Texas Defender Service (TDS)

08/31/2026

The Ohio Parole Board recommended Tuesday that a prisoner who has spent 30 years on death row for two murders he says he did not commit should have his sentence commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole as early as 2029.

Now the fate of the convicted double murderer, whose case has attracted support from Kim Kardashian and other celebrities, is in the hands of Gov. Mike DeWine.

08/28/2026

Through a four-part investigative series, journalist Ashonti Ford examines every stage of Alabama’s capital punishment system—from sentencing and ex*****on protocols to the perspectives of prosecutors, defense attorneys, faith leaders, victims’ advocates, and those who have witnessed ex*****ons firsthand.

The project explores Alabama’s recent adoption of nitrogen hypoxia, the state’s evolving ex*****on procedures, and the ongoing legal and public policy debates surrounding capital punishment. By combining in-depth reporting, expert interviews, and firsthand accounts, the series aims to move beyond political talking points and provide audiences with factual, balanced reporting on one of the state’s most consequential criminal justice issues.

Alabama remains one of the nation’s most active death penalty states, yet many residents know little about how ex*****ons are carried out or the legal, ethical, and human questions surrounding them...

08/17/2026

Hearing to review planned ex*****on of Christa Pike, only woman on death row in Tennessee, begins Tuesday. Pike filed a lawsuit in January alleging lethal injection violates her rights and religious beliefs.

Pike is scheduled to be the first woman executed in Tennessee since 1819.

08/14/2026

Jermaine ​“Marlow” Wright, Former Delaware Death Row Prisoner, is 203rd Person Exonerated, 34 Years After His Wrongful Conviction.

On July 23, 2026, Delaware Superior Court Judge Calvin Scott ordered a Certificate of Innocence be issued to Jermaine ​“Marlow” Wright (pic­tured,...

08/07/2026

Read the article from Texas Monthly on TDS client Michael Highfield's story here:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/law-of-parties-murder-michael-highfill/?utm_source=texasmonthly&utm_medium=webcta&utm_campaign=giftstory&gift_code=OTkxMzY3O2Q1NzAwN2I1LWVhYTgtNGE2ZC04MDk4LWIwODNhNTNkNGZiYTsyMDI2MDgwNg==

08/06/2026

Michael Highfill was wrongfully convicted of capital murder more than 26 years ago. The DA's Office now believes he was wrongfully convicted, but he's still serving a life sentence. TDS is fighting for his release. Read the Texas Monthly story:

Because of a legal statute called the law of parties, Michael Highfill received a harsher punishment than the woman who fired the fatal shots. Now, after nearly three decades of incarceration, there’s new hope for his release.

08/05/2026

There are still 25 people facing ex*****on in Alabama, even though the juries in their cases voted for life imprisonment without parole. In a practice that since been abolished, trial judges overrode each jury's decision and condemned each person to death row.

25 people face ex*****on in Alabama whose juries voted for life.

08/03/2026

202 peo­ple have been exon­er­at­ed from death row since 1973, across 30 states. 65% of exonerees are peo­ple of col­or. More than half are Black.

DPI’s ​“What to Know” series exam­ines cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment from mul­ti­ple angles, one top­ic at a time. Each install­ment pro­vides essen­tial facts...

07/31/2026

Of the 202 total death row exon­er­a­tions, at least 144, or rough­ly 70%, involved pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct specif­i­cal­ly.

DPI’s ​“What to Know” series exam­ines cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment from mul­ti­ple angles, one top­ic at a time. Each install­ment pro­vides essen­tial facts...

07/30/2026

After an in-depth review of the evidence in this case, the Travis County District Attorney's Office now agrees with TDS that Mr. Highfill is not culpable and that he was wrongfully convicted of capital murder. We are grateful that the DA's Office has reached this conclusion and now recognizes that his conviction should be overturned.

Since the fall, attorneys with the Texas Defender Service (TDS) – a nonprofit legal organization – as well as state prosecutors, have participated in hearings reviewing evidence related…