June 2nd, 2026
Tuesday. As I write this, it’s about 10 AM, and so far the Smart Communications system is still up and running, which is a surprise because on the notice we received, it clearly stated that on June 2nd the system would go down. I don’t know if that could’ve meant that they did the repairs overnight, or if it means at any time today. I guess I will have to wait and see.
Yesterday I heard from a close friend on Death Row, Jeff, and he shared that the new Head Warden on Polunsky Unit had reinstated the unit movie channel, or as it is called, Channel 12, after over a year of it being removed. This was pretty good news to hear because Channel 12 was a unit incentive for good behavior. The channel was always pre-programmed to come on during the weekends, and movies would run throughout the entire weekend as long as the good behavior of inmates continued. It was also a sort of bonding event for us on Death Row, because most everyone was always excited for the weekend to come. We would all stand at our doors watching movies together. On the section that I lived on, several guys would yell out their door when the movies began, “Movie time! Move time!” Jeff told me that the powers-that-be asked Field Minister Troup if he wanted the job of programming the movie channel, but he turned it down. I’m assuming because it is one of those political jobs in that you are trying to appease the movie taste of 2000+ inmates. Inevitably, some guys are going to berate you when you play a movie that they don’t like. The inmate that was previously in charge would talk about how he’d get cussed out in General Population if he played an animated movie or even romance movies. I’m sure Troup didn’t want to deal with that. I do wonder who will be entrusted to take over. Apparently, all they are allowed to show is PG-13 and below for viewing content, but I mean, heck, there’s a lot of good PG-13 movies.
I also learned that restrictive housing (Ad-Seg) has more content available on their tablets. If I’m spared the death penalty, I suppose I’ll inevitably start out in restrictive housing but hopefully earn my way out of there to become a Life Coach or Field Minister. At least I can listen to some good music until that happens.
Anyways, a bit more about my friend Jeff. You can look at his case at texaspoliticalprisoner.com. His full name is Ronald Jeffrey Prible, and he has been proclaiming his innocence for over two decades of being on Death Row. He was convicted from the use of a jailhouse snitch he didn’t even know. The jailhouse snitch said that Jeff had confessed to him in a holding cell as Jeff was being released from federal prison. Well, in a turn of events, Jeff was able to have some items tested from the scene of the crime that he was convicted of and sent to Death Row. Lo and behold, the DNA evidence excludes him from the crime. It should be noted that the prosecutor who tried his case, Kelly Siegler, had used that very same jailhouse snitch to obtain countless convictions that she prosecuted. She has now gone on to make a career out of sensationalized true crime television shows. Jeff’s legal team is now preparing to file a joint legal brief with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to formally declare his innocence. This is really great news, and I’m so happy for him. He has been a friend and a brother over the 2+ decades that I’ve known him.
That’s about it for the day. Keep safe out there.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
June 1st, 2026
Monday night. Cannot believe it is already the beginning of a new month. The day has been pretty nice. Went to rec this morning and while it was extremely warm, it was still a lovely morning and I enjoyed looking out at the city. I have glasses now, and being able to actually see things in the distance that I couldn’t see before has made going outside even more enjoyable. Spent the rest of the day enjoying myself on the phone, because tomorrow the Smart Communications system is going to be down for repairs. They’re saying that it could take anywhere between 24 and 48 hours which is going to suck, but if it means keeping the tablet from its constant crashing, then hopefully it’ll be worth it.
Saw an interesting thing on our Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is also the Republican nominee for US Senate. Ken Paxton has aggressively pushed for Texas Death Row inmate Robert Roberson's execution, in spite of overwhelming evidence that he is innocent. Conversely, Ken Paxton made a deal with a well-connected attorney—an admitted child rapist—for a misdemeanor sentence of 60 days in jail, in which he doesn't even have to register as a sex offender. Is this really who the MAGA crowd wants to elect for US Senator? This hypocrisy stinks more than cow poo on a hot Texas summer day. So, it’ll be interesting to see how he explains this away as he campaigns. I think it’s interesting that the worst thing they can say about the Democratic nominee, James Talarico, is that he was once a vegan, which he denies anyways. So, in comparison, one guy cuts sweetheart deals for a child rapist, while the other guy likes his vegetables? Boy, that MAGA base sure does enjoy their corrupted politicians. God bless America.
