State-administered death is always a greater horror than any other by virtue of the methodical reasoning that precedes it. French philosopher Albert Camus wrote that "capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders". "The United States' concept of justifiable homicide/Executions in criminal law stands on the dividing line between an excuse, justification and an exculpation. In other words, it takes a case that would otherwise have been a murder or another crime representing intentional killing, and either excuses or justifies the individual accused from all criminal liability or treats the accused differently from other intentional killers.

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Willie Earl Pondexter, Jr  

3/3/2009 

R.I.P.

RECEIVED the night Texas killed to: WilliePondexter@deathrow-usa.com

Dear family and friends of Mr. Willie Pondexter,

I’m so terribly sorry that our barbaric country has once again shown our children that killing is ok as long as you put a law ‘tag’ on the act. Mr. Pondexter was not given his constitutional rights. Many correctional officers should have been allowed to testify to Mr. Pondexter’s character, behavior in prison and the fact that he was so respected. Rehabilitation is a fact and Mr. Pondexter exhibited this throughout his incarceration.

God bless you all,

Ron

Posted by Brian Stull, Capital Punishment Project at 3:52 pm
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Texas’s Failed Clemency Process

Yesterday evening at 6:18 p.m. CST, the State of Texas executed a man 
who posed no danger to society; a man who was universally understood 
to have undergone complete transformation and rehabilitation since 
his 1993 conviction for burglary and murder. Willie Earl Pondexter, 
executed two days shy of his 35th birthday, was a changed man.

Undisputedly, Texas did not execute the same violent, young person 
who committed his crime over 15 years ago. In the words of a 
corrections officer who had come to know Pondexter during his 
incarceration, he "could safely live out his days in a structured 
environment." The officer stated, "You would be hard-pressed to find 
anyone to say something bad about Pondexter."

Texas justifies its death sentences on a jury’s finding that a 
convicted capital murderer will constitute a threat of future danger 
if not executed. In 1976, in Jurek v. Texas, the Supreme Court 
approved this sentencing scheme, stating that a jury’s determination 
of future dangerousness is no "different from the task performed 
countless times each day throughout the American system of criminal 
justice." The Court cited bail as but one example. But while a wrong 
bail decision can later be modified if turns out a defendant is not a 
flight risk or risk to the public, there is no solution when it turns 
out a jury’s determination of future dangerousness — and resulting 
death sentence — has proven wrong.

Texas law provides no formal mechanism for revisiting a jury’s 
determination of future dangerousness — something that could well 
spare a condemned person who, like Pondexter, turns out not to be 
violent. That leaves the state’s executive clemency process, the 
procedure the U.S. Supreme Court in Herrera v. Collins, called our 
criminal justice system’s "fail safe."

But the fail safe utterly failed in Pondexter’s case. The State of 
Texas thwarted the clemency process by reportedly harassing 
Pondexter’s legal team. His attorneys sought to interview corrections 
officers and obtain statements that would affirm his transformation 
during incarceration. But according to published accounts and a 
lawsuit filed by Pondexter’s attorneys, two Harvard law students who 
had sought to interview a corrections officer in Polk County, near 
Texas’s death row, were reportedly directed by a sheriff’s deputy to 
the sheriff’s office, issued trespassing warnings, interrogated, told 
they likely would be jailed if they returned to the guard’s property, 
and told to advise the sheriff’s office before returning to the 
county. Other officers whom the defense team approached said they 
feared being written up or fired if they spoke with the defense team 
about Pondexter or signed an affidavit in his favor.

Without the information the guards had to impart about Pondexter, of 
course, neither the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole nor the 
Governor could make an accurate determination of whether Pondexter’s 
extraordinary rehabilitation warranted sparing him the death penalty 
in favor of living out the rest of his days in prison. Pondexter had 
no meaningful access to the "fail safe" of clemency.

If Texas’ process for determining who lives and who dies cannot be 
relied upon — and Pondexter’s case clearly exposes that it cannot be 
— then the state should forfeit its right to execute anyone.

http://blog.aclu.org/2009/03/04/texass-failed-clemency-process/

WilliePondexter@deathrow-usa.com for your first contact if you like.... Please send your regular address with for a direct response. Thank you

PLEASE HELP SAVE WILLIE'S LIFE!

SAVE WILLIE PODEXTER'S LIFE!

Sun Aug 10, 2008
 

SAVE WILLIE'S LIFE! 

