Beyoncé Calls For Rodney Reed’s Freedom Ahead Of Nov. 20 Execution
As death row inmate Rodney Reed’s scheduled execution draws near, Beyoncé is the latest celebrity to lend her voice to Reed’s case alongside Rihanna, Common, Kim Kardashian-West and Meek Mill.
On Thursday (Nov. 7), the global superstar voiced her support for Reed in a note published to her website. In the message, she implored Texas Governor Greg Abbott to “please take a hard look at the substantial evidence in the Rodney Reed case that points to his innocence.”
“Be honest. Be fair. Give him back his life,” the letter reads with a link to a Change.org petition titled “Stop the Execution of Rodney Reed!”
Support from celebrities and everyday people alike has continued to pour in from across the nation in an urgent cry to stop Reed’s execution, who is set to be put to death in 13 days on Nov. 20.
The Texas inmate has languished on death row for the past two decades after he was sentenced to prison for the rape and murder of Stacey Stites in 1996. The 51-year-old’s lawyers have been fighting for Reed to be retried based on new evidence that could possibly exonerate Reed.
- advertisement
According to the Innocence Project, investigators made numerous glaring errors during the initial investigation and unjustly sentenced Reed to a life behind bars for a crime they adamantly hold that he did not commit. The independent criminal justice reform organization found that key evidence and testimonies were omitted, which also implicates Stites was slain by her fiancé, Jimmy Fennell, a local police officer, instead.
As of Friday (Nov. 8), the Change.org petition’s numbers have skyrocketed to over 343,000 signatures as the tally continues to rise. For further updates on Rodney Reed’s case, a Twitter account has been created where the latest news on his case is being shared as it continues to develop.
- advertisement
