Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A TEXAS COURT offered an unexpected stay yesterday of the execution of a man convicted of a murder for which he was not even present.
Jeffery Wood, who had been scheduled to be executed next Wednesday, was sitting in a pickup truck outside a gas station in January 1996 while his friend robbed the convenience store and shot the clerk inside.
Wood, who turned 43 on Friday, was sentenced to death under a state law that says anyone involved in a criminal plot resulting in death is equally responsible regardless of actual involvement or intent.
His lawyers argued that Wood’s due process had been violated by false testimony and scientific evidence.
Mental capacity
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed, basing the stay on the fact that an expert psychiatrist who provided his opinion of Wood’s mental capacity was later discredited.
“The court did the right thing by staying Mr Wood’s execution,” his attorney Jared Tyler said in a statement.
Wood, who is said to have the IQ of a child, was unaware that his friend, Daniel Reneau — whom he had met just two months earlier — would carry a firearm into the convenience store, his supporters say.
Wood sat in the pickup truck outside the gas station in the city of Kerrville while Reneau went inside to rob a safe.
Although Reneau had anticipated an unarmed robbery, the plan went awry when he shot the store employee in the head after he refused to comply.
Murder
Hearing the gun go off, Wood rushed into the store to find a blood-soaked scene. He helped Reneau remove a video surveillance recorder before the two men fled, taking the safe and a cash box.
They were arrested the following day, quickly identified by witnesses.
“Justice is not served by executing Mr Wood, who was outside the building when it happened and who had no criminal history,” Tyler said.
Wood’s supporters waged an all-out campaign to stay the execution in recent days and several dozen evangelical leaders also wrote to Texas Governor Greg Abbott demanding clemency.
“I have never seen an execution in the United States with this low of a level of culpability as Mr Wood has,” his defense attorney Kate Black said.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Remember folks. Pat gallagher didnt vote two days ago on whether to release the letter from the ecb to Brian lenihan which ff, fg, labour and the esb have been trying to keep from us since 2010. When that letter is finally released in the coming days/weeks watch them all go “independent” ff/fg/labour
Yes trevor sinn fein were the only party to vote for the release of the letter. Fg and labour voted against. Wonder if rte reported that.
With good reason. Sensitive financial information that could undermine our recovery or cause instability in our dealings with the markets or the ECB.
You are hardly going to trust a person you have to work with if private correspondence is published.
Ah seanie i do enjoy your posts. What is the official ff line on this letter? The cope didnt vote and the ombudsman ruled it should be published.
Get back in your box Seanie…FF Fluffer
I’m from Donegal and if Gallagher says his main priorities are ‘to bring jobs to the northwest’ then I don’t see the point in his last 13 years work or do I see the point in his highly paid position even being available.
If I had a vote tomorrow on being able to leave the eu, I’d be voting to leave it.
The last thing we need in Europe at the moment is people from Fianna Fail ‘representing’ us. Hopefully the people in the Midlands-North West region will be wise enough to not vote for these two.
Do we want FG, Labour, SF or the Looney left representing us?
There may be a variance in political rhetoric while they’re rifling through our pockets, but they’re all much the same.
What we have is a political deficit that dwarfs our fiscal deficit.
We need people like Thomas Byrne standing up for Ireland in Brussels.
Thomas has wonderful experience from his time in the Seanad and Pat knows the workings of the EU.
Pity they’re both FF rats.
Tell me Seanie, is Thomas Byrne in favour of the property tax and water charges? Yes or no?
Thomas was a TD in the 2007/11 regime that betrayed our freedom to the Nazi EU. Thomas stands for venture capitalism and is a “money man” has no interest in the ordinary man and the damage caused by the FF regime and longs for the halsyon days of greed and capitalist pillage to return.
As someone from the constituency i have no idea what pat the cope gallagher ever done for that area. He is never in the media for having done or said anything. As for the other muppet, the people gave him their answer in 2011. If im in the country my vote will go to matt carthy.
Another spiv like Brian Crowley below in Cork, who only pops up oozing insincerity at voting time. Smallest FF logo ever, into the bargain.
