One of only 7 women on Death Row, Texas, Linda Carty was born in St. Kitts, and holds British citizenship, since St. Kitts was a British colony at the time of her birth. She emigrated to the United States in 1982 and is now also a U.S citizen.
She was previously a primary school teacher and studied pharmacology at the University of Houston
In 1992, convicted of car theft and impersonation of an FBI agent, she was sentenced to 10 years probation on the condition she would work as a substance informant.
During her time as an informant, intelligence she provided led to two arrests, but her arrest on substance charges ended her involvement with the Bureau.
According to Linda in media interviews she’s given, she claims that she was recruited by a friend from the Houston Police Department and that her work for the DEA helped recover thousands of dollars worth of substances, and led to the incarceration of many dealers.
In May 2001, Linda, along with Chris Robinson, Gerald Anderson and Carlos Williams, broke into the apartment of a woman called Joanna Rodriguez and her partner Raymundo Cabrera, demanding substances and money.
They kidnapped Joanna and her four-day-old son, Ray. She later died of suffocation, but Ray was found unharmed.
While interviewing neighbours in the apartment complex, police heard from one neighbour that she had sat with Carty in a car, saw a child’s car seat in it, and was told by Linda that she was pregnant.
Investigators zeroed in on Linda when it became clear that she was definitely not pregnant.
Police then phoned her, asking her to meet with them, at which point she told them that a car she had rented, along with her daughter’s car could have been used in the crime.
Robinson, Anderson and Williams pinned all the blame on Linda and she was arrested.
She brought them to both of the cars: Ray was in one, and Joanna was in the back of the other, dead.
Carty’s fingerprints were in both cars, and various baby items were also recovered.
Linda was sentenced to death, and has been on death row in Texas ever since.
However, the British government wasn’t told of Linda’s arrest before trial, which should always happen when a British citizen is arrested anywhere in the world.
Further investigation also revealed that key witnesses against Linda were threatened by prosecutors into testifying.
Co-defendant, Christopher Robinson, who was the key to the prosecution case, admitted that he never saw Linda kill anyone and his testimony at trial, that Linda committed the crime, was a lie.
An appeals court found that her defence, Jerry Guerinot had ‘performed objectively unreasonably’ in representing Linda.
Campaigns for Linda are ongoing to this day, supporting her and raising her case to the highest levels.
Her advocates have swore to continue the fight until Linda is no longer facing a death sentence.
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