Execution Watch: Arturo Diaz, Sept. 26

Arturo Diaz talks with a KRGV TV reporter on death row.

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - The Lone Star state, for the second time in as many weeks, plans Thursday to execute a poor Latino from the Rio Grande Valley.

KPFT-FM's Execution Watch will broadcast live coverage and commentary on the state killing of Arturo Diaz.

RADIO SHOW PREVIEW

EXECUTION WATCH

Unless a stay is issued, we'll broadcast live:

Thursday, 26 September 2013, 6-7 PM Central Time

KPFT FM Houston 90.1 and Online...

http://executionwatch.org > Listen

Updates and discussion on Facebook: Execution Watch

TEXAS PLANS TO EXECUTE:

ARTURO DIAZ, convicted in the stabbing death of a McAllen man during a 1999 robbery in which Diaz and another man reportedly went to an apartment seeking drugs. Diaz is set to become the 10th person executed for crimes in the Rio Grande Valley since 1982. Another 13 people are in Texas Death Row for crimes in the Valley. On appeal, the Las Milpas man said his trial lawyers failed to call relatives to testify about a childhood filled with poverty, neglect and violence. The courts rejected the argument, saying the attorneys were following Diaz’s instructions.

SHOW LINEUP

Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His internet radio show airs each Wednesday at 2 PM CT.: hmsnetradio.org.

Legal Analyst: JIM SKELTON, a legal educator, retired attorney and native Texan who has seen capital trials from both the prosecution and defense tables. Joining him will be Houston criminal defense attorneys SUSAN ASHLEY, LARRY DOUGLAS, MICHAEL GILLESPIE & JACK LEE.

Featured Interview: JOE FLORES, a bilingual criminal defense lawyer based in Corpus Christi. His father was an 8th-grade dropout and community activist who overcame civil rights barriers to become a teacher at age 40.. Flores has defended clients in state court and before the federal bench in the Southern District of Texas, which stretches from Houston to the Rio Grande Valley. His parents’ successes, political activism and volunteer work on behalf of others inspired Joe at an early age to pursue his dreams, www.floreslawfirm.com.

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: GLORIA RUBAC, member, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, www.abolitionmovement.org.

Reporter, Vigil, Houston: DAVE ATWOOD, founder and former board member, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, www.tcadp.org.

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION

On Oct. 9, Texas plans to kill MICHAEL YOWELL. If it does, Execution Watch will air coverage.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Otis Maclay.

THEME:  By Victoria Panetti, SheMonster International, myspace.com/shemonster.

Execution Watch: Robert Garza 9/19

Robert Garza and Family

By Execution Watch
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Texas is preparing to execute Robert Garza, convicted of having a secondary role in a pair of murders. If the state follows through with its plan, Execution Watch will broadcast live coverage and commentary, including a taped interview with Garza.

RADIO SHOW PREVIEW

EXECUTION WATCH

Thursday, 19 September 2013, 6-7 PM Central Time

KPFT FM Houston 90.1 and Online...

http://executionwatch.org > Listen

Updates and discussion on Facebook: Execution Watch

TEXAS PLANS TO EXECUTE:

ROBERT GARZA, condemned following his conviction on a pair of murder charges in the 2002 shooting deaths of four women in the Rio Grande Valley. Garza’s appeal was rejected in February 2013 by the U.S. Supreme Court. He reportedly told law enforcement he witnessed the shootings and knew of the plot to kill the women but did not fire a gun. A jury convicted him of capital murder under the Texas law of parties, which allows for a defendant to be considered just as responsible as the killer if he or she plays a secondary role.

SHOW LINEUP

Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His internet radio show airs each Wednesday at 2 PM CT.: hmsnetradio.org.

Legal Analyst: JIM SKELTON, a legal educator, retired attorney and native Texan who has seen capital trials from both the prosecution and defense tables. Joining him will be Houston criminal defense attorneys SUSAN ASHLEY, LARRY DOUGLAS, MICHAEL GILLESPIE & JACK LEE.

Featured Interview: ROBERT GARZA, Execution Watch is scheduled to interview Garza Wednesday on death row. The complete, unedited interview will be broadcast..

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: GLORIA RUBAC, member, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, www.abolitionmovement.org.

Reporter, Vigil, Houston: DAVE ATWOOD, founder and former board member, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, www.tcadp.org.

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION

On Sept. 26, Texas plans to kill ARTURO DIAZ. If it does, Execution Watch will air coverage.

