. The district court conducted that hearing on May 14 – 16, 2018 and…
Pennsylvania Court Denies Post-Conviction Relief to Death-Row Prisoner Albert Reid, Remands on Competency Issue
Sep 22, 2021
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has, with one exception, affirmed a trial court ruling denying death-row prisoner Albert Reid’s post-conviction challenge to his conviction and death sentence. In a 5 – 2 decision issued on September 22, 2021, the court upheld the decision of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas that dismissed Reid’s post-conviction petition. The court remanded the case on the question of Reid’s competency to stand trial and assist in his defense, saying the trial court had not…
Texas Court Halts Ruben Gutierrez Execution Pending Outcome of Supreme Court Case on Exercise of Religion in the Execution Chamber
Sep 16, 2021
At the request of Cameron County prosecutors, a Texas trial court has vacated the death warrant that had scheduled the execution of Ruben Gutierrez (pictured) for October 27, 2021.
In June 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed Gutierrez’s execution after Texas refused to allow his spiritual advisor to accompany him in the execution chamber and directed the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, where Gutierrez had filed a civil rights suit alleging religious discrimination, to…
