Texas Appeals Court Grants Rodney Reed a Stay of Execution
Written by SOURCE on November 15, 2019
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has granted an indefinite stay in the execution of Rodney Reed. The decision was announced Friday afternoon, shortly after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles suggested the execution be delayed by 120 days.
According to the Dallas News, the decision was “based in part on his claims of actual innocence.” Reed, who was scheduled for lethal injection on Nov. 20, was sentenced to death more than two decades ago in connection to the murder of 19-year-old Stacey Stites. Prosecutors accused Reed or raping and killing Stites on the morning of April 23, 1996 in Bastrop, Texas. Subsequent DNA tests linked Reed to the sperm found inside Stites’ body; however, Reed’s legal team claims their client was having an affair with the victim, which explained the DNA match.
The case will head back to trial court, where the defense will present new evidence they say points to Reed’s innocence.
This story is being updated.
