Jeff Wood - Another Person Like Kenneth Foster Facing Execution
Under the "Law of Parties"
Who Did Not Kill Anyone
Click here to contact Governor Perry and the Board of Pardons and Paroles
Last summer, Governor Perry commuted the death sentence of Kenneth
Foster only hours before he was scheduled for execution. The Board of
Pardons and Paroles had voted the day before to recommend clemency for
Foster, who had been convicted under the "Law of Parties" even though
he did not kill anyone. Many newspapers wrote editorials urging Perry
to commute Foster's death sentence, including the Dallas Morning News,
which wrote in , "
Not a Killer: Kenneth Foster does not deserve execution":
Ours
is the only state in the country to apply the "law of parties" to
capital cases, allowing accomplices to pay the ultimate penalty for a
murder committed by another. Mr. Foster is a criminal. But he should not be put to death for a murder committed by someone else"
Now, Texas is set to execute another person who did not kill anyone but was sentenced to death under the Law of Parties.
Jeff
Wood is waiting to die on Texas Death Row with an execution date of
August 21st, 2008. Jeff was charged under the Law of Parties and was
not the shooter in this crime. Jeff did not know that the other person
would commit a murder. The actual shooter in this case has already been
executed by the state of Texas.
It
took over 17,000 people contacting Governor Perry and the Board of
Pardons and Paroles to make a difference for Kenneth Foster last year.
Please help save Jeff as Kenneth was saved.
The cousin of Kris Keeran (the murder victim) wants to save the life of Jeff Wood:
"My
cousin was the person killed by Danny, not Jeff. I say this as a family
member who realized long ago Jeff had no part in my cousin's murder and
he shouldn't be executed. It's insane to kill another person who did
not kill Kris. The video showed Jeff took no part in it. Jeff was one
of my friends growing up and someone I think deserves a chance. If he
didn't kill him, why should we kill Jeff? This is ridiculous."
- Amanda Smith, Texas
June 19, 2008
Don't know about Jeff Wood's case? Here is a short case summary:
At
approximately 6:00 a.m. on Jan. 2, 1996, while Wood waited outside,
Reneau entered the gas station with a gun and pointed it at Kris
Keeran, the clerk standing behind the counter. Reneau ordered him to a
back room. When he did not move quickly enough, Reneau fired one shot
with a 22 caliber handgun that struck Keeran between the eyes. Death
was almost instantaneous. Proceeding with the robbery, Reneau went into
the back office and took a safe. When hearing the shot, Wood got out of
the car to see what was going on. He walked by the door and looked
through the glass. Then he went inside, and he looked over the counter
and ran to the back, where Reneau was. Wood was then ordered, at gun
point by Reneau, to get the surveillance video and to drive the
getaway-car.
Additional facts:
- Wood
suffers from severe disabling mental illness. He was abused and beat severely and
repeatedly as a child. He is submissive to dominant behavior because of
such.
- At arrest Wood was forced into interrogation by the
police and did not have council present. Wood was kept awake the entire
time. He was refused sleep. He eventually confessed saying it was a
planned robbery. He later revoked this statement. Wood was found not
mentally fit to stand trial. He was admitted into a mental hospital and
a couple of weeks later was found 'trial ready'.
- At trial,
Wood was not satisfied with his representation. Wood asked to represent
himself, but wasn't allowed to do so. The judge found him not capable
of doing this. The judge however, did not argue Wood when Wood said he
would then order his attorney's not to do anything. Result: Jeff had no
witnesses during the punishment phase of his trial on his behalf.
- The victim's father is against the death penalty and actually campaigned to keep the actual gunman Reneau alive.
Important facts that should be mentioned in your letter to the Governor include:
- Jeff was charged under the Law of Parties and was not the shooter in this crime.
- Jeff could not anticipate that a murder would occur.
- Jeff was not even in the store when the murder took place and had no way of knowing it would happen.
- The actual shooter in this case has already been executed by the state of Texas.
- The murder was actually committed by Daniel Earl Reneau, who was executed in Texas on June 13, 2002 for this crime.
- Please
express your sympathy for the family of the victim, Kris Keeran, while
mentioning again that Jeff Wood did not kill Kris.
- You can
also mention that Jeff's case is similar to the case of Kenneth Foster,
whose death sentence under the Law of Parties was commuted by Gov.
Perry in 2007.
Click here to contact Governor Perry and the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Jeff Wood's Website.
Upcoming Scheduled Executions in Texas
Jeff Wood August 21 Law of Parties
Write Governor Perry and the Board of Pardons and Paroles to Stop the Execution of Jeff Wood
TDCJ Info on Jeffery Wood
Jeff Wood's Website
Sign the Petition for Jeff Wood
Jeff
Wood is waiting to die on Texas Death Row with an execution date of
August 21st, 2008. Jeff was charged under the Law of Parties, and was
not the shooter in this crime. Jeff could not anticipate that a murder
would occur.The actual shooter in this case has already been executed
by the state of Texas.
Scheduled Executions in Texas
Karl Chamberlain June 11 EXECUTED
TDCJ Info on Karl Chamberlain
Charles Hood June 17 CANCELLED
TDCJ Info on Charles Hood
Judge and Prosecutor in Hood's Trial Were Having an Affair
Carlton Turner July 10 EXECUTED
TDCJ Info on Carlton Turner
Lester Bower July 22 STAYED
Witness Says Bower is Innocent
TDCJ Info on Lester Bower
Derrick Sonnier July 23
TDCJ Info on Derrick Sonnier
Larry Davis July 31
TDCJ Info on Larry Davis
Jose Medellin August 5
TDCJ Info on Jose Medellin
Heliberto Chi August 7
TDCJ Info on Heliberto Chi
Leon Dorsey August 12
TDCJ Info on Leon Dorsey
Michael Rodriguez August 14
TDCJ Info on Micheal Rodriguez
Denard Manns August 20
TDCJ Info on Denard Manns
Jeff Wood August 21 Law of Parties
TDCJ Info on Jeffery Wood
Jeff Wood's Website
(Above) Students from Across the Country at the Texas Capitol during the 2008 Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break
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