Not much else going on. Winding down for the night. Hope everyone is keeping safe out there.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace and puppies.
May 28th, 2026
Thursday morning. I slept better last night than I did the two prior nights, and that was a relief. I feel much better today than I did yesterday, but I do have some residual sluggishness this morning that I hope to shake off as the day goes by. It’s been raining a lot over the past week and that kind of adds to the slow, weighted feeling.
There’s been a notice on our Smart Communications tablets that next week on June 2nd the system will be down for up to 48 hours to do some maintenance. I hope that they’ll actually fix the system, because of late it has been horrible. It’s been crashing every day. I often have to reboot my tablet because it’ll crash during phone calls, or doing a message, or watching Pando. It’s insanity. The thing that will suck during those days is I won’t be able to make calls, and with nothing to do these youngsters are going to go nuts, and I am certain the place is going to be crazy loud.
I’ve been thinking about a couple of things of late. The first is that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won his runoff race for the Republican nomination, beating John Cornyn for US Senator. Ken Paxton is probably one of the most intellectually dishonest and corrupt politicians Texas has ever had, and yet his MAGA base has kept him afloat because he can play all the MAGA hits; DEI, Woke-ism, transphobia, Islamophobia, etc. Never mind that he is morally bankrupt and a hypocrite, which seems to be par for the course for the MAGA crowd. He’ll be facing the Democratic nominee, James Talarico, in November. If I could vote, I’d be voting Talarico. Not just because he has openly expressed concerns with the death penalty, but also because he seems honest, sincere, and has a desire to truly bridge the divide between people in this country. He’s proved as much as a politician in Texas. His faith (which is seemingly an affront to White Christian Nationalism, because he actually follows Jesus’ teachings to love thy neighbor) is very important to him, and his faith is a moral compass for him, unlike those on the far-right that use it only when it is politically convenient. I just hope that sensible Texas voters will reject what Ken Paxton stands for and vote James Talarico.
The other thing I’ve been thinking about is whether or not sentient life exists beyond Earth. We’d be foolish to believe otherwise, but have they truly visited us? Is this what all of this UAP stuff is about? I’m far from a conspiracy theorist, but I do believe that we are close to disclosure, and it’s something I hope to see in my lifetime. It would be amazing if it happened, and it would forever change how we see the universe, ourselves, and our role in it. It could be very disruptive in religion and politics, but if there is any time to announce to the world that we are not alone, it is now. Please G-d let it be in my lifetime, haha.
It’s later now and has turned out to be a busy day. I was going to spend some time catching up on messages from friends in between phone calls, but it turned out that I had the third and final part of my neuropsychological evaluation today. I had no idea and was caught off guard, but I think it went well. When I came back it was already the afternoon, so I had lunch and made some calls. Now I’m waiting on dinner, and my tablet is recharging. When I get my tablet back, I’m hoping to listen to A Quiet Place Part II. I love these movies, and I found out earlier today that part III is coming out the summer of 2027. I can’t wait.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 25th, 2026
Memorial Day. It’s early, and the jail feels like a ghost town. I don’t have the slightest clue as to who is doing recreation. I don’t even know what time it is, but if I had to guess, judging from the way the sunlight is reflecting off the bricks in the hallway, it’s probably around 8 AM. I’ve been up since around 6:30 AM, and I just finished exercising.
Yesterday was a good day. Had a great visit and wore myself out the entire afternoon. We spent the evening looking at the possibility of opening an X account, but I’m loathe to be on a platform that allows such blatant racism and hate. We decided against it.
