01 May 2026 :
April 30, 2026 - Texas. James Broadnax was executed on April 30
10th execution of 2026 in the US
After Supreme Court rejects final appeal tied to cousin’s confession
James Broadnax was executed hours after the U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal citing his codefendant’s confession.
The 37-year-old was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. on April 30 after being administered a lethal injection. In his final words, Broadnax asserted one last time that he was innocent of the double murder for which he was sentenced to death, and asked the families of the victims for forgiveness.
“I prayed to God for your forgiveness. Despite what you think about me, I hope to God that prayer was answered,” Broadnax said. “But no matter what you think about me, Texas got it wrong. I’m innocent, the facts of my case should speak for itself period.”
Broadnax was sentenced to death in the 2008 robbery and deadly Garland shooting of two music producers, Matthew Butler, 28, and Stephen Swan, 26. Broadnax’s final appeal centered around a confession from his codefendant and cousin, Demarius Cummings, who claimed he had shot the two men, not Broadnax.
His Supreme Court appeal argued that his sentence was unconstitutional in light of the confession. It also argued that DNA evidence corroborated Cummings’ confession because only his DNA was found on the gun and one of the victims.
Cummings’ confession was introduced in a previous appeal filed March 19 in Dallas County district court and with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In the confession, Cummings said he persuaded Broadnax, then 19, to take the blame for the killings because he had no criminal history. The Texas court rejected the appeal April 7.
The appeal also argued that trial prosecutors had improperly struck all prospective Black jurors and “invoked racial stereotypes” throughout the trial.
The Supreme Court struck down two other appeals from Broadnax on April 27, one arguing that trial prosecutors had misrepresented rap lyrics Broadnax had written and another that had additional arguments about the jury’s racial makeup. On his case see also HoC 21/08/2009, 23/03/2026, 08/04/2026.
Broadnax becomes the 3rd execution in Texas this year and the 599th since Texas resumed executions in 1982, the 10th execution of 2026 in the US, and the 1,664th since the nation resumed executions in 1977.
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/30/texas-james-broadnax-execution/
