Episode 20 - State of Texas v. Henry Watkins "Hank" Skinner: How Much DNA is Enough DNA?

Based in Fact

In Episode 20, Kyle and Lisa conclude their discussion of State of Texas v. Henry Watkins Skinner. Skinner was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in 1995 for the New Year’s Eve 1993 murders of his girlfriend, Twila Busby and her sons, Randy Busby and Elwin Caler in Pampa, Texas. Skinner, the only member of the household to walk away that New Year’s morning, initially admitted that he fought with Twila, but blamed her for the deaths of her sons. Early DNA testing linked Twila and Elwin to the blood soaked pants Skinner was wearing when he was arrested and testing done by the DA in 2000 further linked him to the murders. In 2001, Skinner began pursuing DNA testing in the Texas courts. In Part 2, we’ll recap the evidence against Skinner, his direct appeal and post-conviction claims in state and federal court and wrap up our look at the case with a discussion of the DNA testing proceedings, agreed DNA testing conducted in 2012 and the courts’ resolution of Skinner’s actual innocence claims based on those results.

Intro: Roberta Glass

Cover Art: Ati Abdo MacDonald

Audio Editing: Emily Walker