Publications & Testimony

As investigators continue to scrutinize the Houston Crime Lab’s history of shoddy practices and inaccurate test results, including evidence in capital cases, an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle called for District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal and Houston Police Chief Clarence Bradford to recuse themselves from the investigation to ensure a fair review: To date, District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal has refused to recuse himself from the investigation, instead insisting that his office can impartially…

Texas legislators have failed to pass laws that could bring the state into compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Atkins v. Virginia that bans the execution of those with mental retardation. Nearly a year after the Court’s ruling in Atkins, Texas officials have no idea how many of the 449 death row inmates have the disability, and no safeguards to ensure that those affected by the ruling are not put to death. Most of the legislative efforts have focused on identifying defendants…

According to the FBI’s Preliminary Uniform Crime Report for 2002, the murder rate in the South increased by 2.1% while the murder rate in the Northeast decreased by almost 5%. The South accounts for 82% of all executions since 1976; the Northeast accounts for less than 1%. (FBI Preliminary Uniform Crime Report 2002, June 16, 2003). Deterrence.

“Harmful Error,” a new report released by the The Center for Public Integrity, is the end product of an extensive two-year review of prosecutorial misconduct around the nation. The report notes that while many local prosecutors perform their difficult work admirably, inadvertent and intentional misconduct still permeates some district attorneys’ offices. Among other pieces of valuable information contained in the report, “Harmful Error” documents cases in which prosecutorial misconduct played a…

By a vote of 7 – 2, the U.S. Supreme Court has thrown out the death sentence of Maryland death row inmate Kevin Wiggins, ruling that his inexperienced attorneys failed to adequately represent him at trial. Wiggins’ original lawyers made no attempt to inform members of the jury that sent Wiggins to death row that their client was repeatedly raped, beaten and denied food as a child, and that his mother burned his hands on the stove as punishment. In an opinion authored by Justice Sandra Day…

The following synopsis was taken from the now-defunct www.larryrobison.org page: The Raymond Wood Case Synopsis of the Case: The Johnson County Missouri prosecutor in Warrensburg, Missouri, has charged Raymond Wood with five counts of capital murder. Ray is accused of intentionally murdering his wife and four oldest children on February 14, 2000. He is further charged with aggravated battery on his two youngest children who survived. Prior to February 2000, Ray had a 15 year history of…

CONGRESSWOMAN ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON JOINS DC TEENS FOR SUMMIT ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Town hall forum generates lively student debate On Friday, May 30, 2003, local high school students joined Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (right) for the Second Annual Teen Summit on Capital Punishment. The Capitol Hill event, sponsored by the Capital Punishment Education Project (CPEP), also featured a student debate and a lively town hall forum with death penalty experts Kevin Watson of the Law…

May 19, 2003 Support for the Death Penalty Remains High at 74% Slight majority prefers death penalty to life imprisonment as punishment for murderby Jeffrey M. Jones GALLUP NEWS SERVICE PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup’s latest update on the death penalty shows a continued high level of public support for the death penalty for those convicted of murder. When given a choice between the death penalty and life imprisonment as a punishment for murder, a slim majority also continues to favor the death…

The Missouri Supreme Court recently overturned the capital conviction of Joseph Amrine, a death row inmate accused of killing a fellow prisoner 17 years ago. The Court found “clear and convincing evidence of actual innocence that undermines confidence” in Amrine’s conviction (Supreme Court of Missouri, SC84656, April 29, 2003). In a 4 – 3 decision the Court ordered that Amrine be conditionally discharged 30 days from the date the mandate issues in this case unless the state elects to file new…

More than 60 foreign citizens representing 22 nationalities are under sentence of death in the United States of America (USA). In virtually every case, the arresting authorities failed to notify detained foreigners of their right to communicate with their consular representatives. As a consequence, foreign nationals confronted by an unfamiliar legal system were tried and sentenced to death without the benefit of the crucial support from the authorities of their native countries. Since 1993, the…