The Texas bishops’ conference expressed gratitude Monday that a state court halted the execution of Melissa Lucio over claims she was wrongfully convicted for the death of her child. “Melissa’s case highlights the serious flaws in our justice system that allowed her to be condemned to death on the basis of a dubious conviction,” the…Read More
During hours of relentless questioning, Melissa Lucio more than 100 times had denied fatally beating her 2-year-old daughter. But worn down from a lifetime of abuse and the grief of losing her daughter Mariah, her lawyers say, the Texas woman finally acquiesced to investigators. “I guess I did it,” Lucio responded when asked if she…Read More
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Texas must allow a death row inmate to have a pastor pray over him and touch him as the prisoner is lethally injected, setting a broader precedent for religious rights of incarcerated individuals. The high court ruled 8-1 in the decision , determining that the state of Texas’s arguments…Read More
With crossover day looming, it’s crunch time at the state capitol. However, Wednesday, Rep. Kevin McDugle wasn’t pushing a bill. Instead, he spent the day lobbying alongside Richard Glossip’s attorney. The pair are pleading for more signatures on a letter that was sent to Governor Stitt almost a year ago. The letter, which has already…Read More
Day three of testimony in a trial challenging the constitutionality of Oklahoma’s execution protocol included the discovery of a transcription error by Oklahoma Department of Corrections during the state’s most recent execution, and a doctor’s opinion about one inmate’s vomit during the state’s first execution in nearly seven years. During the third day of testimony…Read More
After Alabama carried out the second execution of the year on Thursday, Jan. 27, the archbishop of Mobile vowed that he and the state’s other prelates will continue to speak out against capital punishment. Matthew Reeves, 44, was executed by lethal injection at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, at 10:24 p.m.…Read More
A citizen’s attempt to shed light on Oklahoma’s death penalty process takes a new turn in the courts, putting your rights on the line. How much should you get to know about Oklahoma’s executions? That’s the question at the heart of a legal battle right now. It is an attempt to shed light on our…Read More
A federal judge on Friday declined to temporarily halt the executions of two Oklahoma inmates who are scheduled to die in the coming weeks. In his order, U.S. District Judge Stephen Friot wrote that inmates Donald Grant and Gilbert Postelle were not likely to succeed in their claims that Oklahoma’s three-drug lethal injection method presents…Read More
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) – A federal judge has denied a stay of execution for death row inmate Bigler Stouffer. Attorneys for Stouffer argued the lethal injection drugs currently being used in Oklahoma are unconstitutional. They had hoped to get him added to the lawsuit challenging the state’s execution method. Those protocols are at the center…Read More
The Oklahoma Corrections Department has agreed that condemned prisoners in the future can have a personal spiritual advisor in the execution chamber. The spiritual advisor will have to pass a background check. Confirmation of the policy change came Monday during a hearing on a death row inmate’s request for an execution stay. The inmate, Bigler Jobe…Read More