Owner: The Rural Writer URL:www.theruralwriter.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 09:38:03 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: The women of death row are real people with real regrets and real stories to tell. Visit this blog to see the actual letters from these women and get an insight into their minds and lives. Site statistics:Click here
Letter from Judy Neelley today.
I am really, real... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Letter from Judy Neelley today.I am really, really mixed on Judy. She did some heinous things. She was also very, very young. Her case reminds me alot of what is happenng in Calfornia now with Janeen Marie Snyder.Judy was born and raised right here in my neighborhood. She met an married her husband Alvin when she was 14 years old. He was abusive of her and had her so afraid to go against him in any way. I watched my mother go through some helacious abuse and I have seen first hand what it can do.In this letter she talks about how the women in the prison were moved to another prison. She has been there 2 months and s depressed and miserable. She talks of the book on her "Early Graves" being passed around and the other inmates comments on it.She said she argued withe her boyfriend on the phone but doesnt say about what. This is the frst mention shes made of a boyfriend n the 2 years we've written.The letter is short since she was moved unexpectedly and was trying to let everyone know wh Read more:Letter
I got a letter from Antoinette Frank this week. S... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I got a letter from AntoinetteFrank
this week. SInce my move I have not been able to write like I used to. I did write to Antoinetter last month, explaining my move and my mothers death. She wrote and told me about her new book being published in 2007.She had published a small booklet with a religious publisher last year but I was never able to get a copy. Im not sure if this is the same publisher but from her letter I am led to believe that it is a traditional publisher. Im anxious to get her next letter and hope she goes into more detail.She also forwarded a letter to me from her brother. Also incarcerated. Im not sure for what. He expresses his sympathy on my moms passing and relates his own tragedy. His daughter has passed away and he tried to connect with me on that level.Antoinette was a police officer who, with her cousin, orchestrated and comitted a roberry of a Chineese restaurant that she moonlighted at as a guard. After hours she attempted the robbery which went afoul and
For a limited time I am scheduling speaking arrang... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 For a limited
time I am scheduling
speaking arrangements free.beginning November 4th through December 31rst I will speak to groups about my experiences with the women on death row.I am available to speak to groups of women, teens, churches, law enforcement, crime buffs, true crime writers and more.For more information please email me through this blog.
A letter from Michelle Byrom today. I hadnt hea... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 A letter from Michelle
Byrom today. I hadnt heard from her in some time and she explained that she has had some trouble with a guard. She said I was being harrassed by a Captain here. I guess shes either jealous because I have a TV or more likely because Im white.. She also jumped on another girl, the new girl on death row here. [That is Lisa Jo Chamberlain]Shook her down and told her to stand outside her door and if she moved she'd kick her ass."Her health , which has always been a problem for her, has gotten worse in recent days. "They checked my blood last week. They are supposed to check it every 2 -3 months but last time was in February. My Thyroid was off the charts then and they were supposed to up my dose, never did. My cholestrol was sky high, nothing done about it. With my Lupus and the depression its a triple whammy when the thyroid acts up. No thyroid meds. If I dont get out of here soon, Ill be shipped out in a body bag."
Wisconsin considers the death penalty 1970-01-01 00:59:59 After 153 years without it, WIsconsin voters will consider advising their state legislators to reinstate the death
penalty.read more | digg story Read more:Wisconsin
From the Herald Tribune on Shonda Johnson-
Court:... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 From the HeraldTribune
on Shonda Johnson
-Court
: Walker County woman again facing death sentenceTHE ASSOCIATED PRESSMONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A Walker County woman is again looking at the death penalty for having one of her husbands killed because he got her prosecuted for bigamy.On Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court reversed a ruling by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, which had overturned the capital murder conviction and death sentence of Shonda Nicole Johnson.Johnson was convicted in 1999 of the shooting death of Randy McCullar in a church parking lot in rural Walker County on Nov. 30, 1997. The capital murder charge involved killing a person who had been a grand jury witness.Testimony at the trial showed that Johnson was still married to McCullar when she married William Howard McIntyre Jr. in 1995 and when she married Tim Richards in 1997.McCullar testified before a grand jury and got Johnson prosecuted for bigamy. He also filed for divorce and custody of their child three weeks b
Ive had some emails lately asking about Shonda Joh... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Ive had some emails latelyasking
about Shonda Johnson.No, she is no longer on death row.The main reason for this is becuase she is innocent. Her case was the biggest bunch of bullshit that I have seen in a while.At any rate, the Equal Justic Initiative became involved and she now sits in a Alabama jail in her hometown. Hopefully she will return home before long.Her case is especailly scary becuase what happened to her could very well happen to anyone.He husband murdered her ex husband and in order to take a plea he involved her in his crime. Telling police she was present at the time. Not ony was she not present but she had evidence of such which was suppressed.Scary stuff.
