Inmate's Lawyer Asks Perry To Halt Texas Execution

04:57

September 15, 2011

Duane Buck is scheduled to be put to death tonight in Texas, unless Gov. Rick Perry orders a 30-day halt to review the case. Jurors heard testimony during sentencing in the 1997 trial that blacks are more likely to pose future dangers to the public. (AP) — Duane Buck is scheduled to be put to death tonight in Texas. (AP)

By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Attorneys for a man scheduled to be put to death in Texas are asking Gov. Rick Perry to halt the execution amid questions about the role race played in the sentencing.

Duane Buck was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend and another man in July 1995. His execution is scheduled for Thursday evening.

His case is one of six convictions that then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn reviewed in 2000 and said needed to be reopened because of the racially charged statements made during the sentencing phase of the trial. A psychologist told jurors that black criminals were more likely to pose a future danger to the public if they are released.

Perry, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, is an ardent supporter of capital punishment.

GOP Debate Video: Rick Perry on Texas Executions

Guest:

Brandi Grissom, the Texas Tribune

This segment aired on September 15, 2011.