*Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed received some good news today. The bottom line is that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has issued a stay of Reed’s execution.
The decision, according to HuffPost, came hours after the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole asked Gov. Greg Abbott (Republican) for a 120-day delay to his execution in response to a clemency application from Reed, whose lawyers says there is new evidence that could exonerate him.
Let the celebratin’ begin! Well, sorta. Let’s not get carried away. Dude is still on death row, but that 120-day delay could be a literal lifesaver. In any event, it’s enough for the Innocence Project, which is providing Reed’s legal counsel, celebrated the positive development.
Thank you to all who called, tweeted, and spoke out against the execution of an innocent person. Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we keep working to prove #RodneyReed‘s innocence. https://t.co/pMS2i0GKTo
— Innocence Project (@innocence) November 15, 2019
In making its last-minute decision to stay Reed’s death sentence, the court cited concealed information, false testimony and possible innocence in Reed’s case, which has captured national attention in recent weeks with the help of vigils, protests and celebrities speaking out against his execution.
The development outweighs the parole board’s recommendation, removing Abbott from the equation.
Here’s what was reported earlier about the situation via Huffpost:
The Texas Board of Pardons and Parole recommended to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday that Rodney Reed, the death row inmate whose guilt has been widely questioned in recent weeks, receive a 120-day reprieve on his upcoming execution.
The board’s unanimous recommendation comes in response to a clemency application from Reed asking for either a delay of his Nov. 20 execution or a commutation of his sentence. Though the board denied the latter, advocates calling on the state to reexamine Reed’s case celebrated the development.
“I have tears streaming down my cheeks,” Reed’s lawyer Andrew MacRae said in a statement to The New York Times. “I’m overwhelmed, but not yet ecstatic, because we have to wait for the governor to act. But assuming he approves this, I’m going to call Rodney’s mom, and that will be ecstatic.”
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