Execution Watch: Douglas Feldman, July 31

Douglas Feldman

By ExecutionWatch.org
HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Prison officials are preparing for the execution Wednesday of Douglas Feldman, a Dallas-area financial analyst who argued on appeal that his court-appointed attorneys were ineffective because they failed to give the jury evidence of his bipolar disorder.

Unless Feldman receives a stay, Execution Watch will provide live radio coverage, background and commentary on the state killing. Updates in the days and hours leading up to the execution may be accessed by Liking the Execution Watch Facebook page.

RADIO SHOW PREVIEW

EXECUTION WATCH

Unless a stay is issued, we'll broadcast live:

Wednesday, 31 July 2013, 6-7 PM Central Time

KPFT FM Houston 90.1 and Online...

http://executionwatch.org > Listen

TEXAS PLANS TO EXECUTE:

DOUGLAS FELDMAN, 55, convicted of shooting to death two truck drivers in separate road-rage incidents in 1998. A federal appeals court in September rejected Feldman's appeal. He argued that qualified jurors had been improperly excluded from the jury pool, his attorney failed to present readily available evidence of his bipolar disorder, and the trial judge wrongly did not let jurors consider a lesser charge of murder, which would have spared his life.

SHOW LINEUP

Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His internet radio show airs each Wednesday at 2 PM CT.: hmsnetradio.org.

Legal Analyst: JIM SKELTON, a legal educator, retired attorney and native Texan who has seen capital trials from both the prosecution and defense tables. Joining him will be Houston criminal defense attorneys SUSAN ASHLEY, LARRY DOUGLAS, MICHAEL GILLESPIE & JACK LEE.

Featured Interview: PROF. FRANKLIN ZIMRING, William G. Simon Professor of Law and Wolfen Distinguished Scholar, University of California-Berkeley School of Law. In a recently published essay, “The Death Penalty’s Dirty Little Secret,” he decried the perverse incentive that Texas and other death-penalty states have to appoint less-than-adequate counsel for the nearly invariably poor defendants charged with capital crimes. www.law.berkeley.edu.

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: GLORIA RUBAC, member, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, www.abolitionmovement.org.

Reporter, Vigil, Houston: DAVE ATWOOD, founder and former board member, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, www.tcadp.org.

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION

On Sept. 19, Texas plans to kill ROBERT GARZA. If it does, Execution Watch will air coverage.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR & STUDIO ENGINEER: Otis Maclay.

THEME:  By Victoria Panetti, SheMonster International, myspace.com/shemonster.

Execution Watch: John Quintanilla Jr. 7/16 & Vaughn Ross 7/18

John Quintanilla Jr.

Vaughn Ross

HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- The Lone Star State plans to carry out executions No. 501 and No. 502 this week. Barring stays, Execution Watch will air Tuesday and Thursday, carrying live coverage and commentary for each.

RADIO SHOW PREVIEW

EXECUTION WATCH

Unless a stay is issued, we'll broadcast live:

Tuesday, 16 June 2013, 6-7 PM Central Time

KPFT FM Houston 90.1 and Online...

http://executionwatch.org > Listen

Join the discussion on Facebook: Execution Watch

TEXAS PLANS TO EXECUTE:

JOHN QUINTANILLA JR., convicted in a 2002 robbery in Victoria that turned deadly,  He allegedly entered an amusement arcade with fall partner Jeffrey Bibb, demanded cash from a worker and ordered customers to lie on the floor. The murder victim, a former sheriff's deputy, was shot three times when he stood up and grabbed Quintanilla's rifle. Bibb and Quintanilla were charged with capital murder. Bibb received a lengthy prison sentence. Quintanilla’s execution would be the 501st in Texas in the modern death-penalty era.

SHOW LINEUP

Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His internet radio show airs each Wednesday at 2 PM CT.: hmsnetradio.org.

Legal Analyst: JIM SKELTON, a legal educator, retired attorney and native Texan who has seen capital trials from both the prosecution and defense tables. Joining him will be Houston criminal defense attorneys SUSAN ASHLEY, LARRY DOUGLAS, MICHAEL GILLESPIE & JACK LEE.

Featured Interview: To Be Announced.

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: GLORIA RUBAC, member, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, www.abolitionmovement.org.

Reporter, Vigil, Houston: DAVE ATWOOD, founder and former board member, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, www.tcadp.org.

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION

On Thursday, Texas plans to kill VAUGHN ROSS.  If it does, Execution Watch will air.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR & STUDIO ENGINEER: Otis Maclay.

