A Texas man who said his death sentence was based on false and unscientific expert testimony was executed Thursday evening for killing a man during a robbery decades ago.
Brent Ray Brewer, 53, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the April 1990 death of Robert Laminack. The inmate was pronounced dead at 6:39 p.m. local time, 15 minutes after the chemicals began flowing.
Prosecutors had said Laminack, 66, gave Brewer and his girlfriend a ride to a Salvation Army location in Amarillo when he was stabbed in the neck and robbed of $140.
Brewer’s execution came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to step in over the inmate’s claims that prosecutors had relied on false and discredited expert testimony at his 2009 resentencing trial.
Abolish capital punishment
I’m so tired of being a part of the murder of innocents on a systemic level.
I’m tired of being part of the murder of the guilty on a systemic level. No crime is heinous enough for me to say “Yeah, government, go ahead and murder us”.
There are absolutely crimes worthy of removing you from the species, permanently.
But until we have a system that can do it with 100% accuracy it shouldnt be an option.
Blackstone’s Ratio is very relevant here, “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer”
I don’t disagree. There are some sick people in this world that create chaos and torture people for the remaining time here. I don’t believe they deserve life.
However being framed for that is the problem. And I think it’s a very hard teeter totter to walk without problems or mistakes.
Which is why I said that until we have a system that can dispense that justice with 100% accuracy and no error, it shouldnt be an option.
This guy wasn’t an innocent. The testimony that they were trying to challenge was about him being a future risk to the public. He wasn’t trying to say that there was evidence he didn’t do it.
Hey, hi. Not what I’m talking about, thanks. People who are innocent of crimes are killed by capital punishment and I’m really tired of being involved in that against my will.
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“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”
My favorite quote from LotR.
Where’s the quote from? I love the last line
Gandalf, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Dunno if it was pulled from the book, or if it exists only in the movie.
Book too. A perfect application of Gandalf’s (Tolkien’s) wisdom.
So Tolkien, maybe. Which makes sense. Thanks!
I tried reading the hobbit when I was about 9, but I have a cognitive issue with repetition, along with moments of overwhelming empathy. The knocking on the door drove me crazy, and I couldn’t continue reading. (I remember thinking something like: “leave the poor hobbit alone!” I was a weird kid). I’ve only watched the movies but I don’t remember the lines
It’s also not a great book, so it could be that.
Brewer has long expressed remorse for the killing and a desire to apologize to Laminack’s family.
“I will never be able to repay or replace the hurt (and) worry (and) pain I caused you. I come to you in true humility and honest heart and ask for your forgiveness,” Brewer wrote in a letter to Laminack’s family that was included in his clemency application to the parole board.
So did he do it then? Because it sounds like they were trying to get him off on a technicality, rather than because he didn’t do it and was falsely accused.
You have to show sympathy and remorse to qualify for clemency or parole, so you say you’re sorry for the situation and their loss but never that you’re at fault.
Absolutely, I can understand why he would say he felt sorry for the family. But saying sorry for the pain he caused is an admission of guilt.
I think the timeline went like this:
- 1990 Brewer (then 19) and his girlfriend attack Laminack, killing him.
- 1991 Brewer is convicted and sentenced to death.
- 2007 Supreme Court overturns the decision because of a technicality on the jurors’ instructions.
- 2009 Brewer is re-tried, and again convicted, in part due to expert testimony from Coons.
- 2010 In another trial, Coons’ testimony was ruled as “insufficiently reliable”.
- Brewer’s lawyer then raises an appeal in Texas over Coons’ testimony in 2009. Appeals court says “you should’ve said that in 2009”.
- Brewer’s lawyers escalate to the Supreme Court, however they decline to hear the case, deferring to the Texas Appeals Court’s judgement.
Presumably, Coons’ testimony could have been challenged in 2009 in exactly the same way as it was in 2010, but they didn’t do this. I’m sure Coons is now seen as an unreliable witness, but he was considered reliable up until 2010.
It was actually the Texas Appeals Court that ruled that Coons was unreliable, however presumably the appeal in which they established that was granted for other reasons than his statement alone. Indeed, this is the 2010 case, there were 25 points in question. While the court ruled that Coons’ testimony was unreliable, they still reaffirmed the conviction.
It’s something they must do, read clemency pleas they’re basically all the same because boards want to see the same thing. Factually not guilty people have said the same thing in clemency letters.
I dunno who exactly is at fault nor did I read that much into it, what I am saying is don’t particularly base anything on clemency or parole letters, they’re intentionally flawed so they can be used against the subject later, it’s holdover slave shit that persists.
American justice in a nutshell.
“I didn’t do it!”
