Upcoming Execution - Richard Strong

Richard Strong

At 6pm tonight in Missouri, 48-year old Richard Strong will be executed by lethal injection at the state's Bonne Terre prison. Convicted of the capital murder of his girlfriend, Eva Washington and her 2-year old daughter, Zaendra Thomas, Richard Strong's only hope now is to be granted clemency by Missouri governor, Jay Nixon. 

There was one small survivor of Richard Strong's vicious attack on that fateful day in October 2000 - Strong's 3-month old daughter with Washington - Alyshia. When police discovered the scene, following a 911 call from Strong himself, they found the bodies of Miss Washington, her daughter and a baby laying on a bed, alive and next to the murder weapon. Fifteen years on, Alyshia Strong - who went to live with her paternal grandmother after her mother's death - has been a strong source of support for her father. Despite her father's actions effectively leaving her an orphan, Alyshia is urging Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to spare her more loss. She believes he has spent the last fifteen years feeling nothing but remorse for his 'split-second' violent actions and that to take his life would result in a double loss for her. 

Zaendra Thomas

Richard Strong's defence team have filed several appeals in the Supreme court in the last few weeks. One claiming Strong suffers from depression and another stating his mental state makes him incapable of understanding his execution. According to Alyshia, one thing Strong is capable of is regret and remorse. She told one source that her father was 'inconsolable' that his actions had resulted in the loss of two precious lives, Apparently, Strong and Miss Washington had had a volatile relationship with both parties being violent towards the other. There was also a long history of mental illness for both parties. Richard Strong said 'something snapped in my head' that day in October 2000 and he has regretted his actions ever since. 

As Strong's execution grows ever closer it remains to be seen whether the Governor will take into account Alyshia Strong's pleas for clemency for her father. As it stands at the time of publication she stands to lose her one remaining 'parent' to the American justice system. 

Ayshia Strong with her father and half-sister.

Robert Pruett - Stay Given UPDATED

Robert Pruett

 Robert Pruett,  was prepared to die yesterday before finding out he had received a stay just three hours before his execution. Confirmed by the Texas Innocence Network, a judge issued a stay of execution for Pruett to allow more time for DNA testing.

Robert Pruett recieved the stay, his third in as many years, to allow for further DNA tests to be conducted on the weapon he is supposed to have used to kill corrections officer Daniel Nagle 16-years ago. His defence team are hoping modern developments in DNA testing will reveal if the DNA of the actual killer is present. The shank (a crude name for a handmade prison weapon) was tested at the time of the murder, but only the DNA of the victim was found. Pruett's team are hopeful today's technology will enable any other DNA present on either end of the weapon to be found. The team seem convinced that the taped end of the weapon will have stored even a small amount of skin cells from the true murderer - a test that was not available 16-years ago. This would exonerate Robert Pruett of the crime he has always steadfastly denied committing. 

News of the stay was reported so quickly via Twitter (and my little Blog) that even the Texas Criminal Justice Service were unaware of the development. There is currently no news on a potential time limit for the DNA testing. 

Upcoming Execution - Richard Vasquez

Richard Vasquez

On Monday April 20th, Richard Vasquez recieved a stay of execution. The reasons for this stay are not yet known.

On the 23rd of April, 2015 at 6pm CDT, the State of Texas is scheduled to execute Richard Vasquez. 

Vasquez, now 35-years old, has been on death row since he was convicted of the 1998 murder of his four-year-old step-daughter, Miranda Lopez. Vasquez was originally scheduled to be executed on January 15th, 2015, however this execution was delayed for reasons that remain unspecified. 

Richard Vasquez was born in Nueces County, Texas to an alcoholic mother and a drug addict father who spent much of his time in and out of prison. Thanks to his mother's heavy drinking habits, Vasquez was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome . He was brought up mainly by his aunt and uncle, although Vasquez had regular contact with his father. Rather than shooting hoops or tossing ball, his father taught him how to buy and sell drugs. He also showed him how to steal things in order to pay for those drugs. Richard Vasquez was addicted to heroin at 12-years old and he dropped out of school completely in ninth grade. Although Vasquez had a couple of minor, non-violent misdemeanours on his record as a juvenile, he had no convictions as an adult. 

On March 4th 1998, Richard Vasquez and his girlfriend, Brenda Lopez had a argument, despite this they decided to inject themselves with heroin before going to bed. They were to inject heroin again as soon as they both woke up the next morning. Vasquez then drove Lopez to work, something he admitted in court he was not overly happy about because he was being left to watch the children, Miranda and the 3-month old baby they had together, Meagan. That afternoon, Vasquez contacted Lopez at work demanding to know where she had put the rest of their drugs. Still angry with Vasquez she refused to tell him and put down the phone. Overcome by rage, Vasquez struck four-year-old Miranda four times to the front of her head with his closed fist. Little Miranda Lopez died later that day from severe brain injuries. When questioned by police, Vasquez denied striking the child instead insisting her injuries were the result of a fall from a stool while cleaning her teeth. 

