Judge: Texas 7 cop killer inmate should get new, unbiased trial
Summary
HOUSTON — A Jewish death row inmate who was part of a gang of prisoners who fatally shot a police officer in 2000 after they had escaped should have his conviction overturned and get a new trial because the judge who presided over his case “harbored antisemitic bias," according to a court ruling. Lawyers for Randy Halprin have contended that former Judge Vickers Cunningham in Dallas used racial slurs and antisemitic language to refer to the inmate and some of his codefendants. In October 2021, Mays had found that Cunningham had violated Halprin’s right to a fair trial and recommended overturning his death sentence. In September, Tarrant County prosecutors filed court documents in which they said Halprin should get a new trial because Cunningham showed “actual bias” against the inmate. Cunningham has denied allegations of racial bigotry after telling the Dallas Morning News in 2018 he has a living trust that rewards his children for marrying straight, white Christians.