STORY: "State (Texas) on track to execute its 15th in 2012: Preston Hughes' appeals have repeatedly been denied," by reporter Jordan Smith, published in the Houston Chronicle on November 15, 2012.
GIST: "At press time, the state was readying to carry out the Nov. 15 execution of
Preston Hughes III,
set to become the 15th inmate executed this year and the 492nd inmate
executed since reinstatement of the death penalty. Hughes was sentenced
to death for the 1988 double murder of 15-year-old
LaShandra Charles
and her 3-year-old cousin, Marcell Taylor, who were found stabbed to
death on a weed-choked trail behind a Fuddruckers in far West Houston.........Hughes' appeals have been unsuccessful despite a plethora of evidence
that suggests either that he is the wrong man, or that he was framed by
police despite being guilty: Evidence records reflect that police
logged evidence into custody several hours before they had permission to
search Hughes' apartment. Notably, the glasses that police considered a
direct link between Charles and Hughes were not on the evidence list;
Hughes' attorney and supporters believe they were planted in the
apartment some time in the hours after Charles was discovered. Moreover,
when asked by the
Chronicle this fall to review the autopsy
evidence, Tarrant County Deputy Medical Examiner Lloyd White concluded
that it would have been medically impossible for Charles to have been
conscious and talking after sustaining such a fatal injury. Hughes' attorney Pat McCann has filed several recent appeals –
including one that raises the question of police having planted evidence
– each of which has been denied. Meanwhile, California-based blogger
John Allen, known online as the
Skeptical Juror (
www.skepticaljuror.com),
has helped Hughes to file a flurry of pro se writs; each of those also
has been denied, clearing the way for Hughes' execution this evening,
Thursday, Nov. 15."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2012-11-16/state-on-track-to-execute-its-15th-in-2012/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses
several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of
the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this
powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and
myself get more out of the site.
The
Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty
incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the
harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into
pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology
system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent
stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Please
send any comments or information on other cases and issues of
interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.