Monday, November 12, 2012

Execution Watch: Hernandez 11/14, Hughes 11/15

Ramon Hernandez                                        Preston Hughes

HUNTSVILLE, Tex. -- Texas has chosen the week before Thanksgiving to execute two men back-to-back.

Execution Watch will provide coverage Wednesday if the state follows through with its plan to put Ramon Hernandez to death, and Thursday if it kills Preston Hughes as scheduled. Previews of both shows are below.

Due to fundraising on KPFT's HD1, the shows will air locally on HD3. As always, they may be heard online worldwide at http://executionwatch.org > Listen.

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RADIO SHOW PREVIEW #1
EXECUTION WATCH
Unless a stay is issued, we'll broadcast live:
Wed., Nov. 14, 2012, 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:
RAMON HERNANDEZ, One of two men sentenced to death for a 2002 murder in San Antonio. The victim was abducted, robbed and sexually assaulted. Co-defendant Santos Minjarez cheated the death gurney by dying in custody Jan. 14, 2012, from septic shock and multiple organ failure. Background: www.executionwatch.org > Backpage on Hernandez.

SHOW LINEUP
Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His HMS radio show broadcasts each Wednesday at 2 p.m.: 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 and MICHAEL GILLESPIE..

Featured Interview: DR. ROBERT CHASE, The public historian at the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. He is the author of, Civil Rights on the Cell Block: Race, Reform, and Violence in Texas Prisons and the Nation, 1945-1990, a history of the system's changing face and brutality. avery.cofc.edu

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: GLORIA RUBAC, founder and leader, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, abolitionmovement.org.

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

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION
Tomorrow, Texas plans to kill PRESTON HUGHES. Unless he gets a stay, we will broadcast.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.
STUDIO ENGINEER: Doyle.
THEME:  By Victoria Panetti, SheMonster International, myspace.com/shemonster

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RADIO SHOW PREVIEW #2
EXECUTION WATCH
Unless a stay is issued, we'll broadcast live:
Thurs., Nov. 15, 2012, 6-7 PM Central Time
KPFT FM Houston 90.1, HD3, and Online...
http://executionwatch.org > Listen
Join the discussion on Facebook: Execution Watch

TEXAS PLANS TO EXECUTE:
PRESTON HUGHES, sent to death row more than 23 years ago following his conviction in the murders of a Houston teenage girl and oddler. Hughes has maintained his innocence. Supporters cite numerous problems with the case against him, including a confession they say was coerced by police. Background: www.executionwatch.org > Backpage on Hughes.

SHOW LINEUP
Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His HMS radio show broadcasts each Wednesday at 2 p.m.: 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 and MICHAEL GILLESPIE.

Featured Interview: JEFF BLACKBURN, founder of and chief counsel to the Innocence Project of Texas. He has received many honors for his civil rights work, including being named Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year. Some of his most high-profile cases have included Tim Cole and the Tulia defendants. www.ipoftexas.org

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: GLORIA RUBAC, founder and leader, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, abolitionmovement.org.

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

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION
On Jan. 29, Texas plans to kill KIMBERLY McCARTHY. Unless she gets a stay, Execution Watch will broadcast.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.
STUDIO ENGINEER: Doyle.
THEME:  By Victoria Panetti, SheMonster International, myspace.com/shemonster

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Execution Watch: Mario Swain, 11/8

Mario Swain


HUNTSVILLE, Tex. - Texas plans Thursday to put to death Mario Swain, convicted of murder following a three-day trial in which a prosecution-requested jury shuffle put more whites at the front of the panel of prospective jurors. 

Execution Watch will broadcast live coverage and commentary.