@Amphroaí My dear fellow when you blossomed onto this forum a number of weeks ago – it was your effervescent use of the queens English which was so refreshing, scintillating and incandescent – it is such a shame to see you delve into the crassness of the tongue of the ordinary peasants.. Is there not a more rhythmic way to describe the delinquent character of the ruling class than ‘spiv’?
Perhaps the heroics of the Irish team have rendered your vocabulary into to a more ‘rustic’ overture. You of course subscribe to the notion that the traditional allocation of executive responsibilities has always been so determined as to liberate the ministerial incumbent from the administrative minutiae by devolving the managerial functions to those whose experience and qualifications have better formed them for the performance of such humble offices, thereby releasing their political overlords for the more onerous duties and profound deliberations which are the inevitable concomitant of their exalted position?
On reflection, my dear fellow interlocutors, you are most assuredly correct. I can only crave your collective pardons for my tardy, untimely, and gradual yet interminable descent into crass generalities, truncated and incisive, yet trivial and inelegant, and undertake forthwith to apply a greater burden of thought and alacrity to my wordy ejaculations herein than I have been in the habit of imparting upon such outpourings in the recent past.
I thank you for your candour, sir.
Good to see service resumed old boy… i pray those ‘wordy ejaculations’ are never directed against my humble self. Carry on.
Indeed, I have been perhaps overly liberal in my enjoyment of the pleasures of Bacchus in the last single digit measure of quarterly portions to cycles of the moon. I have been of late enjoying the triple banquet of bloodsport that has been presented for my delectation by the onset of local elections, Six Nations rugby football tournaments and the wedding of my sister.
I fear I am still in the early stages of recovery from the latter two, while relishing the inevitable unfolding of the former.
Never, dear sir. I reserve my lengthy salvos for those who deserve them.
Deadly :-)))))
What the people of Midlands-North West region want to hear from Pat ‘ The Cope’ Gallagher and Thomas Byrne is where do they stand on the Property/Bondholder Tax and on water charges. During the Meath bye-election Byrne was asked about the property tax and gave a vague answer. His refusal to condemn property tax and Fianna Fáil’s refusal to give a commitment to scrap it cost Byrne that election. The people want to hear it loud and clear from Fianna Fáil now, no if’s, no buts, no maybe – are you in favour of property tax and water charges?
Pat the dope Gallagher ,is that what they said or was that the voters
Pat Gallagher isn’t as catchy I suppose.
It came from Co-Op the family had the co-Op there years ago. It was used to differentiate between Gallagher families
So he’s really Pat “co op” Gallagher!!
They probably can’t up with the nickname themselves. I doubt they care but I refuse to humour them by using it.
Genuine question here, is he allowed to put his Nickname on the ballot paper? I would hope not
More like “Can’t Cope” , except when it comes to claiming salary , and expenses!
After everything that has gone before, there has to be something inherently wrong with someone who votes for FF.
Dumb and Dumber
Yawn.
FF. How the mighty have fallen You’d wonder whether some of their new recruits were dropping leaflets in or casing the joint
I don’t think anyone will be breaking in to your council house, Susanna. Unless ur shinner buddies are in the area.
Huh?
Seanie, with the greatest respect in the world, many Fianna Fail supporters down through the years lived in local authority housing and many still do, that was where the core support of the party was based for many years, slightly facetious comment
And seanies assumptions are based on ?
The Cope is off to a good start.
140 jobs lost in Gweedore, on his doorstep.
PS “Cope” is pronounced to rhyme with “Dope”
Starters orders. And off they go.
Fianna Fáil destroyed Ireland economically!
Fianna Fáil gave “cover” to many dishonest politicians who deceived the Irish Electorate election after election since the foundation of the Irish State!
” I won the money at the horses”!
Paddy the plasterer bought my house!
Remember Haughty, Lawlor, Callely to name but a few!
Michael Martin set up the HSE which has cost the country Billions of Euro!
Are…..tossers
Not really the newest.
have your say