Texas Death Row inmate Rodney Reed was convicted and sentenced to death in 1998 for killing 19 year old Stacey Stites in April of 1996. Reed has always claimed that he was innocent. In June of 1998, Reed's attorneys filed a notice of intent to appeal. In March 2008 Texas Court of Criminal Appeals began reviewing evidence to determine if Reed should be granted a new trial. His defense attorneys say "The state's processing of the scene and evidence is a textbook example of at best ineptitude and at worst misconduct". DNA evidence proved Reed was intimate with Stites, however Reed claims the two where dating secretly. Reed's attorneys also claim that the killer of Stites was a former police officer, Jimmy Fennell Jr., who was her fiance at the time. Fennell and is now awaiting a trial for aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping and the attack of a woman. A witness claimed they saw Stites and Fennell arguing the morning she was found dead.
References
Fast Facts
-
Birthdate
December 22, 1967
-
Fact:
Is from Bastrop County
-
Fact:
Stacey Stiles was killed on April 23, 1996
-
Fact:
Admits to having sex with Sites the day before the murder
-
Fact:
Was 28 at time of crime
-
Fact:
Originally denied knowing Stites, claims race was a factor for hiding the relationship
-
Fact:
He was arrested one year after the murder
