Scott Eizember, AJ Cantrell & Patsy Cantrell: Oklahoma & An Impending Execution For over a decade, I’ve worked as a spiritual advisor on various death rows throughout the country. Over the years, I’ve learned some lessons. In the first death row conversation I ever had, I asked about their crime. Such a question seems forward now. In most relationships, one would wait until at least the second conversation before asking someone to divulge their deepest darkest secrets. Then again,... Read more
Sunday October 23, 2022 3:00am Goodbye Dear Friend & Mentor: The Rev. Dr. Henry Mugabe of Zimbabwe I’m not feeling well. By now, I expected to be asleep. But just as I was about to go to bed tonight, I received some heartbreaking news. My dear friend and mentor…esteemed Baptist theologian and longtime President of Zimbabwe Theological Seminary…The Rev. Dr. Henry Mugabe was killed in a car accident yesterday in Zimbabwe (Zim) // along with Dr. Dudzirai... Read more
October 22, 2022 Rigged: On the Partiality of the (a) Death Qualified Jury (or why Scott Eizember shouldn’t be executed by Oklahoma in January) Here in the United States, juries that decide death penalty cases are required to be free of attitudes that would, “prevent or substantially impair their ability to decide a sentence fairly.” This means that a jury must be prepared to consider a death sentence…also known as a death qualified jury (…which should mean... Read more
October 19, 2022 Lamentations: On Benjamin Cole (w/ Abe Bonowitz) Benjamin Cole is scheduled to be executed for killing his infant daughter, Brianna, on October 20, 2022 Abe: You were speaking earlier about what these executions remind you of? Do you mind sharing that again? Jeff: We live in a culture that greatly romanticizes hunting. Set up camp under the cover of darkness. Sleep restlessly on a cot. Get up early. Pour some... Read more
October 16, 2022 Jesus’ First Execution: Dirt, Oklahoma, Anthony Sanchez & The Struggle to End the Death Penalty Jesus was such an effective teacher that people were constantly trying to trip him up…especially on moral issues. One day, as he was teaching, some religious leaders…some preachers if you will…slung a woman at his feet. To make sure that there was no mistaking what they were accusing the woman of, they loudly declared that she had been caught in... Read more
A Primer on Moral Ethics For a number of years, I spent every weekend in the streets of Dallas. During the time, I was one of the local leaders of the movement for black lives. I’d venture to say that during that time I organized tens of thousands of people to hit the streets. To say that I was critical of local churches and their lack of participation in these moments would be an understatement. Constantly, I would... Read more
On February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Earlier today, a jury in Florida sentenced Cruz to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Here are some quotes from the reactions expressed by victim’s families about Cruz not getting the death penalty… “The system continues to fail us…” “…we thought Cruz would get the death penalty…It’s just so upsetting.” “This jury... Read more
the REAL BENJAMIN COLE. / a Death Penalty Competency Test for Oklahoma Back when I was a child, I used to play a video game entitled, “James Bond 007.” I’m sure many remember that game. I used to sit around with my buddies and play all day long. There is no doubt that it was fun. While I don’t know if it’s the same version that Benjamin Cole was playing…I can assure you I didn’t love it as much... Read more
The Devil in Disguise? : The Unbelievable Incompetence/Criminality of Joyce Gilchrist & The Fight to Save Anthony Sanchez Based on flawed forensic analysis, Michael Blair spent 15 years on death row for a crime that he did not commit. https://innocenceproject.org/cases/michael-blair/ Based on flawed forensic analysis, Malcolm Rent Johnson was executed for a crime many suspect he did not commit. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/02/us/oklahoma-retraces-big-step-in-capital-case.html?pagewanted=2 Based on flawed forensic analysis, Curtis McCarty spent 20 years on death row for... Read more
*I constructed this letter to the editor for Indigenous People’s Day (October 10). It was sent out to dozens of newspapers in Oklahoma. Dear Editor, On this Indigenous People’s Day (October 10), there is a Choctaw man sitting on death row in Oklahoma, named Anthony Sanchez. On April 6, 2023, Sanchez is scheduled to be executed for the 1996 murder of Juli Busken in Norman. At this point, most advocates for people on death row would dive into a... Read more
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