James Broadnax, 38, has been in prison since 2008 after being convicted for the deaths of Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler near their music studio in Garland. James Broadnax’s execution date is on April 30th, and new evidence has arisen in the case. Mr. Broadnax’s lawyers have filed a petition with the Texas courts following a new confession from Demarius Cummings, his cousin and co-defendant. He also has two petitions pending, one for the prosecutor’s use of peremptory challenge based on race, as well as rap lyrics being used as evidence. Singer/rapper Travis Scott came out in support of Broadnax, arguing that rap is a protected form of artistic expression and should not be used against him. This is entire injustice shows how flawed our system truly is, now that Mr. Broadnax is being sentenced to death despite being innocent.
34 Reforms That Could Save Lives. Your State Legislators Have Them. Here Is What Is in Them.
In November 2025, the Prison Policy Initiative sent a package to 650 state legislators across all 50 states. The package contained 34 specific, evidence-based policy