Death Penalty Videos

Would you oppose the death penalty if it were proven that Texas has executed an innocent man? If so, remember this name: Cameron Todd Willingham. He was innocent and Texas executed him. There are plenty of executed death-row inmates with strong claims of innocence, such as David Spence, Ruben Cantu, Carlos De Luna and Gary Graham. But the state of Texas has never admitted to killing an innocent person. Willinghams case could become the first case in which the state of Texas will have to admit that it made a mistake. Willingham was executed for arson and murder in 2004. He professed his innocence until he was strapped down on the execution gurney, saying I am an innocent man convicted of a crime I did not commit. I have been persecuted for 12 years for something I did not do. Now, we know that he was telling the truth. In August, Craig Beyler, the investigator hired by the Texas Forensic Science Commission to review the Willingham case, released his report in which he found that a finding of arson could not be sustained by a scientific analysis. He concluded that the fire in the Willingham case was accidental and not arson. In fact, there was no arson, so there was no crime. David Grann wrote a 16,000-word article for The New Yorker in which he discredited all the evidence used to convict and sentence Willingham. Barry Scheck, co-director of the Innocence Project said, After reading Granns report, fair-minded people will know beyond a reasonable doubt that an innocent person was executed. The proven execution of an innocent person should have resulted in a call by Gov. Rick Perry for a statewide moratorium on executions and a commission to conduct a comprehensive study of the Texas death penalty system. But shortly before a scheduled Texas Forensic Science Commission meeting to discuss this case, in a move that looks like an election-year cover-up, Perry replaced several members of the commission with his own political allies, including John Bradley, a tough-on-crime Williamson County district attorney, as chairman. Bradley canceled the public hearing indefinitely, leaving the investigation in limbo. Scott Cobb, director of the Texas Moratorium Network, said, No matter how things turn out, people are looking at the death penalty in a new light. Theyre thinking if it could have happened to Willingham, then it could happen to many other people. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in 2006 that in the modern judicial system there has not been a single case not one in which it is clear that a person was executed for a crime he did not commit. If such an event had occurred in recent years, we would not have to hunt for it; the innocents name would be shouted from the rooftops. This Saturday, at the 10th Annual March to Abolish the Death Penalty, people from all walks of life and all parts of Texas, the U.S. and other countries will gather at the Texas Capitol to raise their voices and shout out Todd Willinghams name. The march is a gathering of activists, exonerated inmates and family members of the victims and those on death row. Eugenia Willingham, mother of Todd Willingham, will be among the special guests at the march on Saturday at 2 p.m. on the South Steps of the Capitol. On Friday, students can also join a panel discussion with exonerated death-row inmates Shujaa Graham and Curtis McCarty (7 p.m. in the Texas Unions Sinclair Suite, Room 3.128). I encourage everyone to attend the march to support the Willingham family as they fight to prove that Todd Willingham was innocent. For more information and to sign a petition, visit camerontoddwillingham.com and marchforabolition.org. Hedayati is a government and Middle Eastern studies senior and member of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty.

Download this clip! 10/24/2009 Austin TX Hundreds gather at the TX State Capitol to protest the Death Penalty. After so many people have been exhonerated it is unfathomable that this archaic practice still exists within our "justice" system. On Tuesday Oct. 27, 2009 Reginald Blanton will be murdered by the state unless Governor Rick Perry grants him a Stay of Execution. Call Governer Perry and tell him to stop this unconscienable practice today! Before another innocent person is murdered in your name. Governor Rick Perry (512) 463-2000 TIP JAR

Download this clip! 10/24/2009 Austin TX Hundreds gather at the TX State Capitol to protest the Death Penalty. After so many people have been exhonerated it is unfathomable that this archaic practice still exists within our "justice" system. On Tuesday Oct. 27, 2009 Reginald Blanton will be murdered by the state unless Governor Rick Perry grants him a Stay of Execution. Call Governer Perry and tell him to stop this unconscienable practice today! Before another innocent person is murdered in your name. Governor Rick Perry (512) 463-2000 TIP JAR

September 16, 2009 MP3 Downloadread more

The Ladies tackle the facts and arguments for and against Capital Punishment.

Winston Jones, a reporter for the Douglas County Sentinel, tellsLindsay about his bias.

Prosecutor David McDade discusses clemency for the man convicted of murder in Douglasville, GA twenty years ago.

Lindsay talks about her experience at a clemency hearing for David Crowe.

Lindsay follows the events of May 22nd, the day that David Crowe is scheduled to be executed.

David McDade, the District Attorney for Douglas County, GA, breaks down the crime, and speaks up for murder victim Joseph Pala.

Georgia District Attorney David McDade breaks down the death penalty for Lindsay from the prosecutor's side of the table.

Lindsay updates the audience about a sudden turn of events in the David Crowe case.

David Crowe is scheduled to be executed this week. Lindsay's in Georgia to cover the story, and we want you to tell her how to do it.

Renowned capital defense attorney Stephen Bright discusses the death penalty in light of recent Supreme Court decisions.

Graduation rates for high school students in urban areas have plummeted, and the Supreme Court brought back lethal injection!

Bill Moyers interviews best-selling historian Thomas Cahill in a far ranging interview that takes viewers from the Coliseum in Rome to death row in Texas and examines what our attitudes toward cruelty can tell us about who we are as Americans. "However difficult it may be the only way you are going to gain closure is to let go of your hatred" says Cahill, who is best known for his The Hinges of History series of books, which includes the widely read How the Irish Saved Civilization. Cahill says his books ask how we became the people we are: "It's human cruelty that is evil. We're not willing to acknowledge that this is inside of us. It's there," he says. "I'm really interested in what's good about us."

In the Spring of 2004 Off Center Media teamed up with The Texas Defender Service for make a clemency video for James Allridge. James spent 18 years on death row in Texas for murdering a convenience store clerk. James was a model prisoner and a reformed man. On August 26, 2004 James Allridge was executed. 2004, 20:12

Scene outside San Quentin prison on Dec. 13th, 2005 the night of Stanley Tookie Wiliams' execution.

Sister Helen Prejean, a compassionate nun, is the spiritual advisor to Matthew, a vicious murderer awaiting execution. But as she attempts to navigate Matthew's soul, she encounters a depth of evil that makes her question how far redemption can really go.