Texas Executes James Broadnax in Huntsville After Supreme Court Snubs Final Plea

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — James Garfield Broadnax, 37, was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. Thursday at the Huntsville Unit, about 20 minutes after receiving a lethal injection with no reported complications[1][3]. The execution proceeded hours after the U.S. Supreme Court denied his last-minute appeal, which hinged on a confession from his cousin and codefendant, Demarius Cummings, claiming responsibility for the shootings[1][2]. Broadnax had long maintained he was not the gunman, despite an early confession, in the capital murder case stemming from a June 19, 2008, robbery outside a downtown Garland recording studio[1][4]. Broadnax and Cummings targeted music producers Matthew Butler, 28, and Stephen Swan, 26, in the parking lot, fatally shooting both during the robbery[1][4]. A Dallas County jury convicted Broadnax of capital murder in 2008 and sentenced him to death; he challenged peremptory strikes during jury selection under Batson v. Kentucky but failed to sway federal courts with new evidence[4]. Witnesses reported Broadnax reading a final statement and briefly looking toward the victims' families before the drugs took effect[3]. This marks the third execution in Texas for 2026 and the 599th since the state reinstated capital punishment in 1982, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice[1]. Three more executions are scheduled through year's end, maintaining Texas' lead nationally in death penalty use. Garland, a Dallas suburb known for its vibrant music scene, has seen few such high-profile cases tied to local studios.