500th person to be executed in TX since the restoration of dp is a black woman who murdered a white

[cali]

woman.

On Wednesday, Texas is scheduled to execute its 500th death-row inmate since the Supreme Court restored capital punishment in 1976. The state has executed nearly five times as many people as Virginia, the second state on the list.

Texas’s death penalty system is notorious for its high tolerance of ineffective counsel for defendants, overly zealous prosecutors, and racial discrimination in jury selection. The case of Kimberly McCarthy, the woman scheduled for execution, seems tainted by all three.

Ms. McCarthy is an African-American who was sentenced to death in 2002 for murdering a white woman. That’s not surprising: In Texas as well as other states, a black person who murders a white person is more likely to receive the death penalty than when the victim is black.

The 12-person jury that convicted and sentenced Ms. McCarthy included only one person who wasn’t white, after prosecutors used their peremptory, or automatic, challenges to strike three other non-whites. That was in apparent violation of a Supreme Court ruling against purposeful exclusion of minorities from a jury when a minority is the defendant.

<snip>

http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/24/texas-reaches-death-penalty-milestone/

[MrSlayer]

1. Yeah, it's fine when they get the right person.

This case here is a no doubt about it case. So, see ya Ms. McCarthy. But Texas has had more than a few iffy cases where I wouldn't have executed. But they don't seem to care a whole lot about it there. It's all "yeeha!" and " hang Em high" in the Lone Star state. Not the way I would personally implement the punishment and not the way anyone should.

[Arcanetrance]

2. Truly terrible milestone