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Texas Appeals Court Blocks Inmate's Execution

Associated Press

   HOUSTON - Texas' top criminal appeals court on Friday halted the
   scheduled execution of inmate Rodney Reed, whose conviction is being
   questioned by new evidence that his supporters say raises serious doubt
   about his guilt.

   The stay of execution by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals came just
   hours after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had recommended
   delaying the lethal injection.

   Reed, 51, had been set for lethal injection Wednesday evening for the
   1996 killing of Stacey Stites, 19. Prosecutors say Reed raped and
   strangled Stites as she made her way to work at a supermarket in
   Bastrop, a rural community about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of
   Austin.

   Celebrity support

   Reed's efforts to stop his execution have received support from such
   celebrities asBeyonce, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey. Lawmakers from
   both parties, including Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz, have also asked
   that officials take a closer look at the evidence in the case.

   In its four-page order, the appeals court said Reed's case should be
   returned to the trial court in Bastrop County so it could examine his
   claims that he is innocent and that prosecutors suppressed evidence and
   presented false testimony.

   BryceBenjet, an attorney with the Innocence Project, which is
   representing Reed, said defense attorneys were ``extremely relieved and
   thankful'' to the appeals court.

   ``This opportunity will allow for proper consideration of the powerful
   and mounting new evidence of Mr. Reed's innocence,''Benjetsaid in a
   statement.

   The Texas Attorney General's Office declined to comment Friday on
   whether it would appeal the order staying Reed's execution.

   Earlier Friday, the parole board had unanimously recommended a 120-day
   reprieve for Reed. The board rejected Reed's request to commute his
   sentence to life in prison.

   Next step: Governor's office

   The parole board's decision was to go next to Governor Greg Abbott, who
   hasn't said whether he would accept or reject it or do nothing.

   The stay likely makes Abbott's decision moot. Since taking office in
   2015, Abbott has halted only one imminent execution, in 2018.

   Since Texas resumed executions in 1982, only three death row inmates
   have had their sentences commuted to life in prison by a governor
   within days of their scheduled executions.

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