July 13th, 2025

No, your eyes are not deceiving you...I'm back with a new entry after geeze, how many months?? I do apologize. I just wanted to be cautious with everything moving forward. I've actually been writing journals with paper and pen here in Dallas County Jail and was going to wait until this whole ordeal was over with to put them up but that could be more than a year so I wanted those whom have followed this to have something now and not have to wait. Again, I do apologize for the absence.

So, I've been in Dallas County Jail for about five months now and you can find the articles online with what's going on with my legal affairs. I've no desire to rehash it all other than to say it looks like things won't be resolved any time soon. I had hoped after being granted a new trial it would mark the beginning of a new chapter but its more like I'm in yet another legal limbo. I will say it is humbling and has spurred a lot of reflection. Who knows what will happen?

I left death row on February 12th and it was bitter sweet. I miss the guys I was around very much as well as my friends that I've had for decades. It wasn't easy to leave them behind. I miss the guys I was taking classes with and kicking butt at jeopardy. I lived on B pod C section and I was like on a month long winning streak when I left. The guys I played with were probably happy to see me go.

I've adjusted to Dallas but again, I miss the guys so much. I'm being treated fine here. All the officers are professional and while things can be a bit strict for me no one goes out of their way to make things difficult. I've got a tablet that I'm able to use from 9am until 11:30 pm and it's the same securustech.net system as I used on death row so staying in contact with friends hasnt been difficult. Actually Dallas County Jail approves messages much faster than Polunsky unit. I get out of my cell for three days a week for rec. which is more recreation than I was getting at Polunsky as well. I go to a big gym that over looks down town Dallas so that is nice. That's pretty much the only time I leave my cell unless I have court or a legal visit. I also have my own shower in the cell. Now above all else, THAT is a perk because on death row I never when or if I'd shower. I can jump in it whenever I want to. Mostly I spend the day either writing ( working on my second memoir ) listening to pod casts on my tablet, listening to music - I've got some amazing play lists and music to choose from - and watching a movie every now and then in the evenings. The days don't really seem to drag on and time has been going by quickly. It doesn't feel like I've been here five months. My biggest complaint is sometimes at night things get really loud and crazy so there are times I don't get much sleep, but there's not much I can do about that. I guess the plan is to write something at least once a week. Just sharing my life and thoughts here. I won't be getting into legal stuff as you'll just have to read whatever the media writes about it. I'll save my thoughts on all of that for whenever things are done here. Like I said, I've been reflecting on things and don't mind sharing those thoughts. I just can't believe this entire mess started almost 25 years ago.

Well,tonight is razor night - we only get to shave once a week - so I'll be doing that and then getting to bed so I can get up early for rec. tomorrow. I am grateful for those readers that have stuck by for so long and put up with me and my ramblings. Keep checking in as I will be back soon! I promise.

Courage Strength Hope and Faith

Peace

July 20th, 2025

Today really flew by. Actually this whole month has flown by! I can't believe there's less than two weeks left and it'll soon be August. I'm really exhausted now as the evening winds down and if didn't have to stay up past 11:30pm to get a razor and shave I'd probably be in bed right now.

I had a make up rec. day today because on Wednesday they weren't able to get an escort crew to take me to the gym and so I went this morning a little after 9am. What was odd about it though is they took me to another part of the jail and a different gym on what is called the ' west side ' because something was wrong with the gym on my floor, the ' east side'. The east side faces downtown Dallas and you can see the city, sky scrapers and all and its really noisy with sound pollution of the city. The west side is the opposite...a wide panoramic view unobstructed by buildings and absolutely quiet. I could see a large field that meets the Trinity river, a bike trail for cyclists for which I could see people out and about jogging and cycling. There are three bridges that cross the river, one for trains and I watched two trains pass by, but the loveliest part of it all was hearing the birds chirp, and nature doing its thing. It made me feel very calm and at peace. They allowed me to stay out there for two hours which was really nice. After that I came in, had lunch and around 12:30pm I had a visit from a cantor of my old synagogue and that went by much too fast. Still, I appreciated it and it made me feel like I wish I had more visits here, but hey, that's out of my control. I'm grateful.

