20/20 is reporting on the controversial case of Rodney Reed that resulted in a stay of execution last year following a public outcry with a two-hour program that will feature an exclusive interview with murder victim Stacey Stites’ Mother and Sisters who still believe Reed is guilty.
What’s Happening:
- Should Rodney Reed be on death row? A new two-hour 20/20 reports on this controversial case that captured national attention last year as celebrities and activists called for a stay of execution, granted just days before Reed’s scheduled execution date.
- The two-hour program covers Reed’s defense which has been taken up by The Innocence Project, a group dedicated to exonerating those who it claims have been wrongly convicted.
- 20/20 reports on Reed as he attempts to clear his name and overturn his conviction for the 1996 Stacey Stites murder, a crime he maintains he did not commit. 20/20 features an exclusive interview with Stites’ mother, Carol Stites, who opens up about memories of being with her daughter, the heartbreak of losing her and her opinion on the case.
- 20/20 includes interviews with Crystal Dobbs and Debra Oliver, Stites’ sisters who believe Reed is guilty, and Barry Scheck, attorney and co-founder of the Innocence Project who believes they will prove Reed is innocent.
- The two-hour program also features Correspondent Deborah Roberts’ death row interview with Reed, conducted just weeks before his scheduled execution. Reed told Roberts about his sentence and how he believes it resulted from racism as he, a Black man, was tried by an all-white jury. Roberts also sat down with Lisa Tanner, the assistant attorney general who prosecuted the case and who stands by Reed’s conviction.
- 20/20 airs on Friday, December 11 (9:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET) on ABC.