Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman/AP
Celebrities likeBeyoncé,Kim KardashianWest, andRihannahave joined a growing chorus of supporters calling for the examination of new evidence in the 1996 murder of 19-year-old Stacey Stites before the upcoming execution of Rodney Reed, who has long maintained he was wrongly convicted.
On Friday, Beyoncé became one of the more than 300,000 people to add their names toa Change.org petitioncalling for a stay of Reed’s execution, which is scheduled for November 20.
Beyoncé also shared a link to the petition on her social media platforms and website.
In a message addressed to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the pop superstar asks that he “take a hard look at the substantial evidence in the Rodney Reed case that points to his innocence. Be honest. Be fair. Give him back his life.”
Millions more have signeda petition at FreeRodneyReed.com, calling for the new evidence to be reviewed before a potentially innocent man loses his life.
Stites was beaten, raped and strangled in Bastrop, Texas, on the night of April 22, 1996.
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Reed, 51, has spent more than 21 years on death row. His lawyers last week filed an application for clemency in hopes it will halt the execution.
According to the petition, the state never tested the murder weapon for DNA evidence, and the jury selected to hear the case was all white.
Reed’s case is now the subject of the premiere episode of the ninth season ofWrongful Conviction with Jason Flom, a podcast out now.
In the episode, Reed’s attorney, Bryce Benjet, discusses new evidence that has come to light in recent years, as well as the continuing battle to have the murder weapon and other crime scene evidence finally tested for DNA.
Lisa Tanner, a Texas deputy assistant attorney general who was the lead prosecutor for Reed’s case,issued a statement to CNN, saying there is a “large amount of credible evidence, including irrefutable DNA evidence, the testimony of witnesses, and the pattern Rodney Reed followed in committing his other sexual assaults” that “show beyond a reasonable doubt that he raped and murdered Stacey Stites.”
source: people.com
