JURIST - Paper Chase: Texas executes first black woman for 1987 killings

[JURIST] Frances Newton [Amnesty International backgrounder] was executed by lethal injection late Wednesday at Huntsville prison in Texas for fatally shooting her husband and two children in 1987, making her the first black woman executed by the state since it took over executions from counties in 1923. Several dozen protestors were present outside the prison at the time of her execution, but the number was much lower than that at 1998 demonstrations for Karla Faye Tucker [Wikipedia profile], the first woman executed in Texas. Supporters of Newton had campaigned [JURIST report] over the past several years to halt her execution, successfully obtaining a stay [JURIST report] from Gov. Rick Perry in December 2004. Attorneys for Newton requested a further 30-day stay [Houston Chronicle report] from Gov. Perry earlier this week, but were unsuccessful. Newton was convicted of killing her husband and children in 1987 to collect $100,000 in insurance. AP has more.

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