Jewish prisoner Randy Halprin confessed to severely beating an 18-month-old toddler in 1996 and fracturing the boy's skull and was sentenced to 30 years in prison before breaking out and murdering a police officer in 2000. Halprin was scheduled to be executed on October 10th but the Anti-Defamation League and "100 Jewish attorneys from Dallas and throughout the state" rallied to his defense and got a stay of execution by accusing his judge of being "antisemitic."
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Jewish prisoner Randy Halprin confessed to severely beating an 18-month-old toddler in 1996 and fracturing the boy's skull and was sentenced to 30 years in prison before breaking out and murdering a police officer in 2000.
Halprin was scheduled to be executed on October 10th but the Anti-Defamation League and "100 Jewish attorneys from Dallas and throughout the state" rallied to his defense and got a stay of execution by accusing his judge of being "antisemitic."
From Dallas News, "Texas Seven's Randy Halprin has execution stayed after attorneys allege judge was anti-Semite": The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday stayed the upcoming execution of Randy Halprin, one of the two surviving Texas Seven members on death row.
The 42-year-old Halprin, one of seven prisoners who escaped from the John B. Connally Unit on Dec. 13, 2000, was scheduled to die Thursday for his role in the slaying of Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins 11 days later. But his attorneys, with the support of 100 Jewish attorneys from Dallas and throughout the state, argued in recent weeks that Halprin, who was raised Jewish in Arlington's Congregation Beth Shalom, was sentenced to death by a bigoted judge whose "anti-Semitic views of Mr. Halprin created an unconstitutional risk of bias."
That judge was Vickers "Vic" Cunningham, who is alleged to have called Halprin "that [expletive] Jew" and much worse during the trial.
Cunningham denied the allegations made by Halprin's attorneys, telling The Dallas Morning News in June that his alleged anti-Semitic comments are "fabrications" and "the same lies from my estranged brother and his friends."
But the court took the allegations seriously enough to remand the case back to a Dallas County court for further review.
When reached at his Gaston Avenue law office Friday afternoon, Cunningham said he had "been informed" of the court's ruling.
"I cannot comment at this time," he said. "Would love to. But I cannot comment."
The Hawkins family, through Aubrey's widow, Lori, declined comment.
When reached by phone, Halprin's public defender, Tivon Schardl, said only that he and his client were "very grateful the Court of Criminal Appeals made it clear bigotry won't stand in Texas criminal courts".......
Poster Comment:
On a purely leftist, partisan basis they're outlawing and disenfranchising people because of stupid made-up notions that their opinions about some minority group disqualify them from serving the public. Since all whites are considered deeply racist and "anti-semitic", you don't need a crystal ball to see where that takes us.
"You're an 'anti-Semite, you can't rule on any jew defendants." "You whispered a racist remark in 1959, you can't teach here." Hell, I say courts screening jurors by their opinions is an abomination.