Target:To The Board Of Parole and Pardons, Texas Governor Rick Perry, The Courts, Judges, Lawyers, and Taxpayers of Texas, and All Concerned People Worldwide Sponsored by: Pondexter family

You can help make this petition a success - please share this petition with your friends and family. Petitions will succeed only by word of mouth, and every signature makes a difference! Forward our sample email below, or simply send your friends this link:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/help-save-willies-life

Texas  SCHEDULED his EXECUTION for March 2, 2005  

Willie is no longer scheduled for execution March 2 because of more appeals pending.Feb.22,2005

Septemer 2004

„Greetings“

First of all I would like to say that I hope and pray that you all are able to greet each day with a simile.

Helen Rice once wrote that friendship is a priceless gift that cannot be bought or sold but its value is far greater then a mountain of gold:

And this is my reason for this introduction letter. I am seeking this precious and priceless gift and if anyone out there can assist me in this endeavour I would be forever grateful.

I was born March 5th 1974. I like to think of myself as a man with principles and self-respect for myself and for others.  I don’t lie or play head games. I am ambitious despite standing in death’s shadow here on death row, unlike many men here I strive to live my life to the fullest every day. I am interested in getting to know someone and in turn have them to get to know me and if anyone can appreciate these qualities, then please let yourself be known. I am seeking someone to not be behind me but beside me every step of the way. And I am not asking for anything that I am not willing to give in return. You know sometimes when we’re at a difficult time in our lifes we don’t reach out for help, maybe it’s because we’re proud. Maybe we think we’d be bothering someone with our troubles. Perhaps we’re embarrassed  or we might think that what’s troubling us has never bothered anyone else before, and we’re afraid to show our fears and our feelings, well this used to be me, but now I realize that one man can not do this alone, but am I too late in my realization? I am a stranger in this prison world and there is a severe solitude and painful lonesomeness in my exile, is there anyone out there to help break these chains that have me tied up.

My dear readers please allow me to ask you all a few questions. Let’s say that you all are going mountain climbing with a group and one of the guys accidentally slips and falls over the edge, but when ya’ll look over, you all see that he is holding on by nothing but his fingernails and you all know that there is only a certain amount of time before all of his energy is reduced to nothing and he’s forced to give up and let go. Could you all as human beings stand there and watch knowing that you all have the power to save this mans life? Look at him, you all can see the fear in his eyes. You all can hear the pleading and terror in his voice as he begs for help. Could you all stand there and watch all of his strength being zapped away by fatigue and desperation? Could you all stand there and watch as each finger slips its hold one by one? And then all of a sudden he looks at you with tears in his eyes and says: “Tell my children I love them”, as his last finger slips its hold and he’s falling rapidly towards the jagged rocks below. So now I ask you, could you sleep at night knowing that you could’ve played a part in saving a man’s life by simple throwing him a rope / lifeline?

Please don’t misunderstand me my dear readers. I am not writing this to make anyone feel  a sense of guilt. I am writing this to say, weather it’s raising a child or running a corporation or moulding the character of a cell mate. Everyone has the power and opportunity to impact someone’s life, even if it’s something as simple as sending a “thinking-of-you-card”. You see my dear readers. I am that man that is hanging over the edge by nothing more then my fingernails. My name is Willie E. Pondexter Jr. and I’ve been sentenced to die by lethal injection for a crime I did not do, and being here is the equivalence to hanging onto the side of a cliff. Is there anyone out there to throw me a rope / lifeline? I once read that it takes two of us to discover truth: one to utter it, and one to understand it. Well, I am willing and ready to utter it, but is there anyone out there willing and ready to understand it? If there is, please contact me at:

Willie E. Pondexter Jr. #999111

Polunsky Unit

3872 F.M. 350 South

Livingston, Texas 77351

U.S.A.

 

God Bless You.            

 

 

“Grüße”

Zuerst möchte ich sagen, dass ich hoffe, ihr könnt alle den Tag mit einem Lächeln beginnen. 

Helen Rice hat einmal gesagt, dass Freundschaft ein unbezahlbares Geschenk ist, dass man weder kaufen noch verkaufen kann und dennoch ist sein Wert höher als ein Berg von Gold. Und das ist der Grund für meine Einführung. Ich suche nach diesem wertvollen und unbezahlbaren Geschenk, und wenn irgendjemand da draußen mir dabei helfen kann, werde ich für immer dankbar sein. 

