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Bastrop County DA Bryan Goertz and the Texas Attorney General’s office just filed their latest response to #RodneyReed’s innocence claims yesterday. They have no new evidence. They do not try to refute the scientific evidence that Rodney is innocent — because they can’t.
Goertz and the AG’s office took the position that it’s “too late” for #RodneyReed to prove his innocence. Think about that for a minute. They think that it’s acceptable to leave a question of innocence unresolved in a death penalty case due to an arbitrary self-created deadline.
Goertz and the AG’s office also admitted that they would have a difficult time presenting a case against #RodneyReed if a new trial is granted. Read between the lines there. Are they afraid that they will lose the case at retrial? Is that why they won’t test DNA evidence?
NEWS: The U.S. Supreme Court denied #RodneyReed's cert petition this morning. Don't panic! Texas state courts are considering Rodney's innocence claims. There will be a multi-day state court hearing in Bastrop this September. Justice Sotomayor's statement is worth discussing:
Justice Sotomayor is clearly familiar with #RodneyReed's case. In the very first paragraph of her statement, Justice Sotomayor notes that the prosecution had no physical evidence against Rodney except for a DNA match that is explained by a consensual relationship.
Justice Sotomayor walks through all the evidence that tends to exonerate #RodneyReed and implicate Jimmy Fennell — the new witnesses who corroborate the relationship between Rodney and Stacey Stites, the "expert" witness who retracted his trial testimony, and more...
Many of you followed me here on Twitter during the fight to save #RodneyReed's life. Your advocacy and support made a huge difference – thank you! Rodney is one of many people fighting for their lives on death row. While not all people on death row are innocent, all are poor.
The Supreme Court has said that the death penalty should be reserved for only the very worst murders, but that’s not how it works (and how do you define “worst” anyway?). How it works is that the death penalty is reserved for the poor, especially when the victims are white.
You don’t see rich people on death row because their good lawyers either plea bargain or put significant resources into saving their clients’ lives. Poor people get the defense they can afford, and it's almost impossible to recover from terrible defense at trial.
Thank you, @innocence, for putting together this opportunity for people to send a Thanksgiving note to #RodneyReed! Click the link below to send a message of support to Rodney: innocenceproject.org/send-rodney-re…
@innocence Holidays are very difficult for incarcerated people and their families. #RodneyReed has not had a chance to sit down with his family on Thanksgiving in 22 years. And this year, though Rodney was recently granted an indefinite stay of execution, will be no different.
@innocence #RodneyReed will be spending another Thanksgiving in prison, wrongfully incarcerated. He and his family have fought for justice for decades. This holiday season, please let them know that they are not alone. Send a message of support here: innocenceproject.org/send-rodney-re…
BREAKING: Board of Pardons and Paroles votes unanimously to recommend that Gov. Abbott GRANT a 120-day reprieve DELAYING Rodney Reed's execution, set for Wednesday.
Abbott can accept or reject the recommendation
#txlege
#RodneyReed
Abbott can accept or reject the recommendation
#txlege
#RodneyReed
Here's some helpful background on the Texas clemency process and Reed's request: statesman.com/news/20191114/…
Continuing our discussion about all the evidence that exonerates #RodneyReed and implicates Jimmy Fennell in this thread...
Police suspected that Jimmy Fennell was involved in the murder of Stacey Stites almost immediately.
Police suspected that Jimmy Fennell was involved in the murder of Stacey Stites almost immediately.
Despite their suspicions about Fennell, the police failed to search the apartment Stacey Stites shared with him. The apartment was the last place Stacey was seen alive, so it would have been basic police work to look around inside her last known location.
Prosecutors pinned their whole case on the DNA recovered from three sperm cells found inside Stacey's body. They claim that that is a smoking gun. In reality, the police knew that the DNA did not match Fennell soon after the murder. They still pursued him as the primary suspect.
#RodneyReed's attorneys at the @innocence Project filed a very comprehensive application for a writ of habeas corpus on Monday. It contains a wealth of evidence demonstrating Rodney's innocence. I'll be posting this information in several threads, starting today...
@innocence There was already substantial evidence implicating Jimmy Fennell in the murder of Stacey Stites even before Rodney's current execution date was set. Now, there's even more evidence pointing to Fennell after new witnesses have come forward in recent weeks.
