Texas Accounts for Half of Executions in US but Now Has Doubts Over Death Row Chris McGreal - Guardian UK go to original November 17, 2009
Listen to Chris McGreal on the fall in executions in US
Overturned convictions and growth of DNA forensic evidence shake state's rock-solid faith in capital punishment. Even in Texas they are having their doubts. The state that executes more people than any other by far – it will account for half the prisoners sent to the death chamber in the US this year – is seeing its once rock-solid faith in capital punishment shaken by overturned convictions, judicial scandals and growing evidence that at least one innocent man has been executed. The growth of DNA forensic evidence has seen nearly 140 death row convictions overturned across the US, prompting abolition and moratoriums in other states. Texas has so far resisted. But the public mood is swinging in the conservative state, which often seems to have an Old Testament view of justice. A former governor, Mark White – previously a strong supporter of the death penalty – has joined those calling for a reconsideration of capital punishment because of the risk of executing an innocent person. Click here to read more about the American retreat from capital punishment.Prisoners' last words: 'Let's give them what they want' "I am sorry, I never wanted to kill your family. I never wanted to kill your family or these people. I am sorry for the way I talk in English. I did it to myself" Yosvanis Valle, most recently executed prisoner on Texas death row "Carlos was my friend. I didn't murder him. What is happening right now is an injustice. This doesn't solve anything. This will not bring back Carlos" Reginald Blanton, executed in Texas last month for the murder of Carlos Garza "Hoka hey, it's a good day to die. Thank you very much. I love you all. Goodbye" Clarence Ray Allen, convicted of three murders in 1982 and executed in California in 2006 at the age of 76. "Somebody needs to kill my attorney" George Harris, executed in Missouri in 2000 for murder "There is no way words can express how sorry I am for taking the lives of my babies. Now I can be with my babies, as I always intended" Christina Marie Riggs, executed in Arkansas in 2000 for killing her two children in a failed murder-suicide "I would suggest that when a person has a thought of doing anything serious against the law, that before they did, that they should go to a quiet place and think about it seriously" William George Bonin, executed by California in 1996 for 14 murders, but thought to have killed up to 36 people. "Jane, you know damn well I did not molest that kid of yours. You are murdering me and I feel sorry for you. Get in church and get saved. I really don't know what else to tell you" William Chappell, executed in Texas in 2002 for killing three of his ex-girlfriend's family after she testified against him in an indecency trial "It was done out of fear, stupidity and immaturity. It wasn't until I got locked up and saw the newspaper; I saw his face and smile and I realised I had killed a good man" Johnathan Moore, executed in Texas in 2007 for the murder of a police officer "Please tell the media, I did not get my SpaghettiO's, I got spaghetti. I want the press to know" Thomas Grasso, executed in Oklahoma in 1995 for murder "All right, warden, let's give them what they want" Melvin White, executed in Texas in 2005, for the sexual assault and murder of a nine-year-old girl
• R E A D E R S ' C O M M E N T S •
The Guardian could not have been more in error. There is nowhere near 140 DNA exonerations from death row. 8-9 inmates have been removed from death rows because of DNA exclusion. The near 140 (really 139) is a blatant anti death penalty fraud whereby they claim 139 exonerated from death row because of innocence. Death penalty opponents make up their own, deceptive definition of exonerated. The reality, based upon a number of published reviews, is in the 25-35 range. I combined three of the studies and found that 25 would be the realistic number of actual innocents released from death row, because of an 83% error rate in the death penalty opponents "exonerated" or "innocence" claims. It is impossible to get most of the media to fact check and clarify this, as with the Guardian. They won't fact check or correct. Interestingly, the New York Times recognized this blatant deception and found about a 75% error rate in these fraudulent anti death penalty claims. There is no growing evidence of an innocent executed in Texas. The reality is that all of the reports critical of the trial forensics in the Willingham case concluded that the origin of the fire was undetermined. However, that is without the full rebuttals of various state agencies, all of which are pending. The reality is, based upon all of the facts that are known, today, the fire may have been arson and it may have been an accident, based upon the most critical reports. No evidence of an innocent executed exists with Willingham, nor is it growing or pending. Based upon all we know, today, that case cannot "become the first officially acknowledged miscarriage of justice which led to a man being executed." At worse, it will always remain in the undetermined category. Again, reality intervenes. The New Mexico Governor conceded that he may be wrong on the facts he gave to justify repeal. He was. He also conceded that the death penalty may actually save innocent lives. The anti death penalty leadership in New Mexico admitted that the reason the repeal passed was because more Democrats were elected in the last voting cycle. Why did Gov. Richardson repeal the death penalty? His legacy. Rebuttal to Governor Richardson - Repeal of the Death Penalty in New Mexico Regarding Illinois, first, I suspect most state death rows have released more from death row than they have executed. Nationally, 34% of death penalty cases are overturned on appeal. 15% result in execution. Secondly, in Illinois, the claim was that 13 actual innocents had been freed from death row, while there had been a total of 12 executions. This goes to anti death penalty deceptions and the lack of fact checking. The Death Penalty Debate in Illinois, JJKinsella, 6/2000 This article was not accurate in all of their case reviews, as we now know, but it makes the point that a number of the innocence claims were either false or there was no evidence for such claims, just like the 139 fraud. I was not a founder of Justice For All and have not been with them for many years. Yes, the death penalty is a greater protector of innocents. The Death Penalty: More Protection for Innocents - Sharpjfa(at)aol.com
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Editorials | Issues | November 2009 
Chris McGreal - Guardian UK
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