RADIO SHOW PREVIEW
EXECUTION WATCH

Unless a stay is issued, we'll broadcast live:
Thurs., Nov. 8, 6-7 PM Central Time

KPFT FM Houston 90.1, and Online...

http://e
xecutionwatch.org > Listen
Join the discussion on Facebook: Execution Watch


TEXAS PLANS TO EXECUTE:
MARIO SWAIN
, convicted following a three-day trial of murdering an East Texas woman in a burglary-gone-bad.  Among his claims on appeal were that the prosecution should have been barred from introducing his confessions, his attorneys failed to investigate evidence of childhood abuse, and a jury shuffle initiated by prosecutors placed more whites at the front of the panel of prospective jurors. Background: www.executionwatch.org > Backpage on Swain.

SHOW LINEUP
Host:
RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His HMS radio show broadcasts each Wednesday at 2 p.m.: 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 attorney SUSAN ASHLEY.

Featured Interview: JOHANNA STEINBERG, assistant counsel of the criminal justice practice for the NAACP's Legal Defense & Educational Fund, based in New York. Her work includes post-conviction capital appeals and indigent defense reform. http://www.naacpldf.org

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: GLORIA RUBAC, founder and leader, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, abolitionmovement.org.

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

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION
On Nov. 14, Texas plans to kill
RAMON HERNANDEZ. Unless he gets a stay, we will broadcast.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.
STUDIO ENGINEER: Doyle.

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

Monday, October 29, 2012

Execution Watch: Donnie Roberts 10/31


Donnie Roberts

On Halloween, Gov. Rick Perry will preside over his 250th execution when Donnie Roberts is put to death by lethal injection. Execution Watch will broadcast coverage and commentary.

RADIO SHOW PREVIEW
EXECUTION WATCH
Unless a stay is issued, we'll broadcast live:
Wed., Oct. 31, 2012, 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:
DONNIE ROBERTS, condemned for the 2003 murder of his live-in girlfriend. Roberts’ appeal included his claim that the  judge should have let a defense expert  testify that his combined use of alcohol and drugs had fueled the crime. Background: www.executionwatch.org > Backpage on Roberts.

SHOW LINEUP
Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His HMS radio show broadcasts each Wednesday at 2 p.m.: 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 and LARRY DOUGLAS.

Featured Interview: SCOTT COBB, director of the Texas Moratorium Network. He has organized lobby days, conducted grassroots training, drafted anti-death penalty legislation and led protests against capital punishment. Cobb is a principle organizer of the annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty, scheduled for Nov. 3 in Austin. www.texasmoratorium.org

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: PROF. DENNIS LONGMIRE, who teaches criminal justice at Sam Houston State University.

Reporter, Hanging-Tree Protest, Houston: GLORIA RUBAC, founder and leader, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, abolitionmovement.org.

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

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION
On Nov. 8, Texas plans to kill MARIO SWAIN. Unless he gets a stay, we will broadcast.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.
STUDIO ENGINEER: Doyle.
THEME:  By Victoria Panetti, SheMonster International, myspace.com/shemonster

Monday, October 22, 2012

Execution Watch: Bobby Hines 10/24

Bobby Hines

HUNTSVILLE, Texas --Bobby Hines is the next person whose name appears on the Texas hit list.

Unless Hines receives a stay, his will be the 249th execution under Gov. Rick Perry and the 11th of 2012. Execution Watch will provide coverage and comentary.


RADIO SHOW PREVIEW
EXECUTION WATCH
Unless a stay is issued, we'll broadcast live:
Wed., Oct. 24, 2012, 6-7 PM Central Time
KPFT FM Houston 90.1, HD3 and Online...
http://executionwatch.org > Listen
Join the discussion on Facebook: Execution Watch

TEXAS PLANS TO EXECUTE:
BOBBY HINES, 40, was condemned 20 years ago in the robbery-murder of a woman in Dallas. Hines was 19 at the time of the crime. If he does not receive a stay, his will be Texas’s 11th execution of 2012. Background at www.executionwatch.org > Backpage on Hines.

SHOW LINEUP
Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His HMS radio show broadcasts each Wednesday at 2 p.m.: 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 and LARRY DOUGLAS.

