Reggie’s Status
Reggie is preparing for his September 17 hearing. There is nothing significant to report on the legal front and as the old saying goes, “No news is good news.”
The Justice for Reggie Campaign is continuing our efforts to reach out and talk about his case. Signatures are still being collected for his clemency petition. The Faith Leaders letter is also still open for signatures (http://tinyurl.com/faithleaders4reggie). Our goal is to make Reggie’s a household case in Missouri.
Lethal Injection Drug Shortage
Last week, the federal appeals court here in St. Louis refused to rule on a challenge to Missouri’s lethal injection protocol. This is because one of the key drugs, sodium thiopental, is no longer manufactured and most states have depleted their supplies, including Missouri. The Department of Corrections will have to decide if it will revise its lethal injection protocol with a substitute drug. This invariably will force a stay of execution for Michael Tisius who has an August 3 execution date.
Hearing for George Allen Next Week
Allen has been in prison for 30 years for a crime that he didn’t commit. Oral arguments will be heard Friday May 18 at 9:00 a.m. in the Cole County Circuit Court, 301 E. High Street in Jefferson City. The Honorable Daniel R. Green will be presiding. If you can attend, this is an excellent opportunity to hear such legal proceedings as well as to support George and his family.
An Innocent Man Executed?
Another fatal error has been exposed in the Texas death penalty system. The case of Carlos DeLuna, a young man executed in 1989, raised many doubts from the very onset. Now James Liebman, a professor at Columbia School of Law spent, has presented his compelling case in the exhaustive report “Los Tocayos Carlos: Anatomy of a Wrongful Execution.” Liebman and a small group of his law students spent almost five years poring over details of the case and uncovered “numerous missteps, missed clues and missed opportunities” by authorities. It is doubtful whether Texas will recognize and admit its mistake; it hasn’t done so in other cases of wrongful executions.
Death Penalty Legislation
The Missouri General Assembly comes to a close this week. A number of anti-death penalty measures were introduced this session but didn’t fare too well. We should make any last minute pushes that we can with our legislators regarding pending bills.
“Enough Already!”
Jamala Rogers, Coordinator
JUSTICE for Reggie Campaign
P. O. Box 5277
St. Louis, MO 63115
(314) 367-5959
www.justiceforreggie.com
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