“We know, but if you decide to go to trial, chances are you will spend the rest of your natural life in the salt mines. So just sign here and you’ll spend only half your life in the salt mines, guaranteed.”
Yep iirc is somewhere over 60% of all criminal charges are disposed of by plea I think it’s actually 90ish% but I’m not certain.
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This is the 2010 trial in which Coons was declared unreliable: https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2010/20229.html
In that appeal, they considered 25 points. While they agreed with points 3 and 4 regarding Coons’ testimony, they still upheld the conviction and death sentence. It was the same Texas Court of Appeals that considered that hearing as well as Brewer’s request for appeal.
Brewer and his lawyer were trying to get an appeal based on Coons’ statement, but this almost certainly wouldn’t be enough to change the sentencing, based on their 2010 ruling. I haven’t dug up Brewer’s appeal to see if there were any other reasons, but the fact that they were focusing on this one suggests that there wasn’t much else they could have argued.
No, he was trying to say he would have been sentenced to life instead of death if the jury hadn’t heard certain expert testimony.
I would guess the testimony would be along the lines of blood splatter or some other pseudoscientific forensics where the expert might say the crime was particularly vicious.
That didn’t matter in the death sentence appeal where the court ruled the testimony as unreliable: https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/court-of-criminal-appeals/2010/20229.html
They ruled that the testimony was unreliable, but still let the sentence stand. If all Brewer was arguing was the testimony, then the court would have reached the same conclusion.
Barbaric
The thumbnail looks like a set from a Victorian horror film
Not as barbaric as the murder he committed.
Fair enough, so who is getting executed for this one?
You can feel free to do the legal research and try to figure out a compelling argument for executing a government.
Well no, we didn’t murder society for his murder, we murdered him. So we shouldn’t murder the government, we should murder his murderer. Right?
I just hope it wasn’t you that administered the lethal injection, then we’ll have to murder you!
most executions are surprisingly brutal and painful. it probably was worse than being stabbed in the neck
The notions that modern executions by lethal injection are extremely painful are all conjecture. There’s no proof one way or the other. You have no idea which person suffered more, so don’t pretend you do. We know being stabbed in the neck and bleeding out is incredibly painful.
Stop pleading for sympathy for this shithead. I can get behind a ban on the death penalty, but too many people talk about it like the criminals who get executed are poor, unfortunate victims. They’re not. Most of them are assholes who ended someone else’s life. There are plenty of reasons to be against the death penalty, but the notion that cold-blooded murderers don’t deserve death is not one of them.
They’re still human beings and some non-zero percentage of executions are due to wrongful convictions. So, how can you be certain this person was a “shithead” deserving of a prolonged, if not painful, death?
No judgment is 100% certain and I don’t know the details of this case, but I’m also not in favor of the death penalty for this very reason. However, I do get sick of hearing other people claim those executed by the state don’t deserve their executions, because those people don’t know either. In my opinion, from a moral perspective, if you did commit premeditated murder, I do not think you should be allowed to live. So, for me, the problem with the death penalty is that our human justice systems can’t achieve enough certainty to be doling out punishments we can’t take back or ameliorate, but that’s not to say some of if not likely the majority of those who receive death sentences don’t deserve them.
“I don’t know the specifics, but this guy absolutely deserved a painful death. Stop defending him and acting like he deserved to live!”
Now I’m waiting for the ones who don’t like the death penalty because it’s not cruel enough to chime in.
Oh, they’re over on reddit. That place is a cesspool when it comes to posts like this one.
While I’m sure such people exist, I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for them here.
The dark ages called, they want to know if you’re going to be home for dinner.
You’re that person in your friend group who thinks they’re really funny, but just tells mediocre jokes that a dime-store joke book features, right?
You’re that person who everyone hates and want nothing to do with, who sits at home stewing and planning to shoot up a mall to prove them wrong, right?
By why stoop to that level?
I’m not saying we should. I just get irked when people gripe about the death penalty without acknowledging that a lot of the people who receive it deserve it.
deserve it.
Wow what an insightful, well-researched reason.
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Good thing that’s not at all how a trial works, genius.
Shh… Adults are talking.
It’s ok, they can just unexecute him later when new evidence comes to light, or an appeal finds that a mistake was made.
It is better to punish too many than too few, because then you have a higher degree of probability of getting the right guy! Even if it’s not “your” guy, you also increase the chance of killing someone who committed a different crime and happened to get away with it. This way, statistically, we will be a safe and healthy society, on average. It’s simple maths, people. If for every caught criminal we also punish two or three random citizens, just imagine, we would all keep each other in check and be happy.
We should also institute governmental snitch centrals, and letting people starve to death in cages hung outside the city gates, but those are optional.
Jesus wept. I ate the onion in the first sentence.
