Monday, March 22, 2010

Protest the Execution of Hank Skinner March 24th

TEST THE DNA!

Texas State Capitol at 5:30
Wednesday, March 24th, pending a stay of execution
11th and Congress

So far, no decision has been issued by the Supreme Court or Governor Perry. Time is running out, and Texas needs to do the right thing and TEST THE DNA!

http://www.hankskinner.org

WRITE, FAX OR CALL GOVERNOR RICK PERRY - DEMAND A STAY AND DNA
TESTING FOR HANK SKINNER:

Governor Rick Perry
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428
Fax: 512-463-1849

Main number: 512-463-2000
Website email contact form/ http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact/

or use the online letter signing page set up by the Innocence Project
here:
http://www.change.org/innocence_project/actions/view/
order_dna_testing_for_hank_skinner

From our press release:

Members of Campaign to End the Death Penalty are in support of the call for full testing of the DNA evidence in the Hank Skinner case, and join the call for a stay of execution.

Why won't the State of Texas and the prosecutors in Gray County allow crucial DNA evidence in this case to be tested? Although Hank Skinner was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend Twila Busby in 1993, ample evidence DNA evidence exists that – if tested – could finally prove his claims of innocence.

At the crime scene police collected fingernail clippings, a rape kit, knives, a bloody dishtowel and a man's sweat soaked windbreaker (which was found near the body). None of this evidence has ever been tested. In fact the state and prosecutors have fought to keep the evidence untested, arguing that he missed his chance to request DNA testing during the original trial.

Recently, Skinner's request for relief from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals was denied, and his execution date has been set for Wednesday March 24th. According to Hank's attorney Rob Owen "We remain hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court, which has often found it necessary to correct egregious injustices in Texas capitol cases, will intervene to protect Mr. Skinner's right to pursue that DNA testing in federal court. We also trust the Governor Perry, having heard the voices of Texans insisting that the death penalty not be carried out while there are unresolved doubts about a defendants guilt, will do the right thing and postpone Mr. Skinner's execution until all the facts are in."

After the scandal that has erupted involving the case of Cameron Todd Willingham and the evidence that an innocent person has been executed in Texas, why would the state want to take a chance that they could be executing an innocent man? There is no logic to this, unless Texas is bent on upholding the use of the death penalty at all costs, including executing the innocent.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Please make the petition signable for non-us residents. They should know the whole world is watching.........