Hank Skinner, sentenced to death nearly 30 years ago for a triple murder in 1993, died in prison where he has never stopped pleading his innocence, his attorneys said Friday.
• Also read: Hank Skinner says he’s ‘optimistic’ after 27 years on death row.
Married to Sandrine Ageorge-Skinner, a French anti-death penalty activist, this 60-year-old American narrowly escaped execution in 2011 and was saved extremis by a decision by the Court of Appeals of Texas, the state in which he was imprisoned, that revealed a DNA -Analysis approved.
AFP
However, these were not enough to acquit him, and his execution was scheduled for September 13.
According to his attorneys, Henry W. “Hank” Skinner died as a result of surgery performed in December to remove a brain tumor.
He had been sentenced to death in 1995 for the December 31, 1993 murder of his then-partner Twila Busby and their two sons.
He had received additional DNA analyzes after 13 years of proceedings after escaping his execution by 20 minutes.
However, another court had rejected these analyzes on the grounds that they were “not favorable for the prisoner”. On the contrary, Hank Skinner saw it as “irrefutable” proof of his innocence, according to statements to AFP in 2014.