Death-Row; one man's plight

I have a dear friend who is facing an incredible family crisis, like none any of us have probably ever faced.  Today she informed me that her brother-in-law has lost his last appeal from The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday.  He is the longest person sitting on death-row in the state of Texas.  He has been there for 30 years.  That was before I even came to Texas.  That's longer than I have been married.  That is a lifetime.  He lives in an 8x10 cell and even now, doesn't know what you will know, that his appeal is denied and his execution date will be reset for sometime in the next two months.

First off, I am an advocate for capital punishment.  Yes, I believe people need to die for their heinous actions BUT, we need to be sure that the person we are punishing is guilty beyond ALL doubt.  This is where this case get's tricky.  Lester was a man who told a series a lies, had no alibi and was in the wrong place at the wrong time and because of his own discrepancies surround the truth made his credibly iffy and so was found more readily guilty.  Four people died that terrible day and other people reacted in fear, ran, accused, and lied, yes, even people who were supposed to defend the law, in the least, stretched it.  This story could be a movie plot, like some of your favorite movies we all enjoy in the theaters.  You know, like "The Fugitive", where a good man is wrongly accused and all roads seem to point to him except in this case, there are no cameras and there is no "cut" and there also seems to be no justice on this of heaven for this man.  Lester's wife has waited for him all these years, standing by him, as does his family and yet, because he is on death row, they can't even see him.  Her email's maybe will get delivered to him, days or weeks later, when the correctional institution seems to get to it and he is treated like an animal on some days by those who order him into his cell or out into the Texas heat or rain.  He is treated as, well, a criminal.  Hmmm - seems to fit when we are dealing with a "wicked" soul but from what I hear about the "rest of this story" he is just a man who failed to tell the truth while a series of crazy events unfolded.

Today, Les's health is failing and he is ready to "go home" but his family isn't ready to see his life come to an end for someone else's crime.  Les knows where he is going and he is at peace with God.  That is Good News, but what about justice and what is right?  This is a scary thing and we all need to be mindful that it is "just by the grace of God" that this could be someone you love. 

Several people have since come forward who KNOW what happened that day, risking their own lives to speak-up about who really was the "trigger" man and how he has gloated with "getting away with murder" and what really happened that day.  See, some of these people are evil in much of what they do.  They were the "bad crowd" your mother warned you about but because this whole incident was sketchy involving law people working the wrong side of the law, political appointed people with careers in play and reputations on the line and even elected officials trying to jockey for position, the truth keeps getting sidelined and Les sits.  He has been treated less than kindly by many during his incarceration, because, well, he is a criminal - right?  Well, my bible says differently.  We are to care and visit those who are in prison.  Even Jesus mentioned them.  I think that makes them in the least, noteworthy.

There are many who may be reading this who may know another side to this story, as it was local news before I got here, but I pray God will bring forth justice and that people will look long and hard and what they could do to help this man before he is put to death.  My understanding is that he wanted to buy an airplane and his wife said no.  He went out and bought one anyway, to cover up the purchase, he took the plane apart to bring it home, piece-by-piece; as if he would be "building" one.  He did have phone records calling this place, as he did buy an airplane that fateful day but no one knew he was there and he lied about it to cover his plan; his plan to have a plane and not tell his wife.  He is guilty of doing his own thing and MANY have come forward to speak on his behalf BEFORE this injustice is carried out.  How many of you have ever bought something against your mate's wishes and hid it?  What if events turned on you.  Who would "stand by you"?  I sure know a LOT of people who have lied on countless occasions and thank God a murder didn't go down on the day THEY did.

Their is also the part about the ammunition that he used.  That too has been played up by the prosecutors in this case, and it was taken a bit far for flavor.  I know SEVERAL people who "pack" their own bullets, buy and collect rare guns and yep, even have been caught in a lie but again, that doesn't make them guilty of capital murder!  It certainly shouldn't be shocking to have "criminals" (who were prepared for an altercation that day) to have their own unmarked bullets from rare guns on hand. There seems to be some common sense missing, which in and of itself is a theme we all have seen played out, again and again in our culture over the last few decades.  The connection was a stretch and unfortunately for Les, a hobbiest who enjoyed guns too, he was the perfect "fall guy" for this fateful day.  This was a perfect storm, to pin it on him, because legal people were involved with this sour drug deal that went south and we certainly don't want to see the "good guys" being exposed for their evil.

I am not saying Les was a totally innocent man nor was he clear of wrong doing, but I am saying, capital murder for a crime he didn't do, seems a bit strong in the least and downright wrong.  Why not give him a new trial and let ALL the evidence come out. I don't understand why he can't get a new trial when there are SEVERAL who will testify to the truth that were not heard from in the beginning.  This is someone's life here and we have to get it right.  We all have seen and heard of people who were incarcerated for years set free because of "new" evidence came for some even that maybe was withheld during the initial trial and people are released for mistakes made.

Praying this story ends with justice and a new trial will miraculously be given where ALL evidence can and will be heard.  There are TOO many questions about who is being punished for these murders and I am praying that God will move where man seems to be stalling.  Another thought is if Governor Rick Perry would step-in to help save this innocent man of capital murder before his execution is under his watch.  It is a scary thing to fall into the hands of the living God and on that day, many will not have a dry eye.  God have mercy!