Death Penalty News

A man on death row for a brutal Smith County murder says the electric shock he received during trial violated his constitutional rights. James Calvert was convicted in 2015 of capital murder and sentenced to death for fatally shooting his ex-wife, Jelena Sriraman, and abducting their child in October 2012. Calvert was sentenced to death after a lengthy, if somewhat bizarre, trial in Smith County's 241st District Court. Calvert's death penalty sentence automatically triggered an appeal, which was filed this past October with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Several points of error are presented in the appeal. The 1st point alleges that the electric shock violated Calvert's rights to, "substantive and procedural due process," while a 2nd point alleges the trial court erred by refusing to grant a mistrial after the electric shock incident. "The trial court had lesser alternatives, and allowing bailiffs to use a 50,000-volt shock device...

The European Union is spearheading an effort to limit the global trade of torture instruments and tools used to carry out executions. Almost 60 countries have committed to join the Alliance for Torture-Free Trade, which formally launched at the United Nations on Monday. Countries with some of the highest numbers of executions, including China and the US, are not participating. But supporters of the initiative say the alliance is a start. Goods such as shock belts, spiked batons and gas chambers are among the products targeted by the movement, which is also backed by Argentina and Mongolia. Some of the items can be found for purchase online, which EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom called "unacceptable". "I'm not naive. I know you can torture a person with a pencil if you want to, but this is a way to at least limit the access of these products," Ms Malmstrom told the BBC. Members of the alliance plan to collaborate on laws cur...

James Calvert is dragged into court in 2014. A potential death penalty trial in East Texas is set to resume on Monday after it was put on hold when a judge was said by a TV station to have had a shock belt used on the defendant for misbehaving. James Calvert, 45, of Tyler, Texas, is on trial in Smith County, where prosecutors allege he beat and fatally shot his former wife at her home and abducted their 4-year-old son in October 2012. Judge Jack Skeen allowed Calvert to defend himself, over objections from attorneys specializing in the death penalty, at the outset of the trial in August. Skeen also ordered a shock device be placed on Calvert for security reasons because of his unpredictable behavior, legal officials said. On Sept. 15, when Calvert did not stand up at the judge's request, Skeen had an electric shock administered on the defendant that caused him to twist in pain before the jury, local TV broadcaster KLTV reported. "Calvert refuses to stand u...