Execution Report: Dominique Green

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A jury convicted Green of capital murder in July 1993 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in September 1996. For the next eight years, all of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

Michael Neal pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and received a 40-year prison sentence. Paul Lyman pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and received a 10-year prison sentence. Information on their current status was unavailable for this report. Charges were filed against the fourth robbery participant, but the grand jury refused to indict him. Green's lawyers contended that this amounted to illegal racial discrimination, as the fourth person was white, while Green, Neal, and Lyman were all black. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected this argument, noting that the participants were charged and sentenced according to their respective degrees of culpability in the crime.

From death row, Green said that he was a changed person. A prison spokeswoman said that Green had no major disciplinary record and was considered a well-behaved prisoner. His clemency request was supported by Lastrapes' mother and two brothers. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Green's request for a commuted sentence by a 5-1 vote. Governor Rick Perry also declined to issue a reprieve.

In the days before his execution, lawyers working for Green filed a motion for a stay, based on problems at the Houston Police Department's crime lab. Among several other evidence-related problems at the crime lab was the discovery in August of 280 boxes of evidence that had not been thoroughly examined and cataloged. Lawyers claimed that evidence pertaining to Green's case could be in those boxes. Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal stated that the newly-discovered evidence did not contain any evidence affecting Green's case. A federal judge granted the defense's request for a stay on Tuesday at midday, but the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that order later in the day. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Green's case at 7:20 p.m.

In his last statement, Green offered thanks and encouragement to his friends and supporters. He also said, "I am not angry, but I am disappointed that I was denied justice." He was pronounced dead at 7:59 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 26 October 2004. Spelling correction made on 1 September 2015.
Sources: Texas Attorney General's office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, Associated Press, Houston Chronicle.