MD governor commutes sentences for two prisoners

Evidence at issue as woman's execution nears
"Her original defense attorney, Ron Mock — who has been suspended three times by the Texas Bar Assn. and is no longer allowed to take court-appointed capital murder cases — interviewed no witnesses before the trial. Ballistics tests key to convicting Newton were conducted by the now-discredited Houston Police Department crime lab. Nitrite traces found on her clothing — which could have come from a gun blast or something as common as garden fertilizer — can now be more precisely tested to determine its source."