Featured Interview: PROF. RICHARD HOLLOWAY, director of criminal justice at Colorado Technical University, where he maintains a blog on the subject. He practiced law for a decade before beginning his teaching career at CTU, where he is a faculty member, program director and assistant director of Education. His areas of special interest include Constitutional law.

Reporter, Outside the Death House, Huntsville: PROF. DENNIS LONGMIRE, who teaches criminal justice at Sam Houston State University.

Reporter, Hanging Tree, Houston: GLORIA RUBAC, founder and leader, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, abolitionmovement.org.

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

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTION
On Oct. 31, Texas plans to kill DONNIE ROBERTS. Unless he gets a stay, we will broadcast.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.
STUDIO ENGINEER: Doyle.
THEME:  By Victoria Panetti, SheMonster International, myspace.com/shemonster.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Execution Watch: Anthony Haynes, 10/18

Anthony Haynes

Texas plans to execute Anthony Haynes Thursday. Unless he gets a stay of execution, Execution Watch will broadcast live coverage and commentary.

RADIO SHOW PREVIEW
EXECUTION WATCH
Thurs., Oct. 18, 2012, 6-7 PM Central Time
KPFT FM Houston 90.1, and
http://executionwatch.org > Listen
Join the discussion on Facebook: Execution Watch

TEXAS PLANS TO EXECUTE:
ANTHONY HAYNES The 33-year-old, who has been locked up since he was 19, was one of two black men convicted in the 1998 slaying of a white off-duty Houston police officer. Also convicted in the killing was Michael Turner. On appeal, Haynes asserted that prosecutors deliberately excluded African-Americans from the jury in his case. Background at www.executionwatch.org > Backpage on Haynes.

SHOW LINEUP
Host: RAY HILL, an ex-convict and activist who founded -- and hosted for 30 years -- The Prison Show on KPFT. His HMS radio show broadcasts each Wednesday at 2 p.m.: 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 and LARRY DOUGLAS.

Featured Interview: PROF. ROBERT CHASE, public historian at the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. He is the author of, Civil Rights on the Cell Block: Race, Reform, and Violence in Texas Prisons and the Nation, 1945-1990, a history of the system's changing face and ineluctable brutality.

Reporter, Death House, Huntsville: GLORIA RUBAC, founder and leader, Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement, abolitionmovement.org.

Reporter, Vigil, Houston: DAVE ATWOOD, a founder of Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, ww.tcadp.org.

NEXT SCHEDULED EXECUTIN
On Oct. 24, Texas plans to kill BOBBY HINES. Unless he gets a stay, we will broadcast.

PRODUCER: Elizabeth, eliza.tx.usa @gmail.com.
STUDIO ENGINEER: Doyle.
THEME:  By Victoria Panetti, SheMonster International, myspace.com/shemonster.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Sarge Foster, Presente!


by Gloria Rubac
Tonight the state of Texas murdered a man who was my friend and a friend to so many all over the country and the world. Cleve "Sarge" Foster was a son to Mary, a father to Michael, a grandfather to Yuri, a father-in-law to Rowan and brother to Susie and a number of siblings. He was innocent but was convicted under Texas' horrible Law of Parties. Texas is the only state who executes a person they know did not kill anyone. He was tried with Sheldon Ward who admitted that sarge had nothing to do with the murder.


Tonight Gov. Rick Perry put another notch on his belt of executions -- number 247 --more than any governor in the history of the United States. And this State of Texas is now  responsible for 486 executions, with 11 more already scheduled.

At the Hospitality House, a place in Huntsville run by a bunch of very un-Christian Christians, Sarge's family and friends gathered before the execution. They were talking with Sarge when Joanne and I arrived around 4:30.


