Death Row Stories

Texas is about to carry out its 600th execution since 1976. But this case is different.Edward Lee Busby Jr is scheduled to die for a brutal 2004 murder in Fort Worth. What he did was horrific. A 77-year-old woman, Laura Lee Crane, was taken at random from a grocery store parking lot and killed. Her family still carries that loss.But today, the focus has shifted to a critical question: should he even be eligible for execution?Two independent experts, one for the defense and one for the prosecution, reached the same conclusion. They found Busby to be intellectually disabled. Under U.S. Supreme Court law, that should make him ineligible for the death penalty.Yet a Texas court rejected those findings.Now, the case has reached the highest court in the country, raising a deeper issue that goes far beyond one man:Can a judge ignore unanimous medical expertise?And what does that mean for others on death row?In this episode of Death Row Stories, I take you inside a legal battle that exposes the cracks in the system. To bring clarity, I revisit an interview I conducted in October 2022 with attorney Richard Burr, a leading expert who worked on the landmark Supreme Court case that banned the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. His insight helps unpack what “intellectual disability” really means, how it is assessed, and why these cases remain so contested today.This is not just about one execution.It is about where the law draws the line.🔴 A real case.⚖️ A national debate.⏳ And a decision that could come too late.Subscribe to follow the case as it unfolds.Discover our YouTube Channel:

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At the gates of the Huntsville Unit, I witnessed one of the most controversial executions in recent Texas history. James Broadnax was put to death as serious doubts still surrounded his case, after his cousin Demarius Cummings recently claimed he was the actual gunman.In this episode of Death Row Stories, I report from outside the prison as protesters gather on both sides, families of the victims arrive, and the final legal battle reaches the Supreme Court of the United States.Inside the death chamber, witnesses described an emotional scene as Broadnax’s wife cried out while he maintained his innocence in his final statement.This is not just the story of one execution. It is a story about doubt, punishment, grief, and the irreversible power of the state.📍 Filmed in Huntsville🎥 Death Row Stories🔔 Subscribe for on-the-ground reporting on America’s death penalty system#DeathRow #Texas #Execution #JamesBroadnax #DeathPenalty #TrueCrime #Huntsville #Justice #Prison #DocumentarySubscribe to stay informed and engaged with the stories that need to be told.Discover our YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@Death-Row-Stories

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What really happens when the state kills someone?In this shocking episode of Death Row Stories, I sit down with Corinna Barrett Lain, author of Secrets of the Killing State, to expose the dark, hidden world of lethal injection, botched executions, and the secret systems behind the death penalty in America.For years, states have claimed lethal injection is clean, humane, and reliable. But what if that’s not true? In this conversation, Corinna Barrett Lain reveals the disturbing history of execution drugs, execution protocols, Supreme Court decisions, and the shocking ways states have scrambled for drugs to carry out executions — including midazolam, pentobarbital, nitrogen gas, and even questionable drug sourcing.We also dig into the most terrifying questions: Why do executions go wrong so often? Why is so much of this hidden from the public? And what does the law really say about cruel and unusual punishment? If you think you know how lethal injection works, this interview will change your mind.This episode is essential viewing for anyone interested in true crime, capital punishment, criminal justice, death row, execution methods, law, Supreme Court cases, and the hidden reality of how the state carries out death sentences in the United States.Subscribe to stay informed and engaged with the stories that need to be told.Discover our podcast YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@Death-Row-Stories

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In 1913, a 21-year-old man was executed in Texas after a trial he could not understand.

This episode of Death Row Stories investigates one of the most disturbing and little-known cases in the history of the death penalty in Texas.

Abram Ortiz was a young Mexican laborer working in South Texas. When a violent crime shocked the region, he was arrested and quickly brought to trial. But there was a major problem.

The trial was conducted entirely in English.Abram Ortiz did not speak English.

In Hidalgo County, near the Texas–Mexico border, a jury of English-speaking men decided his fate. On May 2, 1913, the 21-year-old was publicly hanged inside the county jail in Edinburg, Texas.It remains the only legal hanging ever carried out in the history of the county.Why was this execution so controversial?

Did Ortiz truly understand the accusations against him?And why did Texas abandon public hangings soon after?

Inside the original jail, now part of the Museum of South Texas History, we explore the room where the execution took place and the historical context of justice along the border in the early 20th century.

This episode looks at the history of capital punishment in America, the realities of justice in early Texas, and the human stories behind executions that shaped the debate over the death penalty.If you are interested in true crime, capital punishment, Texas history, executions, and forgotten cases of American justice, subscribe to Death Row Stories for more investigations.

