Thread by @ScottHech

Blagojevich: Unapologetic. Sentence. commuted.

Nick Sutton: “An honest, kind, & trustworthy man who used his time in prison to better himself & show that change is possible.” Clemency supported by judges. Corrections. Victims’ family. Jury.

Electrocuted.eji.org/news/man-who-s…

“Sutton’s childhood was horrific. After his mother abandoned him as a baby, his violent, abusive, & mentally ill father beat him mercilessly. His father beat Nick so badly he broke his arm and he held Nick & his grandmother at gunpoint, leading to an armed standoff with police.”

“Nick became addicted to drugs after using drugs w/ his father at 12, & his young brain suffered damage from childhood head injuries resulting in a loss of consciousness & 2 severe injuries to orbital socket of the eye (he was shot in the eye as a child & hit w/ a lead pipe).”

“None of this evidence was presented to his jury, even though Nick was only 18 when he killed his paternal grandmother in TN & 2 men in NC. He was sentenced to life in Tennessee’s dangerous and overcrowded prisons, where incarcerated men lived in constant fear of violent attack.”

“In 1985 Nick found himself in what former correction commissioner & warden James Aiken called a “kill or be killed” position w/ Carl Estep an incarcerated man who told staff he planned to kill Nick. W/ no hope for protection from staff, Nick fatally stabbed Estep. He was 23.”

“Prosecutors offered him a life sentence conditioned on guilty pleas from him & his co-defendant. Nick was willing to enter a guilty plea, but the co-defendant refused to accept a sentence to 30-40 years. Mr. Sutton was sentenced to death.”

“Nick Sutton was the only person in Tennessee under a death sentence for killing another incarcerated person.”

“During his time in prison, Mr. Sutton saved the lives of three correction staff. He protected a guard from five prisoners who were trying to take him hostage during a 1985 prison riot at the Tennessee State Prison.”

“‘Nick risked his safety & well-being to save me from possible death. I owe my life to him,’ the guard said in his clemency petition. ‘If Nick was released tomorrow I’d welcome him into my home. Nick, more than anyone else on TN’s Death Row, deserves to live.’”

“Nick also prevented an attack on a Sheriff’s Deputy while he tried to break up a fight. He protected a female correctional professional who had been injured in a fall. ‘He sprang into action, helped me to my feet, retrieved my keys & radio, & alerted staff.’”

Corrections Officer: “‘This was typical of Nick, who always puts others before himself and is willing to help anyone in need.’”

“When untreated multiple sclerosis left Paul House—exonerated & released from TN’s death row in 2009—unable to walk, & the prison denied him a wheelchair, *Sutton carried him around the prison. To shower every day, helped him wash. Carried him to visits w/ his mother.”

Paul House’s mother told the governor in pleading for clemency: “Nick is the only reason Paul is alive today.”

“Mr. Sutton also saved the life of a man who collapsed in his cell from a punctured intestinal tract. And after Lee Hall Jr. went blind while on death row & denied a cane or walking stick, Nick guided him to ensure his safety. (Tennessee electrocuted Mr. Hall in December.)”

“Nick studied mediation & conflict resolution to assist peers & staff in reducing conflicts & became a leader in a class of divinity students & people sentenced to death. Professor: “Execution after such a valiant struggle to become a loving & generous witness” would be unjust.”

“Correction officers told the governor that Sutton is ‘not the same man who committed those crimes.’ He “has worked harder than any inmate I have known to better himself. He has learned from his mistakes, has grown & matured, inspiring other inmates to better themselves.’”

“5 members of the jury that sentenced him to death & 1 alternate agreed that he should not be executed & urged the governor to commute his death sentence. Victims’ family member also asked the governor to spare Mr. Sutton’s life.”

“Despite the insistence of correction staff that Sutton was ‘living proof of the possibility of rehabilitation & power of redemption,” governor denied clemency. He was the 4th person killed by Tennessee since Jan 2019, & the 7th since the state resumed executions in August 2018.”

Rest In Peace, Nick Sutton. Abolish the Death Penalty.

Gov. Bill Lee (@BillLeeTN): “After careful consideration of Nicholas Sutton’s request for clemency & a thorough review of the case, I am upholding the sentence of Tennessee & will not be intervening.” Speaking of intervening, he supports an abortion ban at 6 weeks. “Pro-life.”