Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner, wife of Hank Skinner, to Speak at 11th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty

Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner will be one of the speakers at the 11th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty on October 30th at the Texas Capitol in Austin. Sandrine is a French national married to Hank Skinner, who is on Texas death row and is seeking to have DNA tested that could prove his innocence.

On October 13, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Hank Skinner to determine if he may seek testing of DNA evidence through a civil rights lawsuit. If he is not allowed to test the DNA evidence, then Texas may execute an innocent person.

Hank Skinner received a stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court on March 25, 2010 only hours before his scheduled execution.

On March 18, 2010, Sandrine spoke at a press conference (watch video) to appeal for Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to stop the execution of Hank Skinner. The press conference was held by Texas Moratorium Network and Students Against the Death Penalty in the Texas Capitol with her and with six exonerated former death-row inmates: Ron Keine, Juan Melendez, Shujaa Graham, Perry Cobb, Curtis McCarty and Derrick Jamison (see photo). Some of them had come within days and even hours of being executed. The exonerees said they supported a moratorium on executions and called on Gov. Perry and Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to stay the upcoming execution of Hank Skinner to allow testing of the DNA evidence.



Video of Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner, wife of Hank Skinner, appearing on CNN's Larry King Live to speak about stay of execution received by Hank Skinner on March 24, 2010.



The annual march is organized by several Texas anti-death penalty organizations, including the Austin chapter of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Texas Moratorium Network, the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, Texas Students Against the Death Penalty, Texas Death Penalty Education and Resource Center, Death Penalty Free Austin, and Kids Against the Death Penalty.