Charles Dean Hood Will Not Die Tonight

Charles Dean Hood The story of Charles Dean Hood, who was scheduled to die tonight for the 1989 murder of Ronald Williamson and his girlfriend Tracie Wallace in Plano, has garnered national attention since at least 2005, when Salon first broke the story that State District Court Judge Verla Sue…

Coming to the Defense of the Dallas County Public Defender

Brad Lollar On Tuesday, Dallas County Chief Public Defender Brad Lollar resigned — right about the time he was being forced out by Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who claimed Lollar wasn’t very good at his job — wasting money, wasting time. From jump, Scott Henson at Grits for…

So, The State Will Have an Integrity Unit. Which Will Do What, Exactly?

Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins wants to address “the bigger picture” concerning wrongful convictions. One month ago, hundreds of law-enforcement officials from around the state gathered under the dome in Texas’s Senate chamber at the behest of Sen. Rodney Ellis of Houston. They came to pay their respects to…

Pacman Gobbles Up a Felony Arrest Warrant in Las Vegas

Breaking Adam “Pacman” Jones news this a.m., courtesy the Las Vegas Sun, which is reporting that the Clark County District Attorney’s Office has issued a felony arrest warrant for the Dallas Cowboys’ latest and greatest. The warrant was issued late last night, as Jones hasn’t paid $20,000 in gambling debts…

Killer Facts, Courtesy City Hall

While looking over the year-to-date crime stats prepared for today’s meeting of the city council’s Public Safety Committee, I discovered a couple of things. One: Through the end of April, Dallas had 13 fewer homicides in 2008 than in 2007 — a drop of 18.1 percent, if I read my…

After Innocence Proved and Freedom Restored, Then What?

Dallas County Sheriff’s Department/CNN Wiley Fountain, last seen when he posed for this March mug shot On Friday, we pointed your attention to some CNN pieces about James Lee Woodard and how he’s adjusting to life after spending 27 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Today, CNN…

Stay Classy, Judge David Young

“Fort Worth Native on Emmy-nominated Court show.” That was the subject heading of a missive sitting in UP’s e-mailbox this a.m. Which didn’t quite prepare us for the actual contents concerning a forthcoming episode of Judge David Young, one of the dozen or so People’s Court knock-offs airing on KDFI-Channel…

Dallas Defense Attorney Finds Municipal Court a Little, Um, Retro

Dallas criminal defense attorney Robert Guest today documents his trying to clear a ticket case down at the Court & Detention Services Municipal Building on Main Street. A few chuckles in there, chiefly his description of the antiquated equipment attorneys are forced to use — like, oh, the computer that…

James Lee Woodard to 60 Minutes: Hope Is “All A Man Has”

As noted yesterday, 60 Minutes on Sunday will profile Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins — specifically, his office’s partnering with the Innocence Project to free prisoners using DNA evidence. Moments ago, CBS News posted a sneak peek at this weekend’s episode: The video clip below is from the first…

Craig Watkins Gets His 60 Minutes of Fame This Sunday

Just yesterday, during our weekly staff meeting at Unfair Park HQ, we were wondering when 60 Minutes was going to run its profile of Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins. Turns out, you can set your DVR to this very Sunday, when former KXAS and WFAA reporter Scott Pelley offers…

No, This Guy Might Be the Worst Person in the World

KARE-TV Caught on tape, a man is mugged during a seizure in downtown Dallas. Do not be surprised if this downtown Dallas crime story begins to sweep the nation — hell, it’s already up on a Minnesota NBC affiliate’s Web site. It’s a crime made for TV: Just before midnight…