I got yet another letter from Michelle Tharp, deat... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I got yet another letter from Michelle
Tharp, death row in PA. Today. In this one she threatens to have someone visit me for putting her leters on the internet. Which I did not do, let me remind you.She also asks me why I told her paralegal that I was a deperate mother using her for money. Huh? If anything this broad costs me oney and no paralegal has bothered to contact me on her behalf.I have given her one last chance to stop writing to me. If I get another letter I will sign a written complaint against her.
OK- HUGE decision on my part here-
I am constantly... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 OK- HUGE decision
on my part here-I am constantly getting well meaning (if a bit testy) emails from people who come here to read information on my work with the death row women. They are mildly confused by my rantings on my kids and life in general. Usually my attitude would be "deal with it"But a publisher friend of mine has suggested that it is actually better to separate the two. I have often see people signature lines with two or three blog links in it and I always think- why would anyone need more than one blog? That is a sign of a person with to much time on their hands.And now I am one of those people.At any rate- This blog will be entirely dedicated to the death row women and related topics.My family, life, kids and the rest of me will now reside here-http://www.managedmayhem.squarespace.comPlease come and visit. Leave a comment. I'm lonely over there.
Im writing Michelle Byrom back today.
She is in Mi... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Im writingMichelle
Byrom back today.She is in Mississippi. Convicted of killing her husband even though she was in the hospital when the trigger was pulled. Long trigger finger, huh?She is actually convicted of masterminding the whole caper and having her son and his friend pull the trigger.[url]http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0310/17/m13.html[/url]Michelle writes long 10, 12 and sometimes 15 page letters about her state of affairs. I hear every detail of her prison life and those around her.She is by far my most expensive pen friend. She asks for a lot because she needs a lot.Her family has deserted her.
Ive started writing to a man in prison, which is u... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Ive started writing
to a man in prison, which is unusual for me.He isnt on the row but serving life.His story touched me so deeply I thought of him for several days before deciding to send him a copy of the girls newsletter.His name is Randy Wood.I saw his story on an A&E American Justice titled Murder at Homecoming.He and a few buddies were drinking in a camper trailer when one of the girls from school showed up. She got drunk right alon with them and although she was an ex girlfriend of Randy's ended up sleeping with one of the other fellas.After pasing out, the third fella goes in to see her and he also has sex with her. She wakes up sometime later and his hysterical. Saying that she was raped by the third fella who was a shady type.The two that had sex with her take her to a bridge and blow her head off and throw her over the bridge.Randy was along for the ride, threatened and scared and in over his head.When all three were arrested he refused a plea bargain to make sure that his
Reconsidering the Death Penalty 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Let's take a stroll down amnesia lane. In the mid-1980s, there were more than a dozen police officers killed in the line of duty in Canada. This prompted calls for the restoration of the death penalty in Canada which had been formally abolished in 1976 (the same year it was restored in the United States).read more | digg story Read more:Death Penalty
, Penalty
I received word from a mutal friend that Chelsea ... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I received word from a mutal friend
that Chelsea
Richardson wanted me to contact her again. I had previously quit writing to her after the troubles I had with Michelle Tharp.A strange jealous stalker/hacker had ingraciated himself into Michelles life and every time someone disagreed with him or doubted his "authority" he would threaten to fill Michelles head with as much drivel as possible about that person. Unfortunetly Michelle is very paranoid and frightful and believed it. This stalker/hacker is also a friend of Chelseas and when he hacked my forums to pieces at www.womenofdeathrow.com/forum I just didnt have the time or inclination to play the games he thrives on. I wish there was something I could do about him. He preys on the women on the row who are weak minded or young and impressionable. Usually someone that has limited support. He throws a few dollars at them and then I hear from them about their crushes on him. I dreadfully certain he has some wierd fetish of women incarcer
