17 Years After Being Convicted of a Grisly Murder in Vegas, Kirstin Lobato Sees Her Charges Dismissed
Sloppy work by police and prosecutors sent teenager Kirstin Lobato to prison based on a rumor that she had cut off a man’s penis.
Jordan Smith
Jordan Smith is a state and national award-winning investigative journalist based in Kansas City, Missouri. She has covered the criminal legal system for more than 25 years and, during that time, has developed a reputation as a resourceful and dogged reporter with a talent for analyzing complex social and legal issues. She spent more than 20 years reporting in Texas where she was regarded as one of the best investigative reporters in the state. Her investigative work in wrongful conviction cases has helped to exonerate six people. A longtime staff writer for the Austin Chronicle, her work has also appeared in The Nation, the Crime Report, and the Texas Observer, among other places.
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For the First Time in Three Decades, the “Death Penalty Capital of America” Goes Without an Execution
Harris County, Texas, has the dubious distinction of having sent more people to death row than any jurisdiction in the nation. 2017 marked a notable shift.
Las Vegas Penis Murder Conviction Overturned
Kirstin Lobato was wrongly convicted of the 2001 murder and penis amputation of a homeless man, despite a lack of evidence and a strong alibi.
The End of Roe
Trump Administration Set to Defend Birth Control Rules That Pit Religion Against Women’s Health
The administration prepares to file its first response to lawsuits challenging new rules that reinstate discriminatory health care pricing for women.
In Bizarre Murder Hearing, Prosecutor Argues That Flies in Las Vegas Don't Like Dead Bodies
A prosecutor argued that flies were not found on the body of a homeless man Kirsten Blaise Lobato was convicted of killing because Las Vegas flies are unique.
The End of Roe
Kentucky’s Last Remaining Abortion Clinic Could Be Forced to Shut Its Doors
Officials have made a concerted effort to shutter the EMW Women’s Surgical Center, which would make Kentucky the first state to effectively ban abortion.
Texas Schedules Execution but Refuses DNA Tests That Could Prove a Man’s Innocence
The case against Larry Swearingen was built on circumstantial evidence. A trove of physical evidence — including the murder weapon — was never tested for DNA.
The End of Roe
Texas Abortion Ban That Would “Require Doctors to Experiment on Women” Is Temporarily Blocked
Abortion providers say the law would bar the safest method of termination during the second trimester of pregnancy in favor of untested alternatives.
The End of Roe
Texas Seeks Trump’s Help to Defund Planned Parenthood. If It’s Successful, Other States Could Follow.
If the feds waive Medicaid’s freedom of choice provision, Texas will have drawn a roadmap for other ideologically driven states.
Texas Couple Exonerated 25 Years After Being Convicted of Lurid Crimes That Never Happened
The 1992 prosecution of Fran and Dan Keller came amid the mass hysteria known as the Satanic Panic. The couple was formally exonerated Tuesday in Austin.