Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
STOP EXECUTIONS
On March 11, 2026, the State of Texas executed Cedric Ricks. Ricks was sentenced to death for killing his girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her eight-year-old son, Anthony Figueroa, in Tarrant County in 2013. In his last words, he expressed his remorse and apologized to Sanchez’s surviving son.
Ricks’s cert petition and application for a stay of execution were denied by the Supreme Court of the United States earlier in the day. His attorneys had asked the Justices to intervene, arguing prosecutors violated Ricks’ constitutional rights by eliminating potential jurors on the basis of race.
TCADP is grateful to everyone who contacted the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Abbott tovoice your opposition to this execution and to those who stood in vigils yesterday.
There are two other executions scheduled in Texas in April and May. Both men were convicted in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
ATTEND EVENTS
Thanks to everyone who attended the TCADP 2026 Annual Conference: Overcoming Legacies, Reimagining Justice this past weekend in Houston, Texas. It was an inspiring and impactful day.
We heard from capital defense attorneys and death penalty experts, local criminal justice reform advocates, restorative justice practitioners, and individuals who have been directly impacted by executions.
A special thanks to all of our speakers-particularly keynote speaker Corinna Barrett Lain, our sponsors, and the award recipients who joined us for the event and shared their stories with us. Photos coming soon!
GET INFORMED
Did you know the application of the death penalty is largely dependent on geography?
More than half of the counties in Texas have never sent anyone to death row, and death sentences have been concentrated in a few jurisdictions. In fact, six of the last ten people sentenced to death were convicted in either Harris (Houston) or Tarrant (Fort Worth) counties.
In Harris County alone, juries have sentenced 300 people to death since 1974. Last year, Harris County spent nearly $2 million in taxpayer funds on just one death penalty case.
Who We Are
The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) is the only statewide grassroots advocacy organization dedicated solely to ending the death penalty in Texas. Together with local, state, and national partners, TCADP is working to reduce use of the death penalty in Texas and, ultimately, end this arbitrary, irreversible, and unfair punishment.
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Learn more at Texas Death Penalty Facts and follow us on social media for the latest developments.
