Celebrity Influence

This week many celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Dr. Phil, The EU, and Rihanna, are calling for the freedom of Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed. Many feel that there is overwhelming evidence proving Reed's innocence, and hope to to stop his execution which is scheduled for November 20th of this year.

Reed is convicted of the murder of Stacey Stites. Police say Reed assaulted, raped, and strangled Stites. He was arrested after his sperm was found on Stites, but Reed maintain's his innocence. He claims to have had a mutual sexual affair with Stites, explaining the sperm.

Throughout the years many things have come to light about this case, destroying the prosecution's original case against Reed. One thing that is majorly important is the fact that the states forensic experts have admitted to errors in their testimony, saying their original estimated time of death was incorrect. They originally estimated Stites time of death between 3 and 5 am, helping convict Reed of the murder. However, in a sworn affidavit they now say the time of death was around midnight. This is important because it makes it impossible for Reed to have commited the murder according to the timeline. At this time Stites was with her fiancé Jimmy Fennell.

Another things to note is that Reed was not a suspect in the case for a long time. The original person of interest was actually Fennell. The main reason for this was because of Stites relationship with Reed. Fennell was aware of the affair. Many witnesses have come forward to support the idea that Fennell is actually the killer. An insurance salesperson says that in November of 1995, they remember hearing Fennell saying to Stites "If I ever catch you messing around on me, I will kill you and no one will ever know it was me that killed you." Another witness, a former Lee County Sheriff's deputy, says that at Stites funeral Fennell looked at the body and said "You got what you deserved."

Perhaps the most incriminating evidence against Fennell, despite the fact that he was with her at the time of the murder, is what his friend from jail says he has heard from Fennell. Arthur Snow, the leader of the prison's white supremacist gang, says he recall's  "Jimmy said confidently, 'I had to kill my n----r-loving fiancée.'" It is also important to note that Fennell was in prison for a 10-year sentence for a sex crime and kidnapping. He also has a record of patterned violence against women. 

For an interview conducted by Dr. Phil with Rodney Reed, visit www.innocenceproject.org.