A convicted murderer could receive a new trial after it was revealed that a presiding judge expressed antisemitic views while sentencing him.

Randy Halprin, a Jewish man from Texas, was sentenced to death in 2003 after being convicted of murdering a police officer during a prison break crime spree near the city of Dallas.

Halprin, who was originally imprisoned for violently assaulting a child, broke out of prison along with six other men, committing a series of violent crimes including robberies and assaults that culminated in the murder of officer Aubrey Hawkins in the city of Irving.

Six of the seven men were eventually caught by Texas authorities and sentenced to death for the murder of Hawkins, with four successful executions taking place since 2003.

Now Halprin, one of the two culprits still alive, could be granted a new trial after the local district attorney filed a petition to vacate his conviction after witnesses at his sentencing testified that they heard the judge use antisemitic language.

Vickers Cunningham, the sentencing judge, was allegedly heard describing the defendants as “the Mexican, the queer, and the Jew” and also reportedly called Halprin: “the goddamn kike” and “the Jew.” 

In a statement, Tivon Schard, Halprin’s lawyer, said that he was grateful to the eyewitnesses “who bravely performed their civic duty in a difficult case left no doubt that Judge Cunningham harbored antisemitic bias towards Randy Halprin."

Earlier this week the District Attorney in charge of the case urged judges to overturn the conviction and give Halprin a new trial saying that Cunningham: “harboured actual bias against him at the time of trial.”