Category: death row inmate

Texas Death Row Inmate Who Cut out His Eyes Seeks Clemency

HOUSTON—Plagued by mental illness, Texas death row inmate Andre Thomas started hearing voices when he was 9 years old and first attempted suicide when he was 10, his attorneys say. Thomas’ psychosis, filled with religious delusions and hallucinations, became worse as he grew older. His family—beset by a long history of mental illness, addiction, and…


Oklahoma Attorney General Sues Biden Admin Over Refusal to Transfer Death Row Inmate to State Custody

The state of Oklahoma is suing the Federal Bureau of Prisons over the bureau’s refusal to transfer a death row inmate set to be executed in December into Oklahoma’s custody. John Hanson, 58, was sentenced to death in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, for the 1999 murders of Mary Bowles, 77, and Jerald Thurman, 44. His death sentence was…


Claiming Innocence, Alabama Death Row Inmate Seeks New Trial

MONTGOMERY, Ala.—Toforest Johnson, 49, has spent half his life on Alabama’s death row for the murder of a sheriff’s deputy, a killing he says he did not commit. Johnson’s attorneys asked the Alabama Supreme Court on Friday to “right a grievous wrong” and grant him a new trial. The filing is the latest effort in…


Oklahoma Governor Rejects Clemency for Death Row Inmate

OKLAHOMA CITY—Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday rejected clemency for a man facing execution this week for the 1997 hammer killing of a Choctaw man, despite a recommendation from the state’s Pardon and Parole Board that his life be spared. James Coddington was convicted and sentenced to die for the beating death of his friend…


Judge: Death Row Inmate Can Pursue Disability Claims

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—A Tennessee death row inmate convicted of a 1994 slaying can pursue arguments that he is intellectually disabled and should not be executed under state law, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris issued an order Tuesday granting a stay in federal court proceedings for Tyrone Chalmers, who was convicted…


Texas Death Row Inmate Melissa Lucio Granted Stay of Execution

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday granted a stay of execution for a woman who was set to be judicially killed on Wednesday for the 2007 death of one of her 14 children, ordering a lower court to review new evidence in the case. Lawyers for Mexican-American Melissa Lucio, 52, say new evidence…


Student Left Homeless Had to Sleep at School–but Beat the Odds to Earn Her Degree

A gifted UK student overcame incredible odds facing homelessness as a teen and going to school; she has earned her degree from the University of Liverpool. Sarah Brunsdon was just 15 years old when her family broke apart and she was left without a home during her school years. For a time, Sarah, now living in Rainford,…