Calvin Burdine, sentenced to death for murder in 1983, is scheduled to be executed in Texas on 28 February 1995. Burdine was represented at trial by Joe Frank Cannon, whose representation of capital defendants has been widely criticized (e.g. by the Wall Street Journal in September 1994). The leading allegation of Cannon’s ineffectiveness in Burdine’s trial concerns his reported falling asleep, several times. Allegations have also been made that his attitude to homosexuals made him unfit to represent Burdine, who is openly homosexual. This is the second time a date has been set for Burdine’s execution.
