Houston
Search for suspects continues after 2 killed at north Houston flea market
Posted on · The sheriff’s department believes the shooting at the Sunny Flea Market took place after a fight between two groups.
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice
Crystal Mason’s contentious illegal voting conviction must be reconsidered, criminal appeals court says
Posted on · Mason said she didn’t know she was ineligible to vote when she cast a provisional ballot in 2016, but she was sentenced to five years. Now, the Court of Criminal Appeals says an appellate court that affirmed her conviction must look again at the evidence of Mason’s intent.
The Marshall Project
Burned to Death in a Prison Cell
Posted on · After years of warnings about broken fire alarms, two men have now died in blazes at Texas prisons.
Politics
‘The guy’s gonna have a wreck’: Transcript shows GOP activist Steve Hotze describing failed election fraud investigation to former U.S. attorney
Posted on · Hotze told former U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick, "the guy’s gonna have a wreck," according to a transcript. Two days later, Hotze's associate allegedly ran a repairman off the road.
Health & Science
Demand for emergency contraception surges after a leaked draft of Supreme Court opinion on abortion
Posted on · Since Monday’s leak of a draft order from the Supreme Court’s reported decision to overturn Roe v Wade, an Austin-based reproductive care and education agency reported more than 700 requests for emergency contraception kits.
BREAKING
An officer was shot at a southeast Houston gas station, HPD says
Posted on · HPD says the incident occurred at 14800 Gulf Freeway at Astoria.
Criminal Justice
Inmate dies after a fight in Beaumont’s high security federal prison
Posted on · An inmate sustained life-threatening injuries after a fight in the United States Penitentiary Beaumont, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Criminal Justice
Many Texans are too poor to afford a lawyer, but not poor enough for courts to provide one
Posted on · A new report finds that Texas courts use very different yardsticks to decide who’s poor enough to get a court-appointed lawyer. That patchwork often leaves people without the legal defense in a criminal trial that the Constitution promises.
Town Square
Melissa Lucio’s case and the moral implications of capital punishment
Posted on · Today, we conclude our three-part series on this case, where we discuss capital punishment, and criminal justice system patterns of prosecution and conviction.
Town Square
Was Melissa Lucio interrogated and coerced into confessing to something she didn’t do?
Posted on · Today we talk about the reliability of memory and the psychology of false confessions. Plus, the impact on women, in particular, within the criminal justice system.
Town Square
What is the story of Melissa Lucio, and what does her stay of execution mean for her case?
Posted on · Today, a law professor, a filmmaker, and a state representative help us take a closer look at the story of Melissa Lucio, the first Hispanic woman sentenced to death in Texas – and who today, in breaking news, was granted a stay of execution.
Criminal Justice
Melissa Lucio’s execution has been put on hold by Texas’ highest criminal court
Posted on · Melissa Lucio, who was set to be executed on Wednesday, has been granted a stay of execution by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday.
Politics
GOP megadonor Steven Hotze charged after a bogus election fraud scheme led a former cop to threaten a repairman
Posted on · The charges stem from Hotze’s hiring of more than a dozen private investigators to look for voter fraud in Harris County ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Criminal Justice
Texas executes the state’s oldest death row inmate
Posted on · Carl Wayne Buntion is 78-years-old and on death row for killing a police officer. While some are hoping for closure, others say his execution should be halted due to his age.
Criminal Justice
InfoWars files for bankruptcy in the face of lawsuits over Sandy Hook shooting denial
Posted on · Founder Alex Jones, who's repeatedly called the 2012 shooting at a Connecticut elementary school a hoax, has been sued several times by the victims' families for defamation and emotional distress.