Frances Newton to be executed in Texas, 14 September

by Justin Morahan - Peace People Tue Sep 13, 2005 03:21

to President Bush and Governor Perry

"Every element of law, morality, human dignity and reverence for life compel commutation of the death sentence of Frances Newton scheduled to be executed in Texas on September 14, 2005.

Evidence not presented at trial, but now known to have existed, would have caused an acquittal. Her trial attorney was not competent and can no longer appear in death cases, but too late for her. A person of financial means would never have been convicted and probably never even tried in such a case.

At 22, Frances Newton lost her husband and two children and, most cruelly, has been condemned as their murderer. Her mother and father-in-law, the parents of her dead husband and grandparents of her dead children, could have testified in her behalf at her trial, but no one called them. They pray everyday that her life be spared.

Frances Newton, a poor African-American woman unable to defend herself, who lost her family to violent death, has now spent seventeen years in prison on a conviction unsupportable in law and fact. Surely if there was ever time, now in the wake of Katrina with its devastating exposure of the fate of poor Americans caught in calamity, American officials can find the understanding, courage and compassion to commute this damnable death sentence. I ask you to use all your authority and persuasion to see that happens.

Sincerely,

Ramsey Clark"

Urgent campaign letter can be signed at
http://www.iacenter.org/francesnewtoncampaign.shtml

by Justin Morahan - Peace People Tue Sep 13, 2005 09:30

Even though it was off office hours, I tested the above tel number and it answered last night. From 3 p.m. it will have a live person answering. Don't think it won't make a difference. The more phone calls that arrive the better and there is an old story about the last straw breaking the camel's back. Yours might be the call that makes the difference.
A talk with a secretary can influence her or him and help to create an atmosphere of support within the office.
Not much time left: Ring 0015 1246 31782 between 3pm and 11 pm.

by Justin Morahan - Peace People Tue Sep 13, 2005 20:22

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday refused to stop the execution of Frances Newton and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted 7-0 not to recommend that Governor Rick Perry commute the sentence to life in prison.
Frances Newton's lawyers have asked the Governor for a 30-day stay to try to prove that authorities erred in linking her to a presumed murder weapon.

Over three hours to go for you to phone or petitiom (see links above) before her execution Wednesday morning

by Shipsea Tue Sep 13, 2005 22:37

...offered my name and telephone number but was told that my name was enough. Said this issue was now a matter of international concern and that the circumstances of F's case clearly needed urgent reconsideration. Was told my comments had been noted 'M'aam' .
It is really worth calling - I believe I was speaking to somebody fairly senior and she did sound perturbed by the call. Right at the moment there are a series of answer messages that you have to go through before you get to the governors office - so dont be put off.
God help her. Ring NOW!!

by iosaf Tue Sep 13, 2005 23:57

since a Supreme court decision in 2002 that the mentally retarded may not be lawfully executed, and the subsequent passing of laws at Congress federal level to determine pre-trial the IQ of death row prisoners, Texas has begun to fight its reputation for killing the underprivelaged, the retarded and the marginalised.
by february 2004, no fewer than 41 death sentances were up for review on IQ grounds.
US law determines an IQ of 70 or below to be a sign of serious retardation and inability to premeditate murder.
Such was the case of Robert Tennard who despite an IQ of 69 was executed. There are officially 6 people on the list of "executed" who were mentally retarded.

(I don't know the details of the Newton case)

here's the link to the Texas dept of deathrow with full list of deathrow inmates and some other statistics.

Texas executes more people than any other state in the USA. & is responsible for the USA being in the top 3 of countries that kill their prisoners.

http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/deathrow.htm
resource guide
http://www.tcadp.org/txresourceguide.html

by Bernard Cantillon Wed Sep 14, 2005 00:55 Berlin, Germany

I just follwed the link that Iosaf suggests to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It is horrific. They seem to glory in the murder of their prisoners and even seem quite proud of the fact that more black people than whites and hispanics have been murdered by the state. They provide a chart where you can see the number of men and women executed, the different races of the sentenced and the executed. It is truly vile and really makes one wonder, have we anything in common with a people that would support this.

I don't understand how people still support this in America. I am glad that I live in a part of the world, where we don't allow this. Some of the people on death row have been there since before I was born. That is sickening. I am 26 years old and there have been waiting with a noose around their necks since then. Nobody, regardless of their guilt or lack of it, should be murdered by the state. The state becomes a murderer by its actions. I don't care whether this woman is guilty or not. One needs much longer over the facts to determine that, but to me that does not matter. She should not be murdered tonight or tomorrow. It is wrong and the State of Texas and the people of Texas (through their support) are collectively responsible for a murder as a result of this. How can you say that the taking of life is wrong and then punish people by taking a life. One crime does not appease another.

Freedom and democracy are not alive today in any state that murders its offenders. The state of Texas therefore is a cabal of criminals. The state of Texas, in my opinion, commits an act against humanity by its action.

On the issue of education though, I quickly looked at some of the profiles of the prisoners. I saw nobody that had attended school past the age of twelve. That is the real crime here.

by Paul Baynes Fri Sep 16, 2005 18:35

The bad news is that the execution went ahead.

Frances Newton was executed on Wednesday.

According to CBS news, the Supreme court unanimously declined two appeals an hour before the time scheduled for her execution.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/14/national/main846566.shtml

by $ justice Sat Sep 24, 2005 01:06

The first African American woman executed in modern Texas history despite resounding questions of whether she was guilty and whether she received a fair trial.

Almost half of those on Texas' death row are African American, yet they are only 12 per cent of the population. Newton lived in and was sent to death from Harris County, where the Houston Police Crime Lab has botched so many cases that even the police chief and a state senator asked the governor to halt executions from Harris County.

http://freefrances.org/

newton