Judge Signs Cathy Henderson Death Warrant
A Trav... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Judge Signs CathyHenderson
Death Warrant
A Travis County judge Monday signed the death warrant for a woman convicted of kidnapping and murdering a 3-month-old boy.Cathy Lynn Henderson of Pflugerville drew national attention back in 1994 for the disappearance of Brandon Baugh. Henderson was the infant's babysitter. She was arrested in Missouri.The baby's body was later found in Temple. Henderson was sentenced to death row.Monday morning, Judge John Wisser said April 18 will be the day Henderson will die.Now that Judge Wisser has set the execution date, Henderson's attorneys say her case will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. They believe an adequate medical and physchological evaluation was not orignally done to help her defense, because Henderson had no real motive to kill the child."She's got friends who came here today to stand by her, so it's not like she's an evil person. We feel her case deservves even more evaluation, and that's just what we're trying to do," said Ja Read more:Judge
I am so overwhelmed. Thanksgiving bombarded me a... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I am so overwhelmed. Thanksgiving
bombarded me and now I have Christmas to shop for.I have letters from Antoinette, Michelle Byrom, Chelsea Richardson, Adam Frank and Judy Neelley that all need answered.
The letter from Antoinette Franks brother Adam is ... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The letter from AntoinetteFranks
brother Adam is interesting. He says:Yes, I am incarcerated at the infamous Louisana State Penitentiary known as "Angola". Where the rodeos are held. Things have changed considerably from the old days, but theres a few killings and rapes that go on, which are not made known to the public.Then he goes on later to say:...I am 6'5 1/2 " tall, and 287 lbs and very muscular built. I am also a 3rd degree black belt in karate. Which along with other aacquired "Special Operational Tactical Skills From The Military And Police Dept Swat Teams," has landed me in High Prority threat to security and High Priority escape risk. Also including the fact that Im a former computer hacker and was a fugitive once for 7 years. I also have many other special skills which surfaced and caused the authorities to wonder how I had aquired them. Kelly, I usually refrain from telling people this about me, becuase it tends to frighten them away thinking that Im a bad person. Whe
The first chapter of my book is about Judy Neelley... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The first chapter of my book is about Judy Neelley.I thought it was rather good myself but recently heard from my editor friend who had graciously offered to help me look it over. She said it sucked.Pretty much just like that, too.But I guess editors are notoriously cruel and evil. (Im kidding, mostly.)So Ive decided to spend the rest of the day laboring hard at this chapter. I want to get it completely fabulous and send it back to her by Sunday night.Can it be done? I hope so. I see all those rabid writers doing that Nanowrimo thing and thats got to be hard.I can do it!
The execution of a teenage girl, hung for being raped 1970-01-01 00:59:59 A television documentary team has pieced together details surrounding the case of a 16-year-old girl, executed two years ago in Iran.read more | digg story Read more:teenage
This is Randy Wood, his mom and his brother.
His ... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This is Randy
Wood, his mom and his brother.His letter today was light hearted. I was worried about him. He was so unnecessarily worried about some drivel on a message board about him. I was informed by his wife about the site and when I looked at it I was sorry he even knew about it. It was all so stupid it barely made sense. He had spoke before about being in prison for 10 years and that in November he would be recognized for this and able to receive priveldges but nothing was mentioned in this letter. I worry a lot about this guy. If the Texas justice system can treat him this way then anything can happen. I believe that he and Darlie Routier have been raped by Texas in the worst ways possible.
