The death penalty

The death penalty

The death penalty has a long controversial history in the whole of America. Various states make their laws concerning capital punishment depending on their definition of the various crimes perceived as serious. Texas, in particular, has a long history of capital punishment before even becoming a part of the United States of America. After becoming a part of the American states and adoption of the capital punishment law, Texas conducted its’ first execution in 1982 using a lethal injection. Other forms of administering the death penalty include firing squad, hanging, lethal injection, and electrocution.

The death penalty in Texas is administered on the basis that the court can prove beyond doubt that an individual took part in serious crime with consideration of all mitigating and aggravating factors. As pertains to Texas, a serious crime is a capital homicide in which the offender willingly commits murder either in an attempt to kidnap, Rape anger, arson, obstruction or retaliation among others.

The case involving Rodney Reed is another famous death penalty case that got the attention of most Americans from both spheres of life. Both politicians, celebrities and human activists showed concern and efforts by filling affidavits to the court of criminal appeals in Texas demanding the decision to execute Reed be stopped to allow more investigations and probe into the murder case. Mr. Reed was convicted of the 1996 murder of Ms. Stacey Sites in Bastrop city, Texas. The body of the deceased was found dumped in a rural road after having been strangled.

It was suspected that Ms Stacey Sites, 19, was raped before being strangled by her killer who later dumped her body in the rural road. In what was alleged to be a love triangle murder, DNA testes recovered from her body convicted Mr Reeds, who was then arrested. In his defence, Mr Reeds argued that he had been having an affair with the deceased, which might have contributed to the findings of the DNA tests. His lawyers also argued that the state’s forensic investigators had faulted the timeline when the incident took place which some investigators agreed to in writing. The lawyer further asked the investigators to Ms. Sites belt which is suspected to have been used as the murder weapon. This was a relief to the side of Mr. Reed as the DNA would not be used to convict him of the murder. Another relief came with witnesses brought in new testimonies regarding the death of Sites in which they convicted Mr Jimmy Fennel who was Ms Site’s fiancée. One of the witnesses, who was also an inmate with Jimmy Fennel in an affidavit consented to have heard Jimmy confess killing Ms Stacey Sites, alleging that Sites had cheated him with a black man, who then was not clear if it was Mr Reed although Mr Fennel through his lawyer denied the charges. Following the nationwide outcry and attention the case had gained, and the new evidence and witness the trial was halted for further listening.

From the article, it can be deduced that the Texas court system and crime investigation departments are failed bodies of the justice system. With defaulting DNA tests and undue administration of the death penalty, the state creates suspicion of its ability to make fair trials. The article supports the lessons by providing a framework through which learners can critically look at issues and provide an elaborate understanding of different contexts.

The article through the death penalty case of Mr Reeds has brought more significant insights and brought out the weaknesses the different branches of government. Having made the decision to execute Reeds initially and even setting the dates and then stop the execution later on based on the outcry and more calls for justice to reeds. The situation reals the incompetence levels of the judges and the court system at large.

The intervention a section of legislatures, the democratic state senators and republican elected officials in the decision of the courts, shows discontentment of how the courts run their activities and lack of competence in the judicial system. The intervention shows how the legislatures are disgraced by the incompetence and the carelessness with which human life is treated. It shows that they are not justified with the rulings of the courts, which is a serious situation and compromises with the abilities of the Court system.