Woman who fell in love with death row inmate reveals what convinced her he was innocent

A British woman who fell in love with a man on death row while researching his case has spoken out about the discovery that left her convinced he was innocent of the murders that sent him there.

Tiana Broadnax first contacted James Broadnax as she studied for a Master's degree in international human rights law, having chosen to focus her dissertation on racial disparities on Texas' death row.

James had been convicted of capital murder over the 2008 shooting deaths of music producers Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler during a robbery in Garland, Texas. He was sentenced to death in 2009.

What was initially meant to be a three-week trip to the US eventually turned into three months as Tiana began digging further into James' background and the evidence surrounding his case.

Speaking in a new LADbible Stories episode of Minutes With, she said it was the DNA evidence that changed everything for her.

Tiana recalled: "I came to the DNA and the DNA said, 'James Broadnax on the gun. His DNA is excluded. Demarius Cummings cannot be excluded from the DNA. Victim's trousers. James Broadnax's excluded from DNA. Demarius Cummings cannot be excluded.'

"And I'm like, 'Excuse me, what?' And I said, 'I need to stay longer.'"

James Broadnax maintained his innocence until his execution in April (ITV)

James' cousin, Demarius Cummings, had also been convicted in connection with the killings but was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Tiana said she had been due to fly home the following day, but returned to see James after going through the DNA material.

She continued: "I said to James, 'I'm not leaving you. I'm not leaving you.'"

Tiana then described the moment she directly confronted him about what she believed the evidence showed: "As soon as I went to see him and I saw that DNA, I sat down and I said, 'You didn't do it, did you?' And he said, 'Well, now you know what you're fighting for.'"

Soon enough, the two were married on April 14.

Earlier in the interview, Tiana explained that James had admitted being involved in the robbery, but she maintained he was not the person who shot the two victims.

In March 2026, Cummings signed a sworn declaration saying he had been the shooter and that he had persuaded James to take the blame after the pair had been using PCP and marijuana.

The filing also stated that Cummings' DNA, rather than James', had been found on the pistol used in the killings.

Despite the new declaration forming part of an attempt to halt the execution, James' appeals were unsuccessful.

He was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville on April 30, 2026, aged 37 — just 16 days after they tied the knot.

James maintained his innocence over the shootings until the bittersweet final moments the two shared leading up to his death, while Tiana has said she intends to continue fighting to clear his name.