Free Republic

The state's highest criminal court will not intervene in a Dallas County death penalty case despite another man claiming responsibility for the 2008 shootings. James Broadnax was sentenced to death in the 2008 killings of Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler outside their Garland music studio. Broadnax's cousin, Demarius Cummings, was also convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Last month, Cummings filed a signed declaration that he was the one who shot and killed the two victims, not Broadnax, and Broadnax's attorneys filed with the Court of Criminal Appeals seeking to block his execution in light of the...

Durham police arrested 23 people in connection with the vandalism and protest at the former Durham Police Department Headquarters Saturday evening. Officers arrived at 505 West Chapel Hill Street Saturday evening and found protesters gathered in front of the building and others breaking windows. Damaged furniture and spray-painted graffiti were found on several floors. Police said one man was assaulted by several members of the crowd and was thrown to the ground. He was treated at the scene by EMS. Officers ordered the crowd to disperse but several people refused to leave, according to police. The following arrests were made:...

The families of Steve Swan and Matthew Butler didn’t get to tell their sons’ killer exactly what they thought of him. After a Dallas County jury convicted Demarius Cummings on Thursday of capital murder with an automatic sentence of life without parole, bailiffs attempted to drag the 22-year-old man back to the courtroom to hear victim impact statements. But Cummings’ screaming and cursing as he struggled with at least four bailiffs led State District Judge Mike Snipes to declare it wasn’t safe for Cummings to return to the courtroom. The families and jurors looked horrified and nervous as they tearfully...