Execution Train on the Fast Track
This year many men whom I had gotten
to know were executed. Some I had only
heard about, but they were all part of the
death-row community in which we live.
Some of these were long-time death row
prisoners.
They were: Billy Jo Woods -Executed 4-
14-97, some 21 years after his alleged
crime. I didn't know him personally, but
I have discovered that he lived in one cell
for fifteen years and that he was easy to
hold a conversation with. Clarence
Lackey. Executed 5-20-97, 19 years
after his alleged crime. I first met
Lackey a few months after arriving here.
He was a "porter" on the second shift,
and he always treated me with respect
and liked to joke around. I though to
myself, he was very tall and with his
height perhaps he was a good basketball
player. I never got the opportunity to
play ball with Lackey , but I've heard he
was a good ball player. Larry White -
Executed 5-22-97, 18 years after his
alleged crime. I never did meet Larry but
I have heard that long ago he had a prison
store and the guards ran in on him and
took it away. After this Larry stayed
mostly to himself.
The fast track death-train began with
Richard Brimage - Executed 2.10-97.
When I first heard the Richard planned to
drop his appeals, I was really taken
aback. I knew Richard had personal
problems, but he had won a reversal,
then the Court reversed itself and took
the reversal away. So things must have
overwhelmed him, thus he dropped his
appeals. The next month brought one
execution. John Barefield - Executed 3.
13.97. I met John out at the Garment
Factory, and he seemed like a
straightforward person.
April was me wake up call for everyone
on Texas death row. From the point,
things took a downward spiral for death
row prisoners -no matter what stage of
the appeals process they were at. Just
about everybody was talking about the
filing deadlines of April 24, 1997, the
new habeas corpus laws, AKA Anti-
terrorist and Effective Death Penalty Act
of 1996. Lawyers, most of whom had
never filed a writ before, were under
great pressure to file incomplete writs
and some lawyers didn't file any at all.
Yes, April brought along 6 executions,
the first of which was David Herman -
Executed 4-2-97. I knew Big Herman
and we mostly talked about the direction
the LHP was heading. I had much
respect for his opinions. The following
day came David Spence (Waco) -
Executed 4-3-97. I knew Waco and he
worked for Mr. Henry out at the Garment
Factory. Kenneth Gentry - Executed 4-
16-97. I only knew Gentry for a short
while. I have heard he was respected by
fellow death row prisoners. Benjamin
Boyle -Executed 4-21-97. I have seen
Benjamin passing by the wing on which
I lived and I asked, who he was, and
learned that he was a very good artist
who could make his work stand out with
the different colors he would use.
Earnest Baldree -Executed 4-29-97.
May brought 8 executions. Terry
Washington -5-6-97, Anthony "Big
Black" Westley -Executed 5-13-97. I
personally knew Black from the day I
arrived here. We would play basketball
together and I could call him a friend.
When he had gotten an execution date, I
knew I had to go early to see him because
I didn't want it to be a sad time. I do
remember that he would look out for me
on the food side when I didn't have
anything to eat. It was hard on a lot of
people here, including some of the
guards, when Black was executed.
Clifton Belyue - Executed 5-16-97.
Richard Drinkard - Executed 5-19-97. I
didn't know Richard, but Michael Sharp
is a good judge of people and he spoke
highly of him. Bruce Callins -Executed
5-21-97. I used to see Bruce in the
window across the hall from my wing.
He was a barber who could give fade
haircuts. Robert Madden -5-28-97 -I
didn't realize that Robert Madden was
" Junior". All I ever knew him by was
Junior and this affected me because I
missed the opportunity to say goodbye to
someone I really liked to talk with -
Peace my friend.
June, as May, brought 8 more executions.
Patrick Rodgers-El- executed 6-2-97. I
knew Rodgers-El and we had respect
between us. I do know that Rodgers-EI
spoke his mind -peace my brother .
Kenny Harris -Executed 6-3.97. Kenny
was well-liked by all who knew him. We
worked together for several years out at
the Garment Factory. He was part of the
crew who made things run smoothly
while having fun doing so; we miss you
Big Brother. Dorsie Johnson and Davis
Losada, both executed 6.4-97. These
two men were put to death and broke the
previous record for the most executions
in a one-year period since Capital
Punishment was resumed 21 years ago.
Earl Behringer -Executed 6-11-97.
Behringer didn't say too much. I would
see him just about every day on my way
to work, because I had to pass through
the wing he lived on to get to the
Garment Factory, and Behringer was a
porter on that particular wing. Also I
would see him at church on Saturday
mornings. David Stoker -Executed 6-
16-97. I would call him Stok'er, I would
walk and talk with him out in the flex
yard, usually till Roy Knox, his riding
buddy, came out. Let's Rock-n-Roll.
