Advocating for truth — Why a former prosecutor no longer supports the death penalty
Attorney and Former Bexar County District Attorney
When Sam Millsap was the Bexar County District Attorney, he prosecuted Ruben Cantu for capital murder.
Cantu was executed in 1992.
In December 2005, as a result of investigative reporting by the Houston Chronicle, serious questions were raised concerning Cantu’s guilt. Millsap, acknowledging that he made an error in judgment when he decided to seek the death penalty on the basis of the testimony of a single eyewitness, has assumed personal responsibility for Ruben Cantu’s execution.
That event has led Millsap on a five year journey during which he has had an intellectual and emotional change of heart about the death penalty.
In February 2006, he was a featured speaker at the World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris, France. In October 2008, Millsap spoke at the United Nations in support of its death penalty moratorium resolution. He has worked closely with abolition groups in New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana, California, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Georgia.
Fun Fact:
When Millsap was District Attorney, he was caught by the Terrell Hills Police Department burglarizing his next door neighbor’s house. No charge was filed
Website:
www.ITIJ.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31:sam-millsap&catid=1:latest&Itemid=2
