Protests in Bastrop following motion for execution date for Rodney Reed

BASTROP, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - Friends and family of Rodney Reed were out protesting in front of the Bastrop County District Attorney’s Office Monday morning after a motion was made for an execution date. 

Reed was convicted for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites. Since then his family continues to push for a new trial.

The date listed in the motion is November 20, 2019. Reed’s friends and family say they are fighting harder than ever to have the case reopened. 

“Big message is Rodney Reed is innocent, he has not had a fair trial,” said Rodrick Reed, Rodney’s brother.

Rodrick Reed, along with many others, gathered outside the DA’s office Monday to protest the recent motion. 

“This not only affects my brother, it affects my whole family, it affects this community,” said Rodrick Reed. “If this was your family member and all this evidence was out there, DNA not being tested, would you have filed a motion to execute, would you have done that?”

Rodney Reed was convicted by a Bastrop County jury and was sentenced to death. Since then his attorneys have appealed the ruling multiple times citing new evidence.

“We’ve been asking for 20 years, test the DNA, test the murder weapon, call the witnesses, give us a fair trial and we have not received any of that,” said Rodrick Reed. 

As November isn’t too far away, Reed’s brother said time is of the essence. 

“We don’t have much money but we do have a voice and we plan to exercise our first amendment right,” said Rodrick Reed.

For now Reed’s friends and family say they will continue to protest as much as they can in an effort to strike this latest motion.

They plan to protest every morning this week at the DA’s office. The DA’s office did not return a request for comment on both the motion and the protest.