The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday morning halting the execution of Texas death row inmate Cleve Foster.
The justices issued an order granting a stay of execution for Cleve Foster about eight hours before his scheduled lethal injection.
The Gulf War veteran was convicted along with another man of the 2002 murder of Nyanuer "Mary" Pal, a Sudanese immigrant he met at a Fort Worth bar.
Read CNN's full coverage of the Cleve Foster stay of execution
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Let's halt them all!
Right! Halt them all. Just as soon as lowlifes like Foster halt murdering people.
"On Tuesday morning, the high court agreed to reconsider its January order denying the 47-year-old's appeal. That appeal raised claims of innocence and poor legal help during his trial and early stages of his appeals. " Don't know if he's innocent, Yeshright, but as soon as the system becomes perfect and innocent folks aren't railroaded by over eager DAs and convicted unjustly we can be as certain as you about a prisoners innocence or guilt. Until that happens your as much as a low life as anyone since you would have your government put possibly innocent people to death.
Yes, you are on a privileged list of wonderful countries that still us the death penalty. Such great, modern, stable countries as North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan etc etc.
Yeshright, and if he's truly innocent?
(1) death penalty does not deter crime (2) almost nobody is actually put to death, instead...(3) appeals cost millions and millions – just sentence them to life and save us money (4) Texas has already overturned multiple convictions on DNA evidence – Texas of all places shouldn't have a death penalty
When can we start executing people who execute innocent men!!! Come on you can’t have it both ways forever.
You are not the one waiting to die....Plus, TX is a state known for imprisoning people without legitimate proof that they committed the crime. How much money have they had to pay for people who have spent their life in prison and were proven innocent through DNA testing? Obviously if the supreme court is this involved in the case something is wrong....
The arguement of weather the death penalty is a deterent is irrelevant. It is more like surgery. When a person is a mad dog killer, why not treat him like the mad dog he wants to be. If a dog has rabies, you put it down. Nevertheless, if it is being reviewed by a higher court, that is not unreasonable as it should be an absolute that the right dog is being euphanised.
He's guilty – just trying to get out from under a murder sentence like all the other cowards.
@: "CliffDogg"
Your #1 and #2 kinda prove the same point. The death penalty WOULD deter crime, if it were properly handled. If the death penalty actually meant you would be put to death in a reasonable time-frame, then it would absolutely deter crime. But as of now, we barely have a death penalty. We have a death row penalty, which is actually much nicer than general population.
Personally, I would put a 1-year limit on all death row appeals. From the end of the trial, when the judge drops the gavel and declares you guilty, you have 1 year maximum to appeal and raise a reasonable doubt. If no such reasonable doubt can be raised, put down. Preferably by firing squad, as it's extremely effective and relatively inexpensive.
Yes! HALT all executions forever! Let's support murderers and rapists for the rest of their lives, giving them the best of expensive health care, cable TV, telephones, college educations at taxpayers expense, then risk their escaping either from the prison of from a hospital to commit more crimes!
May it be YOUR wife, son or daughter that gets to be their victim. NOT mine.
No doubt the Texas authorities are sorely disappointed by this ruling. We all know how much they love their executions. It's their version of the national pasttime.
Ain't that the truth!
Oh please. Have u ever been here? Or spent any time im huntsville as a city? 99.5% of the people have no idea an execution is taking place and or why. I spent six yrs there studying criminal justice and it rarely even came up. Do your research and get a life.
Sorry...in huntsville
clevergirl is a complete idiot, you should change your name
Gosh, clevergirl50, you really are clever!
It's not our national pastime. We just won't put up with people thinking it's ok to kill other people. Sorry that you seem to think it's ok or that society needs to feed and house these animals for the rest of their lives. We don't.
Maybe if more states would grow "a pair" there would be less violent crimes if there were more permanent consequences to this idiots actions. If you don't want us to take care of our business - why don't we ship them up there to your state and let your bleeding hearts take care of them.
@texasgal considering how 1) the crime rate in Texas hasn't gone down with executions and 2) Texas did execute at least one innocent person I don't see how you can support the death penality. Unless, of course, you like being able to kill people guilt-free.
Texas Gal,
There is NO, and I mean NO evidence that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime.
Funny thing. Look at the statistics, we actually don't kill more people than other states by much if at all. But thanks for the stero-type!! Ass.
