Capital Punishment case in Texas

[Secretariat]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3471520.html

Nov. 19, 2005, 4:19PM
Did Texas execute an innocent man?

By LISE OLSEN
© 2005 Houston Chronicle

Texas executed its fifth teenage offender at 22 minutes after midnight on Aug. 24, 1993, after his last request for bubble gum had been refused and his final claim of innocence had been forever silenced.
...

A dozen years after his execution, a Houston Chronicle investigation suggests that Cantu, a former special-ed student who grew up in a tough neighborhood on the south side of San Antonio, was likely telling the truth.

Cantu's long-silent co-defendant, David Garza, just 15 when the two boys allegedly committed a murder-robbery together, has signed a sworn affidavit saying he allowed his friend to be falsely accused, though Cantu wasn't with him the night of the killing.

And the lone eyewitness, the man who survived the shooting, has recanted. He told the Chronicle he's sure that the person who shot him was not Cantu, but he felt pressured by police to identify the boy as the killer. Juan Moreno, an illegal immigrant at the time of the shooting, said his damning in-court identification was based on his fear of authorities and police interest in Cantu.

Cantu "was innocent. It was a case of an innocent person being killed," Moreno said.

[Tom]

And your purpose for posting this is that it is Texas and it makes Bush, in your mind, look bad, or you are protesting illegal aliens coming here and telling lies?

Hard to tell people's motives whe they post links, stories, etc,and offer no commentary as to why they posted it.

[ljb]

And your purpose for posting this is that it is Texas and it makes Bush, in your mind, look bad, or you are protesting illegal aliens coming here and telling lies?

Hard to tell people's motives whe they post links, stories, etc,and offer no commentary as to why they posted it.
Tom, I don't think Sec posted this link as a means of bashing Bush, I think it points to the danger of the right wings use of post-natal abortion.

[JustRalph]

tom, once again you are on to Sec.


The blame in this case lies with the Cops who pressured the witness. And with the witness himself. End of story.

Post Natal Abortion, interesting way of looking at it.

1,550,000 average abortions annually. 748 exectutions in the U.S. between 1977 and 2001.

How many unborn children got a chance to prove their innocence.....???

I am not an anti abortion activist, I just think the two things are not mutually exclusive. If you are looking for right versus wrong and you label the "post natal" use of abortion wrong, I would say that the pre-natal use would be much more at fault or in error when it comes right down to it? wouldn't you?

[Secretariat]

Actually I didn't even make the GW connection. I thought Anne Richards was Gov. in 93, maybe I'm wrong.

Why I posted it was to refute the argument made so often that it has never been demonstrated that someone killed by the state via capital punishment was innocent? Well, this article gets as close as it gets. Mario Cuomo was lambasted for being against capital punishment, and this type of case was exactly the scenario he elucidated.

[kenwoodallpromos]

So what's your point?
Why don't you send a pack of bubble gum to Spooky Tooky Williams and get him off?
Nice touch about the gum-chewing special-ed student- makes him sound almost human. Did they bust him while he was playuing mother-may-I or in a shhotout?

[kenwoodallpromos]

"Garza said Cantu also knew the truth about who had done the killing because Garza confided in him two weeks after the murder. Still, Cantu was unwilling to betray friends even to save his own life, Garza said."
If those who claim to be lying 20 years are 1 time telling the truth, then Cantu lied to the police and obstructed justice by refusing to name the killer.
There was an eyewitness. Of course the liberal anarchists want to blame the police and prison system for not being psychics or mind readers.
Maybe in a country where torture was practiced justice would have been served, but we do not do that here. We rely on witnesses and making deals to cut time instead to get to the truth but if the guilty, the witnesses, and the innocent all lie it is on them, not on "the man". or America.

[GaryG]

These revelations may or may not be the truth, but it does not matter at this point. This guy probably had it coming anyway, so no harm no foul. The Williams character in CA that Kenwood mentions is a perfect example of what goes on out there. Murdering gangster made into a hero/author by the pussy liberals and Hollywood types. Probably had a tough childhood, sure wasn't his fault....:lol:

[JustRalph]

pussy liberals and Hollywood types. :lol:

Sounds like a good title for my next book...............:D

[DrugSalvastore]

These revelations may or may not be the truth, but it does not matter at this point. This guy probably had it coming anyway, so no harm no foul.

That's probably what they said about Jesus before they hooked him up with the death penalty....although I don't know if they used the saying "no harm no foul" 2,000 years ago.

I bet if Jesus didn't come off as being a poor do-gooder, he never would have been sentenced to death.

We all get to be born with 'original sin' because those jackasses had the bright idea of finishing off a man, who likely is the consensus pick for "best man to ever walk the face of the earth."

Anyway, I'd much rather hear about a wealthy person getting accused of something he didn't do---and getting to fry for it! That would be neato.

Frankly, it would rock if some innocent wealthy man like--say--I don't know, O.J. Simpson was randomly accused of a murder he didn't commit and forced to die for it!

Oh wait, O.J. actually did commit a murder--double murder actually--of course he had the needed money to buy himself his freedom.

Paris Hilton---wouldn't it rock if she was falsely accused of something and fried to toast!

I really don't care who lives or who dies or whatever---I just find it interesting how the side with the best lawyers is about 1-to-5 odds to win the case.

I watched a Court TV. thing on some super wealthy Virgina lady who assissinated her unwealthy boyfriend in Hunt Country VA. She got convicted of it---and sentenced to a whopping 48 days in jail. Shocking huh?

I like the old Rome idea---if you get convicted of a violent crime, or a sexual assult againt a minor---give them a sword and let them fight wild animals. Put them in a shark tank for all I care. Just, know with certainty that you are going to get some unlucky souls who are actually innocent...no matter what method you use.

I wish F. Lee Bailey was around to defend Jesus. No way does he get convicted if that was the case! That means I wouldn't have got stuck with Original sin---and my number of lifetime sins would be 2,634 instead of my current total of 2,635.

Maybe I should just stick to horse racing....something about the OT stuff, one stupid post deserves another. I'm going "eye-for-an-eye" with GaryG here. I think I should get charged with a sin for just replying to his post. I really miss my love Emily! She's the sweetest! Polish chicks rock! Thanksgiving will be boring without her. I do love turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie! Yum yum! My uncles are very annoying though. Anyway, I've run out of thoughts.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Just to mention from opposing points of view-
As far as the Romans were concerned, They allowed Jews to practice their religion to help keep them from rebelling. Besides having a band of neo-essenes roaming around believing Jesus to be the one to save the Jews, Peter carried a sword.
As far as the Jews were concerned, the temple violence Jesus committed marked him as someone to watch carefully.
At the end I think the Jewish priests, who interceded between the people and God, did not like Jesus claiming "I and the father are one".
As late as the 1800's among even "Christians" in the USA not being the right religion or sect could get you killed (The Mormon Tragedy).