Earlier this week I heard from Kevin Rambsy, a really remarkable man who runs the ministry, Fight To Forgive and he'll be going to Texas Death Row starting tomorrow for the next four days to do a seminar there for those guys taking classes and in the faith based programs offered there. I was taking those classes before I left and wish I was there for this new seminar he's doing. It sounds exciting. He's going to pass on my love to the guys there and let them know I've not forgotten them which is really nice. I even told him to tell the officers there I said hello I can't wait to hear how it all went.

The guys here in the jail are anxiously awaiting more news about this new service that is going to replace the company that currently does our messaging and tablet content. The rumor is that we will get new tablets in the fall and they will be better and the company is better than securus so we will have to see. Dallas county jail decided to end its contract with securus. That was actually shocking to me because they're based right out of Dallas and they put in the infrastructure for the phone system and tablets so this new company must've offered a better deal. We just don't know who is taking over. Hopefully they have a better content selection.

Here's to hoping this new week is peaceful and all is good.

Courage Strength Hope and Faith

Peace

August 17th, 2025

Well, another weekend is just about over and I can't believe how quickly time is going by. As much as these past weeks kind of stunk with Micah's suicide, having a cold, and feeling sorry for myself and indulging in a bit of self pity (and maybe a smidgen of self loathing as well...haha ) I'm in a surprisingly happy-ish mood today. It probably has something to do with the fact that  I was able to get some decent sleep lately as it has been for the most part absolutely silent and peaceful for a change. Last night got quiet around 1am which is better than being loud until breakfast!

I slept in until 8am this morning but I would  like to get up earlier. I am shooting for getting up a little before 6am which is really about the normal time I like to get up. My schedule on Polunsky unit was usually between 5:30am and 6am if  I felt 'sleeping in '.  On top of the good night of sleep I was able to get outside which is really when I'm most content. I can gaze at the city, take in some sun and fresh air and meditate. I don't feel like I'm in jail for that little period of time. I don't know if I ever told you about the lights being on for 24/7...Really, what bothers me about that is that I've lost control on WHEN I want them on or off. It doesn't really affect my sleep like the noise does. I just put a sock over my eyes and tie it off and then pull my blanket over my head. That blacks everything out perfectly.  On death row I had an actual light switch, plus I had a desk lamp. In the mornings I would have my light on as I did chores or read. In the afternoons I'd turn the cell light off and use my desk lamp and then when I'd go to sleep I'd switch the light off at my desk, roll over and off to dreamland I'd go. Here it is bright all of the time and my eyes just never get a break. That can't be healthy. Natural light, say through a window, is fine all day but the extreme light of a fluorescent bulb has to be hell on the eyes.

So, yeah, things have been a bit quieter in recent days so I've been able to get some sleep and that makes a big difference. It helps me handle the days better. There's still going to be that lonely isolating feeling because I don't really have friends here but I can handle it. Time going by so fast makes it super easy. I mean, I've been here six months! That blows my mind. I'm going to reboot my exercising tomorrow and hopefully stick with it this time. I'm tired of feeling slow and well, like an almost 48 years old man. I need to really get back into it heavy and not these light little pansy workouts I've been doing off and on for the past couple of years. I want to push myself and maybe lose about 25-30 pounds. That sounds like a lot but I'm probably about 210 right now and even if I don't show it, I can feel it. Enough is enough. Tomorrow is the day and we'll see how I come out after my 90 day goal.

Anyways... not much to report. Gonna kick back on this Sunday evening and read the newspaper and maybe watch something. We shall see.

Courage Strength Hope and Faith

Peace.

October 7th, 2025

The days and weeks have gotten away from me here in Dallas. It's been a weird time and I've been processing a lot! I'm finding a way to navigate this new life which is really just a legal limbo right now. I've had a lot of loss over the past couple of months. A friend on Death Row, Micah Brown, took his own life which hit me a bit harder than I thought it would as it settled in, and I lost one of my closest friends on DR, Blaine, to execution. He was a little brother and I mentored him. He had a lot of personal struggles and demons and I did my best to encourage him and lift him up. I had been so proud of him over these past couple of years. His life really turned around when he joined the faith based program offered on Texas Death Row. It's like I always say, anyone is capable of redemption. I always find it ironic that many people who declare a faith don't believe it though.

