Senator Sarah Eckhardt Files Bill to Abolish Death Penalty

A State Senator we wrote asking to file a bill to abolish the death penalty has filed a bill to abolish the death penalty. So, we have a senate sponsor of the bill to abolish the death penalty! You can read SB 516 by Senator Sarah Eckhardt of Austin here: Thank you, Senator Eckhardt! We…read more

Bill to Abolish Death Penalty Filed in Texas Legislature

Rep Harold Dutton of Houston has filed a bill for the 2023 Texas regular legislative session to abolish the death penalty in Texas (HB 918). He has also filed a separate bill, HB 929, that would ban executions for people convicted under the law of parties, such as in the case of Jeff Wood.

Sara Hickman to Perform at 23rd Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty

The 23rd Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty is at 2 pm on October 22 in Austin. Sara Hickman has accepted an invitation to perform at the event. She was invited by Terri Been, the sister of Jeff Wood. Jeff is on death row under the Law of Parties for a murder he did…read more

23rd Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty Oct 22, 2022 in Austin Texas

The 23rd Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty will be held in Austin, Texas on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 2pm at the Texas Capitol.

Upcoming Scheduled Executions

Scheduled Executions Scheduled Execution Link Last Name First Name TDCJ Number Date of Birth Race Date Received County 03/08/2022 Inmate Information Gonzales Michael 999174 09/01/1973 H 12/11/1995 Ector 04/21/2022 Inmate Information Buntion Carl 000993 03/30/1940 W 03/06/1991 Harris 04/27/2022 Inmate Information Lucio Melissa 999537 07/18/1968 H 08/12/2008 Cameron 07/13/2022 Inmate Information Gonzales Ramiro 999513 11/05/1982…read more

Law of Parties Bill Referred to Senate Jurisprudence Committee

The Law of Parties death penalty reform bill HB 1340 by Rep Jeff Leach, Rep Harold Dutton and 8 other co-authors and that passed the House on an overwhelming vote has been referred to the Senate Committee on Jurisprudence. It must still have a hearing in the committee, then pass the committee, and go to…read more

Law of Parties Death Penalty Reform Bill Passes Texas House in Overwhelming Vote

The bill by Representative Jeff Leach would prohibit the imposition of the death penalty in law of parties cases in which the person charged under the law of parties did not kill anyone or intend anyone to be killed. It passed the full House on second reading 139-4. It passed on third reading the next…read more

Rep Jeff Leach Speaks on Bill to End Death Penalty in Law of Parties Cases

Texas State Rep Jeff Leach, a Republican, in this video makes a persuasive argument for his bill to end the death penalty in law of parties cases at the hearing of the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence on April 6, 2021. He also made it clear that it is his legislative intent that the…read more

Hearing Set on Bills to End Death Penalty Under Law of Parties

The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence will hold a hearing on Tuesday April 6, 2021 to consider bills filed by State Rep Harold Dutton and another filed by State Rep Jeff Leach that would prohibit death sentences under the law of parties. People can attend the hearing which is set to start at 1PM in…read more

22nd Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty

If you would like to donate to the annual march, you can do so here. The 22nd Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty will be held in Austin, Texas on October 30, 2021 at 2 PM. After an online march last year because of the pandemic, we expect to be able to hold an…read more

Texas Death Row Suicides

The American-Statesman had an article Sunday entitled “Texas prison suicide rate high among inmates in isolation“. Everyone on Texas death row is held in solitary confinement. The term for solitary confinement is “administrative segregation”. Between 2007 and 2012, the 8,000 to 9,000 state prisoners housed in administrative segregation made up between 5 and 6 percent of…read more

500th Execution in Texas is Currently Set for June 26, 2013

The 500th execution in Texas is now on the schedule.  The 500th execution under the current schedule will happen on June 26, 2013 when Kimberly McCarthy is scheduled for execution. There may be stays or additions in the schedule that change the date of the 500th. Right now 497 people have been executed in Texas in the…read more

Texas Death Penalty Report 2012 – 15 Executions, 9 New Death Sentences

Texas executed 15 people in 2012, two more people than in 2011. 73 percent of the people Texas executed in 2012 were people of color, seven African-American and four Hispanics. There were four white people executed by Texas in 2012. Five people were executed from Dallas County, two from Bexar County, two from Montgomery County, one…read more

Marvin Wilson’s Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court to Stop Execution in Texas

Here is the appeal submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Marvin Wilson, a man with an intellectual disability who is scheduled for execution in Texas on Tuesday August 7 despite having an IQ of 61. The New York Times says: “The court must stop this cruel and unconstitutional execution of a mentally…read more

Selwyn Davis, on Texas Death Row from Austin, Commits Suicide

Gloria Rubac of the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement visited Texas death row this weekend and learned that Selwyn Davis had committed suicide. Davis had been sentenced to death in an Austin courtroom. Gloria wrote on Facebook: “Dear Friends, It was with great sadness that I found out today about another suicide on Texas death row….read more

Texas Executes 483rd Person – Yokamon Hearn

Today Texas executed Yokamon Hearn.  He was the first person executed with a newly adopted single drug method. Texas had to change from a three drug method to a single drug method because of pressure applied by death penalty opponents to companies who manufacture the drugs and to governments in countries where the drug companies are located. Switching…read more