Why murder them - so fast ? - Law - http://maxpages.com/prisonministry/In_memory

THE TRAGIC DEATH OF RICKY JONES: EXECUTED IN SPITE OF INNOCENCE

There are only a few prisoners on Texas Death Row that I personally know.
Ricky Jones was one of them. Ricky was executed by the State of Texas on
August 22, 2000, despite strong claims of innocence. His lawyers asked the
state for time to conduct DNA testing that they believed would prove
Ricky's innocence, but the authorities, intent on having the execution
proceed without a hitch, denied their request. It would not have taken
long to run these tests. I have never understood why Texas seems so intent
on executing people rather than saving their lives.

I came to know Ricky because some of his friends from Italy who believed in
his innocence asked if we could videotape an interview of him which they
would use to raise money for his legal defense. The interview was done at
the Ellis Unit Death Row in Huntsville, Texas, by Ray Hill of the KPFT
Prison Program. My son, Richard, who is good with a videocamera, taped the
interview.

I traveled to Ft. Worth a couple of times with our Italian friends, Arianna
and Biagio, to meet Ricky's lawyer and family. His lawyer, William Harris,
expressed his belief that Ricky was innocent of the murder which put him on
death row. The evidence in the case pointed to the boyfriend of Ricky's
sister.
I wrote and visited Ricky a number of times over the years. He appreciated
the friendship and always expressed thanks for the help that people were
giving him, particularly his European supporters. He always maintained his
innocence.

Friends who visited Ricky a few days prior to his execution noted how pale
and drawn he looked. This was undoubtedly due in part to the stress of his
pending execution. However, I suspect it was also due to the solitary
confinement conditions at the Terrell Unit where the death row prisoners
are now housed.
Prisoners are kept in tiny 9X5 foot cells for 23 hours a day. They are no
longer allowed to recreate together during their one hour out of the cell.
The work program that existed at the Ellis Unit has been eliminated. The
arts and crafts program has been curtailed. Church services are no longer
allowed. There are no TVs. These conditions of isolation cause mental
problems and would certainly be considered cruel and unusual punishment by
any society that dared to call itself "civilized".

A few hours before the execution, Ricky's family and friends visited with
him via telephone from the Hospitality House in Huntsville. I really did
not want to talk to him because I didn't know what to say. (What do you
say to a man who is about to be executed?) In spite of his innocence, we
had failed to save his life. However, I summoned up my courage and talked
to him for a few minutes. I told Ricky that I admired his courage under the
worst of circumstances and would be praying for him. I also vowed to him
that we would continue our fight against the death penalty in Texas. In a
voice of quiet despair, Ricky expressed thanks for my friendship and for
doing what we could to help him.

Ricky's execution was witnessed by four of his close supporters from
Europe. His last words were "I want the victim's family to know that I
didn't commit this crime. I didn't kill your loved one. Sharon Wilson,
y'all convicted an innocent man and you know it. There are some lawyers
hired that are gonna prove that, and I hope you can live with it. To my
family and loved ones, I love you. Thank you for supporting me. Y'all
stay strong. Warden, bring it on...."

The rest of us stood outside the prison to honor Ricky's life and to
protest what was happening inside the prison walls. The pain was
excruciating for all of us, but particularly for Ricky's friends from Europe.

Following the execution, a number of us went to the Huntsville Funeral Home
where we understood we could touch Ricky's body and say goodbye to him.
No one, including close family members, had been able to touch Ricky while
he was in prison because contact visits are not allowed. This holds true
even on the day of execution. Personally, I consider this extreme cruelty
on the part of the prison system.

However, when we arrived at the funeral home, the proprietor refused to
show us Ricky's body, saying that he did not have the "authority" to do so.
This obstruction by the proprietor of the funeral home meant that some of
Ricky's friends from Europe who could not attend the funeral in Ft. Worth
would never see him again. In my opinion, this was part of the disrespect
of families and friends of prisoners which is so common in the prison
system.

Ricky, we say goodbye to you for now, but we want you to know that you did
not die in vain. Your death, like those before and after you, will help
bring down this evil system of executions which has such a grasp on Texas.
We will remember you, our brother.

Dave Atwood, President
Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

(This essay is dedicated to Ricky Jones and his supporters in Europe:
Arianna Ballotta and Biagio Santoro, Wendy and Jakob Schmid, Michela and
Carlo Mancini, and Marianne Zimmer.)

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Reiner Stensgaard Goldau
Dove Prison Ministry International
Ydbyvej 184	DK - 7760 Hurup - Thy
Denmark
+45-97-407628
goldau@adslhome.dk

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Page Updated Sat Apr 7, 2001 3:01pm EDT