So, here’s my thoughts on the US Constitution’s First Amendment and freedom of speech in regards to social media platforms. Anyone has the G-d-given right to say whatever the heck they want to say. You wanna be a bigot, homophobe, or racist, have at it. However, if you choose to invoke your First Amendment rights to spew out such vileness, you should not be allowed to do it under the cover of anonymity, i.e. fake usernames, pseudonyms, or whatever. After all, what is the point of expressing the freedom of speech if you’re going to hide yourself in a cowardly way? If you want to express what is in the darkness of your soul, effing own it. Everyone talks a good game about ‘accountability, accountability,’ until it’s time to hold themselves accountable.
Today’s agenda. Not really sure yet, but this officer working just really irritated me. Someone asked if they could have their tablet because they have a video visit scheduled for 9 AM. The officer replied, “We ain’t on your time. I’ll pass out tablets when I feel like passing it out.” I think it’s going to take guys writing grievances to break certain officers of that behavior, because I’ve noticed in the past few months it’s becoming more pervasive. The purpose of the tablets is to make a ton of money for the jail and Smart Communications, as well as connect inmates with their loved ones. You can’t do either when the officers feel like it’s a hindrance to them.
Back to today’s agenda. I guess I’m gonna sit here and wait for my tablet, and after that, who knows?
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 23rd, 2026
I’m starting this on Friday and can’t believe the end of the week is here and we’re heading into Memorial Day weekend. It’s crazy to think about how quickly time can fly by in this place. I had a good day yesterday, and I’m hoping today is the same.
As I am doing this journal entry, I’m waiting to go outside for recreation. Sleep was a bit rough last night. They didn’t turn the lights off until close to 1 AM, and then when I woke up for breakfast around 3 AM the kid was yelling and screaming about something to do with his tray. I laid in bed when he began to yell my name. I ignored him at first, trying to fall back asleep, but he kept calling me. Annoyed, I said, “Yeah?”
And he asked me, “Did you get a diet tray?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
“Well, they didn’t give me mine. I’m going to f*ck this guard up,” said the kid.
“Don’t do that,” I said. “Why are you always trying to make your situation worse than it already is? Besides, the breakfast tray was just muffins. You got the better tray.”
“It was just muffins?” he asked.
“Just muffins,” I replied.
“Oh, okay. Already!”
“Are you calmed down now?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Good,” I replied. “Now let me go back to sleep.”
Gonna jump on my tablet real quick before I go to rec. I’m gonna be back later.
*******************
Saturday. Yesterday got away from me, but the good news is I got my glasses. Been getting a lot of compliments on ‘em, but only one person really matters, and she thinks I look great, so I’ll take it. It was a really, really good day today. Got to get out of my cell for a visit. Came back to my cell and wore myself out. I had a really good afternoon. Listened to the movie Smile, and that’s been pretty much it.
Hope everyone that reads this is keeping safe out there and treating one another with dignity and respect. You don’t have to agree with everyone, but there’s no reason to not treat them like a human being.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 19th, 2026
I’m starting this early Tuesday morning. It’s barely 7 AM I think. I woke up a little before 6 AM and I couldn’t fall back to sleep, so I started my day with my typical routine; brushed my teeth, washed my face, and cleaned my cell. I should probably start my exercises but I’m feeling a bit low energy right now. Depending on how long it takes to pass out tablets, I might do something.
Yesterday I heard from Field Minister Troup, and he was catching me up on all things Polunsky Unit and Death Row. Apparently, the unit has a new Head Warden, who once was the Death Row warden in 2021. I remember him being decent, and he allowed Field Minister Troup to begin showing movies to the Death Row inmates in the winter of 2021. Hopefully, the warden is a good fit and can bring about positive changes.
Troup also told me that my faith-based program section just graduated and completed the program, and now all the guys signed up to begin the advanced program, which will offer critical-thinking and other classes. I’m really proud of those guys.
