It should NEVER be too late for claims of innocence

News out of Texas:

It's not entirely unusual for supporters of a death row inmate to throw everything but the kitchen sink out there to make their case, but a fax from "Supporters of Reginald Blanton," have made an interesting allegation. Blanton is scheduled to be executed tomorrow.

Reginald Blanton who faces execution on October 27, 2009 has
just been denied commutation of his death sentence to a lesser
penalty by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. This is in the
face of being advised that there is no physical evidence of guilt.
There is evidence of a shoe print on the door of the murder
victim's apartment which does not match the shoes worn by Blanton
either is style of shoe sole or in size. Charles Aycock, an
attorney and member of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, met with
Blanton and refused to listen to Blanton's description of his
innocence and unfair legal process. Aycock told Blanton that the
Board was not interested in his innocence. Blanton asked if the
Board was not the last forum to which the issue of innocence could
be brought. Aycock told Blanton again that the Board was not
interested in his innocence. He also refused to listen to any
explanation by Blanton for the number of infractions reflected in
Blanton's prison record as being the result of Blanton's stand for
fair treatment of inmates and compliance by the Texas Criminal
Justice Department with their own regulations. Recent coverage of
the bias of the Board in the Houston Chronicle is confirmed by the
treatment Blanton received. Blanton said it is evident that
Aycock had not read the petition for clemency.

To be fair, I'm not sure it is the board's job to retry the case.

So, what? Just kill him instead? Like they did Cameron Todd Willingham? Yes, due to a technicality, ignore the claims of innocence, and kill the bastard. Because it is the structure and technicalities of the American justice system that keep it's crime rates so respectably low, right? *shakes head*

TEXAS DEATH PENALTY Blog | The Dallas Morning News

Technorati Tags: death penalty, death row, death sentence, capital punishment, execution, texas, reginald blanton, innocence, crime, law, prison, inmate