Much of my work and the work of my organization, the Ministry Against the Death Penalty, is built around personal interactions with large groups of people. This cannot continue amid the precautions and restrictions related to #COVID19, at least for the immediate future. THREAD:
During this public health crisis, we are exploring creative solutions that allow us to continue our work, while doing our part to keep people healthy and safe.
Our staff is meeting virtually later this week to discuss strategies and technologies that will help me stay connected with schools, colleges, and the general public during this difficult and stressful time.
The good news is that, so far, all of us at the Ministry Against the Death Penalty are healthy, and each of us is doing our best to self-isolate and contribute to #flatteningthecurve.
Even though the bulk of our income is derived from my speaking engagements, MADP will continue to pay our staff in this period of uncertainty.
We welcome suggestions about how you would like to engage with me and what you would like to hear me talk about over the coming days, weeks, and months. Please send any ideas to us via email at sociable@sisterhelen.org.
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The execution of Marcellus Williams is a horrible injustice. This didn’t have to happen. Just a couple weeks ago, prosecutors—with the support of the victim’s family—had reached a plea agreement with Marcellus that took death off the table.
Missouri AG Andrew Bailey and the Missouri Supreme Court scuttled that agreement without any regard for the wishes of the victim's family. A week later, the trial court judge reversed course and blocked efforts by St. Louis County prosecutors to vacate Marcellus’s conviction.
This wasn’t the first time Marcellus faced execution. Back in 2017, he came within hours of death before then-Gov. Greitens formed a Board of Inquiry to look into all the problems with the case. Gov. Parson took over and disbanded the Board before they could finish their job.
It’s outrageous that Missouri is so close to executing Marcellus Williams. He was convicted at a trial where prosecutors intentionally struck at least one Black person from the jury pool. Witnesses were paid to point the finger at Marcellus. His DNA is not on the murder weapon.
Trial prosecutors handled the murder weapon without gloves, irreparably contaminating it. The current St. Louis County prosecuting attorney admitted fault and was willing to enter a plea agreement where Marcellus would be re-sentenced to life in prison.
A judge initially accepted that agreement, only to reverse course a week later. The legal system has failed Marcellus Williams over and over again. It’s unconscionable for Missouri to move forward with this execution in the face of such grave doubts.
The State of Texas killed Ivan Cantu last night. I was there with him, standing near his face, holding his hand, and praying into his ear until the chemicals killed him. God's grace was with him and with me.
He was one of the most faith-filled, self-directed people I have ever encountered. His strength helped me. His last words were directed calmly and clearly to the victims' families watching him die from the witness chambers.
"I did not kill James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen. If I had known who killed them I would have gotten the information to you in any way I could. But I did not kill them and if your hope in coming here is because you seek closure or peace, I'm afraid you’re going to be disappointed."
Yesterday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a brief in support on one of Richard Glossip's pending appeals at the U.S. Supreme Court. AG Drummond agrees that Richard is entitled to a new trial due to prosecutorial misconduct.
AG Drummond presents the question before the Supreme Court in the case:
AG Drummond's brief begins: "The State of Oklahoma, acting through its chief law enforcement officer, recently made the difficult decision to confess error and support vacating the conviction of petitioner Richard Eugene Glossip."
Unless a court intervenes, Missouri will execute Michael Tisius tomorrow, June 6th. When Michael was 19 years old, he made a terrible mistake and killed two jailers while attempting to free a former cellmate. But Michael is not the worst of the worst and does not deserve to die.
Michael's difficulties began before he was born. His mother, Patty, was abandoned by her own mother at a young age. Patty's father died suddenly when she was 13 years old.
Patty's life took a bad turn when she was returned to the custody of her mother, who took 13-year-old Patty out drinking at local bars until late at night almost every day. Patty became pregnant with her first son, Joey, at just 17 years old.
Today is the 20th World Day Against the Death Penalty, with a focus this year on the relationship between capital punishment and torture. The entire death penalty process is torturous for every person involved.
Those on death row spend decades awaiting the eventual day when the government will take them into a room, render them defenseless, and kill them through one of several torturous methods of execution. This is mental torture.
In some cases, the execution eventually happens. In many other cases, the execution is never carried out. People on death row live out every day not knowing if or when the government will legally kill them. This is another form of mental torture.