The big news is that all of the Death Row sections now have big screen televisions, so that each cell can now watch tv. The first sections to get the big screen televisions were the faith-based program, which angered the guys living on non-program sections. They felt that it was showing favoritism, but I knew Field Minister Troup and Gary and their vision to have all those sections receive one. The guy didn’t believe me. I kept telling them what Troup and Gary had told me, saying, “Look, the warden signed off on it. It’s just a matter of church funding and approving the tvs. Be patient. They’ll come.” Well, I’m glad to see that it finally happened, more so because not everyone can afford to buy movies on their Securus tablets. At least guys that can’t have the opportunity to watch movies on the big screens now. If you know the layout of each section, it’s very difficult for all of the cells to see the tiny tv that was in the day room.
Before - small tv
After - big tv
Laundry should be here around 9 AM. The place is incredibly silent right now, which I’m appreciating. Last night was a bit rowdy and distracting. It did get quiet after midnight. The kid has been going to bed early, which has helped tremendously, though my Venezuelan neighbor has been a bit restless, and making most of the noise by singing loudly and yelling loudly at random times of the day. All of that being said, I feel incredibly at peace and fulfilled. I’m no longer feeling the same anxiousness I did last summer. I felt so restless for various reasons, and a lot had to do with lack of sleep and trying to process the fact that the current Dallas DA was re-seeking the death penalty. Of course, there were other factors as well. It’s amazing how the right circumstances can completely change all of that. I had no idea going into the new year that my life would be forever changed. Even on the most stressful days here, I can take comfort and find and inner peace in that change.
I continually ask myself, what do I want out of life? As complex of a person as I am, my answer is always straightforward and simple:
Live a life of purpose and in service to others.
Seek forgiveness and redemption.
To love and be loved.
These things push me forward on my path. It’s a nice feeling to have something to look forward to and strive for.
Well, laundry never came, so it’s on with the day. I leave as I come.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 17th, 2026
Sunday morning and I’m sitting here waiting on a visit. It’s been really nice to get out of my cell and be able to sit in front of someone that means the world to me, and chat for a few minutes. Dallas County Jail only allows for 20 min visits, but sometimes they’ll allow a few extra minutes depending on the visitation officer, or how busy the place is.
I’ve been having some weird dreams of late. On Saturday night, I had an execution dream. I’ve not had one of these dreams in years. The ones I’ve had in the past were terrifying, but the one Saturday night was more vague and odd. I was eating a sandwich when I was told I had an hour left before a decision would come on whether or not I’d be executed. I was a little anxious but not scared. I thought to myself, I’d better enjoy this sandwich, because it might be my last. I suppose it’s because I’ve been really focused on death penalty matters as of late. I feel a certain responsibility to speak up for the men I’ve left behind. I don’t know my own fate in the present, but having a small platform and a voice, it’s the least I can do.
Well, it’s later now. Had a great visit earlier today. Sucks that I’m gonna have to wait a week for another one, but I will enjoy them for as long as I have them because it will probably be until fall until I can get some more visits. Waiting on my tablet to finish charging right now. We get a charge overnight for tablet use in the morning, and one charge in the afternoon because the Smart Communications tablet sucks so badly. Horrible company, horrible tablet, and yet they continue to get these lucrative jail contracts that rake in billions of dollars annually. You’d think they’d invest a little of what they make into a better system/tablet, but no. They just continue to screw over inmates and their families. God bless America.
Not much else to say, so I will leave it here for now.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 14th, 2026
It’s Thursday morning as I begin this, and I’m feeling a bit reflective. I had a really rare good night of sleep, and my brain is working properly, which I’m grateful for.
Yesterday was a wonderful day. My life was remarkably altered in the best of ways, and I’m moving forward with a renewed sense of peace, hope, and promise. One of these days I’ll explain all that has happened, but for right now it’s just for me to have and hold in my soul.
