John,

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Rodney Reed filed his challenge to Texas’ post-conviction DNA testing statute on time.

This is a huge step toward the goal of getting DNA testing in Rodney’s case, and ultimately proving his innocence. The case will now go to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for further proceedings on the merits.

“We are grateful that the Court has kept the courthouse doors open to Mr. Reed, a Black man who has spent 24 years on death row for the murder of a white woman with whom he was having an affair, a crime he has steadfastly maintained he did not commit,” said one of Rodney’s attorneys Parker Rider-Longmaid of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

Read more about the ruling and Rodney’s case, and then send him a note to let him know that you’re still fighting for him.

Rodney has been on death row in Texas for more than 23 years despite mounting evidence pointing to his innocence. He was convicted of the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites. At the time, Stacey was having a consensual relationship with Rodney while she was engaged to a police officer named Jimmy Fennell. But the prosecution told the jury that they had searched everywhere and no one ever said Rodney and Stacey knew each other.

But it was recently discovered that the prosecutors at Rodney’s 1998 trial committed a Brady violation by illegally concealing statements made by Stacey’s co-workers, statements that showed Rodney and Stacey knew each other and were romantically involved.

The State also illegally suppressed statements from Stacey’s neighbors about loud, violent arguments between Stacey and her fiancé, who was the prime suspect in her murder for nearly a year.

Right now, Rodney is seeking DNA testing of key crime scene evidence that has never been tested. “If DNA evidence exists, as it does in Rodney Reed’s case, it should be tested. The courts must do everything in their power to make sure that the state does not execute a man who may well be innocent, especially one who has assembled considerable evidence to prove it,” said Parker Rider-Longmaid.

Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a big step forward in finally testing evidence that could prove Rodney’s innocence — but the fight isn’t over yet.

Take a moment right now to learn more about Rodney’s case, and then send him a note to let him know that you’re still standing by his side.

Jane Pucher
Senior Staff Attorney
The Innocence Project