Who is responsible for Ruben Cantu's death?

I'm not a supporter of the Death Penalty in most situations. Having had this discussion on line for several years one of the first statements that comes up from those that are pro-Death Penality is "There is no proof an innocent person has been sentenced to death". Well it appears that day has come if the new revelations about Ruben Cantu are true.

The above linked Houston Chronicle story has more information on this situation than CNN or several of the other news reports that are coming out. Realistically one of the most valid reasons for not using the Death Penalty comes from the Judge that originally sentenced Cantu:

Roy Barrera Jr, said the case underscores weaknesses in the system, especially in the "riskiest cases," which rely heavily on eyewitness identification. "People do lie under oath, and people do get convicted on the basis of lies," Barrera said. "This case, like thousands of other cases in the system across the country, cry for a thorough examination of the process."

It's not just the legal system that caused Rueben Cantu to be tried or found guilty for a crime it appears he may not have been responsible for. Most of the responsibilty is with those who lied, and Cantu himself for following the belief that one does not betray a "brother". Cantu could have saved himself, yet he waited for someone else to come forward. The three men who could have prevented his death, David Garza who was involved with the shooting and the other teen that was involved in the shooting said nothing. Garza has now come forward years too late. The other teen who helped Cantu get set up still denies he was involved, yet claims to be in fear of his life from threats made by Cantu's older brothers. A victim that survived the shooting, Juan Moreno, is also stating that Ruben Cantu did not shoot him, and that he was pressured by the police to identify Cantu as the shooter. Moreno said nothing, even as the time approached for Cantu to be put to death. It's also obvious that there are also some questions as to the quality of legal representation Cantu received in addition to problems with the legal system. While it will probably be pointed out that this is the sole failure of the legal system, anyone trying to be realistic would accept that the blame for this can be attributed to all of the above.

If someone is sentenced for a crime and they are later found to be innocent, it is hard for them at times to adjust; however if someone is given the death penalty and it is found later that they might be innocent? There is no way to take that back. Given our legal system is imperfect because it relies on humans who are not perfect, in my opinion the Death Penalty should be in very rare situations, that the evidence should be above the standards required for a life sentence. I always found it ironic that many murderers plead guilty to avoid the Death Penalty yet those who declare they are innocent are the ones who typically end up receiving the Death Penalty. It's obvious of course that some of them lied and were really guilty but how many Ruben Cantu's have been put to death? Even if he ends up being the only innocent person executed, or if Gaza and Moreno are still not being honest, it does give some real evidence that the Death Penalty should be looked at.

I did some additional research on this issue and decided to expand on it at Watch Blog. For those interested:

http://www.watchblog.com/