So, what have I been reflective about? Today is the scheduled execution of Edward Busby and should it go through, it will mark Texas’ 600th execution since the death penalty was reinstated in the late 1970s. I was on Death Row for more than 200 of those executions, during the almost 22 years I was there. 200 executions. 200 men that I personally knew. 200 men that I either talked to or crossed paths with. How many people in this world can say that they knew over 200 people that were killed? Almost no one but the men or women that live on Death Row. And yet, the trauma (And no doubt there is trauma. When I had my evaluation last week, the neuropsychologist told me that being exposed to that level of death, even in the institutional setting of Death Row, absolutely leads to trauma and PTSD.) is somehow completely fine. Who cares if you subject Death Row inmates to that? They’re the ‘scum of the earth and deserve to have battery acid poured down their throats.' This is the mentality of half of the country when it comes to their belief in a systematic murder of society’s ilk.
I can only hope that the Supreme Court stays the execution of Edward Busby, and they recognize his intellectual disability. Someone on Facebook said that he was smart enough to kill, to which I say that even single-cell organisms kill. The ability to kill can’t be measured by some kind of test, nor does it take into consideration the complexities and circumstances of a person’s life. I get so exhausted by black and white thinking. Is it always as simple as right or wrong? Good vs evil? What if a man with the inability to rationally consider the consequences of what his actions can lead to thinks, ‘I am desperate, I need money, no one will hire me because I’m an uneducated black man,’ decides to kidnap— not kill—an elderly woman, put duct tape over her face to silence her, and she accidentally suffocates to death? Wrong? Absolutely. It’s horrible that that could happen. But when does society start asking the hard questions about HOW or WHY something like this happens? It doesn’t make Edward Busby evil.
Do you want to know who Edward Busby is? He is a guy who, when he is able to go to commissary, eats everything he has within two days because he can’t control himself, then asks other guys for their food because he’s hungry. That isn’t normal behavior. It screams of a disability. Furthermore, Edward Busby has the intellectual and emotional intelligence of a teenager. He’s five years older than me, and whenever I would talk to him, I always felt like I was talking to a kid. This is the person the State wants to kill? Sadly, there are dozens of other men on Death Row just like him. Same struggles, same disability.
The other thing I’ve been thinking about, and I’m sure it is only coincidental, is how many of the men recently executed or are facing execution themselves have been in TDCJ’s faith-based program. The same program that I was a part of. The faith-based program focuses on accountability, one’s spirituality, personal growth, rehabilitation, and redemption. I find it ironic that the State can offer a program for men that proves the ability to change and to grow as human beings, a program that lays lie to the belief that these men are a future threat to society, and proving the fact that they can change through these classes. The very same State that created this program and allowed it to be on Death Row turns around and kills them anyway. But you know what? The men that enter into this program are acutely aware that it won’t save their life. We all knew that we could still be executed. We all knew it wasn’t some magical solution for being spared. Those of us who entered it did so because we wanted to be better human beings, including Edward Busby.
It’s much later now. Spent the day hoping that Edward Busby would be spared. Sadly, he has become the 600th man to be executed in Texas.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 12th, 2026
Forever starts tomorrow.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 10th, 2026
Sunday evening. Trapped inside my cell. My Venezuelan neighbor seems to be losing his mind; he’s been making weird noises all afternoon. It was a good day earlier. Yesterday I had a really great extended visit that was supposed to happen on Friday, but due to crazy circumstances that didn’t happen so instead we did it on Saturday, which actually worked out for the better because we got a little extra time. And we got a little extra time today, so I was very happy about that.
Tonight is razor night. They usually don’t pass out the razors until about 11 PM, which is a little bit on the absurd side, but Dallas County Jail has always done things this way, so I’ll shave and hopefully get to bed afterwards. Then I’ll wake up and hopefully get to rec in the morning.
