Entries tagged with “Witness Hypnosis”
Jun 17, 2026
U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Consider Fairness of Hypnotizing Key Prosecution Witness in Texas Death Penalty Case
On June 15, 2026, the United States Supreme Court declined to consider the appeal of Texas death-sentenced prisoner Charles Flores, whose death sentence was obtained through the use of a hypnotized prosecution witness. Mr. Flores has spent more than 25 years on death row for a murder he maintains he did not commit. His conviction relied on the testimony of a neighbor who identified him — for the first time, at trial — only after being hypnotized by police. Mr. Flores argued in his petition that his…
Mar 24, 2026
Amici Supporting Texas Prisoner Charles Flores Urge U.S. Supreme Court to Hear His Innocence Claims, Including Those Based on Discredited ‘Investigative Hypnosis’ Evidence
On March 12, 2026, a diverse group of voices filed amicus curiae briefs in support of Charles Flores (pictured), a Texas death-sentenced prisoner, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case. Mr. Flores has spent more than 25 years on death row for a murder he maintains he did not commit. His conviction relied on the testimony of a neighbor who identified him — for the first time, at trial — only after being hypnotized by police. The briefs were filed by a coalition including the entertainers…
Feb 09, 2026
Football, Death Row, and Hypnotized Witness Testimony: The Case of Charles Flores
Among the more than 100 million Americans watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, Charles Flores (pictured) watched from a 9‑by-12-foot cell in Livingston, Texas, marking his 27th Super Bowl on death row for a crime he has maintained he did not commit. In a podcast interview with Pablo Torre, a journalist and sportswriter, Mr. Flores sat down at the Polunsky Unit in Livingston to discuss his love of the Dallas Cowboys, watching the Super Bowl on death row, the intricacies of his fight to prove his…
Jun 02, 2025
Texas Death Row Prisoner Seeks New Trial, Citing Conviction Based on Flawed Hypnosis Evidence
Charles Flores (pictured) was convicted and sentenced to death in 1999 for the 1998 robbery and murder of Elizabeth “Betty” Black in her Texas home. Mr. Flores was convicted because of the testimony of Jill Barganier, the victim’s neighbor, who only identified Mr. Flores after being hypnotized by police. No DNA or physical evidence connects Mr. Flores to the crime. Attorneys for Mr. Flores argue that he should be granted a new trial because of changes in the understanding of witness testimony…
Executions
Aug 15, 2022
Texas Executes Man Whose Conviction Relied on Discredited Forensics
Texas on August 17, 2022 executed Kosoul Chanthakoummane (pictured), whose conviction prosecutors obtained with discredited forensic testimony. He was the second defendant of color in less than a month to be put to death over the objection of the victim’s family. Chanthakoummane was convicted and sentenced to death in Collin County for the 2006 murder of Sarah Walker, a real estate agent who was found murdered in a model home. He has long maintained his innocence. Chanthakoummane’s conviction…