Texas appeals court blocks Rodney Reed execution
Reed, convicted of the 1996 rape and killing of Stacey Stites, had been scheduled to be executed next Wednesday.
Supporters rally to stop the execution of Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed outside the governor's mansion in Austin, Texas [Paul Weber/AP Photo]
Texas's highest criminal appeals court on Friday stopped the execution of inmate Rodney Reed, whose conviction is being questioned by new evidence in his case.
The stay of execution by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals came just hours after the state's parole board unanimously recommended a 120-day reprieve for Reed. The board rejected Reed's request to commute his sentence to life in prison.
Bryce Benjet, a lawyer with the Innocence Project, which is representing Reed, said a reprieve was critical ...