Sarge was on the speakerphone and was talking with everyone. He was especially having fun talking to his little grandson Yuri. When I told him hello, he asked what I was up to. I told him I was fixing to raise holy hell outside the Walls Unit. He laughed and asked if I had my sound system with me and I told him I sure did. He said to tell everyone he thanks them for all their love and support and to keep up the fight and never give up. He said he had just finished eating his last meal and the fried chicken was really good!

 
Sarge's attorney was Maurie Levin from UT in Austin and she is one of the best ones you could have. She was tearfully coming out of the Hospitality House when we drove up and I saw a look of utter horror on her face so I asked what was up. She said the Supreme Court had just denied Sarge's appeal. Later she told us that all six of the men on the Supreme Court voted against Sarge but all three women voted for him. We decided that sends a strong message that men are generally inferior and we need more women on the Court. While Yuri's parents, Rowan and Michael, were talking with Sarge, Maurie took baby duty and was so comforting that Yuri actually slept for a few minutes! He's a very active baby and never slept again during the execution and during the time we were with sarge's body at the church, some 3 or 4 hours later! 

Maurie has represented death sentenced inmates in state and federal court since 1993. In addition to co-directing the Capital Punishment Clinic at University of Texas, she works with the Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, consulting with attorneys representing inmates, including Mexican Nationals, on Texas' death row. In 2008 Maurie was recognized by Texas Lawyer as one of thirty "Extraordinary Woman in Texas Law".

So the best for the best. Too bad the courts aren't the best.

 
At 5 o'clock it was time for those witnessing the execution to go to the prison administration building, which is right across the street from the death house. Before leaving, a man says a prayer for Sarge. Sarge's spiritual advisor (in the white shirt on the right) is Cathy Cox, a minister with the Salvation Army in Dallas and an incredible, extraordinary woman. She has been visiting men on death row for 30 years and has been with probably over a hundred of them as they were murdered. The men love her and she loves them. She visits men who never see another visitor for years and is such a comfort to them. Every Thursday and Friday, like clockwork, you can count on Cathy Cox being in the visiting room at death row, ministering and visiting with her friends.


DaLisa and Stacey holding signs in front of Karl Rodenberg from Germany and Ward Larkin with the long Santa Claus beard. The brother with the white cap does a prison radio show on a religious station in Houston.


Sarge's good friends Joy and Danielle at the protest.


TEAM SARGE is on duty outside the death house.

 
Nadine Broxton is here from Paris to visit her loved one on death row, Eugene Broxton, and to be with us to protest the murder of Sarge. 



Sarge's son Michael and Sarge's sister Susie from Kentucky give Sarge a last bit of love and tell him goodbye. Joy now has baby duty and is entertaining little Yuri. Rowan has taken Sarge's mom out in a wheel chair and folks are getting ready to leave.


As Joanne and I drive back to Houston, Michael and the other Fosters go back to their motel in Livingston. When Michael got to the motel, he posted this photo on Face Book of him in his dad's shirt. They had gone through Sarge's property and I guess this shirt turned up. Not only does Michael have big shoes to fill, but now a big shirt! Sarge was a big man in so many ways--he was physically large but with a large heart and a large personality and a large smile for the world. AND A LARGE CLAIM OF INNOCENCE THAT NO COURT EVER HEARD.

Tomorrow some of the Fosters will drive back to Kentucky.  Michael and Rowan and little Yuri will drive back to Montana.

Cathy Cox will visit another man on death row in the morning and tomorrow afternoon I will go visit Anthony Pierce down at the Harris County Jail, a man who spent 35 years on death row and just got his sentence changed to life and is now up for parole. He was barely 18 when arrested and is now 53 years old. And he is innocent. Harris county has stolen his whole life. But that's another story of injustice for another day.

In just two weeks, the Abolition Movement will be back in Huntsville for the execution of Jonathan Green, an African American man from Montgomery County who suffers from mental illness. 

Y la lucha sigue!
And the struggle continues!

TEXAS SAYS "DEATH ROW,"
WE SAY "HELL NO!"