Eddie Johnson - Executed 6-17-97.
Eddie was mostly to himself and I really
didn't hear much about him. He wasn't
in the "program" that I know of and I
never heard anything bad about him; he
certainly was low-keyed. Ireneo
Montoya -Executed 6-18-97. I had
come to know Montoya personally and I
have much love and respect for him. He
had great influence among his fellow
Mexican death-row prisoners. One
thing's for sure, if Montoya gave you his
word to help, he would go out of his way.
Much Love, my friend.
July we only had one execution. Robert
West Executed 7-29-97. I really did not
know Robert personally. I have heard
that he was a hard-liner, didn't take
nothing from anybody, and stayed most
of his time on death row in deep lock-up
and, at times, in solitary confinement -
once where I had to send his birthday
card. West wasn't the type to apologize
to anybody under any circumstance. I
had heard that he apologized to the
victims' family. I must admit, he truly
meant what he said because I have never
heard anyone saying West has
apologized.
August brought some relief from all the
executions, but we still saw death on the
row that month. James Gunter (suicide) -
8-24-97. No one would have thought
that James would have taken his own life;
I was in total disbelief after knowing him.
September brought four executions.
James Davis -Executed 9-9-97. I only
knew Davis because the year before his
case put a Moratorium on the Death
Penalty here in Texas. Jessel Turner
(Three-Sixty) -Executed 9-22-97. I
thought of Three-Sixty as a friend, he
treated me well. Also he was good in
chess and I was never able to win a game
against him. He played basketball very
well. He would do the Three-Sixty on
the court and every time we would play
together and "Big Tex" was playing, you
could expect rex to start a good-natured
argument with Three-Sixty. Peace my
Big Brother. Benjamin Stone - Executed
9-25-97. We didn't know much about
Stone, other than he arrived here April
25, 1997 and he was 43 years old and
dropped his appeals and his stay was the
shortest on death row. The previous
record was George Lott, #999058.
Johnny W. Cockrum -Executed 9-30-97.
I knew J. C when I first arrived here. I
remember back in 1993, he wanted to
drop his appeals - but his attorneys
fought against his wishes, citing that he
was unable to make that call. J.C. treated
me with respect and he knew a lot about
the Bible. Peace.
October was three executions. Dwight
Adanandus Executed 10.1.97.
Everybody called him "Papa". I knew of
Dwight, but I never met him personally;
only saw him a few times while I was on
G-13 when their group would go out to
the yard. The last time I heard anything
about him, was the guards searched his
cell, and threw his religious books
around, and afterward he went to lock-up
for the rest of his time here. Ricky Green
-Executed 10-8-97. I met Ricky when I
first arrived on H-19 work capable. I
must say he was a good handball player
and was very competitive. I did spend a
few weeks with him before he had to go
to lock-up; I really liked Ricky .Kenneth
"Pony" Ransom -Executed 10-28-97. I
didn't know Ransom personally, but I
used to see him passing by my wing and
he had very long hair. He was respected
by all that knew him.
November has brought the execution of
two close friends. Aua Lauti -Executed
11-4-97. I knew Big Aua very well and
he would like to sit out on the yard along
with Mr. Burns and several others to eat
Jack-Mack right out of the can. I had the
opportunity to speak with Big Aua
because he thought enough about me to
want me to visit with him. We talked
about his family and how much it meant
that they have been with him and loved
him still. That was really important to
him. Two days later, Aaron Fuller .
Executed 11-6-97. When I found out
that Fuller-man wanted to visit with me,
it really made me feel great. I always
knew that we were all right and that
proved he thought of me as a friend and
that he was watching my walk with
Christ. He told me that was why he
called me. I explained to him that we all
have faults, that some people show them
and others don't and we prayed together
for God's grace. We also worked
together and played chess and basketball.
I'll miss you. Fuller-man.
I would be hard to mention everybody in
the limited space I have available. I
knew most of these men and they are
certainly in my thoughts and memories.
Well, I know that perhaps others will
have different views of all these executed
men. And that is quite alright because
we should remember them all the way we
remember them the best. What I am
trying to do, is put a human face on the
men who I have come to know and
respect. This year isn't over yet, and one
of my best friends is scheduled to be
executed by the State of Texas. He is
Mike Sharp, who is mainly responsible
for my involvement with The Lamp of
Hope Project -without which, I probably
would not be writing about my fellow
death row prisoners who have met
untimely deaths.
Peace
by Windell Broussard, #999064
LHP President
Certainly this year has been fast, the track
has been laid, and the death train has
arrived here in Huntsville, Texas, with 34
men, including the mentally
disadvantaged, the poor, and innocent
being killed. This fast track train still has
one and a half months left in this year,
with more execu1ions planned to raise the
number to a high never reached by a
single State in the Union.