ATLANTIC, Iowa — Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Friday that he respected the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to block the execution of a Houston murderer who would be the 236th person put to death on his watch.
Perry, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, and Texas judges had refused to grant requests for a reprieve from convicted murderer Duane Edward Buck.
“Whether or not he is guilty is not in question,” Perry told reporters while campaigning at a Coca-Cola bottling plant in rural western Iowa.
“Clearly he was guilty of murdering two people in the state of Texas. Whether or not the jury process was tainted will be decided by the Supreme Court, and we will respect that.”
Buck was sentenced to die after jurors were told he posed a greater danger to public safety because he is black. On that basis, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped Texas officials on Thursday from putting him to death while the justices decide whether to review the case.