The autopsy results did not support Vasquez's version of events. The autopsy also revealed Miranda Lopez had more than twice the lethal amount of cocaine in her system. There was also evidence of possible sexual abuse although the coroner was unable to determine if the young victim had suffered this around the time of death or if the abuse was ongoing. Vasquez was arrested and charged with capital one murder. On June 26th, 1999, Richard Vasquez was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. 

As well as maintaining his innocence, Richard Vasquez has had several appeals stating his counsel during trial was ineffective. Federal judges tossed out claims that counsel for Vasquez demonstrated 'deficient performance' that prejudiced his case. His claims that due to this poor performance his conviction was unconstitutional were also dismissed. Supporters of Vasquez are adamant he did not receive a fair trial, in particular because important evidence disputing abuse claims were not used by his counsel. Richard Vasquez also states that little Miranda Lopez had no cocaine in her system, a fact he can prove if he is granted a new trial. His appeal lawyers continue to argue for a retrial, believing important mitigating evidence regarding Vasquez's upbringing and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome diagnosis was not used during his trial.

Vasquez has written several 'letters' that have appeared in several places on the Internet, in which he tells of how much he loves and misses his step-daughter. He also claims that his conviction came about because the victim was a child and therefore people needed to find him guilty out of justification. At the time of publication, Richard Vasquez is still set to be executed. 

Richard Vasquez maintains his innocence. 

Scheduled Execution - Andre Cole

Andre Cole

At 6pm, Missouri time, 42-year old Andre Cole will be executed for the 2001 murder of his ex-wife's boyfriend. Despite this being a sound conviction, backed by DNA evidence and Cole's own statement, the Governor of Missouri is under intense pressure to stay the execution. This is because Cole, an African-American man, was convicted and sentenced to death by an all white jury. Despite the evidence, there is genuine racial unrest surrounding Cole's impending execution, on the basis that St Louis prosecutors removed three members of the jury, all black, before the trial began. 

Adding fuel to the fire is the fact the case was prosecuted in St Louis county, the jurisdiction that covers Ferguson where a series of clashes occurred last August over the police shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. A collective of African American organizations, civil rights activists and religious bodies have flooded the Governor's office with requests he launch an official enquiry into 'rampant racial bias' within St Louis County. They believe this racial bias has sent an unusually high amount of Black Americans to death row. 

Missouri's Governor appears to be standing his ground, and as of publication time Andre Cole is still set to be executed. However, there are many individuals who believe that if Cole is executed today, it will create huge problems that reach much further than Ferguson. 

Andre Cole murdered his Ex-Wife's Boyfriend in 2001

Robert Pruett - An Uneasy Execution Approaches

Robert Lynn Pruett

The story of Robert Pruett, a man sitting on death row in Texas, was my motivation for starting this Blog. After watching Robert's story on the BBC documentary Life and Death Row, I was convinced of his innocence. However, after listening to the many comments that have been left on my posts about Pruett, from supporters, close friends and others who are convinced of his guilt, I have to admit I am no longer 100% sure Robert is innocent. I do find it an absolute travesty that a 15 year old boy can be sentenced to 99 years (Pruett's original sentencing for the crime that sent him to prison). 

We don't have the death penalty in the UK, although many of the awful crimes I read about make me wonder why not on an almost daily basis. However, had the 15 year old Robert committed the same crime over here, he would, at the very worse of got a couple of years in a young offender's institute. However, because Robert Pruett did not actually murder the man, he incited his father to do the deed, there is a very good chance he would of received a slap on the wrists and given some kind of supervision order (to be honest, even that is unlikely). My point is, how can two justice systems be SO different. 

Despite not having the death penalty here, I have always admired the US for their use of it to deal with the worse of the worse. But if there is one thing the Robert Pruett case has taught me, is this is not always the case. Thanks to the felony murder law, there are plenty of young men in prison who didn't actually commit the unlawful act (the Pruett and Holle case being two that spring to mind). Maybe Pruett, had he not received prison time for his involvement in the initial murder, would of done something else to get him inside. Maybe he was destined to murder that Prison Guard (if indeed he did) but it certainly is a lot of what ifs. 

And this is why the impending execution of Robert Pruett does not sit well with me. It isn't because I believe him to be innocent, I am really not sure that he is. It is because I do not believe anyone should be executed unless his/her guilt is absolutely believed, beyond a reasonable doubt. Pruett has already had two stays in the past, a third is highly unlikely and yet this is not because there isn't any unanswered questions about the case. It is simply because the 'routine' a prisoner goes through in order to get to the point of execution is almost complete, regardless of whether there is potential doubt or questions. 

