TEXAS
May 19, 2005
6:00 p.m. CST
Richard Cartwright, a white man, is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on May 19, 2005 for the Aug. 1996 murder of 34 year-old Nick Moriada a Latino man in Nueces County
Prosecutors allege that on the night of Aug. 1, 1996, longtime friends, Kelly Overstreet and Dennis Haygood, and their recent acquaintance, Cartwright, robbed Moriada. The men robbed Moriada, a gay man, by pretending to be homosexual. Following the robbery, it is claimed that Overstreet stabbed Moriada in the neck and back and then Cartwright shot him. A state medical examiner contended that Moriada’s death was caused by the gunshot wound.
Cartwright was charged with capital murder for Moriada’s death. The State’s case against Cartwright relied heavily on the testimony of his co-defendants and circumstantial evidence. Nevertheless, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. Lesser charges in connection with the robbery and murder of Moriada.were brought against Overstreet and Haygood. They were convicted and received sentences of 50 year and 20 years, respectively. Their lesser charges and relatively light sentences were, in large part, due to their willingness to turn state’s evidence against Cartwright.
Since arrest, Cartwright has continuously maintained his innocence. He contends that Overstreet and Haygood are responsible for Moriada’s death. At trial, evidence was presented that indicated that the gun used in the commission of the robbery and murder of Moriada belonged to either Overstreet or Haygood. A medical examiner testified that when multiple people are involved in a crime in which gunfire occurs, it is typically the owner of the gun that does the shooting. Additionally, the medical examiner stated that he believed that Moriada was attacked by two individuals. In his opinion, the strong familiarity that Overstreet and Haygood possessed with one another made them the most likely assailants—not Cartwright, who they had met only one week prior.
Cartwright has a strong innocence claim. Please write Gov. Rick Perry and demand that this execution be halted.
