[ [link removed] ]Save Ivan Cantu before the state of Texas kills him!

Dear MoveOn member, 

My name is Sister Helen Prejean, and I have an urgent plea. Ivan Cantu is
scheduled to be executed on February 28. And if his life is taken by the
state, I believe it will be a wrongful death. This case is personal to me.
Ivan has asked me to be in the chamber and pray with him as the state of
Texas takes his life, but I will not passively acquiesce in Ivan’s death. 

For 35 years, I've been in dialogue with the American people about the
death penalty, and one significant thing I’ve learned is that even those
who support the death penalty believe that the system ought to be fair.
Since 1973, in the U.S., 196 persons (and counting) who were wrongfully
sentenced to die were lucky enough to be exonerated.^1 Our system is so
riddled with error that for every eight persons executed, one wrongfully
convicted person on death row has had to be released.^2

[ [link removed] ]Texas is single-handedly responsible for more than a third of all
executions in this country.^3 And they are planning on executing Ivan
despite mounting concerns regarding the case against him. We must not let
Ivan die.

New evidence reveals that the state's case against Ivan was based on a
witness, who unquestionably lied on the stand, and her brother, who has
now fully recanted his testimony. Ivan may well be innocent, but Texas
courts are refusing to hear the new evidence, which strongly discredits
the investigation and prosecution in his case. Ivan's case bears all the
hallmarks of a wrongful conviction.

At this point all Ivan seeks is one fair hearing of the new evidence,
which will almost certainly undermine any confidence in his original
trial. Ivan needs access to the courts. Even original jurors support his
appeals.^4

At trial, the judicial system failed Ivan. Now that same system, instead
of granting him a crucial evidentiary hearing in the courts, is proceeding
to execute him. 

[ [link removed] ]Time is running out. Will you sign the petition demanding that the
district attorney open an urgent inquiry into Ivan’s case and recommend
the execution be delayed?

Our legal and judicial systems have a moral responsibility to do their due
diligence to examine all evidence in Ivan's case. Demand that Ivan's
execution be delayed, that the D.A. open an urgent inquiry into the case,
and that the courts grant him a new and fair trial!

[4]Sign the petition

In 2001, Ivan was convicted of killing his cousin James Mosqueda and
Mosqueda's fiancée, Amy Kitchen. Ivan has always maintained his innocence,
claiming that a rival drug dealer killed Mosqueda and Kitchen, and that
Ivan was framed for the murders.^5 Ivan has fought his conviction for
decades. Most recently, the criminal court of appeals denied his request
for a new trial—claiming that evidence and claims should have been brought
up earlier. But some of the claims raised were based on a 2009 law and a
new 2022 development.^6 [ [link removed] ]This is a failure of our justice system, plain
and simple, and Ivan's life is on the line.

I've spent countless hours pouring over the details of this case, and one
thing is clear—the case against Ivan was deeply flawed from the beginning.
From ineffective assistance of counsel to police and prosecutorial
misconduct to fraudulent testimony, Ivan's case is fraught with
mishandling.^7,8 [ [link removed] ]And with new evidence that could exonerate him, it is
urgent that the district attorney order a stay of execution and for an
urgent inquiry into his case to be opened before he is put to death on
February 28!

Jurors have come forward expressing concerns about Ivan's conviction.^9
But they aren’t the only ones with concerns about Ivan's case. A private
investigator, Matt Duff, has been researching the case since 2019. His
podcast, "Cousins by Blood," takes a deep dive into Ivan's case and has
sounded the alarm on this miscarriage of justice.^10 And just this week,
Ivan's attorney has filed a motion to courts today to explore new evidence
in ballistics, which could call into question if the bullet presented at
his trial actually matched the murder weapon.

All we are asking for is for the D.A. to delay Ivan's execution and do a
thorough inquiry so there can be a full evidentiary hearing before the
state executes him. There is evidence that, according to the private
investigator, could very well overturn Ivan's capital murder conviction.
It is critical that the state review that evidence. [ [link removed] ]Will you add your
name to the petition calling for the D.A.'s office to open an urgent
inquiry into Ivan's case, and then pass this petition along to three
friends to help raise awareness?

Thanks for all you do.

–Sister Helen Prejean

Sources:

1. "Innocence," Death Penalty Information Center, accessed January 16,
2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

2. "Death Penalty," Equal Justice Initiative, accessed January 16, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

3. "Texas Death Penalty Developments in 2023: The Year in Review," Death
Penalty Information Center, December 14, 2023
[link removed]

4. "Texas Death Row inmate Ivan Cantu faces 3rd execution date, maintains
innocence," Beaumont Enterprise, September 6, 2023
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

5. "Judge stops Texas execution after questions raised in Ivan Cantu's
case," CBS Texas, April 21, 2023
[link removed]

6. "Texas Death Row inmate Ivan Cantu faces 3rd execution date, maintains
innocence," Beaumont Enterprise, September 6, 2023
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

7. "Ivan Cantu Case Summary (Long Version)," YouTube, January 9, 2024
[link removed]

8. "About Ivan's Case," Save Ivan Cantu, accessed January 16, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

9. "Texas Death Row inmate Ivan Cantu faces 3rd execution date, maintains
innocence," LMT Online, September 6, 2023
[link removed]

10. "Cousins by Blood," Cousins by Blood Podcast, accessed January 16,
2024
[link removed]

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