Stop the Execution of Billy Wardlow in Texas
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles & Governor Greg Abbott
UPDATE as of July 8, 2020 at 8:21pm EDT: The US Supreme Court denied three separate petitions seeking relief. #BillyWardlow was pronounced dead at 7:52pm EDT. This was the first execution #Texas has carried out since the start of the COVID19 pandemic.
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Billy Wardlow is scheduled for execution in Texas on July 8 for the 1993 robbery and murder of 82-year-old Carl Cole.
Billy Wardlow committed his crime at age 18. He has always expressed remorse, and he maintains that there was never a plan to kill anyone, but that during the robbery Mr. Cole resisted and the gun went off. No mitigation was presented at trial. The suggestion that Billy Wardlow would always present a future danger was a key factor in his death sentence. Now more than 25 years later, current neuroscience recognizes that brain development continues into the mid-twenties. No jury could fairly judge how any person will develop in the future, and in fact, Billy Wardlow has not been a disciplinary problem in prison. Click here to read Wardlow's petition asking the US Supreme Court to take his case. The question before the court is shown.
Texas' aggressive execution schedule marks it as an outlier in its use of the death penalty while the majority of other states are on a downward trend of executions. In 2019, Texas accounted for 9 of the nation's 22 executions, and in 2020 is expected to account for half of all executions, if not more.
Please sign the petition asking Governor Abbott and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to do everything within their power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.
Petitions will be delivered on your behalf at 12:00 pm noon U.S. Eastern Time on Monday, July 6th.
Additionally, you may reach out now to the Board at bpp_clemency@tdcj.texas.gov and the Governor at https://gov.texas.gov/contact/ and (512) 463-1782. You can simply leave a voice message, or choose to speak to a representative if you prefer.
Please note: In Texas, the Governor does have limited power when it comes to the death penalty. But the story we are told that "it's out of the governor's hands," is only true if we allow it to be. Yes, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles must recommend clemency in that state in order for the Governor to grant clemency (mercy) by commuting a death sentence. But the fact is that the governor appoints the members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles. He can choose to appoint members who will take valid claims and concerns more seriously, instead of acting like rubber-stamping gate-keepers. He can still use his position of power and influence to enact justice in the State of Texas.
Sponsored by
To:
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles & Governor Greg Abbott
From:
[Your Name]
We are writing to ask that you to stop the July 8th execution of Billy Wardlow for the 1993 robbery and murder of 82-year-old Carl Cole.
Billy Wardlow committed his crime at age 18. He has always expressed remorse, and he maintains that there was never a plan to kill anyone, but that during the robbery Mr. Cole resisted and the gun went off. No mitigation was presented at trial. The suggestion that Billy Wardlow would always present a future danger was a key factor in his death sentence. Now more than 25 years later, current neuroscience recognizes that brain development continues into the mid-twenties. No jury could fairly judge how any person will develop in the future, and in fact, Billy Wardlow has not been a disciplinary problem in prison.
We are also concerned that while the vast majority of states with capital punishment continue on a downward trend of executions, Texas has continued to go against trend by carrying on an aggressive execution schedule.
We, the undersigned, ask that you do everything within your power to stop this execution, including issuing a stay, and seeking a path to clemency in the case.