AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA
PRESS RELEASE

June 11, 2007

(Washington) -- Amnesty International welcomes the stay of execution granted to Cathy Henderson today by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The organization is encouraged that a Texas court may now fully consider compelling scientific evidence supporting Cathy Henderson's claim that the death of infant Brandon Baugh was an accident.

Dr. Robert Bayardo, who performed the autopsy on Brandon Baugh and originally testified that the fatal injuries could not have been caused by an accidental fall, swore in an affidavit filed with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on May 24 that, because of scientific advancements in the understanding of pediatric head trauma, he can no longer determine whether the injuries were caused intentionally or by accident. This new testimony, supported by the findings of four other scientific or medical experts, called into serious question Cathy Henderson's guilt of the crime for which she was sentenced to die.

"Developments in science have been one of the main reasons so many wrongful capital convictions have been uncovered in recent years," noted Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, Director of Amnesty International USA's Program to Abolish the Death Penalty.

"This decision reminds us of the large potential for error in capital trials, and should cause us to reconsider our support for such an absolute and irreversible punishment as the death penalty."

Contact: Wende Gozan, 212/633-4247 or Ben Somberg, 212/633-4268

Send this page to a friend

Your Email:
Friend's Email:
Add a Message:
Security code: (case sensitive)