Wow, after seeing your user name and then reading your comment, kinda contradictory, don't you think? You're not really all that clever with your stupid quips. You would be screaming a different tune if you were the victim of a violent crime.
Gill
Not disputing or agreeing with what you stated (having only been to Texas for a few conferences and never really getting a feel for the local culture), don't you think that what you stated is even more worrisome than it being a 'national pastime' (of which I find to be an offensive comment personally but it was stated)?
Not paying attention to what is happening in your state/country when it comes to matters as serious as the life of a person (with the potential abuse of process that can come with it) is to me an egregious abdication of a persons responsibilities as a citizen.
God bless Texas! welcome to American justice as it was even in New York seventy years ago.
Former Marine, you are absolutely wrong. The death penalty is 100 percent effective in preventing those who incur it from murdering anybody else.
Why does the death penalty have to deter crime? Why can't it just be justice for the victims. When someone murders, they forfeit their life. I know, most of ya believe in heaven and hell, I don't. That murderer took that persons only life, there will not be another, in heaven or hell, or re-incarnation or anything, that is it, they are done, forever. That killer should not get a second chance, because their victim will not get a second chance. If there is a shred of doubt, don't execute, but if the evidence is overwhelming, take them out, like the trash they are.
@ Former Marine & others who think there are no statistics for justifying the death penalty,
I am not a Texan, but I can show you some very convincing evidence that the death penalty does cut down on violent crime. And a true former marine should understand this better than anyone.
If a bonehead enters my home to hurt and/or kill my family and I knock his block off with a 12 guage shotgun, I can guarantee you he will NEVER do it again. Hence, I have cut down on violent crime.
If the state executes a known felon on death row, I can guarantee you, the felon will NEVER commit another crime, EVER AGAIN.
Now, What part of this evidential statistic do you not understand?
We love our executions? How do you figure that?
What we hate is innocent people dying. I'm sorry.. being MURDERED.
Get a grip.
Why should someone get to live for such a heinous crime?
As a Texan, I am greatly offended by your ignorant comment. I have a lot I'd like to say to you, but I won't. I've got a bit of conscience & class. But, I do think you probably need a zipper on your mouth and mittens on your hands.
I love all the people here who think that the death penalty is not a deterant. how do you know? how can you be sure that someone did not kill because of the consequences. It camn sure is in Saudi Arabia – when you get your head chopped off in town square – tell me that doesn't leave an impression on you.
Executions are not a "national past time" in TX. I have family down there and I know. If you were even close to your screen name sake, you would know that other countries out there have LOWER crime rates because of harsher laws and punishments. Take Singapore for example. For spitting on the side walk, they beat your @#$ with a long piece of bamboo until the skin splits like an overripe cantalope. In some middle east countries, they cut off your hand for stealing. And these countries don't play nice when it comes to the death penalty. Can we say beheading? Crawl out of your cotton lined hole and take a look at the real world.
why was it halted?
Because the US Supreme Court once again thinks it has a legitimate hand in anything an individual State does. Unless this involved an interstate crime, the federal government has no jurisdiction to halt, uphold, or even send flowers.
Actually this is even dumber. I think this is the case where Texas is using a new lethal drug and the guilty POS does not want to be a guinea pig so he will only 'accept' the previously used drug – which as luck would have it for him is no longer available. Total BS that this was stopped. Why does he get to name his poison?
The AP reports "Foster's lawyers also argued that Texas prison officials violated administrative procedures when they announced the switch to pentobarbital from sodium thiopental." Pentobarbital is a sedative normally used in animal euthanasia.
Actually, the Supreme Court can intervene in state affairs. 14th Amendment. Read it.
This sounds like a job for Mr. Guillotine..Non experimental and has a 100% accuracry rate. Has a low cost, which won't have an impact on the local economy as it only requires a little bit of manpower to operate! No bullets, no misfires, no electrical blackouts, no swallowing of the tongues and no chemical mixture mixups! Mr Guillotine is the perfect execution method tried and tested for over a 500 years.
Murderers are such cowards, they have no problem killing you or I, but when it comes to THEIR life, oh, well, that is different. I so hope a killer comes into my house and I hear them, I want to kill one so bad. Slow, very slow. I don't care if ya think I'm heartless, I've had a family member murdered, I know how it feels, and I know the killer didn't care.
Debbie; Your comments confuse me. You said your state doesn't like people killing other people but isn't that the argument here? Also you seem awfully anxious to have someone executed. Scary, real scary.
