Texas the Execution Chamber

Despite the swirl of controversy over the "Cameron Todd Willingham" execution and the probability of innocence, the State of Texas has scheduled three more executions set for this week.

Scheduled to be executed are Gerald Eldridge of Houston, on Tuesday. Convicted of murdering his girlfriend and her daughter in 1993, Danielle Simpson, of Palastine, is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday for the 2000 murder and robbery of a 87 year old retired schoolteacher. Also scheduled for execution this Thursday is Robert Thompson, of Houston, convicted of the 1996 murder of a convience store clerk during a robbery.

Although the death penalty controversy has reached peak level since the disclosure of a report given to Govenor Rick Perry that indicated the possibility of the innocence of Cameron Willingham, in the Texas death chamber the wheels of justice, or injustice, continue to grind at a swift and steady pace. It is unlikely that any of those set for execution will receive a stay.

Even after being convicted the sentence of death should not be taken lightly. We should remember that Cameron Willingham was also convicted and found by experts on forensics to have been more than likely innocent. The taking of a human life is irreversible and can not be justified in any way if that person is later found to be not guilty, as in the case of Cameron Willingham.

Two hours before he was scheduled to be executed in the Texas death chamber, Gerald Eldridge was granted a stay by Federal Judge Lee Rosenthal. Eldridge's attorney's have said he is mentally ill, prosecutors say he has been faking mental illness to avoid execution, The judge granted a 90 day stay to allow Eldridge's attorney's a hearing on his competence.

Eldridge was set to be executed on Tuesday night for the murders of his girlfriend and her daughter in Houston 17 years ago.

The stay comes amid a hotbed of controversy over the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham who was later believed to be innocent based on a report by the Forensic Scicence Panel. Despite the report of possible innocence, Gov. Rick Perry refused the 30 day reprieve to give the committe time to review the reports findings. Willingham was executed in 2005 for the arson fired killed his three daughters in their home. The fire was later proven not to have been caused by arson or the use of an accerlerant.

Another inmate is scheduled to be executed tonight and another on Thursday.

 Three people were scheduled to be executed in the Texas death chamber this week, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Two got lucky.

The offender to be executed on Tuesday was granted a 90 day stay by a federal judge to investigate reports by his lawyer that he is mentally ill. The one on Wednesday, Danielle Simpson wasn't so lucky, his request for a stay was rejected and he was executed an hour later for a 10 year old abduction and murder. The offender Robert Thompson was granted a recommended sentence commutation by the Board of Pardons and Parole. The final decision of whether to execute him or commute the sentence to life in prison will be left up to Gov. Rick Perry who is not fond of stays and commutations . This was evidenced in the "Cameron Todd Willingham" case.

Hummmm.... I wonder where he was when the 90 day stay and the recommendation for communtation to life imprisionment were granted.

I wish the two who got lucky all the luck in the world when he returns.

 Robert Lee Thompson wasn't the shooter in the 1996 robbery and murder, he was an accomplice. Convicted under the Texas Law of Parties he was sentenced to death. Sammy Butler, the shooter was given a life sentence.

The Texas Board Of Pardons and Parole recommended that Thompsons death sentence be commuted to life. A recommendation that was rejected by Gov. Rick Perry, as usual.

Thompsom was executed 45 minutes after Perry's denial of the recommendation.

Where is the justice when the actual shooter is given a life sentence and an accomplice is executed????

Texas needs to stop already!!!!!!

For once I have to agree with Texas that a person deserves the death penalty., and please Gov. Rick Perry, please don't grant this sorry excuse for a person a stay.

I can't believe that he was even granted a stay the first time by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. They finally had the good sense to lift the reprieve and allow this monster to meet his maker. I pray for his sake that God believes his whinny mentally disabled excuse or the one about how his cousin who killed hisself did it.

But he only has a IQ of 70 whines his attorneys. Doesn't bring a tear to my eyes. The 11 year old little girl Sarah, whom he raped and killed by cutting her throat probally didn'y have that IQ yet. We will never know, he killed her before we had the chance to find out what she could be. Her 9 year old little brother, Cody who was beaten severely by "Woods" and left to die , thrown in a cemetery probally didn't have that IQ yet either.

Mentally disabled... doesn't fly with me. I suffer from manic depression and I don't go around raping and killing innocents. No documentation of history of mental illnes was introduced. His cousin who killed himself by hanging himself a few weeks after the killing did it... how convienent. He can't talk, he's dead. Cody, the little boy identified "Woods" as the attacker.

Woods will be the 24th person executed by Texas this year and the last scheduled by the State of Texas for 2009.

CONGRADULATIONS TEXAS< YOU FINALLY GOT ONE RIGHT!!

Texas continues to mete out the death penalty despite the controversy over the new drugs being used. The countries who were supplying the drugs used before have refused to sell them to the U.S to be used for execution.

A shipment of the drugs was seized at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport a couple of months back. Texas has refused to supply the name of the new drugs or the company they are obtained from. I know one is midazolam, a mild sedative. It takes a large dose to kill some one. one inmate, not in Texas, was given three massive doses and feel asleep on the execution table and began snoring.

I know the death penalty is necessary in some cases but I think we should use more discretion when applying it. These are after all human beings no matter the crime. There have been many exonerated in the past years and need to be absolutely sure of the guilt before executing them. once we have taken that step there is no turning back.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Texas was the first jurisdiction in the world to execute an inmate by lethal injection in 1964.

As of January 2020 , Texas has 205 inmates on death row.

( https:/worldpopulationreview.com)

Texas has executed 573 inmates since 1982. Of these. 279 were executed during the time Governor Rick Perry . He executed more people than any other governor in the history of the United States.

( https:/tcadp.org)