1/ Texas is set to execute Quintin Jones this evening.
Jones was sentenced to death 20 years ago after he killed his 83-year-old great-aunt.
But two relatives say they’ve forgiven him and want his sentence commuted to life in prison. bit.ly/3f0P96y
Jones was sentenced to death 20 years ago after he killed his 83-year-old great-aunt.
But two relatives say they’ve forgiven him and want his sentence commuted to life in prison. bit.ly/3f0P96y
2/ In 2001, Quintin Jones was put on death row in Tarrant County after he beat his 83-year-old great-aunt, Berthena Bryant, to death with a baseball bat because she refused to lend him money.
He said he was on drugs. bit.ly/3f0P96y
He said he was on drugs. bit.ly/3f0P96y
3/ Bryant’s sister has since forgiven Jones.
She says he is filled with remorse and is now a different person. In a petition asking the state pardons board and governor to change his sentence to life in prison, she and his brother begged the state not to victimize them again.
She says he is filled with remorse and is now a different person. In a petition asking the state pardons board and governor to change his sentence to life in prison, she and his brother begged the state not to victimize them again.
4/ On Tuesday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously voted against delaying Jones’ execution or changing his sentence to life in prison.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could still delay the execution by 30 days without a board recommendation, but he has never done so.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could still delay the execution by 30 days without a board recommendation, but he has never done so.
5/ The board rarely recommends clemency, and Texas governors grant it even less often.
But there are similarities in the cases of Jones and one death row prisoner whose life Abbott spared, which gave Jones’ supporters hope. bit.ly/3f0P96y
But there are similarities in the cases of Jones and one death row prisoner whose life Abbott spared, which gave Jones’ supporters hope. bit.ly/3f0P96y
6/ Thomas Whitaker, who's white, was also sentenced to death for his relatives’ murders.
The parole board and governor were moved to grant him clemency in 2018 at least in part by Whitaker's father, who pleaded for the state not to kill the last remaining member of his family.
The parole board and governor were moved to grant him clemency in 2018 at least in part by Whitaker's father, who pleaded for the state not to kill the last remaining member of his family.
7/ In a last-minute filing in federal court on Wednesday, Quintin Jones' lawyer said the major difference between the two decisions was race.
He asked the district court judge to stop Jones' execution to allow for further investigation. bit.ly/3f0P96y
He asked the district court judge to stop Jones' execution to allow for further investigation. bit.ly/3f0P96y
8/8 Before the board voted against clemency, Jones said in a New York Times interview that it took him a long time to forgive himself.
He hoped to be spared from the death penalty and accepted he would likely never leave prison.
He hoped to be spared from the death penalty and accepted he would likely never leave prison.
https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1391887051134492678
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