DALLAS - Texas death row inmate James Broadnax is set to be executed on Thursday night for a double murder in Garland in 2008.
While Broadnax confessed to the heinous crime in a viral FOX 4 jailhouse interview, his cousin, Demarius Cummings, now claims he was the one who pulled the trigger.
Earlier this month, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said it would not intervene in the case despite the other man’s claims.
James Broadnax Execution
James Garfield Broadnax | Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice
What's new:
Broadnax, who is now 37 years old, is set to die by lethal injection on Thursday in Huntsville.
On Monday, the United States Supreme Court rejected both of his appeals asking to stop the execution. That means it will likely happen as scheduled.
Dallas County death row inmate's latest appeal, cousin's confession denied by court
The state's highest criminal court will not intervene in a Dallas County death penalty case despite another man claiming responsibility for the 2008 shootings.
The backstory:
Broadnax, who was 19 at the time of his crime, is accused of killing an aspiring Christian singer and his colleague at a recording studio in Garland in 2008.
Broadnax told FOX 4 in a 2008 jailhouse interview that he and his cousin were planning merely to "rob somebody" the night of the double murder. They took the DART train to Garland to target "rich white folks," Broadnax said in the interview.
The victims were singer Matthew Butler, a father of two, and Stephen Swan, his employee. They were killed outside Butler's Christian recording studio, Zion Gate Records.
Broadnax and Cummings reportedly netted only $2 from robbing the dead men.
Cummings, also 19 at the time, said he only intended to rob the men.
Broadnax, who admitted to the shooting, expressed no remorse in his interview after the arrests. When asked about what he would say to the victims' families, Broadnax reportedly replied, "f--- 'em."
Dallas County death row inmate's cousin now claims he committed 2008 murders
Attorneys for James Broadnax are seeking to halt his April 13 execution for murdering two men at a Garland Christian music recording studio. His co-defendant, Demarius Cummings, is now claiming he was the one who pulled the trigger.
In March of this year, Cummings claimed he was the one who shot and killed the two victims, not Broadnax. That’s why he said the DNA evidence found on the gun links back to him, not Broadnax.
However, the state’s highest criminal court issued an opinion stating that even though Cummings stated he pulled the trigger, Broadnax had not recanted his earlier confession.
The opinion went on to state that even if Broadnax's confession was a lie, it did not justify a due process violation.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and past news coverage.