UPDATES / ACTIONS
On
SCHEDULED EXECUTIONS THIS WEEK
November 17, Wednesday, David Cox
– In Mississippi
Petition: Stop the execution of David Cox
Execution Vigil for David Cox – Wednesday, November 17th , 5:00pm (CST)Register:Webinar Registration – Zoom
Or on Death Penalty Action Facebook page: (1) Death Penalty Action | Facebook
Other Actions from Death Penalty Action in conjunction with Mississippi local activist:
· A press conference at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, featuring leading Mississippi death penalty opponents, including faith leaders and leaders of various organizations concerned with civil and human rights in the state.
· A prayerful protest vigil will take place beginning at 5pm CST on Wednesday, November 17 in front of the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.
· A simultaneous Virtual Vigil will be hosted on-line via Zoom and live-streamed on various Facebook pages, facilitated by Death Penalty Action. Registration to join the zoom audience is here.
David Cox is scheduled for execution in Mississippi on November 17, 2021 for the 2010 murder of his wife, Kim Cox.
–Please hold Kim Cox’s family and David Cox’s family in your thoughts.
David Cox is waiving his appeals & inviting his execution. This amounts to state-sponsored suicide. It’s not about him. It’s about us. In what other circumstance in Mississippi does a prisoner dictate his punishment?
Mississippi’s announcement that it plans to carry out it’s first execution since 2012 marks the state as an outlier in national use of the death penalty. The vast majority of states with capital punishment continue on a downward trend of executions, with only three states having had carried out executions in 2021. Mississippi is going against evolving standards of decency and human rights by scheduling an execution date.
November 17, Wednesday, Ramiro Gonzales
-In Texas
Petition: Stop the execution of Ramiro Gonzales
Email: Board at bpp_clemency@tdcj.texas.gov and the Governor at https://gov.texas.gov/contact/
Call Governor Greg Abbott: (512) 463-1782. You can simply leave a voice message, or choose to speak to a representative if you prefer.
– Ask that they STOP the execution of Ramiro Gonzales
Ramiro Gonzales is scheduled to be executed in Texas for the 2001 murder of Bridget Townsend
-Please hold the Townsend family and the Gonzales family in your thoughts.
Texas’s aggressive execution schedule marks it as an outlier in its use of the death penalty while the majority of other states are on a downward trend of executions.
If this execution happens, it will be the first state execution of 2021.
In Texas, the Governor does have limited power when it comes to the death penalty. But the story we are told that “it’s out of the governor’s hands,” is only true if we allow it to be. Yes, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles must recommend clemency in that state in order for the Governor to grant clemency (mercy) by commuting a death sentence. But the fact is that the governor appoints the members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
November 18, Thursday, Julius Jones
-In Oklahoma
Petitions:
– From Death Penalty Action: Stop the execution of Julius Jones
Petitions will continue to be delivered. (Sign again)
– From Witness to Innocence: Julius Jones is Innocent – Tell Governor Stitt To Spare His Life and Set Him Free (p2a.co)
Petition is to Governor Stitt
– From The Action Network: Urge OK Gov. Stitt: Commute Julius Jones’s Death Sentence to Life WITH Parole! – Action Network
– From Color of Change: Tell Gov. Kevin Stitt: Grant Clemency for Julius Jones | ColorOfChange.org
Call Governor Kevin Stitt: 405/ 521-2342, Dial 0 to connect to his staff.
“There’s too much doubt to execute Julius Jones. Please stop the execution now.”
Julius Jones is scheduled to be executed November 18th at 4pm CST, in Oklahoma for the 1999 murder of Paul Howell
– Please hold Paul Howell’s family and Julius Jones’s family in your thoughts
Julius Jones is still scheduled to be executed in Oklahoma on November 18, 2021, despite maintaining his innocence and compelling evidence that he was wrongfully convicted for the murder of Paul Howell in 1999. A clemency hearing was held on November 1st, 2021 resulting in a favorable vote of 3-1 with one likely supporting vote abstaining. The Oklahoma Pardons and Parole Board also voted to recommend commutation to a sentence of life WITH the possibility of parole.
Concerns have arisen that call into question Jones’s conviction and sentence:
1. Eyewitnesses place Mr. Jones at his parents’ home at the time of the murder, miles away from the crime scene.
2. Mr. Jones’ co-defendant admitted to being involved in the crime and is now free after testifying against Julius. He was heard bragging that he “set Julius up.” Mr. Jones’ co-defendant matches the only eyewitness description of the shooter based on the length of his hair.
3. Newly-discovered evidence shows that at least one juror harbored racial prejudice that influenced his vote to convict and sentence Mr. Jones to death. One juror reported telling the judge about another juror who said the trial was a waste of time and “they should just take the n***** out and shoot him behind the jail.
On November 10th, Julius’s family began receiving invitations to his execution.
Justice For Julius – Clemency Hearing (From Witness to Innocense )- November 4, 2021
Justice For Julius – Clemency Hearing – YouTube
Despite A Botched Execution and Concerns Over Innocence, Oklahoma Prepares to Execute Julius Jones – November 14, 2021
https://theintercept.com/2021/11/14/oklahoma-death-penalty-julius-jones/
For Updates on Julius: https://www.justiceforjuliusjones.com/ & (2) Death Penalty Action | Facebook
Rodney Reed’s Case:
Judge recommends no new trial for Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed – November 1, 2021
https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/01/us/rodney-reed-texas-judge-recommends-no-new-trial/index.html
Reed’s case now goes back to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which will decide whether Reed should be granted a new trial.
Petition: Rodney Reed is Innocent – Free Him Now!
SIGN: Rodney Reed is Innocent – Free Him Now! – Action Network
