A Letter From Death Row Which Will Leave You With A Lump In Throat

Recently, while surfing through the net I came across a heart wrenching letter written by Pete Russell who is a prisoner in Texas. He is waiting for his turn in death row.

The letter is so intense that it left me with a lump in throat. In the end he tries to convey a message to the society, that somewhere even prisoners are human. They need to be treated like one. Let’s see what he has to say.

‘I would like to say my name is Pete Russell and I am a human being’

Source : Gawker

Dear Mr. Nolan,

How are you doing? Mr. Willie Trottie gave me your name and address along with the six questions. I have answered all of them and hopefully they will make a small impression on someone, including yourself.

1. At this point, I do not have an execution date. I am still in the appeals process. However, Texas has a high execution rate of 89%. So most of their executions are carried out on/ as scheduled. The only thing we can hope for is the end of the death penalty.

2. Daily life on Death Row is very complex! The question itself is enough to drive a person crazy just trying to answer it. Here is a brief description of life on death row. "The inmate name is '999' yes he is a number. The inmate is somebody, at the same time a no-body. Daily life for the inmate is hot and cold. Good times and bad times, but these feelings take place in the mind." Please- help us!

3. I would say that my past and upbringing was ok. I'm sure that it could have been better, but overall, as I reflect on the past, I can honestly say I miss it! I miss being little, the baby, the center of attention. My mom picking me up and feeding me. I know that I was loved. Now, at the time, I did not have any concept of being poor, never heard of the word poverty. My upbringing was just love, respect and being a good kid. I remember the lights being off in the house [over]

Source : Gawker

And my mother running an extension cord out the window to our neighbor’s house. If our water was off my mother would take a big, five gallon bucket next door and come back with hot water, so we could take a hot bath. That's a look into my past and upbringing and I'm not ashamed of it.

4. [To the question of whether life in prison has changed his political or spiritual beliefs] Yes, it has. On the political level. I would cast my vote for the Green Party. The Democrats and Republicans are two feathers on the same bird. Concerning my religious beliefs, I practice Siddha yoga meditation.

5. The death penalty for the media is nothing but news! Regardless if the person is innocent or guilty they see nothing but news- nothing more. The public view of the death penalty is based on the Old and New testament- so the debate continues for or against.

6. I would like to say my name is Pete Russell and I am a human being. To the public and to our country, I would like to say I'm a human being, not a monster! I cannot stress this point enough. To get a clear picture of who I am and what I've become, I highly suggest you read: “Texas Death Row Yogi” at www.lulu.com. In the end I wish peace on everybody.

Do you think there shall be an end to death penalty?