Delma Banks

Delma Banks Jr. (born October 30, 1958 ) is an American who was suspected of murder. Banks was sentenced to death in 1980 and was on death row for 24 years until the verdict was reversed in 2004. In 2012, Banks finally signed an agreement with the prosecution that allowed his sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment. This means that Banks can apply for parole at the earliest in 2024, at the age of 65, after 44 years in prison .

case

The then 21-year-old Banks is said to have killed the then 16-year-old Richard Whitehead to get his car. Banks was friends with Whitehead, and according to witnesses who saw the two of them together that night, there was no disagreement between the two. There were no eyewitnesses or evidence linking Banks to Whitehead's death.

The prosecution relied primarily on the statements of drug addicts Robert Farr and Charles Cook. Cook has a criminal record for robbery and forgery.

Proceedings and scheduled dates of execution

Delma Banks was found guilty of murdering Richard Whitehead in 1980. Years of legal tug-of-war broke out over his case.

In 1999, a forced federal judge from Bowie County to release the case files. Bank's defense attorneys discovered a transcript from which it emerged that Cook had been trained to testify. The defense also found that questionable informant Farr had been paid a fee of $ 200 for his role in the investigation. Criminal witness Farr made an affidavit in 1999 after fearing police arrest for drug offenses. He accepted the money offered and agreed to incriminate Delma Banks with his testimony. The US Supreme Court made it clear that the attorneys in charge of 1980 encouraged Cook and Farr to testify in court, and never informed the jury that their information was false.

Banks had a total of 16 execution dates and was on death row for a total of 24 years . The final date of execution was only postponed ten minutes before the execution.

The Supreme Court , however, saw 2004 in its judgment as proven that lied in the murder trial witnesses for the prosecution in court, other witnesses had been paid by the police and exonerating facts have been omitted.

In August 2012, Banks signed an agreement between the prosecution and defense to convert the sentence to life imprisonment. Banks undertook not to file any further motions against the judgment. This means that Banks will not be able to apply for parole until 2024 at the earliest.

Public effect

Anti-death penalty organizations had fought for years for Delma Banks to be pardoned. Delma Banks had pleaded innocence from the start.

Several judges and politicians, as well as former FBI director William Sessions , had campaigned for Banks. The then prosecutor James Elliott said after the acquittal that he was convinced of Banks' guilt and ready for a new trial.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Initiative against the death penalty : Doubtful death sentence revised to life
2. ↑ USA - death penalty postponed 16 times - finally lifted - sueddeutsche.de