In January 2009, when Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos took office, she lost no time in making good on her campaign promise to restore that department’s integrity, left in tatters by her disgraced immediate predecessor.
Among her many innovations, she created programs for the most vulnerable crime victims, pushed for a regional crime lab, improved DNA protocols, and established a post-conviction review unit, which has secured the release of several wrongfully convicted inmates.
Now, we appeal to Lykos to address another serious issue, and hopefully take steps to see that justice is done: It’s the case of death row inmate Duane Buck, who was convicted in the 1995 murders of his former girlfriend and her male friend, and at issue is whether racially charged statements had played a role in his receiving the death penalty.
