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A Stay for Robert Roberson in Texas

By Abraham Bonowitz,RLC Editor

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Photo Credit: 12/19/23, Livingston, Texas: Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project.

They killed Derrick Dearman in Alabama Thursday night, but in Texas, there was a STAY!

It was a novel approach – never before heard of or tried. Texas state legislators wanted Robert Roberson to testify before their committee on Monday, but to do so they needed to stop his execution. After all other mighty and valiant efforts had failed, the legislators sued. Shortly before Robert was to be killed, a judge issued a temporary restraining order. The state appealed, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the order. The legislators appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, and four hours and 42 minutes into our live virtual vigil, more than three hours past the scheduled time of the execution, it was halted!

Click to watch the moment we learned about the stay, and a few minutes later after some beautiful music from the smiling Marie-Elise Boyer-Brown, hear Rob Dunham from the Death Penalty Policy Project read the order:

Read Chris Gender’s “Law Dork” Play by Play evaluation here.

We are grateful that Robert Roberson will live to see another day. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who has been fighting to halt this execution, especially the Texas legislators who refused to give up.

One Inside the Prison Story, from Robert’s Spiritual Advisor:

Robert had asked that I read Psalm 27 before my prayer if the worst happened tonight. So as I waited in the prison to get word on the courts many appeals, I read the psalm over and over again. And because I am as thick as a rock God had to say, “You aren’t getting it.”

“Clearly!”
I read it again very slowly…. paying attention to each word / each phrase… then verse 13….
“I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Wait!!!!
Hold ON!
WHAT?!?!?!
IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING!
I will see the goodness of the Lord IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING!!!
And YES, that was my prayer for those hours!!
THANK YOU GOD! Robert Roberson is seeing the goodness of the Lord IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING! PRAISE GOD!! PRAISE GOD!!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!

— Cari Rush Willis, as posted this on her Facebook page.

We hope this is truly a wake-up call to those Texas legislators.

This case was a glaring example that even with the best lawyers in the world and even with the massive resources of multiple organizations, combined with a truly impactful and masterful PR campaign, two of the three branches of government refused to intervene to halt an obvious injustice. How many others have gone to their deaths because the fresh look at newly developed evidence was procedurally barred, and they lacked the ability to build such attention? Someone ought to research that!

And the struggle continues.

Watch the full vigil, “Live Virtual Execution Vigil”:
#RobertRoberson & #DerrickDearman Live Virtual Execution Vigil – YouTube

To view Shane Claiborne’s prayer, Red Letter Christians | Last night, one execution was carried out, and one execution was stopped! Mr. Roberson is still alive today. Thanks to everyone who has… | Instagram

About the Authors


Abraham Bonowitz

Abraham J. Bonowitz has been one of the leading organizers in the death penalty abolition movement since he changed his mind on the issue in the late 1980’s. He has had a hand in each of the legislative repeal victories thus far, starting with when he served as the Field Manager for New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, which passed its bill in 2007. He then worked as the Director of Affiliate Support for the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and was directly involved in the repeal victories in New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut, Maryland and Nebraska (since reversed via referendum).

Abe has worked with the Catholic Mobilizing Network and continues to serve on its board of advisors. He worked extensively with the Delaware Repeal Project, where legislation passed in the Senate twice before the Delaware Supreme Court threw out that state’s death penalty. He helped develop and run an Oklahoma campaign to oppose a statewide referendum (SQ776) which added capital punishment to the Bill of Rights of the Oklahoma Constitution. He founded Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and has served on the boards of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, the Journey of Hope…From Violence to Healing, and Amnesty International USA.

In a brief departure from anti-death penalty work, Abe was one of the original staff members of the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation from 1994 to 1997 and as such participated in many Farm Worker movement activities in California. Abe has helped produce numerous direct action and non-violent civil resistance events, including nine arrests protesting the death penalty (3 at SCOTUS on Jan 17, 1997, 2002 & 2017, 2 in PA, 1 in TN, 1 in OH and 2 in NC). Current case law governing limitations of first amendment activity on the grounds of the US Supreme Court is styled Bonowitz v. United States, stemming from the Abolitionist Action Committee’s first January 17th action at the US Supreme Court in 1997.

Abe helps coordinate the activities of the Abolitionist Action Committee and various social justice activities in Ohio, including with the upcoming Ohio Journey of Hope …From Violence to Healing, and the Ohio Poor People’s Campaign. He also formerly served as the State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator for Amnesty International USA in Ohio and Delaware. He lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, son, and dog.

More articles by Abraham Bonowitz >


RLC Editor

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