James Broadnax is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on April 30 despite compelling evidence that he did not commit the murders for which he was convicted and a trial tainted by racial bias.

Sign this petition to tell the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Greg Abbott to stop James's execution!

To: Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Abbott

I'm writing to urge you to grant clemency to James Broadnax and commute his sentence to life without parole.

Mr. Broadnax faces execution by the State of Texas on April 30, 2026, for murders he did not commit. The actual shooter, his cousin Demarius Cummings, was sentenced to life without parole for his role in the crime. Cummings now admits that he is the one who killed Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler outside their music studio in Dallas in 2008, not Mr. Broadnax. His admission is corroborated by the presence of his DNA on the murder weapon and on one of the victims.

The State based its case against Mr. Broadnax for capital murder and the death penalty on the false premise that Mr. Broadnax shot the two victims. This new evidence based on an affidavit by Mr. Cummings undermines the entire premise of the State's case.

It would be unconscionable for the State of Texas to execute Mr. Broadnax when the admitted shooter has finally taken responsibility for his actions.

I also have grave concerns about the racially charged practices that tainted Mr. Broadnax's 2009 trial, when prosecutors deliberately and methodically removed all prospective Black jurors from the pool. Outrageously, this has been a common practice in Dallas for decades.

During the sentencing phase of the trial, prosecutors then introduced rap lyrics a teenaged James had written, describing them as "gangster rap" and claiming they were his "self-admission" of his criminal "mentality" in their effort to persuade jurors he would be a continuing threat to society. These arguments exploited racial stereotypes traditionally associated with rap lyrics and the Black community to transform James's artistic expression into a death warrant.

In the interest of fairness and justice, I ask that you commute the sentence of James Broadnax to life without parole.

Thank you for your consideration.

James Broadnax is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on April 30 despite compelling evidence that he did not commit the murders for which he was convicted and a trial tainted by racial bias. Sign this petition to tell the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Greg Abbott to stop James's execution!

To: Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Abbott

I'm writing to urge you to grant clemency to James Broadnax and commute his sentence to life without parole.

Mr. Broadnax faces execution by the State of Texas on April 30, 2026, for murders he did not commit. The actual shooter, his cousin Demarius Cummings, was sentenced to life without parole for his role in the crime. Cummings now admits that he is the one who killed Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler outside their music studio in Dallas in 2008, not Mr. Broadnax. His admission is corroborated by the presence of his DNA on the murder weapon and on one of the victims.

The State based its case against Mr. Broadnax for capital murder and the death penalty on the false premise that Mr. Broadnax shot the two victims. This new evidence based on an affidavit by Mr. Cummings undermines the entire premise of the State's case.

It would be unconscionable for the State of Texas to execute Mr. Broadnax when the admitted shooter has finally taken responsibility for his actions.

I also have grave concerns about the racially charged practices that tainted Mr. Broadnax's 2009 trial, when prosecutors deliberately and methodically removed all prospective Black jurors from the pool. Outrageously, this has been a common practice in Dallas for decades.

During the sentencing phase of the trial, prosecutors then introduced rap lyrics a teenaged James had written, describing them as "gangster rap" and claiming they were his "self-admission" of his criminal "mentality" in their effort to persuade jurors he would be a continuing threat to society. These arguments exploited racial stereotypes traditionally associated with rap lyrics and the Black community to transform James's artistic expression into a death warrant.

In the interest of fairness and justice, I ask that you commute the sentence of James Broadnax to life without parole.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

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