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In 1847, a United States–appointed governor was killed in his own home. He was shot with arrows and scalped in front of his family. What followed was one of the earliest mass executions carried out by American authorities.In this episode of Death Row Stories, I speak with Bob Romero, former president of the Taos County Historical Society and author of a history book on Taos. Standing on Taos Plaza, he explains what happened after the killing of Governor Charles Bent.Men were arrested and put on trial. Romero describes the proceedings as a mock trial or a kangaroo court. The judge had lost his son in the violence. The jury was led by the governor’s own brother. Sentences were handed down quickly.Several men were hanged on the town’s main square. One of the leaders of the uprising, Tomasito Romero, was shot inside the jail before he was ever tried.The events are known as the Taos Revolt. At the time, the territory was under US military control, but sovereignty had not yet changed. Law, power, and punishment collided in the open, in front of the population.This episode explores capital punishment before death row, before modern courts, when executions were public and immediate.A governor scalped.A kangaroo trial.Hangings on the plaza.This is Death Row Stories.Subscribe to the channel to explore the history and reality of the death penalty in the United States.Discover our YouTube Channel:

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What happens when a single decision changes everything?In this episode of Death Row Stories, Tyrone Williams speaks from inside Texas death row — not to explain a crime, but to reflect on the choices that can define a life forever.From refusing a plea deal to believing he acted to protect his children, Tyrone walks us through the moments where the path split… and never came back. Now diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and living with nearly 30 brain lesions, he survives years of solitary confinement while waiting for a decision that could mean life or death. And yet, against all expectations, he remains clear minded, engaged, and often smiling.Filmed inside Texas death row, this conversation takes us to a place where time stops, bodies weaken, but the mind keeps fighting — and where optimism becomes an act of resistance.More about Tyrone and his fight for justice:👉 https://afathersfightforjustice.com/👉 For more real conversations from inside death row, subscribe to Death Row Stories.Subscribe to stay informed and engaged with the stories that need to be told.

From a stolen Secret Service briefcase at age 16… to a desperate escape from Texas Death Row… Charles Thompson spent his entire life running.In this exclusive, unfiltered interview filmed inside the Polunsky Unit, Charles reveals the wild path that led from drugs and fugitives to one of the most unbelievable escapes in U.S. prison history.For the first time, he walks us through the addictions, the violence, the mistakes, and the moment he slipped out of Death Row disguised as an officer — and vanished for days.This is not just a crime story.It’s a descent, a confession… and a rare look inside the mind of a man who knows his time is running out.👉 If you want more real stories from behind the bars, subscribe to Death Row Stories.Your support helps bring these untold voices to light.Subscribe to stay informed and engaged with the stories that need to be told.

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Once lost to addiction and violence, David Collingsworth spent years behind bars in Texas.Today, he’s free — and his voice echoes inside the same prisons where he once lived.Through The Prison Show, a unique radio program broadcast across Texas prisons for over 45 years, David now connects inmates and their families — including those on Death Row. Every Friday night, messages of love, updates, and hope reach men waiting for their execution.In this new episode of Death Row Stories, David opens up about his journey from chaos to redemption:→ how he faced four life sentences,→ how faith, radio, and mentorship saved him,→ and why The Prison Show remains a lifeline for Texas Death Row.It’s a story about transformation, compassion, and the power of a single voice that refuses to give up on others.🎧 The Prisoner Who Became a Voice for Death Row reveals a side of America’s justice system few have ever heard — from the inside out.Subscribe to stay informed and engaged with the stories that need to be told.Discover our YouTube Channel:

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What happens when a rising singer is accused of a crime he didn’t commit—based only on lies?

In this gripping episode of Death Row Stories, Perry Cobb takes us through his extraordinary life: from performing in Chicago nightclubs to being falsely accused of double murder. With no evidence against him—only the testimony of a witness later exposed as unreliable—Perry was tried five times, convicted, and sentenced to death.

For ten years, he lived behind bars, losing his freedom, his family ties, and his career. But Perry never gave up. He studied the law, rewrote his own legal brief, and opened the door for his release.

At 83 years old, Perry looks back on what was taken from him—his music, his family, his trust in the system—and what it means to survive injustice in America.

👉 If you think you know how wrongful convictions happen, think again. This is Perry Cobb’s story.

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What happens when a sociologist steps into the execution chamber—not just as a researcher, but as someone chosen to witness a man’s final moments?In this powerful episode, Dr. Sandra Joy shares her unique and deeply human perspective on the U.S. death penalty. A sociology professor at Rowan University and longtime death row witness, Sandra doesn’t just analyze the system—she's been inside it. She talks about the families left behind, the trauma experienced by those involved in executions, and the broader consequences of both capital punishment and life without parole.The conversation begins with her personal journey—how growing up in racially segregated neighborhoods in Virginia shaped her early understanding of injustice. She then explores the racial disparities she has observed in her research: while most people sentenced to death are people of color, many of those opposing the death penalty or involved in decisions around it are white.Sandra also shares the moving story of Brian and his mother Marlene—a man who asked her to witness his execution in his mother’s place, to spare her the memory of his death.Later in the episode, she discusses her fieldwork in Delaware, where she documented the experiences of families affected by executions. She also reflects on life without parole, especially for juveniles, which she describes as another form of slow and permanent punishment.📍This episode starts in Philadelphia, in front of Independence Hall.👉 If you think you know what the death penalty looks like—watch this.🔔 Subscribe for more stories that humanize, challenge, and deepen our understanding of life on death row.#DeathRowStories #SandraJoy #DeathPenalty #CapitalPunishment #JusticeSystem #ExecutionWitness #Sociology #HumanDignity #CriminalJustice #TrueStories #PhiladelphiaSubscribe to stay informed and engaged with the stories that need to be told.🎧 Discover our YouTube Channel:

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