I think I will share another story from my time on Death Row. This one is about the time we played a prank on a guy named David Woods, or as we call him, Woody. Woody is one of those guys that catastrophizes about everything. He’s rarely happy and if anything can go wrong with him, it will go wrong. He carries a perpetual rain cloud above his head. One evening on a Saturday he had been fishing some magazines under the door to the next section, to my friend Big Will. At the same time, I was talking to Blaine and Robert Pruett through the vents in the cell, when suddenly all of the locks to the crossover doors to each section popped open. A lieutenant walked through the door at the same time Woody and Big Will were fishing and in his hands were the magazines and the fishing line. He dropped the magazines in front of the shower and began tying the fishing line to the door. I heard Woody say, “Oh man, well that’s it. I’m gonna get a disciplinary case,” which in all actuality was highly unlikely, but I decided it was the perfect opportunity to pull off a prank. I ran back to the vent and told Blaine and Robert what had just happened and the idea I had. Both Robert and Blaine live downstairs, so Woody had no idea I was talking to them through the vent. Robert yelled up to Woody and said, “Oh no, did you just get caught fishing by the lieutenant?”
“Yeah, why?” Woody replied.
“Because I just heard the lieutenant tell the officer down here to write you a major case and send you to Level 2.”
At the same time that Robert was talking to Woody, Blaine was talking to the pod officer, telling him about the prank he was going to pull, convincing the officer to go upstairs and tell Woody to pack up his property, that he was going to Level 2 disciplinary immediately.
I heard Woody tell the officer, “Are you kidding me?”
“Yeah, the lieutenant just told me you disrespected him. There’ll be no mercy.”
I was trying to keep myself from bursting out laughing because Woody sounded like he was gonna cry. The officer walked by my cell, smiled at me, and gave a thumbs up sign. About a minute or two later, I heard Woody begin to throw things out the side of his door—old magazines, trash, a homemade speaker—and I said, “Woody, what are you doing?”
“He just told me that the lieutenant is sending me to the disciplinary pod. I’ve gotta get rid of my junk. They’re going to throw it away anyways.”
Feeling bad, I told Woody, “Dude, you’re not going to Level 2. We were playing a prank on you.”
He got real quiet for about 5 minutes. Robert and Blaine were yelling through the vents, “What’s going on? What did he say?”
I told them, “I don’t know. He’s gone quiet. I think we may have pissed him off.” I went back to the door and called Woody’s name. I asked Woody, “Are you okay, man?”
To which he replied, “I wasn’t going to go if that was real. I was going to make them bring the use of force team.”
Blaine yelled up to him, “A use of force team? Bro, you’re 60 years old! They would’ve killed you!”
Woody was clearly trying to act tougher than he is. The last thing that Woody said before the night was over was, “Who’s going to replace the stuff that I threw out my door?”
That was a good night. I really like thinking about these lighter moments on the row. It reminds me how human we all really are.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 8th, 2026
Beunas noches. I am exhausted, so this is not going to be very long. It has been a very stressful day, but all worked out in the end, so I’m happy for that. Yesterday I had the second part of my psychological/neurological evaluation. I think it went very well, as the night before I got plenty of sleep. I have the last part of the evaluation in a couple of weeks. Don’t know when exactly. Then the State will have their turn to poke and prod at me, trying to assess whether I’m a future threat of dangerousness, which is a bit ridiculous as I’ve gone 25 years without being in trouble. But, unfortunately, it is necessary in all capital death penalty trials.
Winding down the night.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 4th, 2026
Happy Star Wars Day—may the 4th be with you. I’m so tired. Last night was horrible for sleep. They didn’t turn the lights off until 2 AM. Well, I say ‘turn the lights off’ loosely. They never turn the lights off completely in Dallas County Jail. When it is midnight, they’re supposed to turn off the big overhead fluorescent lights while leaving on the fairly bright security light, so that the guards can see into the cells. On Death Row and in TDCJ, inmates have complete control over their lights, and they can turn them on or off as they please. If the guards want to look into a dark cell, they just use their flashlight.
Anyways, the day lights remained on until 2 AM, which had the result of keeping up the kids, and the kids were out of control last night, in particular, the school shooter. He was yelling, growling, and barking like a dog, kicking on his door, and, in general, being annoying as ever. This went on well past breakfast before things finally settled down. I slept maybe 2 hours tops before my eyes popped back open at about 6:30 AM. I lay in bed waiting for the rec officer so that I could get scheduled to go outside, and I’ve been up ever since. Need to exercise but have almost no energy. I just really need sleep.
