The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
People often use a shorthand to describe Austin: It's weird; it’s a progressive city; it’s a blueberry in a sea of tomato soup. But a sort of alternate reality exists for many residents of color. There have been moments over the past month that have highlighted this racial divide. Full Story
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Rosendo Rodriguez was executed Tuesday for killing a Lubbock prostitute and tossing her body in a dumpster in a suitcase. His final appeals questioned the medical examiner's testimony that she was sexually assaulted before her death. Full Story
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“This is a defining moment for our city, our state and our country,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at the city's Tranquility Park Saturday morning, speaking at one of several rallies in Texas that collectively drew tens of thousands of attendees. Full Story
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Social networking and surveillance technology played a big role in how Austin residents coped with a frightening few weeks. Full Story
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The bill would hold government agencies accountable for failing to properly document individuals' criminal histories in the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Full Story
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Carlos Ayestas, 48, said he wants to explore evidence of his mental illness, brain injuries or drug use that wasn't brought up during his trial for the murder of a 67-year-old woman. Full Story
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Authorities have identified the man as Pflugerville resident Mark A. Conditt. They say he died Wednesday in one of his own bomb blasts as they were trying to arrest him. Full Story
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Supporters of strengthening gun control laws are planning March for Our Lives rallies Saturday in several Texas cities in hopes of encouraging Congress to take decisive action on the issue. Full Story
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Austin police on Tuesday night said the incident involved a Goodwill employee sorting through recent donations to find two “artillery simulators," one of which "initiated" in the employee's hand. Full Story
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The bomb explosions in Austin and Schertz left two people dead and several others injured. Wednesday morning, police say the man they believe is responsible detonated a bomb and killed himself. Full Story
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A fifth package has exploded in Texas outside of San Antonio. Federal officials say the explosion is likely linked to the "serial bomber" that has been planting packages in Austin. Full Story
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Two more Austin residents were injured Sunday evening in an apparent bombing, local police confirmed Monday. This marks the latest in a series of explosions that has kept Texas' capital city on edge. Full Story
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The three package bombs that have exploded in the city this month, killing two people and injuring two others, share at least one other thing in common: They hit black and Latino families east of I-35. Full Story
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Lambda Legal has settled with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the case of Passion Star, a transgender woman who claimed prison officials didn’t protect her from sexual and physical abuse while incarcerated in male prisons. Full Story
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For the first time in several years, Texas' most populous county freed fewer defendants who had been wrongfully accused of drug crimes. But Texas still led the nation in exonerations last year. Full Story
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Seven of 13 sitting Texas district attorneys who faced 2018 primary challengers lost their races. Whether that's normal turnover or part of a larger focus on criminal justice reform, several experts say it's no longer safe to be an incumbent prosecutor. Full Story
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The device was used as punishment for refusing to answer a judge’s questions properly during his 2016 trial on charges of soliciting sexual performance from a 15-year-old girl. Full Story
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More women are finding themselves in Texas prisons and jails, and one criminal justice reform group is urging lawmakers and local officials to enact policies to stop that trend. Full Story
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller narrowly won the Republican primary Tuesday night, overcoming a challenger who knocked her for her multiple ethical controversies. Full Story
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It's a striking contrast to their responses to then-President Barack Obama's gun control efforts, which were less aggressive in some areas than President Donald Trump's. Full Story
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