| Ivan Cantu, who was put to death by the state of Texas on Wednesday, is likely an innocent. Sadly, neither Texas nor the United States are new to this. |
| Executing the innocent in death penalty states is just one of the costs they have to pay to keep death’s machinery running. Nothing is perfect, after all, and so long as the error rate in capital cases isn’t “too great,” we look away or pretend that those who are killed got what they deserved. |
| To end long-running capital cases, we tolerate the execution of innocents. It may give families some closure and provide a sense of finality. |
| We execute innocent people because our Supreme Court says that the Constitution doesn’t prohibit it. |
| It’s long past the time to admit that as long we continue to put people to death we will execute innocent people. |
| Texas did so when it executed Cantu by lethal injection for murdering his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée, James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen, in November 2000. As the Texas Tribunenotes, “Prosecutors pointed to bloody clothing found in Cantu’s trash can, stolen jewelry and the testimony from Cantu’s fiancée, Amy Boettcher, and her brother, Jeff Boettcher, to… |
