Jeff Wood Didn't Kill Anyone, but Texas Is About to Execute Him Anyway
Jeff Wood has been on death row for 20 years for a crime he did not commit. Yet Texas plans to execute him on August 24.
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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The Death Penalty Is Largely Driven by a Small Number of Overzealous Prosecutors
America’s top-five deadliest prosecutors secured capital convictions against the equivalent of 15 percent of the nation’s current death row population, according to a new report.
After 23 Years and Four Trials, Prosecutors Finally Dismiss Charges Against Bill Richards
San Bernardino prosecutors attempted to convict Bill Richards for murder in four trials, once using bite-mark evidence. On Tuesday, he finally walked free after charges were dismissed.
“It’s Absolutely Stupid.” Fifth Trial Planned in Bite-Mark Murder Case
Weeks after the Calif. Supreme Court vacated Bill Richards’s murder conviction, prosecutors in San Bernardino County indicated they will seek a fifth trial.
Will the Supreme Court Crack Down on Louisiana’s Rogue Prosecutors?
In a pending case before the U.S. Supreme Court, lawyers for a death row inmate are asking the justices to put a stop to an "epidemic" of prosecutorial misconduct.
California Supreme Court Overturns Murder Conviction Based on Flawed Bite-Mark Evidence
The court overturned the 1997 conviction of Bill Richards for the murder of his wife, Pamela, finding that false forensic testimony had impacted the outcome of his trial.
Trials of Richard Glossip
Oklahoma’s Insane Rush to Execute
Amid lingering doubts over Richard Glossip’s guilt, a new report slams the state’s bungled execution protocol while proposing new, improved ways to kill.
How Orange County Prosecutors Covered Up Rampant Misuse of Jailhouse Informants
More than a dozen serious felony cases have unraveled as a result of systemic misconduct by police and prosecutors in Orange County, with charges dismissed or reduced or new trials granted.
Junk Science on Trial in Bill Richards Bite-Mark Appeal
California's Supreme Court must decide whether to vacate a murder conviction based on flawed and unscientific expert testimony.
Texas Prisons Assert Right to Censor Inmates’ Families on Social Media
A new rule in Texas that prohibits prisoners from maintaining a social media presence could infringe on the free speech and expression rights of ordinary citizens who maintain accounts on behalf of incarcerated loved ones.