Supreme Court rejects appeal from Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed over DNA testing
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Supreme Court declined to review death penalty case where DNA evidence on murder weapon remains untested.
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The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed seeking DNA testing in his 1996 murder case. Reed was convicted and sentenced to death for the killing of 19-year-old Stacey Stites, who was strangled with a webbed belt while heading to work at a supermarket. Prosecutors have declined to permit DNA testing of the belt, the murder weapon in the case. The Supreme Court's rejection closes a major legal avenue for Reed to challenge his conviction through forensic evidence, leaving execution as a likely outcome unless other legal remedies succeed. The case has drawn attention from death penalty opponents and some lawmakers who have questioned whether Reed received adequate consideration of exculpatory evidence.
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Civil Rights & Justice
Following developments in civil rights, criminal justice reform, voting rights, Supreme Court decisions, policing accountability, and the ongoing struggle for equality and justice across American institutions.
Civil Rights & Justice
Following developments in civil rights, criminal justice reform, voting rights, Supreme Court decisions, policing accountability, and the ongoing struggle for equality and justice across American institutions.
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