I don't normally recommend websites but I do recommend everyone -whether you believe in Robert Pruett or not - spends 30 minutes on his website reading some of the things he has written. Prison has obviously had a huge impact on him and he really is an insightful person, with a passion for living even if it is in dire surroundings with little to look forward too. I really don't know whether Robert Pruett is innocent of killing that Prison Guard, I know I was once convinced he was but I have my doubts now. This does not change my opinion that their is far too many questions to be 100% certain he deserves to executed on April 28th. 

Check out Robert's Site

Whether Innocent or Guilty, There is not Enough Evidence to Support Execution.

Robert Pruett - Did He Do It?

Robert Lynn Pruett
(Photo courtesy of The Express)

I first became aware of the Robert Pruett case around the same time most people in the UK did, when the documentary Life and Death Row was aired on BBC 3. A compelling documentary, the second programme centred on what is known as "Crisis Cases". These cases are when a death row inmate is looking at an imminent execution date and is looking for any and every kind of help he/she can get that may get them a stay of execution. Robert's case was featured alongside that of gang member Robert Garza. Pruett would eventually get a last minute stay of execution, while Garza went on to be executed.

Robert Lynn Pruett is 35 years old and he has been in prison since he was 15. Which means he has spent more of his life locked up than he did on the out. Pruett's original sentence was 99 years without parole. This was for the role he played in the murder of a neighbour. Although Pruett was not the person who stabbed the man to death, his father was, Robert was convicted under the "law of parties" act. This means if an individual is behind the events that eventually lead to the murder, they are held as culpable as the person who does the deed.

Four years into his sentence at a Texas prison, prison corrections officer Daniel Nagle was stabbed to death with a handmade shank (the name for an often crude weapon made by an inmate from everyday items). While there was no DNA or finger print evidence, a report written by the officer was torn up and strewn all over the crime scene. That report was actually a write up for a violation allegedly committed by Pruett earlier in the day. This write up is what is believed to have made Pruett angry enough to kill. Pruett denies murdering Officer Nagle and has always insisted he had never touched the report. Pruett's 21/05/2013 execution was stayed to allow for the evidence to undergo DNA testing. The results were inconclusive.

In Febuary 2014 Pruett was given a new execution date, 21/05/2014 - twelve months to the day of his first one. However, in April this execution date was also stayed to await further testing of evidence.

While there is no doubting Pruett's guilt for the original crime, many believe he is innocent in the murder of Officer Nagle. According to Pruett supporters he is the victim of "bent" correctional officers who wanted rid of Daniel Nagle because he was "by the book". While these allegations have never been proven, two correctional officers left their positions one month after the murder. Pruett's defence also points out that witness statements provided by other inmates are unreliable as many were offered privileges or even early release in return for their statements.

So, what do you think? Could Texas be wanting to execute the wrong man or is he truly deserving of the death penalty?

UPDATE - 

Robert Lynn Pruett is set to be executed April 28th, 2015. When this update went to publication, his appeals for a stay of execution had so far been unsuccessful. You can read more about Robert here.

The Allan B. Polunsky Unit
Home of Texas' Death Row
(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Robert James Campbell receives last minute stay.

Today, the 13th of May 2014, around 18.00 hours, Texas death row inmate Robert James Campbell was set to become the first offender executed since the "botched" execution of Clayton Lockett in Oklahoma. However, with just two hours to go, Campbell was granted a stay to allow his legal team to pursue appeals regarding whether his alleged mental impairments make him ineligible for execution.

Campbell was convicted of capital murder after he abducted, raped and shot Alexandra Rendon, 21, in 1991. Campbell's attorneys are arguing that because Campbell has an IQ of 69, he is not mentally competent for execution. The average acceptable score is 70 in most courts. Campbell's legal team submitted a flurry of last minute appeals throughout Tuesday, with the IQ issue being ruled on by the Supreme court while still being considered by the 5th circuit. Campbell's second request for information regarding naming the source of the execution drug was thrown out.

"I am happy. The lord has prevailed" Campbell was reported as saying on hearing news of his last minute stay. He was being held in the "death" cell at Huntsville awaiting his fate.

While Campbell maybe thanking the Lord, the loved ones of his victim are once again left wondering when, and if, justice will be served.

"This was not a shoot, rob and run away - the agony she suffered" said Miss Rendon's cousin, Israel Santana. It seems once again the victim's voice is drowned out in favor of the offender.


                                                         

Robert James Campbell
(Photo courtesy of CNN)