According to the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty , the “State of Texas has executed 586 people since 1982,” and put eight people to death in 2023 alone. As of the time of this writing, two people are scheduled to be executed in 2024. One of those people, Ivan Cantu, is desperately trying to get his Feb. 28 date delayed in order to secure an evidentiary hearing, per a MoveOn petition filed on his behalf.
Cantu’s case has reached far beyond the Texas border and has caught the attention of celebrities. Both Jane Fonda and Martin Sheen have taken to social media in order to ask people for help. Since his conviction, new evidence has to come to light that lay the groundwork for a retrial. Unfortunately, time is running out for Cantu. Here are the latest updates regarding his legal situation.
Ivan Cantu has maintained his innocence for over two decades. Now he’s getting help from celebrities.
Actor Jane shared a video to Instagram made by her friend and former Grace and Frankie costar Martin. In it, he shares that Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking , reached out to him in order to signal boost Cantu’s story. Martin goes on to say that Cantu was wrongfully convicted and has never backed down when it came to his innocence. Despite new and alarming evidence regarding issues with the prosecutors at his trial as well as the investigation, Texas courts will not revisit Cantu’s case.