Below are photos and a video of the demonstration held at the Texas Capitol on June 14, 2010 to stop the execution of David Powell, which was carried out the next day on June 15, 2010.
The Austin American-Statesman also published an article and photo in the newspaper:
Powell is set to die shortly after 6 p.m. for the shooting death of Austin police officer Ralph Ablanedo during a traffic stop in 1978.While Ablanedo’s family members gathered in Huntsville, where the state’s execution chamber is located, more than three dozen Powell supporters rallied Monday at the state Capitol to urge elected officials to halt the execution.Organizer Scott Cobb, with the Texas Moratorium Network, said Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg was the protest’s main target. “To kill David Powell is not a reflection of our values as Austinites,” he said. “She could really stop this execution.”But Lehmberg, who has for several months received daily calls and e-mails pleading for Powell’s life, said Monday that she will not intervene by asking District Judge Mike Lynch to withdraw the execution warrant or Gov. Rick Perry to grant a 30-day reprieve.“My position hasn’t changed, which is that Travis County juries, who are hesitant to ever sentence death, have heard this case three times,” Lehmberg said. “I will not intervene and substitute my judgment for theirs, even if I could.”