THEME:  By Victoria Panetti, SheMonster International, myspace.com/shemonster

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RADIO SHOW PREVIEW

EXECUTION WATCH

Unless a stay is issued, we'll broadcast live:

Thursday, 18 June 2013, 6-7 PM Central Time

KPFT FM Houston 90.1 and Online...

http://executionwatch.org > Listen

Join the discussion on Facebook: Execution Watch

TEXAS PLANS TO EXECUTE:

VAUGHN ROSS, A former architecture student at Texas Tech. He was condemned in the 2001 murders of an 18-year-old woman with whom he was feuding and a Texas Tech associate dean who happened to be with her. Ross's attorneys argued that police contaminated DNA testing by mishandling it and suggested the slayings stemmed from Birdsall's visits to "a high-crime area" to patronize prostitutes. Family members of the victims said the death sentence brought them little peace. Family members included Birdsall's son, Nat, who opposes the death penalty and said his father did, too. Ross's execution would be No. 502 in Texas in the modern death penalty era.

SHOW LINEUP

Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His internet radio show airs each Wednesday at 2 PM CT.: hmsnetradio.org.

Legal Analyst: JIM SKELTON, a legal educator, retired attorney and native Texan who has seen capital trials from both the prosecution and defense tables. Joining him will be Houston criminal defense attorneys SUSAN ASHLEY, LARRY DOUGLAS, MICHAEL GILLESPIE & JACK LEE.

Featured Interview: VAUGHN ROSS, the condemned man, who granted an interview to Execution Watch several weeks before his scheduled execution. His unedited interview will air in its entirety.

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: GLORIA RUBAC, member, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, www.abolitionmovement.org.

Reporter, Vigil, Houston: DAVE ATWOOD, founder and former board member, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, www.tcadp.org.

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION

On July 31, Texas plans to kill DOUGLAS FELDMAN.  If it does, Execution Watch will air.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR & STUDIO ENGINEER: Otis Maclay.

THEME:  By Victoria Panetti, SheMonster International, myspace.com/shemonster

CALL, FAX AND EMAIL THE TEXAS GOVERNOR AND BOARD OF PARDON AND PAROLE ON JUNE 25TH AND 26TH!

On June 26th, Texas is poised to mark a grisly milestone: the 500th execution since executions resumed here in 1982. Texas is bucking a national trend towards the decline of the use of the death penalty – it has been abolished in several states over the last decade, juries meting out death sentences have dropped sharply and support for the death penalty has steadily decreased.

In Texas, over 400 people have been executed since 1995 under two governors alone: with former governor George W. Bush overseeing 152, and Rick Perry at 260. Meanwhile, Texas continues to be rocked by scandals regarding the flaws in our system, starting with the wrongful executions of people who were likely innocent like Cameron Todd Willingham, Ruben Cantu, Shaka Sankofa and Carlos De Luna. Added on to that are cases of racial bias and ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct and botched forensic investigations.

These problems are, to a greater or lesser extent, factors in every case of this cruel and unusual form of punishment, including in the case of Kimberly McCarthy, who is slated to be Texas' 500th victim of state sponsored murder. Kimberly was convicted in the 1997 murder of her neighbor Dorothy Booth. However this case has the stamp of racist southern justice all over it. There was clear racial discrimination in the jury selection, and she was not provided with adequate legal council, which entitles her to an appeal under a recent Supreme Court ruling Trevino vs Thayer.

We ask the people of Texas to join us in our fight to end this continuing atrocity, and to help save the life of Kimberly McCarthy. We are calling on Texas residents and folks from around the country and the world to register their protest by joining us in a National Day of Action Fax/Email/Phone Jam.

Please call, fax and email Governor Rick Perry's office:
Call 512-463-1782
Fax 512-463-1849.
http://governor.state.tx.us/contact/

Office of the Governor Main Switchboard: (512) 463-2000 (office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST)

Contact the Texas Board of Pardons & Paroles and tell them to grant Kimberly McCarthy clemency:
Call (512) 406-5852
Fax (512) 463 8120
bpp-pio@tdcj.state.tx.us

If possible, you can join folks to protest this execution. The biggest protest planned will take place in Hunstville, Texas in front of the prison where death row is on the evening of June 26th, starting around 5 pm. The Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement has a bus to Hunstville that will leave from the S.H.A.P.E. Community Center in Houston at 2:00 pm on June 26th. Bus tickets are $10.00.

E-mail Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement at abolition.movement@hotmail.com to reserve your seat. It's possible a bus will also be coming from the Peace Center in Dallas.

People protesting the execution in Austin will gather at the Capitol, on the front steps by the street at 11th and Congress.