Texas governor accused of covering up innocent man’s execution

[cynatnite]

The head of a Texas anti-death penalty group has accused that state's governor of scuttling an investigation into a possible wrongful execution for political reasons.

" Perry saw the writing on the wall," Scott Cobb, president of the Texas Moratorium Network, told CNN. "He moved to cover that up."

The "writing on the wall" Cobb was referring to was the investigation by the Texas Forensic Science Commission into the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was put to death in 2004 for the 1991 arson deaths of his three daughters.

Forensic investigations done since Willingham's conviction have found no evidence of arson. Nonetheless, Perry refused to grant Willingham a stay of execution in 2004, even though credible questions had already been raised about Willingham's guilt.

On Wednesday, Gov. Perry ordered the removal of three members of the forensics commission, and instituted a "political ally," as CNN described him, to head the committee. That ally is reported to have ordered the investigation into Willingham's execution delayed indefinitely, saying he "couldn't begin to guess" when the commission would reconvene.

As CNN's Randi Kaye noted, since Willingham's conviction, "three forensic investigations found there was no evidence of arson. None."

http://rawstory.com/2009/10/governor-accused-innocent-execution/

[virgogal]

1. How long is this death penalty madness going to go on?

[Selatius]

3. Until a Democrat is in the governor's seat and unfreezes the damn commission.

Then, the commission will find that Texas executed an innocent man, and then if the local and quite possibly the national news media gives it huge airtime, Texas will be forced to seriously re-examine its broken system.

[47of74]

2. Texas Republicans are so bloodthirsty that they'd do or say anything to...

...commit murder and get away with it.

[ThomCat]

13. It seems that you are right. They seem to just want people to die.

They don't care if it is innocent people who die, so long as they can lie and claim that the people were guilty of something. :(

[krispos42]

4. I have a major problem with this story's headline

Specifically, the use of the singular form of "man".

[krispos42]

5. dupe

[TheKentuckian]

6. Maybe Mr Holder should consider using Civil Rights law to open this up

I'm not familiar enough with the codes but my guess is that they are broad enough to at least apply some pressure here.

[Kingofalldems]

7. Texas seems to be all about putting people in jail

and/or executing them. Provided they are not rich of course.

[Selatius]

8. If we have any power, we will fuck over Rick Perry with this.

I'm asking all of you to rec this shit all the way to high heaven. I want this visible enough so that it gets picked up by the blogosphere.

[MajorChode]

9. There needs to be a federal investigation

Perry's move was the equivalent of the Saturday Night Massacre. He replaced the commission chairman with the most hardline prosecutor in the state. All of this has been done to delay the commission's findings until after his election and to stack the deck in his favor. He's victimizing Willingham all over again, and it's the most evil thing I've ever seen in Texas politics.

[iceman66]

11. 'Evil' is the way to describe it.

What an absolute piece of shit this Perry is.

A worthy successor to Dubya indeed!

[ezgoingrl]

10. This story puts a little

kink in the old death penalty chain. But we all know innocent people don't get executed.

[ovidsen]

12. Here's more on Willingham's wrongful execution

The New Yorker magazine had a very grim essay on this travesty of justice last month. Just click below:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/07/090907fa_fact_grann

Thanks to DUer BlooInBloo for first passing that link along in another OP on this case a few days ago.

Texas Governor Rick "Killer" Perry has no regard for human life.

[cynatnite]

14. I read this when it first came out...

I was astounded at the willingness to ignore concrete evidence clearing this man...and it was before he was executed, too. I will never understand this.

How could anyone sleep at night knowing they helped send an innocent man to his death?

[47of74]

15. They have no souls

[maxpower]

16. End the death penalty

Is there a better argument than this?



Peace,
Max

[The Magistrate]

17. Mr. Cobb Is Right, Ma'am: That Is Exactly What Is Happening

[sonias]

18. Our hope is that this case keeps building

We can not let this get forgotten. This case needs as much focus as it can get nationally.

But first we have to prevent Perry from trying to bury the investigation. The guy he appointed to head the board is one of the "kill them all and let God sort them out later types." So what if he was innocent for this crime, he probably was guilty of something else. That's how these "tough on crime" types like Bradley are are. No regrets.

We have always believed that innocent men/women may have been executed by the State of Texas. This case is proof and this proof will hopefully be the end of the killing machine. Among the people who support the death penalty there is huge support for more accountability for a fair process. If people in Texas start to understand that the system does allow innocents to get executed the support for the death penalty would evaporate.

Scott Cobb is one of the strongest advocates of ending the death penalty in Texas. We have a lot of problems with the judicial system in Texas and in such a flawed systgem as we have, allowing the death penalty is like playing Russian roulette with a loaded gun.

Scott's organization is the Texas Moratorium Network
http://www.texasmoratorium.org/


We have a lot more links on the Texas thread for this topic too
A Rick Perry Stunner - Forensic Science Commission

Sonia

[sonias]

19. DailyKos Diary - "Texas-Sized Cover-Up?"

CNN on Gov. Rick Perry: "Texas-Sized Cover-Up?"

Please recommend if you have a DK account.

:kick:

Sonia