Last Friday on the 5th I had court a court hearing. It looks like the judge wants to begin jury selection in November of 2026...followed by voire dire ( that's where the defense and prosecutors question potential jurors for a capital trial ) and then pretrial early spring. She set a date for the trial to begin on April 5th of 2027.I was hoping to return to Polunsky until I was needed for my trial so I wouldn't have to sit in Dallas County Jail this entire time, but my attorney explained to me that because my legal process is starting all over tdcj nor Dallas County jail would be able to accommodate that request. I have less than one year on my original sentence left to do so if I were to return to tdcj they would have me in a different prison than Polunsky under that sentence because I technically have no other sentence right now. I just have to tough it out here for the next year and a half.

The DA office is also still fighting to have my co counsel removed from representing me. I'm not entirely sure why they're so hell bent on having him removed, but I'm fortunate that it seems I have quite a good team as it stands. Fingers crossed and a prayer! My next hearing is scheduled for December 5th. They have been covering my hearings on Dallas's Fox 4 News if anyone wants to follow what's going on. I think you might be able to see me in a suit. The hearing left me feeling a bit drained and I admit, I am disappointed I can't return to Polunsky Unit so I've just got to get on with it and get used to being here until April 2027 even though that feels so far away. I'll be almost 50 years old by that point. I guess the best way to look at it is if I were to receive a life sentence I'd only have 13 years left until I was eligible for parole, though I doubt very seriously TDCJ would ever grant me parole but hey, hope springs eternal, right? The question I ask myself now is...what do I do with my life for the next year and a half? I wish I could do something positive and productive. I was hoping on getting back into classes and working on preparing for a possible future. I'll probably focus on some writing projects.

I'm not getting much sleep these days because it can get so loud and crazy at night but I'm soldiering on. I work out for almost two hours each weekday and that has helped me a lot with the stress and I keep a routine. I'm no quitter and even sitting here won't prevent me from focusing on my goal to one day be able to serve other people and give back. I want to leave a mark on the world in a positive way.

I'm going to do my best to do more journals. I know I always say that but I'm going to try so stay tuned!

Courage. Strength. Hope and Faith

Peace

October 23rd, 2025

It's a quiet Thursday afternoon and I've just finished exercising and taking a shower. The day in and of itself has been a bit ho hum but  I'll take that over the chaos any day. The majority of the noise and  chaos comes from a newly turned 18 year old named Tracy Haines...He's in  jail for a mass school shooting he allegedly committed when he was 17.  Fortunately no one was killed but he has zero remorse. He actually brags  about it. He can be a pure menace and has complete and total disregard for anyone  around him. I've tried talking to him a few times but I've had difficulty breaking through to him. I am trying to get him to understand the  severity of what he did and and have him face the possibility that he could be looking at the rest  of his life in prison. That being said, I do think I'm beginning to  understand him more and as frustrating and irritating as he can be, I  can empathise with him. He has a need to be validated. That's why I  think he brags about his crime so much. I also think he was bullied a  lot in school. I say that because the kid is like 5' 5". He's tiny! If  you heard him without ever seeing him you would think he is 7' tall! I think he was picked on a lot and it would explain his anger. Maybe one  of these days I'll break through to him.

The nights have been rough and there's been quite a few days recently  that I've not been able to get to sleep until around 3 or  4am...Yesterday I had to pass on going outside because I was just too  exhausted to get up. Having days of no sleep can really get me depressed  and I pray for this process to end. I just want to get on with it. Some  positive things are in the works, though, so we shall see. I wish I  could go into detail, but it's too early right now. That being said, I  just found out via a jail guard that my next court hearing is scheduled  for December 16th. We shall see what news that hearing might be. And if  anyone is interested, Fox 4 News out of Dallas has been following my  case pretty closely so if you're interested in anything, go there for  updates as they happen.

I can't believe that tomorrow is Friday and we're just a week away from  Halloween. I'm going to start a new tradition for myself on the 31st and  watch Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas...They have it available  on my tablet and I figured it would be a good way to kick off the  holiday season going into November.  Plus, its a cool movie so why not?

Something I wanted to start doing in my journals, maybe once a week, is  list some of the music I've been listening to on my tablet. It'll be an  algorithm free selection in which anything goes! Maybe some people will  discover new music. I love discovering new music and I've done plenty of that since being in Dallas County Jail.  Here's the first play list. This one is a bit chill!

