Early Dallas Exoneree Randall Dale Adams died in Ohio Last Year

Randall Dale Adams in 2001 Calling for a Moratorium on
Executions in Texas.

Early Dallas exoneree Randall Dale Adams died in Ohio last year. Jenna, an intern with the Texas Witness to Innocence was working with me on the case of  Randall Dale Adams last month and noticed that tributes.com has listed him as passed away in Ohio. This was very surprising to me, because I had talked with his wife a month before his death inviting him to to participate in our 2010 fall gathering in Chicago. I sent out an email to several journalist who have interviewed him previously and also several individuals in the anti-death penalty movement who had worked with him previously. Scott Cobb of Texas Moratorium Network contacted Pamela Colloff of Texas Monthly, because she written a story on him recently. She was not aware of his death other than a twitter post the night before by Errol Morris, director of the documentary "Thin Blue Line."

Finally Dallas Morning News, almost a year after his death and thanks to our intern's discovery confirmed that he passed away last year in Ohio because of a brain tumor. Associated Press also has published a short article on his death. In 2001 he testified to a committee in the Texas Legislature for a moratorium bill, helping to convince the committee to vote in favor of stopping executions and studying the system.  

New York Times published a long and well deserved obituary about Randall in last week's Sunday paper. Condolences, memories and tributes can be left here.