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Join NowWATCH: MSNBC: Sister Helen and Martin Sheen Call for Gov. Abbott to Issue Stay for Ivan Cantu
View the “Morning Joe” segment HERE
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LIVINGSTON, TX – On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sister Helen Prejean and Martin Sheen called on Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to issue a stay ahead of Ivan Cantu’s scheduled execution on February 28. Their demands come in light of a collection of damning pieces of evidence that suggest Cantu may have been framed for a double homicide he was convicted of two decades ago.
Concerns over both the prosecution’s and defense’s handling of Cantu’s original trial have led to three jurors from the original case requesting a delay in Cantu’s execution so the new evidence can be admitted. According to a legal filing made before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, there is more new evidence showing that the state’s star witness falsely testified and that the lead detective knew she was lying.
A growing public outcry over the execution and perjury in the trial since the Cousins by Blood podcast revealed the flaws in the casee brought outrage to a fever pitch as Cantu’s execution looms. On Friday, CNN and The Young Turks ran in-depth segments, including CNN interviewing Ivan himself. Last week, The Dallas Morning News published opinion pieces by its editorial board, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, and Representative Joaquin Castro in support of Cantu’s case being reopened.
On Thursday, anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean, Cantu’s 2001 trial jury foreman Jeffrey Calhoun, along with Cantu’s legal counsel, family, and friends delivered remarks and a petition with more than 112,000 signatures to Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, demanding that they delay his execution. Kim Kardashian and Richard Branson also joined Prejean and actor Martin Sheen in making the case that Cantu’s execution must be delayed.
For additional media inquiries & interview requests, please contact press@moveon.org.
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