90.9 WBUR - Boston's NPR news station
Top Stories:
PLEDGE NOW
Thursday, September 15, 2011

Inmate’s Lawyer Asks Perry To Halt Texas Execution

Duane Buck is scheduled to be put to death tonight in Texas, unless Gov. Rick Perry orders a 30-day halt to review the case. Jurors heard testimony during sentencing in the 1997 trial that blacks are more likely to pose future dangers to the public. (AP)

Duane Buck is scheduled to be put to death tonight in Texas. (AP)

By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Attorneys for a man scheduled to be put to death in Texas are asking Gov. Rick Perry to halt the execution amid questions about the role race played in the sentencing.

Duane Buck was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend and another man in July 1995. His execution is scheduled for Thursday evening.

His case is one of six convictions that then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn reviewed in 2000 and said needed to be reopened because of the racially charged statements made during the sentencing phase of the trial. A psychologist told jurors that black criminals were more likely to pose a future danger to the public if they are released.

Perry, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, is an ardent supporter of capital punishment.

Guest:

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

  • http://gregorycamp.wordpress.com/ Greg Camp

    Did Buck do the crime?  If yes, he’s not innocent.  He deserves what he’s about to get.

With Sponsorship from:
Accelerating the pace of engineering and science
Thursday, May 23, 2013
First lady Michelle Obama, second from right, hands out diplomas at the graduation ceremony for Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Magnet High School on Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. (Mark Humphrey/AP)

A professor from Howard University has some advice on what African American high school graduates need to hear when they receive diplomas over the next few weeks.

2 Comments | more »
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Foam peanuts. (HidingInABunker/Flickr)

What if you could replace styrofoam with something that biodegrades and doesn’t contain petroleum? That’s what one start-up is trying to do — with mushrooms.

3 Comments | more »
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
1989 photo of singer, musician and entertainer, "Prince." (AP)

Prince is a brilliant musician, a mesmerizing performer and — according to cultural commentator Touré — a Generation X icon. Touré says Prince played a wise older brother to the latchkey kids of Gen X.

9 Comments | more »
From Twitter