The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals says a 37-year-old man on Texas death row for a robbery and fatal shooting in Texarkana nearly 19 years ago will get a review of an appeal in his case.
Attorneys for convicted killer Julius Murphy argue Bowie County prosecutors at his 1998 trial improperly withheld evidence that two key witnesses were pressured into testifying against Murphy and that one of the witnesses gave false testimony.
The state's highest criminal court Wednesday sent the appeal to Murphy's trial court to be resolved. It also rejected an argument that evolving standards of decency show the death penalty is now unconstitutional.
Murphy was condemned for the slaying of 26-year-old Jason Erie, who was attacked after his car broke down near his father's house in Texarkana.
