Local leaders react to guilty verdict in Derek Chauvin trial
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner addresses the media following Derek Chauvin guilty verdict on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and new Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner addressed the news media following the verdict. This is a time for reflection. Training and treating people with respect. There is a lot of work to do so that we don t have to relieve these moments.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo also reacted to the verdict saying, As George Floyd’s hometown, the people of Harris County continue to feel his loss deep in our hearts. His family, his neighbors, his classmates and his community will never forget his death and what it represents. While the justice system served its purpose today, there’s much more work to be done toward a smarter and fairer criminal justice system. George Floyd’s legacy will be with us every step of the way.
Diving into the data
According to the study, violent crimes in Harris County such as murder and aggravated assault rose between 2019 and 2020, while robberies saw a smaller increase, and sexual assaults dropped.
The rise in crime tended to be concentrated in certain communities. In the Spring and Klein area, aggravated assaults are occurring most frequently along the I-45 and FM 1960 corridors, according to the study.
“Our north [and] northwest areas are perhaps our busiest [areas] in unincorporated Harris County,” said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Harris County started to reform its misdemeanor bail bond practices in 2017 after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction ruling the county was unconstitutionally holding people in jail pretrial for being unable to afford bail. After a lawsuit was settled in 2019, the county was required to start releasing most nonviolent misdemeanor arrestees on general order bonds.
Updated 7:07 PM ET, Fri April 16, 2021
Raymond Riles was sentenced to death in the 1974 fatal shooting of a Houston used car dealer. (CNN)A court in Texas has thrown out the death sentence of convicted killer Raymond Riles, who has spent more than 40 years on the state s death row.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled on Wednesday that Riles death sentence can no longer stand because the jury that sentenced him was not given instructions to consider his mental illness as a possible mitigating factor.
The case will be sent back to Harris County, where he was originally tried, for a new punishment proceeding. Riles could be sentenced to death again, one of his lawyers said.
AP via CNN
Texas death row inmate Raymond Riles.
HOUSTON, Texas A court in Texas has thrown out the death sentence of convicted killer Raymond Riles, who has spent more than 40 years on the state’s death row.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled this week that Riles’ death sentence “can no longer stand” because the jury that sentenced him was not given instructions to consider his mental illness as a possible mitigating factor.
The case will be sent back to Harris County, where he was originally tried, for a new punishment proceeding. Riles could be sentenced to death again, one of his lawyers said.
Texas longest-serving death row inmate to get new sentence localnews8.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from localnews8.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.