TCADP

Great news!  Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has commuted the death sentence of Kevin Keith to life without parole.  Here’s an excerpt from his statement:

“… despite the evidence supporting his guilt and the substantial legal review of Mr. Keith’s conviction, many legitimate questions have been raised regarding the evidence in support of the conviction and the investigation which led to it.  In particular, Mr. Keith’s conviction relied upon the linking of certain eyewitness testimony with certain forensic evidence about which important questions have been raised.  I also find the absence of a full investigation of other credible suspects troubling.”

Read the entire statement.

Read more about Kevin Keith.

TCADP thanks everyone who contacted the Ohio Parole Board and Governor Strickland on behalf of Kevin Keith.  We’ll be in touch with any follow-up actions you can take.

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Death row survivor Juan Melendez will share his gut-wrenching story of wrongful conviction and ultimate exoneration with audiences throughout El Paso from September 25-27, 2010.   This bilingual tour is sponsored by El Pasoans Against the Death Penalty (EPADP), a chapter of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

A native of Puerto Rico, Juan spent 17 years, 8 months, and 1 day on Florida’s death row for a crime he did not commit.  He was exonerated and released from death row on January 3, 2002 after the discovery of a long-forgotten transcript of a taped confession by the real killer.  No physical evidence ever linked Juan to the crime, and his conviction and death sentence hinged on the testimony of two questionable witnesses (one of those witnesses later recanted and the other is deceased).

Mr. Melendez will be visiting West Texas at a critical time, as concerns about the likely wrongful execution of Cameron Todd Willingham and ongoing exonerations continue to call into question the reliability and fairness of our state’s death penalty system. Since 1973, 138 people – including 11 Texans – have been exonerated from death rows nationwide due to evidence of their wrongful conviction.  Mr. Melendez is the 99^th person on this list.

EPADP Coordinator Karen Peissinger-Venhaus writes: “We are very excited about Juan Melendez coming to El Paso for the ¡La Pena de Muerte No Mas! speaking tour!  In addition to hearing Juan’s compelling talk, attendees will have the opportunity to write a postcard to their Texas representative in support of death penalty repeal, and to register to vote.  Not only is this event a great outreach and education opportunity, it maintains the momentum towards repeal of the death penalty in Texas.”

All events are free and open to the public.  See the Tour Schedule and spread the word.

El Pasoans: There’s still time to schedule an event with your faith community, class, or civic group! Contact Karen at elpaso@tcadp.org or 915-740-7076.  You can also support the tour with a generous donation to TCADP.

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Dave Atwood founded the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) in 1995 and served on the board of directors until 2009.  He’s selflessly given untold thousands of dollars, thousands of hours, and buckets of sweat and tears to help abolish the death penalty in Texas and beyond.  His legacy is one to be admired and emulated.

As such, in 2010, the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) announced the Dave Atwood Scholarship. This annual award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a strong commitment and dedication to abolishing the death penalty in Texas.  The recipient, to be chosen by TCADP, will receive a full registration to NCADP’s Annual Conference, which will next be held January 13 – 16, 2011 in Chicago, IL.  The recipient will be recognized in the conference agenda book and at some point during the conference program.

TCADP’s board of directors is augmenting this award by reimbursing the recipient up to $350.00 for expenses related to attending the conference (travel, hotel accommodations, etc.).

Apply online by October 15th!

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According to the Death Penalty Information Center and Catholics Against Capital Punishment, for the first time in recent years the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual Respect Life Program will urge participants to make opposition to the use of the death penalty a significant part of their efforts to carry out the Church’s pro-life teachings. The Respect Life Program takes place throughout the month of October.  In their 1980 Statement on Capital Punishment, the U.S. Bishops voiced their opposition to the death penalty and affirmed the Catholic Church’s belief in the sanctity of all human life.

The USCCB’s Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities has developed a packet of materials for parishes and other groups to use throughout the month.  These include articles on key issues, homily notes, intercessions, and a liturgy guide.  Materials are available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded from http://www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp/2010/.   TCADP urges all of its Catholic members to consider working within your parishes to organize an activity or program on the death penalty in October.  Please let us know how we can help your efforts!

Read an article from Kansas City – St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn: “Divine Mercy and the Death Penalty,” which is part of the packet of materials.

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The Timothy Cole Advisory Panel on Wrongful Convictions recently concluded its work to study the prevention of wrongful convictions. The panel was established by the state legislature in 2009 and named in memory of Timothy Cole, who died in prison while serving time for a crime he did not commit. Cole was later exonerated by DNA evidence; he received a posthumous pardon from Texas Governor Rick Perry in March of 2010.  

More than 40 people in Texas have been exonerated based on DNA evidence – more than any other state.  According to experts, mistaken eyewitness identification is the leading cause of wrongful conviction.

On August 15, 2010 the advisory panel approved a package of recommendations aimed at safeguarding against wrongful convictions.  These include:

• Recording custodial interrogations
• Developing formal procedures and guidelines for eyewitness identification
• Adopting a discovery policy that is mandatory, automatic, and reciprocal
• Providing greater access to post-conviction DNA testing

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “the 11-member commission backed away from recommending the creation of a statewide innocence commission armed with subpoena powers but instead called for augmenting the work of state-funded innocence projects at four public universities: Texas Tech, the University of Houston, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Southern University.”

Read editorials from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and San Antonio Express-News.

Read the full report from the advisory panel.

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