Execution date withdrawn for Texas death row inmate Ivan Cantu

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A judge in Collin County ordered that the execution date for convicted murderer Ivan Abner Cantu be withdrawn “pending further order” from the court.

Ivan’s execution had been scheduled for April 26.

Collin County District Court Judge Benjamin Smith signed the order on Wednesday, the same day that Ivan’s mother, Sylvia Cantu, went to the Texas Capitol to advocate for a stay of execution from the Governor’s Office.


PREVIOUS: Mother of death row inmate Ivan Cantu seeks new trial after key witness recants testimony

The order also notes that the court determined the necessity of further hearings in the case. No dates have been set for those proceedings.

You can read the full order below:

One group assisting Sylvia in her son’s case is the non-profit Death Penalty Action. Abraham Bonowitz, that organization’s executive director, issued a statement in a press release Wednesday night:


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“We have to applaud when the system works,” Bonowitz said. “Evidence of innocence has been procedurally barred in case after case recently, so this is a breath of fresh air that is even greater in light of today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Rodney Reed.”

 

Sylvia Cantu holds a poster of her son, Ivan Cantu (KXAN Photos/Cora Neas)
Sylvia Cantu holds a poster of her son, Ivan Cantu (KXAN Photos/Cora Neas)

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A judge in Collin County ordered that the execution date for convicted murderer Ivan Abner Cantu be withdrawn “pending further order” from the court.

Ivan’s execution had been scheduled for April 26.

Collin County District Court Judge Benjamin Smith signed the order on Wednesday, the same day that Ivan’s mother, Sylvia Cantu, went to the Texas Capitol to advocate for a stay of execution from the Governor’s Office.


PREVIOUS: Mother of death row inmate Ivan Cantu seeks new trial after key witness recants testimony

The order also notes that the court determined the necessity of further hearings in the case. No dates have been set for those proceedings.

You can read the full order below:

One group assisting Sylvia in her son’s case is the non-profit Death Penalty Action. Abraham Bonowitz, that organization’s executive director, issued a statement in a press release Wednesday night:


U.S. Supreme Court sides with Rodney Reed in case related to DNA testing

“We have to applaud when the system works,” Bonowitz said. “Evidence of innocence has been procedurally barred in case after case recently, so this is a breath of fresh air that is even greater in light of today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of Rodney Reed.”

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