Yeah real informative report there CNN....mind giving some details – like why it was halted? Otherwise lets cover some other news of the day...."Weather: It gonna rain. Sports: The other team won. Politics: Someone is mad at someone else. Mideast: People are shooting each other."....
Don't halt them all. COMMUTE THEM ALL.
Good call. The only people who should die are the victims.
Yeah, commute them all and then let these killers out in YOUR neighborhood. Hell, maybe they can live with you!
Moron.
The money spent on a death row inmate's incarceration and endless appeals process outstrips those of a prisoner incarcerated for life.
I thought we were trying to make budget cuts.
A not insignificant amount of deathrow inmates are, in fact, innocent. But, yes, let's kill them too. Just like a conservative to not think or care about these things.
You are all the morons. Commuting a sentence to life in prison and releasing someone from prison are two different things. Buy a dictionary and learn English!!! Eyes for eyes and teeth for teeth makes the world blind and toothless.
Commuting a sentence doesn't necessarily mean letting them out of jail. It could mean having their sentences commuted to life without parole. Why do so many people immediately jump to calling someone a moron (or worse) in these threads?
A person makes one comment that you possibly misunderstood, & you're ready to have them murdered. Brilliant.
CW
CW
A not insignificant amount of deathrow inmates are, in fact, innocent. But, yes, let's kill them too. Just like a conservative to not think or care about these things.
Lots of statistics being thrown around. Only problem statistics involve numbers. Give us real stats not "what you heard or read" What are the stats on killing innocent people? Where they proven innocent or was there just a question of guilt
Dustin – that's a very schmucky comment.
Why didn't they just use the story as the headline.
How do you upvote on CNN?
I have looked to CNN as a good source of information. But, that's all I get? One line of information. Like I say in the restaurant business, "If you're not ready to serve the customers, then don't open."
You use CNN as a "good" source of information? That's like using Wikipedia as a sole source for a legitimate research paper. Sketchy at best.
There is a reason why even a liberal like President Obama agrees with capital punishment; a majority of Americans support it! Fry the murderers and child rapists. The only shame is that we can't kill them slowly.
You, sir, are a horrible human being.
Congrats Rob, your application to join the Taliban has been accepted!
totally agree kill them how they killed their victims.
dork, iraq called. something about wmd's and killing.
Please do not halt executions
Even if there's evidence the person is innocent?
This particular accused is not saying he is innocent – he just doesn't like the drug they are going to use to kill him. Like he should have a choice in that matter – well apparently the freaking Supreme Court thinks so.
I'm not sure if we need a Supreme Court. I wonder how they would feel if one of their families had been victimized. You take a life – you give a life. There are no in-betweens.
No in-betweens? What about all the people on death row who have been found innocent? Go ahead and execute them anyways, because there are no in-betweens?
I really wonder if you would be saying crap like that if you found yourself wrongfully accused.
You take a life, you give a life? Really? Surely that would require the death penalty for manslaughter, or causing death by dangerous driving, or for a negligent doctor, or (arguably) for anybody who has an abortion.
No in-betweens? So I guess you would execute the guy who shot and killed the two illegals who had just burglarized the house next door? That happened in Texas too, and the guy went SCOTT FREE.! What a loony place!
"Take a life – give a life." Does this apply to the U.S. military who have killed so many innocent civilians in Afghanistan?
Go back to your fishing you redneck lol
I agree with Tom.
me too
They should keep the exacutions going so that way my taxes dont pay for them to live their lives in prison. My taxes should be used for other things not so that some mass murdering psychopath can live.
Actually, according to many recent analyses, it generally costs more of your tax money to execute an inmate than to keep them in prison for life, when you factor in the state's trial and appeal expenses (much higher in death penalty cases). So that's not a sound argument. You could reduce those costs only by limiting appeals and other safeguards, if you want our justice system to be even closer to that of China, Iran, or North Korea.
Look, nobody feels sorry for people who have committed heinous crimes. The problem with the death penalty is that it's irreversible and humans, including judges and juries, are fallible. I find it interesting that conservatives who don't trust the government to administer medical insurance or simple services are so willing to trust the government with killing people.
___ Death is NOT a Penalty ___
Dear Tom, they release a headline to get the news out there. Give them more than 20 minutes and they will add more info as they get it. You shouldn't need to be told this...try thinking before getting worked up.
Thanks bobby!
Do not halt executions