Rodney Reed, who maintains his innocence, has been on death row for the past 21 years for the murder of Stacey Stites in Bastrop, Texas. Since his trial, there is substantial evidence that exonerates Reed and implicates Stites’ fiancé Jimmy Fennell, a local police officer. Reed is scheduled for execution on November 20, 2019, despite an enormous amount of evidence that supports his innocence.
Rodney Reed on Texas death row. Photo by Austin Chronicle.
Here are key facts you should know about his case:
1. The murder weapon has never been tested for DNA evidence.
2. The state’s three forensic experts have admitted on the record to errors in their testimony, which led to Reed’s conviction and death sentence.
3. Renown forensic pathologists including Michael Baden, M.D., Werner Spitz, M.D., LeRoy Riddick, M.D., and Cyril Wecht, M.D. have all concluded that Reed’s guilt is medically and scientifically impossible.
4. Rodney Reed and Stacey Stites were having a consensual sexual relationship.
5. For months after the murder, Jimmy Fennell was the prime suspect in the case. A recording of one of the police investigators indicates that Fennell was suspected in the murder of Stites, motivated by her relationship with another man.
Tomorrow join us for a screening of A Plea for Justice: Why Texas will be Executing an Innocent Man about Rodney's case, followed by a panel discussion with his family and legal team. RSVP here to attend or watch live on Facebook and Twitter.
Started in 1992 as a legal clinic at Cardozo School of Law, the Innocence Project is now an independent nonprofit, affiliated with Cardozo, that exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. www.innocenceproject.org
