After the hearing…

As you know, and while hank’s appeal is on hold with the Court of Criminal Appeals, on January 8th and 9th a hearing took place in the trial court in Pampa to allow both the defense and the state to present their respective interpretations of the results of the DNA testing.

The hearing transcript has been sent to both parties, which have 30 days to send their proposed conclusions to the judge by March 23rd at the latest. The judge in Pampa will then endorse one of these two propositions and forward his decision to the Court of Criminal Appeals, which will then review this appeal.

There is no mandatory calendar, but it is likely the judge in Pampa will issue his order in the first two weeks of April. Then the Court of Criminal Appeals will decide whether both parties will file written briefs before opting, or not, for a hearing in Austin in order to issue a decision.

The stakes

As a reminder, at this stage of the current procedure, Hank must prove that had the jurors been informed of the results of the DNA testing, he would not have been convicted.

If the Court of Criminal Appeals rules in his favor, he will be allowed to file an appeal on an actual claim of innocence. If it rules against him, he will be executed.

During this very anxious waiting period, Hank needs your support more than ever, and Justice4Hank thanks you for your solidarity and encouragements.