Judy wrote today. She is much more talkative and ... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Judy wrote
today. She is much more talkative and open than she ever has been in the past few years.Im guessing this is because of the new prison she is in. They seem to be more lenient than any other Ive heard of.She is allowed any visitors and used books. Most of the time books must come straight from the publisher and have to be paperback. She says"It is my understandingvisitation is very lenient here. Inmates are bringing back jewlry their visitors are wearing in! No, they dont have permission.No one cares."Judy has always been one of my favorites. One reason beacuase she is from my home town, another because she is so articulate and easy to talk with on any subject. But mainly I think it is because I relate to her. I can see how she would have commited the crimes that she did if Alvin had such a hold on her.I saw my own mother live through astonishing abuse.I began writing these women for that very fact. I spent my early adult years tethered to a man who treated me like shit but
The moderators of my website www.womenofdeathrow.c... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 The moderators of my website
www.womenofdeathrow.com and I will be chatting with the sites visitors tonight at 8 pm central USA time.Please come by and meet my moderators, all very impressive and knowledgable fighters of the death penalty.It will be held at www.womenofdeathrow.com/chat
Kenisha Berry's family during her trial
Ive been ... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Kenisha Berry
's family during her trialIve been sick, really freaking sick. I have a pile of letters that are unopened.So we'll leave you in suspense by saying that I have a letter from Antoinette Frank sitting on the table unopened for three days. I see one from Kenisha Berry, I have never written to her so I'll be interested to see what it says.There is an envelope from Darlie Routier and Adam Frank as well. When I feel better Ill open them and give you the goods.On November 29, 1998, in Jefferson County, Texas, Berry placed duct tape across the body and mouth of her 4 day old son, placed him in a black plastic trash bag and left his body in a trash dumpster, resulting in his death.HOUSTON (AP) - Kenisha Berry worked in a day-care center and seemed to be a loving mother to three of her young children.But the Beaumont woman is heading to Texas' death row for killing another child, who was linked to her last summer after she dumped her fifth child in a ditch.Authorities continue to
Judge sets woman's execution for April 18The Assoc... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Judge sets woman
's execution for April
18The Associated PressAUSTIN - A Travis County judge has set an April 18 execution date for a woman condemned more than 10 years ago for the slaying of a 3-month-old child she had been baby-sitting in her home outside Austin.Cathy Lynn Henderson, 49, was convicted of killing Brandon Baugh, whose body was found stuffed in a wine-cooler carton and buried in a field outside Temple, about 50 miles north of Henderson's Pflugerville-area home.Henderson's attorneys asked state District Judge Jon Wisser during a brief hearing Monday to wait until the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on their appeals. Travis County prosecutors had sought an execution date in February."The date for her execution is inconvenient for her," Eryn Baugh, whose infant son was killed in January 1994, told the Austin American-Statesman on Monday outside court. "The date for her murdering our son was inconvenient for us."Henderson, who has maintained her innocence, was convicted in 1 Read more:Judge
This is the letter that I received from Cynthia... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This is the letter that I received from Cynthia
Coffmans Attorney. I got it back in the summer and still havent replied to it. Ive been so ticked off at Cyndi.
Night Stalker Appeals Death Sentence
Lawyer fo... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Night StalkerAppeals
Death SentenceLawyer
for Night Stalker appeals death sentence, says client wasn't properly defended at trialLOS ANGELES, Jun. 7, 2006By ANDREW GLAZER Associated Press Writer(AP) Convicted serial killer Richard Ramirez's death sentence in the terrifying 1980s Night Stalker slayings should be overturned because he wasn't properly defended at his trial, an appeals lawyer told the California Supreme Court on Tuesday."This case was the blind leading the blind," said attorney Geraldine S. Russell.Deputy Attorney General Margaret E. Maxwell countered that Ramirez had chosen his own lawyers."Mr. Ramirez made his choice and that should be the end of it," Maxwell said.Historically, judges have intervened when court-appointed attorneys did not adequately represent defendants. Ramirez's appeal will test the Supreme Court's willingness to allow judges to intervene with hired lawyers in capital cases.Addressing the issue of when a trial judge should step in, Justice Carol Read more:Night
Randy Wood's wife was kind enough to send me this... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Randy Wood's wife was kind enough to send me this photo. He wrote to me last week and told me they had a visit planned. It looks like he was able to enjoy that.Most of this letter was personal stuff that I dont feel comfortable revealing without his permission and so we'll leave it at that!Also, Ive been getting a small amount of hate mail over my support of Randy from some freaks. So Ill not be sharing much of his letters until I put an end to that. Read more:Randy
My return letter from Liso Jo Chamberlain. She se... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 My return letter from Liso Jo Chamberlain. She seems like a very sad and misguided woman. I dont know if she is guilty or not guilty or if she admits her guilty or denies it. Im not even sure what her charges are. I havent done any research on her case at all. I wrote her back and promised to send her the newsletter .
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