Hard To Tell You - Warpaint

Between Two Points - David Gilmour

Dosed - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Bill Murray - Phantogram

Very First Lie - Material Issue

Always You - Lana McDonagh/ Asher Pope

Through Your Eyes - Belinda Cullen

King Of Pain - The Police

Running To Stand Still - U2

Woman In Chains - Tears For Fears

Blue Skies - Lana McDonagh/ Tim Flies

Untitled - The Cure

I'll start there! Enjoy!

Courage Strength Hope and Faith

Peace

October 28th, 2025

I can't believe that this month is almost over. October has gone by incredibly fast. Next month and next week will mark the already one year anniversary since the Court Of Criminal Appeals over turned my death sentence and ordered a new trial. It's already been a year and it feels like it just happened a few months ago.

So, last night I ended up getting to sleep around 1am. That's when things settled down and I could get to sleep. You just never know which nights will be calm and which ones will be chaos. I had about six hours of sleep which is better than just a few, so I'll gladly take that. Really, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm not so much concerned about how much I sleep I can get because on those days I can always sleep in if need be, but Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I have to wake up early to ensure that I can get recreation and the nights with no sleep make it really hard. With the mornings being cold now guys don't want to get up early to go outside so that means they will get me earlier as well. I need my sleep.

With Halloween coming this Friday I put together a little Halloween themed Playlist I hope people will find fun. I think it works. Here it is:

This Is Halloween - From the Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack

Fear Of Ghosts - The Cure

Voodoo - Godsmack

The Howling Moon - Echo And The Bunnymen

Dirt room - Blue October

Every Day Is Halloween - Ministry

Freak On A Leash - Korn

The Hollow - A Perfect Circle

The Ghost Of You - My Chemical Romance

Halloween In Santa Ana - Milktooth

Hotel California - The Eagles

Howling At The Moon - Phantogram

I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges

( Iggy Pop ) Blood Letting ( the vampire song ) - Concrete Blonde

Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo

Spellbound - Siouxie And The Banshees

Dead Souls - Joy Division

Zombie - The Cranberries

Stripped - Depeche Mode

No Return - Alanis Morrisette

I'm curious what people will think. I used to love making mix tapes in the 90's so much and I think I've got a gift for it!

In other news, Dallas County Jail is switching contracts on our tablet that we use from Securus to smartinmate.com on November 4th, 2025. They're going to take our Securus tablets and issue a new one and there's a lot of rumors about what capabilities it'll have. The biggest one is that it'll have video phone capabilities which has me most excited. It'll also have emessaging and other entertainment apps that securus has. If anyone wants to get in contact with me after November 4th it'll be through smartinmate.com. Or one can still use snail mail by writing me at :

Randy Halprin #25006113

C/O Smart Communications

Dallas Co. North Tower Detention Facility

P.O.Box 9226

Seminole, Fl 33775- 9226 USA

If you uses snail mail you can only send up to 10 pages of paper and the writing can only be on one side of the paper...Or else the letter will be denied. It would be nice to make new friends in this chapter of my life, I think.

3:03pm So, I paused and exercised and then jumped in the shower and now I'm settling into the afternoon. Dinner usually comes between 4-5pm and after dinner I usually settle into a movie or music. Tonight I'm going to watch the A Quiet Place movies. They're so good and worth checking out if you've never seen them. I even liked A Quiet Place: Day One a lot even though it's really different than the first two.

Well, on with it, I suppose.

Courage Strength Hope And Faith

Peace

November 2nd, 2025

I can't believe its already November! Time is flying by. This is my last weekend with the securus tablet and in the new week we will have our new smartinmate.com tablets. I think the system will be ' live ' by Wednesday the 5th. A jail guard told me today they planned on taking up the securus tablets tomorrow, issuing the new smartinmate.com tablets on Tuesday but we won't be able to use them until Wednesday. So, the next two days are probably going to be loud and boring. Well, maybe not loud because when guys get super bored they tend to sleep their days away. Now, last night was insanely loud but thank God it was day light savings so I was able to get that extra hour of sleep. The school shooter is still being a menace and it doesn't look like they're going to move him anywhere so I just have to deal with him. I'm surrounded by several characters, though. I have a severely mentally I'll guy on one side of me and he talks and yells to himself at random times of the day. Then I have a Venezuelan guy on the other side of me and he yells, curses in Spanish and sings at the top of his lungs at various times, mostly at night. I'm kind of boxed in and can't do anything about it. The jail used to have a no noise policy at night time and if guys made a bunch of noise they'd threaten to strap them up in this medieval looking restraint chair but they rarely, if never use that thing anymore...I didn't ever approve of them using it because it does look like a torture device, but sometimes the threat of putting someone in it was enough to quieten people down. Now the guards just let the inmates scream and make noise. It is a crazy world I live in.