Ich wurde im März 1974 geboren und denke, dass ich ein Mann mit Prinzipien und Selbstachtung für mich und andere bin. Ich lüge nicht und spiele keine Verwirrspiele, ich bin ehrgeizig obwohl ich im Schatten des Todes stehe, und im Gegensatz zu vielen hier drin versuche ich, mein Leben jeden Tag voll auszuleben. Ich habe Interesse daran, jemanden kennen zu lernen und im Gegenzug daran kann derjenige mich kennen lernen. Wenn irgendjemand meine Qualitäten schätzt, so gib Dich zu erkennen. Ich suche nicht jemanden, um hinter mir zu stehen, sondern jemand, der in mir ist mit jedem Schritt des Weges. Ich bitte um nichts, was ich nicht ebenfalls geben werde. In schwierigen Zeiten fragen wir oft nicht nach Hilfe, manchmal aus Stolz und manchmal, weil wir denken, dass wir jemanden mit unseren Problemen belästigen, vielleicht auch, weil wir uns schämen oder weil wir denken, dass unsere Probleme noch kein Mensch vor uns hatte, und so haben wir Angst, unsere Ängste und Sorgen zu zeigen. So war ich auch, aber jetzt stelle ich fest, dass ein Mensch alleine das nicht schaffen kann. Kommt meine Einsicht zu spät? Ich bin ein Fremder in dieser Gefängniswelt und da ist eine ernsthafte Einsamkeit und schmerzhafte Verlassenheit in meinem Exil. Ist da draußen irgendjemand, der die Ketten sprengt, die mich fesseln.

Meine lieben Leser, bitte erlauben Sie mir ein paar Fragen. Stellt Euch vor ihr geht mit einer Gruppe zum Klettern in die Berge. Einer aus der Gruppe rutscht und fällt über den Abgrund, und als ihr zu ihm runterschaut, stellt ihr fest, dass er sich mit nichts als seinen Fingernägeln hält und dass in kurzer Zeit seine Kraft zu Ende geht, und er dann aufgibt und loslassen muss. Könntet Ihr als Menschen dabeistehen und zusehen, obwohl ihr wisst, dass ihr ihm helfen könntet. Wenn Ihr ihn anseht, seht ihr die Angst in seinen Augen, könnt sein Flehen und das Entsetzten  in seiner Stimme hören. Könntet Ihr tatenlos dabeistehen, und zusehen, wie seine Kraft der Erschöpfung und Verzweiflung weicht? Könntet Ihr zustehen, wie ein Finger nach dem anderen den Halt verliert? Und plötzlich sagt er mit Tränen in den Augen zu Dir: Sag bitte meinen Kindern, dass ich sie liebe, als sein letzter Finger abrutscht und er rapide den zerklüfteten Felsen unter sich entgegen fällt. Und jetzt frage ich Euch, könnt Ihr nachts schlafen, wenn Ihr wisst, dass Ihr im Leben eines Menschen eine Rolle spielen könnt, indem Ihr ihm einfach nur ein Seil / Rettungsleine zuwerft?

Liebe Leser, bitte missversteht mich nicht. Ich schreibe dies hier nicht, um Schuldgefühle zu wecken, sondern ich schreibe, denn ob es nun ist, ein Kind zu erziehen, oder den Charakter eines Zellennachbarn zu formen, jeder hat die Möglichkeit und die Macht, auf das Leben eines Anderen Einfluss zu nehmen, auch wenn es nur so etwas Simples wie eine „Ich denke an Dich“ Karte ist. Siehst Du, lieber Leser, ich bin derjenige, der am Abgrund mit nichts mehr als seinen Fingernägeln hängt. Mein Name ist Willie E. Pondexter Jr., und ich wurde zum Tode verurteilt durch die Giftspritze, für ein Verbrechen, das ich nicht begangen habe, und hier zu sein, ist wie am Abgrund zu hängen. Ist irgendjemand da draußen, der mir eine Rettungsleine zuwirft? Ich habe einst gelesen, dass zwei notwendig sind, um die Wahrheit zu entdecken: einer, der sie äußert und ein anderer, der sie versteht. Also ich bin bereit, sie zu äußern, aber ist jemand da draußen, der die Wahrheit wirklich verstehen will? Wenn dem so ist, bitte ich Sie, mich zu kontaktieren unter:

Willie E. Pondexter # 999111

Polunsky Unit

3872 F.M. 350 South

Livingston, Texas 77351

U.S.A.

 

Gott beschütze Euch.