Hank Skinner, on death row in Texas since 1995, was given a stay of execution by the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. Just 45 minutes before he was scheduled to die, the court decided to rule on whether to approve a DNA test that will prove his innocence or guilt.
According to this article from France Info, Mr. Skinner has been aided by the French – and specifically his wife, French national Sandrine Ageorges Skinner, who has rallied France – including President Nicolas Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner – to his cause.
The news item from France Info says in part:
The condemned man was to be executed tonight in Texas, for a triple murder he has always denied. According to the accused, Hank Skinner, the State of Texas has always refused to run DNA tests that would prove his innocence.
The suspension, however, doesn’t guarantee his right to the tests …
Less than an hour before … three-quarters of an hour to be exact, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped everything. It will now decide whether it accepts or rejects the case. If it refuses, another date for his execution will be set.
His wife, Sandrine Ageorges Skinner, a French woman, has battled to prevent the execution. In short, her activities seem to have paid off. Demonstrators gathered again tonight near the U.S. Embassy in Paris – all at the initiative of Mrs. Skinner.
France, moreover, through the voices of Nicolas Sarkozy and Bernard Kouchner, have intervened with Texas seeking a pardon for the condemned man. Salvation, however, came from the highest levels of American justice.
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