Supreme Court Declines Appeal in Texas Death Row Case Despite Flawed Evidence

Areli Escobar's conviction and death sentence remain intact after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, leaving limited legal options despite bipartisan support for a retrial.

• The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Areli Escobar's appeal, upholding his conviction and death sentence for the 2009 murder of Bianca Maldonado.
• Escobar's trial relied heavily on DNA evidence from the now-shuttered Austin Police Department lab, which was later found to have systemic errors and bias.
• A Travis County judge ruled in 2020 that the flawed DNA evidence violated Escobar's due process rights and recommended a new trial, but state courts upheld the conviction twice.
• Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza supported a retrial, citing the state's obligation to address injustices caused by unreliable evidence.
• The decision raises questions about judicial consistency, as the Supreme Court recently overturned a similar death row conviction in Oklahoma due to prosecutorial misconduct.

3 Articles

NBC News Newsweek