In Light of Cantu Case, Perry and Others Should Endorse Justice System Reform
In Light of Cantu Case, Perry and Others Should Endorse Justice System Reform
On Wednesday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said that it would not hear a petition seeking to end Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed's investigation into the state's execution of Ruben Cantu. Cantu was convicted of capital murder in 1985 for killing a Mexican-born contractor and critically wounding another during a home robbery in November 1984.
Reed was serving as a judge during Cantu's appeals; she denied one of his post-conviction appeals and signed his death warrant. Cantu was executed in 1993, and substantial evidence has come to light that he did not commit the crime for which he was convicted.
In recent months, tape recordings of conversations between Reed's top staff and police officers involved in Cantu's arrest and conviction have surfaced, including one in which an investigator from Reed's office tells an officer that the investigation is "just trying to show the case was handled ethically and it was done correctly."
Chris Bell strongly supports legislative reforms to create an independent mechanism for investigating credible claims that innocent people were executed. This issue is of critical importance for public safety and confidence in the criminal justice system.
Chris is calling on Rick Perry and other candidates to embrace and advance reforms to give our state government the power to investigate possible wrongful executions.
In response to the court's ruling this week, Chris said, "This is an issue of great statewide concern. The Court of Criminal Appeals decision shows that we must take legislative action to ensure that cases like this are investigated fully, fairly and independently. The integrity of our criminal justice system is at stake - and so is public safety, since every time an innocent person is convicted, the true perpetrator is not brought to justice."
It's clear that the investigation into Ruben Cantu's case is deeply flawed. In fact, it now appears that Susan Reed is not investigating anything; instead, she is using her office improperly to exonerate her own actions in the case.
Chris strongly supports legislation to create an Innocence Commission that would be empowered to investigate these cases.
For more information about criminal justice system reform, visit the StandDown Texas Project.
http://www.chrisbell.com/blog/090206_cantu