A Dallas County district court judge expressed her frustrations today regarding the prolonged efforts to return Randy Halprin, a former death row inmate and member of the notorious “Texas 7,” to trial.
Judge Lela Lawrence Mays is currently trying to establish a new trial schedule for Halprin, who has been entangled in legal battles for more than five years since his execution was halted.
In 2000, Halprin was convicted for his role in the murder of Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins, a crime committed as part of a larger prison break and subsequent criminal escapade involving the Texas 7 gang.
His execution was halted in 2019 due to prejudicial comments made by the original trial judge, and in 2024, his conviction was overturned. Despite this significant legal victory, Halprin’s path to a new trial has been fraught with complications.
Today, Halprin appeared in court dressed in a blue dress suit rather than the traditional jail jumpsuit, prepared for what was intended to be a hearing for jury selection and to establish a timeline for his new trial.
However, Judge Mays learned that the state had halted the sharing of crucial discovery documents with the defense for four months, prompting her to insist that the trial cannot be postponed any longer.
“I had no idea that the sharing of discovery had been delayed, paused, and I will say this again to the state: You cannot delay this trial, you cannot delay,” Mays stated, clearly frustrated with the situation.
The Dallas County Assistant District Attorney, Lauren Black, countered the concerns by explaining that the delays were not intentional. Black stated, “This is not an intentional delay of the trial. We had filed a mandamus for the disqualification of Heath. We asked for a stay. We believed the stay was in place, so we did not continue giving over the discovery.”
Heath refers to the defense’s co-counsel, Heath Harris, who was notably absent from today’s proceedings. The prosecution had previously sought to have Harris disqualified from the case, a request that was denied by Judge Mays.
Following this, the prosecution sought intervention from an appeals court to halt all trial proceedings, including the sharing of evidence with the defense, until a decision was made regarding Harris’s potential conflict of interest.
Black noted the delayed communication from the appeals court, stating, “And I believe it took at least 45 days for them to come back and say that the stay was not going to be there.”
The prosecution eventually resumed providing evidence to Halprin’s defense team last month. During the hearing, defense attorney Phillip Hayes informed the court that they require adequate time to review all transcripts and evidence received.
He highlighted a concerning issue: the expert witnesses qualified to testify in death penalty cases are frequently engaged in other legal matters, leaving the defense team struggling for available resources.
“This case has touched so many of the professionals and experts that we use since it’s had six trials,” Hayes explained during the hearing.
Judge Mays responded pragmatically, stating, “I want to set this schedule to make sure that the defense has everything that they need. I don’t know what to tell you about the experts and their unavailability. I think that is something for you to figure out.”
A potential new trial date remains on the table, with both the defense and the prosecution tentatively agreeing to start the trial in April 2027. However, Judge Mays indicated that she may consider moving that date up, hoping to establish a definitive trial schedule by the end of the week.
Both parties are scheduled to return to court next month to further discuss the path forward.
image source from：fox4news
