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Texas 7 member gets new trial date for police murder
The defense attorney representing Randy Halprin will remain on the case. Halprin was part of the infamous Texas 7 prison gang that escaped and killed an Irving police officer in 2000.
DALLAS - The defense attorney representing Randy Halprin will remain on the case.
Halprin was part of the infamous Texas 7 prison gang that escaped and killed an Irving police officer in 2000.
A date for his retrial has also been set.
Texas 7 Retrial
Randy Halprin in a Dallas County courtroom on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.
What's new:
Dallas County prosecutors have been trying to get one of Halprin’s court-appointed defense attorneys disqualified from the case because he previously worked for the district attorney’s office.
Last month, Dallas County Judge Lela Mays ruled that Heath Harris should continue working as Halprin’s co-defense attorney.
The DA’s office filed an appeal, but an appellate court sided with the judge, also ruling that Harris can stay. So, he was reinstated on Friday.
Judge Mays also scheduled the trial for April 5, 2027.
"You can not delay this trial": Dallas Judge expresses frustration over stalled "Texas 7" case
A Dallas County judge expressed frustration with the prosecution over repeated delays in setting a new trial date for Randy Halprin, a "Texas 7" defendant whose death sentence was overturned.
What they're saying:
The DA’s office said it is planning to file another appeal related to Harris.
The defense argued it would cause yet another delay in the case.
"I don’t think there is merit to the state’s motion, and I think that’s going to throw off our timeline if we have to start over," said Phillip Hayes, Halprin’s other defense attorney.
Who are Randy Halprin and the Texas 7?
The backstory:
Halprin, who is now 47, was one of seven inmates who became known as the "Texas 7."
In December of 2000, they escaped from a South Texas prison and then committed several robberies, including one at an Irving sporting goods store where they shot and killed 29-year-old Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins.
Halprin is one of only two members of the "Texas 7" still alive.
Larry Harper killed himself before the group was arrested. Four others – Joseph Garcia, Donald Newbury, Michael Rodriguez, and George Rivas – have been executed. Patrick Murphy is still awaiting execution.
Appeals court orders new trial
What we know:
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted Halprin’s execution in 2019.
This past November, the court overturned the conviction and ordered that Halprin be given a new trial.
New evidence supported the argument that Judge Vickers Cunningham, who presided over Halprin's original trial, held a strong bias against the defendant because he is Jewish.
'Texas 7' death row inmate who murdered police officer could get a new trial
A man convicted of killing an Irving police officer could get a new trial because of the supposed bias of the judge who oversaw his trial.
"The uncontradicted evidence supports a finding that Cunningham formed an opinion about Halprin that derived from an extrajudicial factor — Cunningham’s poisonous antisemitism," the appeals court wrote in its ruling.
Cunningham is now retired from the bench and works as an attorney in a private practice.
He has not commented on Halprin’s case.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Friday morning's court hearing, Associated Press coverage of the appeals court's ruling, and past FOX 4 News coverage.