Supreme Court Denies James Broadnax Final Appeal Before Thursday Execution
The U.S. Supreme Court denied james broadnax’s final request to block his execution on Thursday, clearing the way for his death later that evening. Broadnax, a Texas death row inmate, had been sentenced to death for the 2008 robbery and deadly Garland shooting of Matthew Butler and Stephen Swan.
Broadnax Appeal
His final appeal centered on a confession from his codefendant and cousin, Demarius Cummings, who said he shot Butler and Swan instead of Broadnax. The filing argued that Broadnax’s sentence was unconstitutional in light of that confession and said DNA evidence supported Cummings’ account because only Cummings’ DNA was found on the gun and one of the victims.
Cummings also said in the confession introduced in earlier litigation that he persuaded Broadnax, then 19, to take the blame because Broadnax had no criminal history. That statement became part of a previous appeal filed March 19 in Dallas County district court and with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Texas Court Of Criminal Appeals
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected that appeal on April 7. Broadnax also argued that trial prosecutors had improperly struck all prospective Black jurors and had invoked racial stereotypes throughout the trial. On Monday, the Supreme Court struck down two other appeals from Broadnax, one involving claims that prosecutors misrepresented rap lyrics he had written and another raising additional arguments about the jury’s racial makeup.
The case traces back to the 2008 shooting deaths of Butler, 28, and Swan, 26. Broadnax’s execution was set for Thursday evening.
Texas Execution Schedule
Broadnax was set to be the third man put to death in Texas in 2026, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The agency said three other executions were scheduled through the rest of the year, starting with Edward Busby on May 14.
Busby was convicted of capital murder in 2005 for robbing a woman, wrapping her face in duct tape and suffocating her. With Broadnax’s final appeal denied, the schedule now moves forward on the same timeline that state officials had already set.
