HOUSTON — A man sitting on death row in Texas is one step closer to getting a new DNA test performed in his case that his defense team believes will prove his innocence.
The United States Supreme Court ruled last week that Rodney Reed has the right to have his case heard.
"The idea we could take someone's life without testing this evidence boggles the mind ... should infuriate folks," defense attorney Quinncy McNeal said.
McNeal is part of the team of attorneys taking on Reed's case.
"Frankly, I think because he is a Black man and she is a white woman, and in their view, there is no reason or business he should be with a white woman," McNeal said.
Stacey Stites was killed in 1996. The 19-year-old was found strangled on the side of the road in Bastrop County with Reed's DNA inside her.
Prosecutors argued that Stites was raped and killed by Reed. A jury agreed and he was convicted and placed on death row in 1998.
Reed has maintained his innocence, saying it was a consensual affair.
The latest ruling, his attorneys said, opens the door for what they've been calling for -- new DNA testing on the evidence.
"Things like what Ms. Stites, the victim, was wearing ... her shirt, her pants, the undisputed murder weapon: the belt that was used to take her life," McNeal said.
Reed's defense team has adamantly pointed the finger at Stites' fiance, Jimmy Fennell, a former police officer who later served a decade in prison for kidnapping and sexual assault. He previously took the stand and testified, denying any involvement.
"Why would you not want to test this evidence to confirm -- if you are the state or if you are the defense, of course -- to confirm that someone else did it? That's the power of DNA evidence," McNeal said.
The Bastrop County District Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment.
It could be months before Reed's case makes it back to court.