Word: grahamism
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...decision met by angry cries and shouts from protesters gathered outside the Huntsville jail, Texas's board of appeals announced Thursday afternoon that they would not grant Graham a stay of execution. Graham, who has refused food since his transfer to Huntsville Wednesday, must know he's pretty much doomed at this point; unless the Supreme Court makes an extremely uncharacteristic move and stops the execution on the basis of a procedural question, he'll die tonight. Outside the prison, Jesse Jackson and other supporters are likely to continue their protests and prayers well into the evening...
...Graham's lawyers continue to argue he was denied fair process during his trial; their ongoing investigation has, in fact, yielded serious questions. Why, for example, didn't Graham's court-appointed defense lawyer seek out eyewitnesses to counter claims that Graham was the man at the scene of the crime? While the details of Graham's predicament may be relegated to a footnote in criminal law texts by the time most Texans go to bed tonight, the larger questions surrounding his case could have lasting legal effects; it has ruffled feathers and raised a few hackles - not only...
...Graham was convicted largely on the strength of one eyewitness's testimony. That witness holds fiercely to her story: She saw Graham at the murder scene. Two other eyewitnesses, who emerged after the trial, apparently took a look at a lineup that included Graham and told police, "He's not in there." Many defense lawyers maintain that a single eyewitness's testimony should not be enough to convict on a capital charge: Several lawyers called on to pontificate over Graham's fate brought up the recent case of a rape victim who positively identified her attacker and was absolutely sure...
...buffeted by considerable media scrutiny and activist fury over this case, has been busying himself with official pursuits this afternoon, apparently hoping to avoid any last-minute theatrics from death penalty opponents. In the days leading up to the execution, Bush has consistently portrayed himself as "powerless" to stop Graham's death. In fact, according to some legal analysts, Bush's determination not to grant Graham a 60-day reprieve is largely based on the governor's personal interpretation of Texas law. The statute in question allows a governor to grant a one-time reprieve; Graham received one such reprieve...
...fairness, Bush appears not to have remained totally unmoved by Graham's case. The scuttlebutt among reporters tracking the governor is that he's become far more thoughtful, even pensive, in recent days. "The death penalty is a subject that needs to be debated in America, and cases come along that spark the debate," Bush told reporters Wednesday. To death penalty opponents, that may not sound like much progress, but at the very least, it's a far cry from the sometimes glib and dismissive Bush who has officiated so resolutely over 131 executions during his five-year term...