Duane Buck's attorney, Kate Black with Texas Defender Service, has issued a statement following the action by the Board of Pardons and Paroles:
“The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles’ recommendation against granting clemency to Duane Buck fails to recognize what the highest legal officer in the State of Texas had acknowledged: No one should be executed based on a process tainted by considerations of race. A trial prosecutor and the surviving victim have asked state officials to halt the execution. The decision as to whether Mr. Buck’s execution will go forward now lies squarely with Governor Perry, who has the power to issue a thirty-day reprieve, and District Attorney Lykos, who has the power to ask for a withdrawal of the execution date. We urge Governor Perry to grant a temporary reprieve to allow all parties involved to work together to ensure that Mr. Buck receives a new and fair sentencing hearing untainted by race-based testimony.”
The Board's notification that it rejected a clemency recommendation is available in Adobe .pdf format.
Allan Turner posts, "Panel refuses to commute Houston killer's execution," at the Houston Chronicle.
Houston auto mechanic Duane Buck moved a step closer to execution today as the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected his bid to commute his death sentence to life without parole.
And:
Buck's lawyers had asked the pardons board to recommend commutation or the granting of a 120-day reprieve to Gov. Rick Perry, who would have made the final decision in the case.
Earlier coverage of Duane Buck's case begins with the preceding post.
You can read prosecutor Linda Geffin's letter to the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The clemency petition for Duane Edward Buck is available via Sribd. Those who would like to urge clemency can sign on to a statement at Change.org.
Related posts are in the future dangerousness index.
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