{"id":206,"date":"2026-05-08T04:31:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T04:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dallasrelocationhubs.com\/?p=206"},"modified":"2026-05-10T15:24:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T15:24:14","slug":"tarrant-county-tops-texas-for-death-penalty-trials-report-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dallasrelocationhubs.com\/?p=206","title":{"rendered":"Tarrant County tops Texas for death penalty trials, report finds"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

FORT WORTH \u2014 Texas has long been known as the death penalty capital of the United States. And the death penalty capital of Texas, according to a report released this week, is\u00a0Tarrant County.<\/p>

Read more Joni Lamb, president and founder of Daystar Television Network, has died, broadcaster says<\/a><\/p><\/div>

\"\"<\/div>

Almost a quarter of the death penalty trials held in Texas since 2020 have been in\u00a0Tarrant County, a jurisdiction that contains only 7% of the state\u2019s population, the report said.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>

“Tarrant County wields an outsized influence on the Texas death penalty landscape \u2014 not because of its size, but because of its extraordinary willingness to pursue capital charges,\u201d according to a statement issued by Texas Defender Service, which authored the report.<\/p><\/div>

The study also found that 92% of the death sentences sought by\u00a0Tarrant County \u2014 west of Dallas and home to Fort Worth \u2014 since 2012 have been against racial and ethnic minorities.<\/p><\/div>

In a written statement to The Dallas Morning News. Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells said he doesn\u2019t know the race of a defendant when deciding whether to seek the death penalty He said he considers the facts of the case, the defendant\u2019s history and likelihood to commit other crimes among other factors before reaching a decision.<\/p><\/div>

Dallas News Logo<\/desc><\/svg><\/div><\/div>
<\/svg><\/div><\/svg><\/div><\/div>

Don’t let Google decide who you trust.<\/div><\/h3>
Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/div>
Add Preferred Source<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Sorrells said he has pursued the death penalty in 8 of the 109 capital murder cases brought to him by police, resulting in two guilty pleas and five death sentences.<\/p><\/div>

<\/div>

\u201cMy job is to seek justice and give a voice to the victims of these horrific crimes and hold defendants accountable,\u201d he said.<\/p>

Read more Texas summer camps inch closer to opening with deal over new state law<\/a><\/p><\/div>

The Austin-based organization, which seeks to end mass incarceration and executions in the state, hosted a press conference about its findings Thursday at the old\u00a0Tarrant County Courthouse.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cOf the last 13 people who have gone to trial (for capital murder) in\u00a0Tarrant County have pretty much all been Black,\u201d Estelle Hebron-Jones, an attorney and director of special projects for the Texas Defender Service said during the conference. \u201cOne person was a Native American and the one white person was not an American-born person.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

\n
\"image\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>

Catch up on the latest news and top stories from across North Texas, with updates in the morning and evening.<\/div><\/h2><\/div><\/div>