You know what I find funny? These kids in the jail often say that they are ‘grown-ass men;’ they want to be treated like men. If you call them a kid, they feel slighted or disrespected, to which I always respond, if you want to be treated like a man, act like a man, not the 18-year-old you are.
This week will be a busy one for me. I have the second half of my psychological/neurological evaluation. I’m not exactly sure what day, but I hope I can go into it better rested than I was last week. I’m definitely glad it wasn’t today, because I’m sure my IQ would’ve tested to be the equivalent of a Fruit Loop. I have a special extended visit on Friday, which I’m really, really excited for. And who knows what else the week will bring?
Gonna pause here. SRTs have arrived to take me to recreation.
12:30 PM. Came back from recreation. It was a lovely, beautiful morning. The sun had risen above the skyscrapers. There was a nice, cool breeze. The city looked alive. I did some light exercises, walked around thinking, and enjoyed the peacefulness of it all. Going outside is my temporary break from this place, and I always feel mentally better when I come back inside. Still very tired but I’m up for the day, and nothing is going to keep me away from what I enjoy doing the most, and the person I spend time with.
I want to add one last thought. In Texas, there is a scheduled execution on May 14th of Edward Lee Busby. We called him Eddie Lee on the row. He suffers from an intellectual disability, which the courts refused to acknowledge. The State has been playing number games with his IQ score, and his trial court judge refused to accept the overwhelming fact that he is intellectually disabled. I hope that if this is of any concern to anyone, they will speak out on behalf of him to the governor’s office, as well as the Tarrant County district attorney, and demand that the State should not be executing intellectually disabled men.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 2nd, 2026
**This entry contains foul language that reflects a real-life incident.
Saturday night. I’m extremely tired. I got almost no sleep yesterday because the 18-year-old decided he was going to stand at his door all night long and hold a conversation with 65 cell, who is all the way down the hall from him. When I did fall asleep shortly after breakfast, I was awakened again at around 5:30 AM because someone’s toilet was backing up and flooding into the hallway. I was violently awakened by the sound of officers yelling, mop buckets banging, and a wet vac machine. I managed to fall back asleep after shift change, and got out of bed around 8 AM. Spent most of the day talking on the phone, listening to the movie The Shawshank Redemption, and feeling very at peace and fulfilled.
As you may have noticed, we have decided to do a Facebook page. I haven’t done social media in years. I generally detest social media, but decided that in light of all that has been going on with executions and the anti-death penalty movement it was time to come out of retirement and offer opinions and support to those being executed specifically in Texas. I have spent the majority of my life on Death Row. Regardless of what happens to me in my own legal affairs, I will always be connected to Death Row and the guys that I practically grew up with. They are my friends. They are my brothers. They are my family. I can’t in good conscience sit around and say nothing. I hope that whoever reads this will be kind enough to follow us, as it is a separate entity from the website with different content.
Something else I was thinking about doing, specifically in these journals, is to occasionally share stories from my time on Death Row that I could never share with anyone. One in particular that I thought about today happened about 18 years ago, when I lived on a section with Robert Pruett. We were on lockdown for the annual unit shakedown, and his toilet stopped working. Because of the lockdown, the maintenance workers weren’t allowed to leave the cellblocks to come and fix his toilet. He didn’t want to use his toilet because there was no way to flush it, so he began to pee in water bottles and poop in chip bags. During the lockdowns, we would get what is called a ‘johnny sack.’ A johnny sack is a brown paper lunch bag that typically has two sandwiches and some raisins or prunes inside it. Robert would take the chip bag, put it inside the paper johnny sack, and then throw the sack out on the walkway so the officers could clean it up. Unbeknownst to the officers who had to clean up the sack on the walkway, they were throwing away his poop. One particular day, Robert threw a bag of poop out on the runway, which was neatly wrapped up in the paper sack, and it lay on the run untouched all morning long. When it was time to feed lunch, an officer was pulling a crate full of johnny sacks. He stopped the crate in between two cells right in front of the poop-filled paper sack, grabbed a johnny sack from the crate, opened the slot for one inmate and gave him the sack, and then turned around and saw what looked like a johnny sack dropped on the walkway. I guess he thought that the sack had fallen out of the crate, because he picked it up and put it right into the crate, grabbed a separate sack, and fed the next inmate. When he went to the next inmate’s cell, he grabbed the sack he had picked up and gave it to an inmate named Bobby Wood. The officer continued down the walkway, when suddenly Bobby Wood cried out, “Hey! This johnny sack has sh*t in it!”