It’s pretty fucked that the argument actually resides within the Overton window.
Depends on whose Overton window.
Where I live, nah, it’s way outside… where this is happening, right in the centre at “policy”.
Ah restoring the ancient Roman practice of decimation. Brilliant! You need to present these ideas at CPAC, I’m sure you would earn a standing ovation.
When Cameron Willingham was wrongfully evening, Rick Perry changed out the chair and 2 other Members of of the forensic science commission 2 days before they were going to hold a meeting to share their findings that it was a bad kill.
15 minutes, fuck. It’s such a bullshit and simply meant to torture, whatever they claim. There are enough methods to kill quick and painless but no, that would not satisfy the people watching. Animals.
A teenager with an AR can kill most of their classmates in 1/10th that time. Are the prison executioners incompetent, or just lazy?
Neither, most chemicals are actual medical drugs manufactured by pharmaceutical companies who don’t consent to their medicine being used to kill people. So prisons aren’t allowed to use them as such or face charges, and that’s that.
So they have to use some homebrew cocktails or overdose prisoners on stuff that isn’t highly lethal, so it takes forever.
As far as I remember, the drugs can’t be legally produced or sold in the US, so they have to be smuggled in from India. But I may be off on the details. Either case, what the fuck.
The inmate was pronounced dead at 6:39 p.m. local time, 15 minutes after the chemicals began flowing.
15 MINUTES?!
A run of the mill school shooter could kill a whole high school in that time and with less agony.
Bring back the firing squad already.
I mean honestly, and seriously, wouldn’t that be way more in line with representing how the US deals with justice?
They typically put them to sleep then kill them. It’s not 15 minutes of the chemicals boiling their blood or something per my understanding.
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You are mistaken.
Anyone who believes in the death penalty is a moron. That’s my final answer.
It’s funny that we live in a society where trying to kill yourself is a crime (punishment of which is to be locked up) but also one where if you commit a certain type of crime (or rather, are convicted of committing a certain type of crime) your punishment is to be locked up until you’re put to death
So strange
Eta: it’s like:
“Oh you tried to kill yourself? Jail time!” “Oh you killed someone? DEATH”
They’re saying death is only ok when the government does it to you (barring natural death and even then hospitals try everything they can to keep people alive, even those who are well past their expiration date and have given up on life a long time ago)
Surely, the life begins at birth people will mourne say this is a travesty
“Pro-Life”
If that’s how you interpret “pro life” then you must be okay with this execution if you’re “pro choice”. The state “choose” to execute this man after all.
If that’s how you interpret “pro choice” no wonder you want control over women’s bodies…?
This seems like a poor choice of articles to discuss abortion in though. And yes, I know you didn’t start it.
Do you mean to say it’s a bad idea to interpret a political slogan literally and in a different context from where it is meant to be used?
I mean, did you make it past the first sentence in my comment?
… Yes? Not sure how the second sentence is relevant though.
Then exactly what fucking point were you trying to make. If you understood the words I wrote, how did I misinterpret yours? I clearly must have…
If you’re going to kill someone who killed someone, to show that killing is wrong, the punishment should fit the crime.
Lethal injection, are you fucking kidding me? I know druggies that pay money for that, SMH.
If you’re going to execute someone, the gas chamber should be the only option. Let them feel the amount of anxiety their victims felt when they realized they were going to die a horrible death.
Yiiiikes
He has to be a troll. Or a teenager or maybe a seriously out of touch, stunted adult. Super cringeworthy either way.
Lmao this reminds me of my 4chan days
Holy fucking cringe batman 🤮
You’re right, but for the wrong reasons. Lethal injection has been criticized for many things, including not being particularly effective, easily botchable, and difficulty in sourcing the materials.
Asphyxiation through nitrogen, though, is very effective, hard to mess up, and easily available.
Personally, if I had to choose my method, I’d want a firing squad. A half dozen bullets to the brain seems quick and decisive.
If I could choose any way to be executed, it would be to be at the epicenter of a nuclear bomb with enough force to instantly obliterate me. In a moment I exist, and in the other I don’t.
Else, nitrogen is painless and effective.
But you might end up looking like Wenseslao Moguel for the rest of your full life.
Why would you want to kill someone anyway. Youre not doing any good for society. If you really need an explanation for why killing people is wrong something isnt right on your side. The only people that should be killed are those who would pose a liability to society by simply existing(ex.: Ceausescu, Hitler, etc(usually dictators))
How is revenge productive to society? Sure, I have been through shit and I have wished that I would be able to cause physical harm and suffering onto those perpetrators, but I don’t think that is actually what should be done to people. We can’t build a better society by just getting revenge and escalating things. That’s how we all start living in fear.
