Rodney Reed, 51, is a convicted murder and rapist, who had become a death row prisoner as a punishment for his crimes and was scheduled for execution on November 20 in Livingston, Texas. He was convicted in 1996 for committing the muder, kidnapping, and rape of Stacey Stites, 19. Throughout the trial and conviction, Reed has maintained his innocence, stating that his relationship with Stites was consensual. In the recent months, Reed’s case has gained much public spotlight, and celebrities, politicians, and the general public have risen to come to Reed’s defence and advocate for a stay of his execution. On the site freerodneyreed.com, a petition for clemency has reached over two million signatures. This is largely because there has been more development recently regarding Reed’s case that may exonerate him of the crime he was accused of, according to his lawyer Bryce Benjet. Given the fact that Reed as a black man was convicted and sentenced by a white judge and all-white jury, Benjet argues in an interview with TIME magazine that “you can ignore the role that racism plays in our criminal justice system” (Time). Reed was initially suspected of the rape and murder of Stites due to the a prior investigation into his involvement in the murder of another woman, Linda Schlueter, which was committed six months after that of Stites. After collecting Reed’s DNA, they were able to match it to DNA found on Stites’ body. Although Reed’s defense team argued that there were some crucial facts that were not being acknowledged, such as there being hair found on Stites that did not match Reed’s, he was found guilty and convicted. The sentence was the death penalty.
During Reed’s time on death row, the defense has noted that there are several problems with the argument set forward by the prosecution. There is said to be a discrepancy between when Stites could actually have been killed and when she was said to have been killed. The DNA found on the belt Stites was strangled with was never tested against Reed’s DNA. Additionally, witnesses of the state have all retracted their statements regarding the case. There is also evidence that Stites’ then fiancee, Jimmy Fennell, had killed her due to his jealousy at finding out that Stites was having an affair with Reed. Confiding in another inmate Arthur Snow, Fennell was said to have told Snow that “[He] had to kill [his] n****r-loving fiance.”
Due to the magnitude of pressure, petitioning, and fundraising, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas granted Reed a stay of execution for 120 days.
Regardless of one’s views about the death penalty, it is clear that punishments should only apply to people who have been proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. When there comes to be doubt over whether or not someone is serving a punishment they deserve, the justice system needs to be able to reevaluate the facts and evidence that relate to the case. This is the very purpose of the justice system, and every opportunity to improve upon it should be taken.