The Supreme Court said Monday it would hear the case of Rodney Reed, a death row inmate from a Texas prisoner who has long claimed innocence in the 1996 murder of a woman.
Mr Reed, who was convicted of the 1998 murder of Stacey States in Bastrop, Texas, has tried to challenge the constitutionality of the DNA testing statute in Texas. Mr Reed’s lawyers have called for the murder weapon, Mrs Stites’ belt, to be tested for DNA evidence, a move they say would prove his innocence.
Mr Reed is appealing the decision of the Fifth United States Court of Appeal, which dismissed his claim in May, saying the statute of limitations had expired to request a DNA test for evidence in his case.
The Supreme Court’s acceptance of the case was the latest turning point in Mr Reed’s life in prison. A Texas court has suspended his execution in 2019 after his case attracted strong interest from lawmakers and celebrities, including Kim Kardashian West and Rihanna, who called on the courts and the governor to spare his life.
It was unclear on Monday when the Supreme Court would hear Mr Reed’s case. His and Texas attorneys, who fought to reject his request, did not respond immediately to requests for comment on Monday.
Ms. Staits, 19, was reported missing on April 23, 1996, after failing to arrive for her morning shift at a grocery store. Passers-by found Ms. States’ body near a country road later that day, according to court documents. Prosecutors said she was also raped, and Mr Reed was arrested mostly on DNA tests.
Mr Reed said he had an affair with Ms Staits, which would explain why his DNA had been extracted from her body. Mr Reed’s lawyers said witnesses had confirmed that the two had an affair and that in recent years, new evidence has emerged to suggest that Ms. States’ fiancé may be a suspect in her murder.
A judge in Texas advised Mr. Reed not to receive a new trial in November, sending his case back to the state’s highest criminal court, the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals.
Add Comment