PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "“This is a black man from Bastrop County that has spent countless years locked up without a fair trial, without a fair shot to prove his innocence. In the face of substantial, if not overwhelming evidence that another man committed the crime of murder,” said Mike Siegel, Civil Rights Lawyer. Stacey Stites’ former fiancé Jimmy Fennell and former Giddings Police Officer was a prime suspect in this case. Fennell then moved to another law enforcement agency before serving a 10-year prison term for a sex crime and kidnapping committed while on duty. “This is a man [Jimmy Fennell] who had the motive and the opportunity to commit the murder but has never been fairly and fully investigated because of unfortunately a corrupt criminal justice system in Bastrop County,” Siegel said. However, Reed’s DNA found inside Stites’ body is the evidence that linked him to the murder. Reed maintains his innocence and said the two were having a consensual sexual relationship."
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STORY: "Supporters of death row inmate Rodney Reed rally for his freedom prior to upcoming hearing," by reporter Lindsey Ragas, published by CBS Austin on July 3, 2021."
GIST: "This July 4th weekend, supporters of death row inmate Rodney Reed are rallying for his independence two weeks before a new hearing in his case.
Rodney Reed was sentenced to death row after being found guilty of raping and murdering Stacey Stites in 1996. In November of 2019, just five days before his scheduled execution date, he was granted an indefinite stay of execution. A new hearing is scheduled in his case for July 19th.
“This is a very significant hearing that’s coming up in my brother’s case because it’s an opportunity for us to get justice,” said Rodrick Reed, Rodney Reed’s brother. “His life is on the line and we do have the medical and forensic science that proves his innocence and we need the opportunity to present it in court.”
Rodney Reed supporters said this evidence will prove Rodney’s innocence and reveal who murdered Stites.
“This is a black man from Bastrop County that has spent countless years locked up without a fair trial, without a fair shot to prove his innocence. In the face of substantial, if not overwhelming evidence that another man committed the crime of murder,” said Mike Siegel, Civil Rights Lawyer.
Stacey Stites’ former fiancé Jimmy Fennell and former Giddings Police Officer was a prime suspect in this case. Fennell then moved to another law enforcement agency before serving a 10-year prison term for a sex crime and kidnapping committed while on duty.
“This is a man [Jimmy Fennell] who had the motive and the opportunity to commit the murder but has never been fairly and fully investigated because of unfortunately a corrupt criminal justice system in Bastrop County,” Siegel said.
However, Reed’s DNA found inside Stites’ body is the evidence that linked him to the murder. Reed maintains his innocence and said the two were having a consensual sexual relationship.
"Still to this day, there is DNA testing that has not been done on the so-called murder weapon and he’s on death row. It doesn’t make sense,” Rodrick said.
On Saturday, supporters rallied at the Capitol for a full and fair trial.
“My brother is in Bastrop County right now and he’s been locked up for the last 24 years for something he didn’t do, so every last step we make is we hope a step towards his freedom,” Rodrick said. “All we’ve ever wanted in my brother’s case is a free trial. That’s all we ever asked for. Give us a fair trial. He did not have that.”
Another rally will be held on July 17th at the Bastrop County Courthouse and a prayer vigil will be held on July 8th in Bastrop County."
The entire story can be read at:
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/supporters-of-death-row-inmate-rodney-reed-rally-for-his-freedom-prior-to-upcoming-hearing
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. 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; -----------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they’ve exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
