AUSTIN, Texas — Martin Luther King III – Martin Luther King Jr.'s son – has added his voice to the wave of people urging the Texas governor to halt Rodney Reed's execution.
Texas representatives and senators on both sides of the aisle have urged the governor to grant a reprieve to Reed. The European Union has joined the call, and so have celebrities such as Dr. Phil, Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Rihanna, T.I. and Meek Mill.
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s son tweeted on Nov. 15 a copy of a letter he has penned to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
"Executing this African American man, who was found guilty by an all-white jury, could produce an irreversible injustice," Martin Luther King III wrote in the letter. "Killing someone who is potentially innocent, would only show the dangerous flaws of our criminal justice system's continued use of the death penalty. Moreover, because of the concerns expressed by the public, Reed's case requires the highest level of scrutiny possible. It appears that the case could be easily cleared up through DNA testing that has been fought against for years by prosecutors. Obviously such testing would help determine whether or not Reed committed the crime, and also identify the murderer of Stacey Stites."
Though Reed's DNA was found in and on Stites' body, Reed's supporters said the murder weapon has never been tested for DNA. Prosecutors said the weapon, Stites' own belt, was handled by too many people.
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