Don't Mess With Texas

Steven Woods - Wrongfully convicted

I can't believe I have never heard of the injustice done to Steven Woods before but, as they say, better late than never. 

If you haven't heard of Steven Woods, check out http://www.texaskills.com/ .  Be prepared to feel a mixture of shock, dismay, outrage and disgust.  .

Steven Woods was convicted of capital murder in 2002 for the shooting deaths of a Denton, Texas couple and was sentenced to Texas' Death Row.  From the moment of sentencing, Mr. Woods has been in solitary confinement - - no phone access, no computer access and no human contact.  Is this normal?  Does Texas normally keep its Death Row inmates in solitary confinement? 

Anyhow, there is no physical evidence that ties Mr. Woods to the scene.  A latex glove the prosecution presented to the court, claiming his DNA was on it, has been tested and guess what?  No DNA match.  This glove was stricken from the court's protocol, which means that Mr. Woods cannot use it as new evidence to garner a new trial. 

If that's not sickening enough, three months after Mr. Woods' conviction a man named Marcus Rhodes stood up in court and took full credit for the murders, stating he had done so knowingly and intentionally.  Backpacks belonging to the victims were found in the trunk of Rhodes' car.  His car was littered with shell casings and the guns found in his parents' home matched ballistics and had Rhodes' fingerprints on them.  Should be the end of it, right?  Not quite. 

Marcus Rhodes got a life sentence.  Steven Woods not only remains on Death Row but is sentenced to be executed for these same murders on September 13, 2011. 

How is that possible?  The courts acknowledged Rhodes' testimony, as well as his confession.  Rhodes never mentions Woods, never states he had an accomplice.  In fact, he claims he committed the murders alone.

What is wrong with our justice system when (1) there is reasonable doubt as to someone's guilt and they are still sentenced to death?, (2) an irrefutable confession is made by someone else, along with physical evidence to match and the convicted innocent remains in prison and on Death Row?, and (3) the individual confessing to the crimes, again with physical evidence to match, is given a lighter sentence than the innocent person? 

I encourage everyone to visit the website linked above and read about this case.  It's a travesty and a huge miscarraige of justice, not to mention a massive blight on our judicial system.  Follow the links on that site to Texas Governor Rick Perry and send him an email and/or letter, asking him to delay/reconsider Mr. Woods' execution. 

Steven Woods' Support Group Facebook page can be found here. 

Why hasn't 48 Hours or Dateline been all over this???