Bush May Have Executed Innocent Man in Texas - Attorneys Seek DNA
Tron Nick
Attorneys to request DNA testing in case of executed man
Defense attorneys on Tuesday plan to ask Texas Gov. Rick Perry to order DNA testing in the case of a man executed nearly five years ago, when George W. Bush was governor, saying the testing might help determine if an innocent man was executed. Barry Scheck, co-founder of Benjamin Cardozo School of Law's Innocence Project, is scheduled to make the request before the Texas state Senate's Criminal Justice Committee, which is holding a hearing on whether to establish a state innocence commission.Scheck is requesting DNA testing on a single strand of hair in the case of Claude Jones, who was executed in December 2000 for armed robbery and murder. According to prosecutors, Jones shot and killed Allen Hilzendager while robbing his liquor store in Point Blank, Texas, in November 1989. Jones' convictions were based largely on what Scheck says is dubious evidence. It included testimony from an accomplice who linked Jones to the slaying, and the report of a state forensic scientist who examined a 1-inch length of hair found at the scene and said that it was similar to Jones' hair. Accomplice testimony has been proven to be unreliable, while the method used to analyze the hair - microscopic hair comparison - has given way to more precise DNA testing. Hair comparisons have contributed to numerous wrongful convictions. Jones maintained his innocence until his execution on Dec. 7, 2000. [more]
The 40 executions in 2000 by Texas were the most by any state in a year at least since U.S. authorities began keeping death penalty records in 1930. [more]