AUSTIN, Texas — Rodney Reed appeared in court Friday for the first time since his stay of execution was granted back in November. 

  • Reed’s lawyers filed a motion requesting judge take himself off the case
  • Judge Langley denied their request
  • Will likely be months before Reed is back in court

Reed’s lawyers filed a motion requesting retired District Court Judge J.D. Langley to take himself off the case. Langley was appointed to Reed’s case a week after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued Reed’s stay of execution this past November. 

Reed’s lawyers said they filed the motion because they say the Texas Constitution outlines that the presiding judge of the convicting court is the judge that is to oversee these proceedings, 21st District Court Judge Campbell. 

But Judge Langley denied their request today, meaning he will remain the judge in Reed’s case. 

Reed was convicted of the 1996 killing of Stacey Sites near Bastrop and was on death row until Texas’ highest criminal court halted Reed’s execution. That came after Reed’s lawyers said they have new evidence proving his innocence and that prosecutors suppressed evidence and presented false testimony. 

Reed has long claimed he is innocent, while Stites’ family has maintained that he is guilty of the crime. 

“I think that the justice system has been doing a good job, we want him to have his due process, but at the end of the day this man is guilty of violently raping and murdering my sister, in addition to raping and attacking other women, and he will get a just punishment for that,” Sites’ sister, Debra Oliver said. 

“Well we’ve got to regroup and figure out what our next step is in terms of Judge Langley’s ruling, and then we’re going to have to regroup in another way and make sure we get all of our witnesses together and our evidence together, for the next hearing because Rodney’s innocent,” Andrew MacRae, Reed’s Lead Counsel said. “We’re going to prove that. And there’s a mountain of evidence that shows not just his innocence but also the guilt of who did it.”

Due to scheduling logistics, it will likely be months before Reed is back in court, but both sides are eager for the case to move forward as soon as possible. ​

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