Fear For Life E-mail
URGENT need of copies of documents that show my Innocence
February 10, 2003
Dear Friend on the Outside:
I hope to wait awhile to write again, because I know you are everything busy right now with very and pray this letter finds you doing well and feeling well.
However, I am in urgent need of your help.
On this day, I am also writing Professor Joe concerning the URGENT need of copies of documents they have that show my innocence, namely, but not limited to, the affidavit of Dally Doe. I am writing you, too, because just about all of my previous letters to the Innocence Network in Houston and to Professor Joe have met with no response. I hope that you can e-mail Professor Joe and urge him to help 1n this regard. I believe that my letters to him aren't reaching him; that there is an intermediary who decides which letters he sees and doesn't see. If you were to e-mail him and urge him to read my letter, perhaps this would provide the impetus for him to respond.
The harassment and assaults against me by some violent prisoners is increasing in frequency and severity. I can't go into detail here, in this letter. I believe that if I can obtain copies of documents that show my innocence, I can show them to two or three of my friends in here, and then the grapevine will take care of the rest. Once everyone in here hears that I am really innocent, the harassment and assaults will either be sharply curtailed, or win end altogether, I believe.
I hesitated about writing this letter, because I really don't want to bother you with this, but quite frankly, I am in more fear of my life than I've ever been. The news media has stepped up their sensationalization of child abuse cases. This has resulted in certain psychopathic prisoners targeting other prisoners who they believe have molested or sexually assaulted children. Since my case was very prominently publicized when I went to trial, everyone knows what I have been convicted of. My insistence that I am innocent does not sway them, of course. If anything, it causes them to beat me more severely. However, if I can prove that I am innocent, I might actually be able to get through the rest of my false imprisonment without being assaulted.
I am trying to be patient and wait for my liberty to be restored. But the way things are going in here, I'm not sure I can survive much longer in here. I am in fear of my life. With all the time prisoners are getting now, and the almost complete lack of parole grants, there are a lot of agitated, violent prisoners surrounding me, with nothing to lose. The toughest of the toughest love nothing better than to take out their frustrations on those whom they believe have abused children. And I am, perhaps, a favored target, because I do not put up a fight. I simply don't believe in harming my fellow human being, even those who attack me. I never have. I can't stand the thought of hurting anyone. I have always been very sensitive to the feelings of others. I hope I always will be.
I refuse to let this environment change me into something I don't want to be. I want to be as close to the person I was before I got locked up as I can be. I was living a law-abiding life before I was falsely accused of the offense I was wrongly convicted of. Admittedly, I did become a "fugitive" when I was falsely indicted. However, I was only fleeing because I could not stand the thought of being locked up with violent prisoners who would constantly harass and beat me. I had hoped to stay away long enough for the truth of my innocence to prevail on its own. But my heart wasn't into being a "fugitive." I didn't get a fake ID, or ditch my car. I wasn't a fugitive from justice; I was a refugee from injustice. It only lasted seven weeks.
Anyway, before I get too far off-track. If there is anything you can do to help in this regard, I would be extremely grateful. I don't want to try and go through prison staff. That would only make things worse. Snitches are even more reviled than child molesters. If I can just get the documents, or rather copies of them, that show my innocence, I can hopefully put a stop to the most torturous part of this false imprisonment.
I don't want to go into protective custody, either. I might have to as a last resort, but for now I would like to try and stay in general population. There are many decent prisoners in here who I like being around. There's nothing worse than being in an isolation cell 23 hours a day. In general population, there's a small degree of freedom. I don't want to lose that if at all possible.
I am surprised that it is taking as long as it has for me to regain my freedom. I wonder what the holdup is. I know that nothing is guaranteed, and that I must try and be patient, but I must admit that it is very frustrating to know that the evidence of my innocence has been uncovered, yet I still remain falsely imprisoned day after day, week after week, month after month. I wonder if you could also ask Professor Joe if he could find out what will likely happen in my case, and what the approximate timetable will be. It would make this false imprisonment easier to endure if I knew something. The uncertainty is killing me.
Thank-you for "listening." I really appreciate everything you have done, and for being a friend. I am very grateful to you. I hope and pray you are seeing a lot of progress in the struggle to end the death penalty, and to find justice for those who need it. I look forward to hearing back from you, but please don't write back until you have a little time. I understand. There are a lot of people who feel very fortunate, I'm sure, that you are working for their causes. Good luck to you in all your endeavors!
Very sincerely yours,