So, I thought I'd share another play list...this one is a bit of a downer, but its a good one... Here it is :

I Of The Mourning - The Smashing Pumpkins

This Letter - Material Issue So.

Central Rain - R.E.M.

Lost Cause - Beck

Inward - The Big Sleep

So Long, Marianne - Leonard Cohen

Nobody Knows - The Lumineers

Color Me Once - Violent Femmes

Empty - The Cranberries

Your World - The Record Collection

Here's Where The Story Ends - The Sundays

High Above The City - Tim Fleet / Wayne Murphy

The Last Day Of Summer - The Cure

With the new tablets I don't know what kind of music I'll have access to but I'm hoping that I'll be able to still listen to good music and put together good play lists. Well, here's hoping to a blessed month and good things to come.

Courage Strength Hope and Faith

Peace

November 27th, 2025

Thanksgiving  Day is here and we just had some really good pre-packaged apple pie  that they passed out with our lunch. The rest of the lunch was normal so I'm sure everyone is wondering what we will have for dinner later this afternoon. Dinner usually comes in between 4-5 pm so we've got a ways to  go.

I'm amazed at how fast this month has gone by. It has felt like one of the  fastest months since being back in Dallas and to think about my  conviction being over turned a year ago on November 6, 2024...it all  feels like yesterday. That day started horribly because Trump had won  the presidency and I was not in a good mood at all! However, when I  received a message that morning from my Attorney letting me know my  conviction was overturned and I'd been granted a new trial everything  felt better. The following week I graduated both my A Quest For  Authentic Manhood and Bridges To Life Classes. Everything seemed to have  really turned around for me and my future felt full of hope. And the  thing is, while I sit here in Dallas County Jail awaiting an unknown  future, I still feel hopeful and full of gratitude. It's easy to get  caught up in my own neurosis and self pity wondering, 'Why me God???'  But the reality of it all is that it isn't really all that bad. I am in  the less than one percent category of death row inmates that was granted  a new trial. There are guys like Robert Roberson fighting life and limb  to have the chance that really in all honesty, my lawyers could have  easily missed had it been in less keen, aggressive and mediocre hands.  Luck, Fate, God? I don't know...but I'm grateful. And so, after today we enter into the holiday season with hope in our hearts as it carries us into a new year.

Yesterday  I heard from Kevin Ramsby, the minister who runs the organization,  Fight To Forgive. He shared with me some information about death row  where he visits regularly. I was shocked to learn that my friend, Field  Minister Gary Salinas was shipped to another prison unit in Huntsville,  Tx which is about 45 minutes away from Polunsky Unit. I don't know the  circumstances of him being shipped but at least he will be closer to his  wife who lives in Houston. I hope he will be okay there. Actually, I'm  sure that he will be because the unit he went to is mostly older  convicts, the food is really good there too! I remember back in 1999  before I was shipped to the Connally Unit I had spent a week there in  transit and the first time I went to the chow hall I couldn't believe  how good the food was! That first meal was BBQ Chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies and two HUGE biscuits! The other meals didn't disappoint either.  I'm sure Gary will be fine.

Kevin  also shared with me that he'd be going back to Polunsky and Death Row  for some Christmas services In the coming weeks. He plans to give out  hygiene kits to all of the prisoners but he's also been approved to  order Popeye's Chicken for the men on death row! That is great. He's  also going to show a premiere of a documentary he produced about a death  row inmate who was executed, Garcia White, or as we called him, 'Big  White'. I'd really like to see this documentary! Big White was a good  friend of mine and I'll never forget the day I received a stay of  execution - October 4, 2019. I was in the day room moping about early in  the morning thinking about dying in six days when he yelled from another  day room to get my attention. He asked me how I was holding up and I  said not too well...I'll never forget his words. He said, "Hey! Hold  your head up! It ain't over and anything can happen. You're going to get  a stay!" I told him I appreciated his words, and sure enough, later that  afternoon I received a stay! I need to ask Kevin where people can find  this documentary. I'd really like to see it.

