Supreme Court rejects Texas death row inmate's appeal over DNA evidence
The Supreme Court for a second time intervened over a Texas death row inmate who claims his murder conviction should be thrown out because DNA evidence used at trial was later found to be flawed.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene over a Texas death row inmate's claim that his murder conviction should be thrown out because DNA evidence used at trial was later found to be flawed.
The justices turned away the appeal brought by Areli Escobar, who was convicted of the 2009 murder of 17-year-old Bianca Maldonado.
In an unusual twist, prosecutors had agreed that the evidence was faulty and that a new trial was appropriate.
The case bears some similarity to one the court recently decided in which it ruled in favor of Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip. In both cases, prosecutors have admitted fault, but state courts nevertheless ruled against the defendants. In Glossip's case, the Supreme Court ultimately threw out his conviction.
The Escobar case puts the spotlight on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In January 2022, the court upheld Escobar's conviction despite prosecutors conceding that the evidence was problematic.
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