A state judge has ordered East Texas prosecutors to hand over key evidence from a 1989 murder case to the Innocence Project and The Texas Observer for DNA testing—analysis that may prove for the first time that Texas executed an innocent man. The Innocence Project and the Observer filed suit in 2007 to obtain a […]
Capital Punishment
The Skinner jury: what we know now…
If they knew then what we know now…read about the thoughts and feelings of the original Skinner jury! “In light of new developments that have surfaced in the 15 years since Skinner’s trial, several of the original jurors are no longer sure of his guilt. Five say they might have had reasonable doubt at the […]
Zeigler, Part X
By request, the DNA report that exonerates Zeigler. In Dec 1975, a quadruple murder took place in the Zeigler Furniture Store (Winter Garden, Florida). The victims were Charles Mays, Virginia and Perry Edwards, and their daughter Eunice Edwards-Zeigler. The fifth victim, William Thomas Zeigler, became the sole suspect because he survived. The case is riddled […]
DNA upon conviction
New York Governor David Paterson announced that he is submitting DNA legislation that will require everyone convicted of a penal law crime to provide a sample. Currently, New York state only requires DNA collection after a judge convicts a suspect of any felony crime or 18 specified misdemeanors. Once the sample is collected, the information […]
Cert Granted in the Skinner Case
The USSC granted the writ of Certiorari in the case of Hank Skinner. Today’s order list included the decision Skinner has been waiting for. Now what does this mean? Read here what the Skeptical Juror writes: “First and foremost, Texas will not be able to execute Hank Skinner until the Supremes have ruled on his petition. That […]
Zeigler, Part IX
Zeigler, Part IX: Let’s talk blood. Pictured here on the website you see the t-shirt Tommy wore underneath a red dress shirt, the night he was shot and, was supposed to die. On the front of the t-shirt you see a big blood stain underneath the left armpit, right? And on the back of the […]
Alaska Enacts DNA Access Law
Alaska is the 48th U.S. state to enact a law granting post-conviction DNA access to prisoners seeking to overturn wrongful convictions. After passing the state’s House and Senate with unanimous support, the measure was signed into law by Gov. Sean Parnell on May 14, 2010. Only Massachusetts and Oklahoma now lack DNA access laws in […]
Zeigler, Part VIII
To completely understand the dynamics in the Zeigler case, I think we should make it more visual, to clarify what we are talking about. If you look into the right margin you will see that under “Last Modified Post” some of the older Zeigler posts show up again. I have added photographs for clarity. These […]
Update Hank Skinner Case
The United States Supreme Court Justices put off a decision in the Hank Skinner case. It is from Texas, a state that executes more prisoners per year than any other state. Hank Skinner made an actual innocence claim, demanding DNA testing on other evidence gathered at the crime scene. The justices had issued a stay just before […]
Zeigler, Part VII: The Thompson Report
Vicki Harley Holland has a website about Tommy Zeigler. It is called “Prayers for Tommy.” She commented on my previous posting “This post will be written by you.” In it, she refers to “Fatal Flaw” by Phillip Finch, the book I also recommend. In the middle of her website, near the top, you see “Letters […]