In Texas, TaiChin Preyor was executed late last month, after his appeal was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court. Preyor, who was convicted of the murder of 24-year-old Jami Tackett in 2004 during a drug deal, had appealed his conviction on the grounds that his lawyer had never tried a murder case in Texas before, and relied on Wikipedia for research. This was the fifth execution in Texas this year. The Houston Chronicle reports that “at least six other Texas prisoners are scheduled to be executed in the next several months.”
In New Mexico last week, conservative lawmakers are renewing their call to bring back the death penalty. The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Rep. Monica Youngblood will introduce a bill in the 2018 session that will reinstate the death penalty for those convicted of killing children and police officers. A similar bill introduced by Youngblood this year failed, and the paper says “the chances of her proposal faring any better in 2018 are low.”
In Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun reports that Scott Raymond Dozier has told a state judge that “his decision to drop any appeals is firm and he wants to be executed.” Dozier was convicted of robbing and killing a man in 2002. If he is executed, he will be the first person put to death in Nevada since 2006.