texas

Calls to Delay Rodney Reed's Execution Grow With 1 Week to Go

It's exactly one week until death row inmate Rodney Reed is scheduled to be put to death. But as the clock ticks closer, the voices of those calling for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to stop the execution only grow louder.

On Wednesday, protesters rallying in support of Reed's campaign to stop his Nov. 20 execution gathered outside of the Bastrop County District Attorney's office.

Their voices have been bolstered by the calls from celebrities and politicians around the country for the governor to call a reprieve.

Texas Rep. Michelle Beckley (D-Carrollton) wrote her own letter Tuesday after fellow lawmakers in the House Justice Criminal Reform Caucus sent Abbott a bipartisan call for delay.

"This is not a conservative or liberal issue. This is a human issue, and I think that we can do better. And if we're going to have the death penalty, we better be 100% certain he's guilty," Beckley said.

In her letter, Beckley pointed to bills passed in both 2011 and 2013 to expand DNA testing.

The Innocence Project has maintained it could make all the difference for Reed, who was convicted of the 1996 rape and murder of 19-year-old Stacy Stites.

They said DNA testing, along with new evidence, could both exonerate Reed and implicate Stite's fiancé, Jimmy Fennell.

But with one week to go, there's still no response from Abbott.

"It is in his power. The ball is in his court," Beckley said.

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