Calls for Texas to give death row inmate Rodney Reed a stay of execution are intensifying. Reed was convicted for the 1996 rape and murder of Stacey Stites, but his guilt is in doubt.
Almost 3 million people have signed the petition to stop Reed’s scheduled Nov. 20 execution.
“Governor Greg Abbott has the power to stop the execution. He’s done it before, he can absolutely do it again,” wrote Beto O’Rourke in an email to supporters on Tuesday. “So our job is to make sure that we cause an outcry so loud, so united that Abbott has no choice but to listen to our demands and cancel the execution.”
Sen. Ted Cruz also weighed in, tweeting, “I believe capital punishment can be justice for the very worst murderers, but if there is credible evidence there’s a real chance the defendant is innocent, that evidence should be weighed carefully.”
Reed’s family and legal team claim that new evidence exonerates him.
Reed was convicted by an all-white jury in 1997. The Innocence Project says the murder weapon was never tested for DNA evidence and forensic experts later admitted to errors in their testimony.
Photo: Drew Anthony Smith/Getty Images