@innocence A few reminders for those who are new to Rodney Reed's case. Rodney is facing execution for the murder of Stacey Stites. Rodney, a Black man, was in a relationship with Stacey, a white woman, while she was also engaged to Jimmy Fennell, a white local police officer.
Press Release from @DeathPenaltyAct — Prayer Vigil for #RodneyReed at SCOTUS:
The brother of Rodney Reed, who is scheduled to be executed next week despite clear and convincing evidence that another man committed the crime, will return to stand vigil at the US Supreme Court.
The brother of Rodney Reed, who is scheduled to be executed next week despite clear and convincing evidence that another man committed the crime, will return to stand vigil at the US Supreme Court.
Rodrick Reed will be joined by supporters and faith leaders in a prayerful vigil on the sidewalk in front of the US Supreme Court starting at 7:30pm on Thursday, November 14, until 11am on Friday, with a rally led by national faith leaders starting at 9:30am Friday morning.
The nine Justices of the US Supreme Court will be considering whether to take up Rodney Reed's case during their regular 10am conference this Friday morning, November 15th. Rodney Reed, represented by The Innocence Project, is a demonstrably innocent man on Texas' death row.
#RodneyReed was accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl during the sentencing phase of his murder trial in 1998. This is, of course, a very disturbing allegation, but there were MAJOR problems with it. Here’s the context you need to understand the whole picture.
I believe that the 12-year-old victim in this case deserves justice and that police and prosecutors have failed her in a horrible way. They used her as a pawn in their quest to send Rodney Reed to the death chamber. I will not be sharing the victim's name to protect her privacy.
#RodneyReed was NEVER brought to trial in connection with these allegations. No jury has ever determined if Rodney is guilty or not guilty of these charges. None of the purported evidence has been tested in a courtroom at a criminal trial.
Standing just feet from @GovAbbott’s residence, #RodneyReed’s mother, Sandra Reed, had a message for him: “I heard that Governor Abbott is a good man. Well I say actions speak louder. Show me and the world just how good of a man you are.”
star-telegram.com/news/politics-…
star-telegram.com/news/politics-…
Heather Campbell Stobbs, a cousin of the victim, Stacey Stites, said #RodneyReed deserves a retrial at the very least. “It’s not justice for Stacey to incarcerate and kill a man when there are so many questions about her death. And we owe it to her to get this right.”
Rodrick Reed, #RodneyReed’s brother, said the past 23 years have felt like a nightmare from which he can’t wake up. He said his brother’s case is bigger than itself. “This is not just about Rodney. This is about rights. This is about justice. This is about the truth.”
I’ve been covering the #RodneyReed case for 18 yrs. Friday’s story @theintercept is a summary of what’s happened over years, w/a focus on some of the new evidence challenging his conviction. But the case has been problematic from the get-go. (1/22)
theintercept.com/2019/11/08/rod…
theintercept.com/2019/11/08/rod…
@theintercept I got interested in the case back in 2001 when evidence came to light that the state withheld the results of some DNA testing from Reed’s trial attorneys. The DNA came from beer cans found near Stacey Stites’s body on April 23, 1996. (2/22)
@theintercept One of the reasons the state ultimately dismissed Stites’s cop fiancé Jimmy Fennell as a suspect was they couldn’t figure out how he would’ve gotten home from Bastrop that morning in time for an early morning call from Stites’s mother, reporting Stacey’s disappearance. (3/22)
Another strange development in #RodneyReed's case. The judge who has been presiding over Rodney's case in Bastrop County retired in August, but is somehow still assigned to Rodney's case. There are now questions about the death warrant. Thread to follow. kxan.com/investigations…
Judge Doug Shaver was assigned to preside over a one-day hearing in #RodneyReed's case in May 2014. Judge Shaver was already retired back then, but he was on a list of retired judges who could fill in for other judges when needed.
On July 23, 2019, Judge Shaver signed a death warrant and approved an execution date for #RodneyReed. Remember — This is over five years after Judge Shaver was assigned to preside over a one-day hearing. The assignment had nothing to do with signing a death warrant years later!
