James Broadnax is executed in Texas after final appeals fail
Updated
Updated · Rolling Stone · Apr 30
James Broadnax is executed in Texas after final appeals fail
11 articles · Updated · Rolling Stone · Apr 30
The 37-year-old was put to death by lethal injection on Thursday at Texas State Penitentiary after the Supreme Court declined to intervene.
His lawyers cited cousin Demarius Cummings' new confession, DNA evidence and objections to prosecutors' use of rap lyrics and the jury's racial makeup, but the court said Broadnax never recanted.
Broadnax was condemned for the 2008 killings of Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler in Garland, a case that drew support from rappers and scholars challenging rap lyrics as sentencing evidence.
With new DNA evidence and Cummings’ confession, why did the courts still reject James Broadnax’s appeals before his execution?
How does the use of rap lyrics and alleged racial bias in jury selection raise questions about fairness in Texas death penalty cases?