Publications & Testimony

The partial timeline below of the attempted execution of Romell Broom in Ohio on Sept. 15 was compiled by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sept. 17, 2009; reporter Peter Krouse. The entire timeline can found by clicking here. Tuesday 5:08 a.m.: Broom awakens for the day. 5:51 a.m.: Broom is escorted to the shower. 6:27 a.m.: Broom eats breakfast of cereal. 8:07 a.m.: The chemicals used in Ohio executions — thiopental sodium, pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride — are delivered to the death…

In 2004 Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in Texas for murdering his children by arson. Since then, numerous forensic fire experts have concluded that the evidence of arson presented at Willingham’s trial could not support the conclusion that he caused the fire. That same year, Ernest Willis was freed from death row in Texas after the prosecution concluded that his conviction and death sentence for arson were mistaken. Texas has 742 offenders in state prisons for arson, and about 275 more…

Anthony Caravello was convicted of rape and murder for a crime he allegedly committed in 1983 at age 15 in Florida. The prosecution sought the death penalty. Now DNA evidence from the crime scene points to another individual and may result in his exoneration. The state is not contesting his release. Caravello has an IQ of 67 and was convicted largely on the basis of his own statements, which he says were obtained from him after beatings during his interrogation. At his sentencing, the judge…

On September 9, The Bob Edwards Show on Sirius XM Radio interviewed Stephen Bright and Nina Morrison regarding the case of Troy Anthony Davis. Edwards is the award-winning former host of National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” The show offered this introduction: “Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court did something it hadn’t done in 50 years – it ordered a stay of execution and court hearing for an inmate to attempt to prove his innocence. Since 1991, Troy Davis has been on death row in Georgia…

A recent article in the Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina captures the poignant story of one man’s life on death row. James Floyd Davis is a Vietnam veteran who lashed out with a burst of violence fourteen years ago, killing three people including his boss who had fired him a few days before. He suffers from mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder. Through the intervention of a therapist who also served in Vietnam, it was learned that Davis was entitled to a Purple Heart and…

Acclaimed artist Robert Priseman has assembled some of his drawings of execution chambers with essays on the death penalty into a new book entitled “No Human Way to Kill.” The essays include the story of a mother whose daughter was murdered, a death row inmate’s diary, and an interview with Jim Willett, former warden of the prison where Texas executions are held. Death penalty attorney Clive Stafford Smith writes in review, “The etchings and accounts offer up a strange and original…

Former death row inmate Michael Toney was freed from prison in Texas on September 2 after the state’s Attorney General asked that his death sentence and criminal charges be dismissed. Toney was sentenced to death for a fatal bombing in 1985 that occurred at a trailer park in Lake Worth. He has always maintained his innocence, and there was no physical evidence leading to his conviction. His conviction and death sentence were overturned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals nine months ago…

Recent scientific reports indicating that Texas likely executed an innocent man have spurred wide coverage and commentary. Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in 2004 for the arson murder of his three children. Fire experts now say the blaze was likely an accident. Excerpts from coverage: New York Times Editorial, August 31, 2009, “Questions About an Execution”: People should have no illusions about the brutal injustice of the death penalty after all of the exonerations in recent years from…