#RodneyReed has an appeal pending at the U.S. Supreme Court. Prosecutors filed a legal brief in the case that's riddled with inaccuracies and other problems. Time for a fact check in this thread:
On page two of their brief, prosecutors wrote: "Stacey Stites was a happily engaged nineteen-year-old..." New evidence suggests that Stacey was not, in fact, happy with her engagement. One witness reports that Stacey said she was not excited to get married.
On page three of their brief, prosecutors wrote that sperm cells remain intact for no longer than 26 hours. This is false. Top forensic pathologists all agree that sperm cells can remain intact for up to 72 hours. This completely upends the state's theory of the case.
#RodneyReed's attorneys filed a clemency petition with the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles yesterday. The petition includes a new sworn statement from a man who says Jimmy Fennell confessed that he murdered Stacey Stites. Rodney Reed is innocent! Thread:
Some reminders: Rodney Reed was wrongfully convicted and sent to death row for killing Stacey Stites. Rodney is innocent – he did not kill Stacey. A lot of evidence suggests that Jimmy Fennell is the real killer.
Jimmy Fennell was a police officer until he pleaded guilty after he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he had in custody while on duty. Fennell did 10 years in prison as a result of this crime.
#RodneyReed's attorneys sent a 14-page letter to @GovAbbott today. The letter presents new evidence and requests a 30-day reprieve of Rodney's Nov. 20th execution date. Details in the following thread. Please note: I'm going to quote an alternative suspect who used racial slurs.
@GovAbbott The letter begins with background details about the death of Stacey Stites. Stacey did not show up to work at 3:30 am on April 23, 1996. Her body was discovered later that afternoon. Investigators aggressively focused on Stacey's fiancé, Jimmy Fennell.
@GovAbbott An autopsy determined that Stacey Stites was strangled with her own belt. Fennell, a local police officer, failed two polygraph tests when asked if he strangled Stacey. Fennell invoked his right to remain silent after failing the polygraphs. Police inexplicably let him go.
.@DrPhil makes some excellent points in this interview about #RodneyReed. “They have the wrong man, they are getting ready to execute an innocent man.” boston.cbslocal.com/2019/10/10/dr-…
.@DrPhil says that #RodneyReed “is telling the truth when he says he didn’t commit this crime” and that “it is scientifically impossible that he committed this crime.”
.@DrPhil adds: “I want #RodneyReed to have a fair and full trial, which has never yet happened. I want a stay of execution, so a trial can be scheduled and so this man can present the truth. That’s what needs to happen.”
#RodneyReed's attorneys just filed a motion asking a Bastrop County judge to cancel Rodney's November 20th execution date. The motion raises two new pieces of evidence that implicate Jimmy Fennell, the victim's fiancé at the time of her death, as the real killer.
Reminder: #RodneyReed was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Stacey Stites. The evidence comprehensively shows that Rodney is innocent and implicates Fennell as the real killer. The prosecution's case against Rodney is "medically and scientifically impossible."
First piece of new evidence: An insurance salesperson recently signed a sworn affidavit saying that Jimmy Fennell threatened to kill Stacey Stites while they were purchasing a life insurance policy.
Bastrop County DA Bryan Goertz has spent years fighting to block DNA testing that could prove #RodneyReed’s innocence. Rodney’s attorneys filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against DA Goertz and other Texas officials who have custody of evidence in the case. Thread:
#RodneyReed was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites. He has been on death row in Texas since 1998. Important evidence in the case was never tested for DNA.
An autopsy confirmed that Stacey Stites was strangled with her own belt. The killer must have forcefully gripped the belt with both hands for a substantial amount of time. The belt was collected as evidence immediately and has been held under lock and key ever since.
#RodneyReed’s attorneys have made a comprehensive showing that he is actually innocent. Powerful evidence implicates Jimmy Fennell, a convicted felon and former police officer, as the real killer. Texas is trying to execute Rodney on November 20th even though he is innocent.
Stacey Stites was found dead on the side of a dirt road near Bastrop, TX, on April 23, 1996. Jimmy Fennell was Stacey's boyfriend. Forensic evidence shows that Stacey was killed at some point before midnight, at a time when Fennell said he was alone with her in their apartment.
Jimmy Fennell was a police officer until he was convicted of kidnapping and "improper sexual activity with a person in custody." Police initially viewed Fennell as their suspect in the murder of Stacey Stites. He failed two polygraph tests. Investigators cleared Fennell anyway. 
