The US Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Ruben Gutierrez, a Texas death row inmate seeking access to DNA testing that could prove his innocence. The 6-3 decision gives Gutierrez a potential path to have evidence tested that his lawyers say would help disprove his involvement in the fatal stabbing of an 85-year-old woman during a home robbery decades ago.
Gutierrez’s lawyers argue that there was no physical or forensic evidence connecting him to the killing, and he was not a major participant in the crime. Two others were also charged in the case. The court’s ruling is similar to the one granted to Rodney Reed, another Texas death row inmate who won his fight for DNA testing.
Gutierrez was sentenced to death in 1998 for the murder of Escolastica Harrison at her home in Brownsville, Texas. Prosecutors claimed that Harrison’s killing was part of an attempt to steal $600,000 she had hidden away due to her mistrust of banks. Gutierrez has had several execution dates delayed due to issues related to having a spiritual adviser present during the execution.
The Supreme Court granted Gutierrez a stay of execution just 20 minutes before his scheduled lethal injection in July. The ruling marks an important victory for inmates seeking access to DNA testing to prove their innocence.
Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/supreme-court-sides-with-texas-man-on-death-row-whos-seeking-dna-testing