What We Know · Texas · Case legally closed
Tiana Broadnax: what we know about the James Broadnax case
Tiana Broadnax (née Krasniqi), a British woman, married James Broadnax on Texas death row on April 14, 2026. Sixteen days later, on April 30, Texas executed him. He had been convicted of capital murder in the 2008 robbery-killings of music producers Matthew Butler, 28, and Stephen Swan, 26, in Garland, Texas. Here's what the record shows.
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What's confirmed
- June 19, 2008Matthew Butler and Stephen Swan, Christian music producers, are robbed and shot and killed as they leave Butler's recording studio in Garland, TX. TDCJ; KERA; CBS News Texas
- 2008James Broadnax, then 19, confesses in interviews with local TV stations. Tex. Crim. App. concurring opinion; NBC 5 DFW
- Aug. 2009A Dallas County jury convicts Broadnax of capital murder; he is sentenced to death. Tex. Crim. App. order WR-81,573-04; TDCJ
- 2011His cousin and co-defendant, Demarius Cummings, is convicted separately and sentenced to life without parole. KERA; CBS News Texas; FOX 4
- March 2026Cummings signs a sworn declaration saying he was the shooter, and that he persuaded Broadnax to take the blame because Broadnax had no criminal record. Texas Tribune; FOX 4; NBC 5 DFW
- April 2026The mothers of both victims publicly reject the new confession; Matthew Butler's mother calls it "all a lie." KERA/TPR; CBS News Texas
- April 7, 2026Texas's Court of Criminal Appeals dismisses the appeal without reviewing its merits and denies a stay. A two-judge concurrence says Broadnax never recanted his own confessions and was "guilty at least as a party." Tex. Crim. App.; Texas Tribune; KERA
- April 14, 2026Broadnax and Tiana Krasniqi marry at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Livingston, TX. Dallas Morning News; LBC
- April 27 and 30, 2026The U.S. Supreme Court denies review and a stay. Supreme Court of the United States; Texas Tribune
- April 30, 2026Broadnax is executed by lethal injection in Huntsville at 6:47 p.m., age 37. His final statement: "Texas got it wrong. I'm innocent, the facts of my case should speak for itself." His wife witnessed the execution. TDCJ; Texas Tribune; KSAT; LBC
- May 18, 2026Tiana Broadnax gives her first TV interview, on ITV's This Morning. She says she met him while researching racial disparities on Texas's death row for a master's degree, and that she believes he was innocent. ITV This Morning; LADbible
What's disputed
- Who fired. Broadnax confessed in 2008 and was tried as the shooter. Cummings's 2026 declaration says he was. Broadnax's lawyers said DNA linked Cummings to the gun. The courts did not resolve this; they ruled the appeal was procedurally barred.
- The trial. His lawyers argued prosecutors struck every Black prospective juror and misused rap lyrics he wrote to argue future dangerousness. The State opposed; the Supreme Court declined to hear it. Cert petition No. 25-939; Texas Brief in Opposition; KSAT
- Innocence claims are those of Broadnax, Cummings, his lawyers and his wife. The conviction stood, and the victims' families maintain it was right.
What happens next
The case is legally closed. Tiana Broadnax has said she wants to clear his name. We'll update if any court acts.
Sources
- Texas Tribunetexastribune.org/2026/04/30/texas-james-broadnax-execution/
- KSATksat.com/news/texas/2026/04/30/texas-executes-james-broadnax-after-supreme-court-rejects-final-appeal-tied-to-cousins-confession/
- CBS News Texascbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-james-broadnax-execution-shooter-robbery-garland-tx-recording-studio/
- KERAkeranews.org/news/2026-04-02/mothers-of-murdered-men-want-cold-execution-to-proceed-despite-new-confession-james-broadnax-death-penalty
- FOX 4fox4news.com/news/dallas-county-execution-james-broadnax-demarius-cummings
- TDCJtdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_info/broadnaxjameslast.html
- Tex. Crim. App., Ex parte Broadnax, WR-81,573-04search.txcourts.gov/Case.aspx?cn=WR-81,573-04&coa=coscca
- U.S. Supreme Court order (Apr. 30, 2026)supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/043026zr2_6479.pdf
- ITV This Morningitv.com/thismorning/articles/i-watched-my-husband-die-on-death-row
The crime and the execution are not depicted. Photos and documents are public record (TDCJ, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court).
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