U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas death row inmate's DNA retesting appeal

April 25 (UPI) -- The United States Supreme Court will hear an appeal from a Texas death row inmate sentenced to death for murder more than 20 years ago, it was announced Monday.

Rodney Reed, accused of killing Stacey Lee Stiles in 1996, wants to challenge a post-conviction DNA statute so that crime-scene DNA from a belt can be retested, CBS News reported.

Stiles was raped and strangled in a town 30 miles southeast of Austin as she headed to work, and prosecutors alleged Reed was responsible.

In Texas, a convicted person can have DNA tested after the conviction if a court finds certain conditions are met.

Reed's request was denied in lower federal courts for waiting too long to bring the claim. The courts found that since Reed became aware that his right may have been violated in 2014, his current claim is "time barred."

His case has caught the attention and support of celebrities including Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, along with lawmakers and religious leaders.

In 2018 and 2020, the Supreme Court had declined to consider Reed's appeal.

"The basic question is a technical one about when the clock starts running for federal lawsuits by prisoners who seek DNA testing of newly discovered evidence that might exonerate them," said Steve Vladeck, professor at the University of Texas School of Law, according to CBS News.

"But the implications could be much broader, especially for prisoners in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, where the current law makes it exceedingly difficult to bring such claims," Vladeck said.