Well, it's later now and my Thanksgiving meal was hot dogs and beans! I was like, huh? But no complaints. Just weird! Haha

I  was thinking earlier about my future and where I'd be in a year or  longer and I do hope my legal stuff is resolved. I was also thinking  about how strange it is to be doing my holiday single...yeah, I've been  single for a few months now. But I  have people that care about me and I care about them.

So,  on our new tablets we still don't have any movies or music. Who knows  when we'll get it but I still wanted to put together a play list from my  head to share. Its a bit mellow but still good.

Pain - War On Drugs

Cortez The Killer - Neil Young

By Starlight - The Smashing Pumpkins

Tropic Morning News - The National

Alone - The Cure

Something I Can Never Have - Nine Inch Nails

Carmen - Anything Box

Five String Serenade - Mazzy Star

Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses ( album version ) - U2

Calfskin Smack - Cocteau Twins

Videogames - Lana Del Rey

Time And Time Again - The Counting Crows

Walk On The Ocean - Toad The Wet Sprocket

Bittersweet Surrender - Big Head Todd And The Monsters

Enjoy!

On that note I'll wrap this up and wish for better and brighter days ahead!

Courage. Strength. Hope and Faith

Peace

December 19th, 2025

So, it's been a few crazy busy days. Monday I was supposed to have court and I believed that my hearing had been cancelled and then that same morning a psychologist came to visit me. She will return in January to do a neurological assessment on me which will probably take two days. Well, then on Tuesday afternoon my attorney visited with my mitigation expert and we talked about two hours. My attorney said that they actually had the hearing without me because the SRT's weren't available to get me to court and I was like, that's ridiculous because an SRT had told me around 9am to get ready for court so I don't know what happened. Either way, the hearing went on without me but according to my attorney was of little importance and my next hearing has been scheduled for February 6, 2026.

The next morning on Wednesday I went outside at about 7:50am. It was chilly, gray and super foggy but I was enjoying myself when about 20 minutes later I was told I had another legal visit and it was my mitigation expert. It was a long visit that lasted until after noon! We covered a lot of ground and had some deep conversations on a range of topics. I talked about my plans for a future should I be spared the death penalty and talked about being a Field Minister or Life Coach in prison. How the past few years I have been preparing myself by taking classes on death tow so that I can use those skills I've learned while on death row to hopefully have a chance to be allowed into a program that trains me to be a Field Minister or Life Coach...I just want to give back and help young people in not just rehabilitation and reconciliation but also so that they know that just because they're not free and are stuck in prison their life isn't over. I, myself, could live a fulfilling life doing that even if it meant spending the rest of my own life behind bars. I'm focused and determined to do this. Any ways, it was a good visit and glad I had it.

Yesterday smart communications was here fiddling with the server box and working on things. On Monday I sent them a request asking when they thought we'd have the entertainment, music, movies etc. on the tablet and the reply I received was that we should expect it on the 19th which would be today. That would be awesome if true but I'm also keeping grounded because things are always fluid and change in this place. I mean, when we first received these new tablets they said it would be early November, then before Thanksgiving. I just don't want to be disappointed but the fact remains they have been working on things this week so here's hoping. I want to hear music so badly! I've now gone over 6 weeks without music. You know, I did file a grievance on the fact that we had no books because the inmate hand book says that if we don't have access to books via the tablet - which we don't right now - we should have access to a library cart. We'll see what happens but I'm hoping that by the time the grievance is answered there'll be no need for the book cart.

Actually...we just heard from the tablet people and now they're saying Monday might be the day they add entertainment onto the tablet. Sheeah they are always moving the goal posts... Oh well. Maybe that'll be the holiday gift for us. This could be the first time in decades I’ve not listened to or watched Its A Wonderful Life. That sucks.

Oh well...on with the rest of the weekend.

Courage. Strength. Hope and Faith

Peace