New Evidence Presented in Texas Death Row Inmate's Hearing

Kelly Baclija
Mr. Ippolito

Forensics

October 21, 2021

“New Evidence Presented in Texas Death Row Inmate's Hearing.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 19 Oct. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/austin-texas-forensics-377416e8cf8a7613b2cd159fc8b6ef4f.

An attorney for a Texas death row inmate has told a judge that new evidence suggests the 19-year-old woman his client was convicted of killing may instead have been strangled by her jealous boyfriend. Rodney Reed was convicted in the 1996 rape and murder of Stacy Stites in Bastrop, a rural community about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Austin. Reed’s attorney argued Monday before state District Judge J.D. Langley that new witnesses and forensic evidence support theories that Stites and Reed were having an affair and that Stites could have been killed by her fiancé, former police officer Jimmy Fennell, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Reed, 53, has long said he believes Fennell killed Stites because he was angry about their relationship. Prosecutors said none of the new evidence changes the facts of the case that led to Reed’s conviction. Fennell has denied any involvement in Stites’ killing. New witnesses included Arthur Snow Jr. who said Fennell told him during a prison-yard conversation that he had to kill his fiancée. Fennell had been imprisoned at the time for an unrelated kidnapping and sexual assault conviction. New forensic evidence from multiple scientists who took the stand suggested Stites could have died during times that Fennell testified he had been with her. “A new jury, hearing this evidence, would have a reasonable doubt in this case,” said Jane Pucher, one of Reed’s attorneys with the Innocence Project, a criminal justice advocacy group. Langley said he hopes to make his recommendation to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals before the end of the month. The state’s highest criminal court will decide whether Reed’s conviction should stand, he should go free or deserves a new trial. It halted Reed’s scheduled execution in 2019, after his conviction was questioned by new evidence that his supporters said raised serious doubt about his guilt.

In the field of forensic science, the discoveries shown in this article indicate that even though a case may have been solved and closed, there is always new evidence that can surface and alter the outcome of a trial, whether it be the remains of a body discovered, or a new witness. It is incredibly important to consider the new evidence to ensure that the person accused is actually guilty of the crime; in this situation, it could be the matter of life and death of an innocent person. Although the new findings do not immediately incriminate Fenell, it should definitely be reexamined by a jury since it may indicate his involvement in Stites’ rape and murder. The effect on society of this case is that no matter how long a trial may have ended or been solved, there can always be new evidence that requires a court to look at the case with a new perspective. 

I believe this article is well-written; the author provides a strong background to the reader and explains all the necessary details in understanding this case. They also state at the end the current standings of both Reed and Fenell and how this may change based on what a new trial can determine. Furthermore, they include several quotes from people involved in this case, which can strengthen the author’s credibility. Something that would have improved the article is possibly explain both of the relationships between Stiles and Fenell and Reed, respectively. If there was a history of abuse or assault in one of them, for instance, it could prove that there was a stronger likelihood that one of them were involved in the murder.