Mexicans on death row

Mexicans on death row

  • Autor: Ampudia, Ricardo
  • Editor: Arte Público Press
  • ISBN: 9781558855489
  • eISBN Pdf: 9781611923704
  • Lugar de publicación:  Houston , Estados Unidos
  • Año de publicación: 2010
  • Páginas: 256

“They stole 15 years of my life.” A native of Monterrey, Mexico, Ricardo Aldape Guerra was sentenced to death in 1982 for the first-degree murder of a Houston Police Officer that took place three months earlier. He spent 15 years in a maximum security prison in Huntsville, Texas, before his death sentence was overturned and he was set free.
Ricardo Ampudia, former Consul General of Mexico in Houston, Texas, explores the history and ethics of the death penalty in this fascinating look at its impact on Mexicans sentenced to death in the United States. A fervent opponent of capital punishment, Ampudia came to his beliefs because of his involvement in defending Aldape.
The author offers a brief introduction about the death penalty, both in the U.S. and around the world, and notes that in 2001, 90% of all known executions occurred in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. Most of the countries that apply the death penalty have dictatorial regimes or repressive governments, with the U.S. being the notable exception. Subsequent chapters focus on the phenomenon of the death penalty in the U.S. and the work done by the Mexican government to protect its citizens abroad.
The final chapters focus on the Ricardo Aldape Guerra case. In this section written by Scott Atlas—the attorney who handled his defense—and Michael Mucchetti, both from the Vinson & Elkins law firm, it’s revealed that the reopened investigation of the crime uncovered evidence that the jury never heard when Aldape was convicted. And in fact, a shocking pattern of police and prosecutorial intimidation, misconduct, and abuse came to light.
Originally published in Mexico as Mexicanos al grito de muerte, this absorbing account of the history, use, and flaws of the death penalty is a must-read for anyone interested in the criminal justice system in the United States.

  • Cover
  • Title page
  • Table of Contents
  • Acknowledgments
  • Prologue
  • Introduction
  • The Death Penalty
    • Definition and history of the death penalty
      • Death penalty methods
      • The death penalty in the world
      • The death penalty in Mexico
      • Development of the abolition of the death penalty in the Mexican Constitution
    • The death penalty debate
      • Arguments against the death penalty
      • Arguments for the death penalty
      • International organizations and laws against the death penalty
  • The Death Penalty in the United States
    • The legal evolution of the death penalty
      • The death penalty in Texas
    • Death penalty and legislation cases
      • Minors
      • Persons with mental disabilities
      • Women
      • Racial situation
    • The legal procedure of the death penalty
      • Case Study: The legal process of the death penalty in Missouri
      • The five elements in the death penalty legal procedure
        • a. The defense attorney
        • b. The prosecutor
        • c. The judge
        • d. The appellate courts
        • e. The state governor
      • Flaws in the U.S. legal system
    • Life on death row and the execution of a convict
      • Case Study: Tamms correctional center
  • Consular Protection of Mexicans Sentenced to Death in the United States
    • History of the consular protection provided by the mexican government to its citiziens abroad
      • Mexican laws and consular protection
    • The situation of mexicans sentenced to death in the United States
    • The work of the mexican government in the protection of mexican citizens sentenced to death in the United States
  • The Avena Case
    • Background
      • The breard case
      • The landgarding case
      • Advisory opinion 16/99 of the inter-american court of human rights
        • Mexico files its petition
        • The United States presents its defense
        • The IACHR issues its advisory opinion
    • The case concerning avena and other mexican nationals (Mexico Vs United States) before the international court of justice
      • Mexico files its claim
      • The United States Presents its Defense
      • Provisional measures adopted by the ICJ
      • The ICJ issues its decision
  • The Aldape Case
    • The murders
      • Will you help us?
      • From Monterrey to Texas
      • Carrasco's rampage
      • Sentencing
      • Apellate losses
    • Writ of Habeas corpus
      • The Aldape Team
      • New evidence
      • State court losses
      • Federal court relief
    • Evidentialy hearing
      • Courtroom revelations: the foransics expert
      • "Blame the one who looks like God"
      • "They threatened to take my daughter away"
      • The state's case
      • Merchants of chaos
      • Appeal to the fight circuit
    • Vindication
      • Returns to state court
      • Second evidentiary hearing
      • The ruling
      • Return to Monterrey
      • Aldape's legacy
  • Final Reflections and Conclusions
  • Glossary
  • Appendix
    • Appendix1-A
    • Appendix1-B
    • Appendix1-C
    • Appendix2-A.
  • Bibliography

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