The officer, thinking he was talking about the poor quality of food, replied, “Yeah! They all have sh*t in ‘em.”
Bobby Wood grew angry and said, “NO! This johnny sack has SH*T in it!”
The officer, refusing to stop, walked through the door and said, “Yeah, yeah, like I said, they all have sh*t in ‘em.”
Robert Pruett started to laugh uncontrollably and said, “Hey Bobby, how does my sh*t taste? Is the sh*t sandwich good?”
Everybody started to laugh. Bobby Wood was very angry and began kicking on the door to try to get the officer to come back, yelling over and over, “I got sh*t in my sack! I got sh*t in my sack!”
Sadly, poor Bobby Wood never got another johnny sack for his lunch. Everybody teased him for the rest of the day. This is just one of many stories. We’ll tell more soon.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.
May 1st, 2026
I want to start this by mentioning the execution of James Broadnax yesterday evening. We called him J.B. on the row. While I wasn’t close friends with him, I did know him fairly well. He was always quiet, respectful, and kind. He was incredibly intelligent and would always be there to listen or to mentor anyone that was seeking advice or help. In light of his cousin’s confession, it’s a disgrace that our criminal justice system not only did nothing to intervene but seemingly mocked him. Is this who we have become? I hope everyone involved in the fight to save his life will be able to find peace and comfort, and his friends on Death Row are doing okay today. Everyone on Texas Death Row processes executions differently. Some hit harder than others, and knowing how respected J.B. was, I’m sure this is hitting the guys pretty hard.
The past two days have been a bit stressful for me, as the guy in 83 cell was in full-on crisis mode. It started Wednesday night when he began yelling and screaming nonstop at his door. His thoughts were more paranoid than ever. He was convinced there were people dressed in black with lasers on their heads walking up and down the halls in the middle of the night. I got no sleep that night, and he went well on into Thursday morning yelling incoherently. One of the officers said that they called the psych department, and psych doctors were supposed to come down to see him, but that never happened. Later that evening, he seemed to settle down a bit. It was quiet throughout the night and I was able to get some sleep, but I ended up sleeping so hard I missed recreation in the morning, which I wasn’t terribly upset about because I really needed to sleep. As I got on the phone this morning, he suddenly erupted again and accused one of the officers of letting his girlfriend into another inmate’s cell. His agitation only grew stronger when the officer dismissed what he was saying and told him he was crazy. And as the officer walked off, he said he was going to kill himself. Up until this point, I wasn’t really paying attention to what he was doing in his cell, as I was enjoying my conversation on the phone, but as soon as he said he was going to kill himself I told the person I was talking to on the phone to hold on. That’s when I noticed him tearing a strip of his bed sheet off, and he began to wrap it around his neck. I ran to the panic button in the cell and told the control officer that 83 cell looked like he was about to hang himself. He said okay, and nothing happened. At all. As I was watching him try to tie the sheet onto the shelf fixture, I began to call his name and tell him, “Don’t do it, don’t do it. It’s not worth it,” but he ignored me. So then I began to call out my door for officers to come, saying it looked like 83 cell was about to hang himself. When that went ignored, I started kicking on my door, and then other guys around me started going off on me because I was trying to help the guy in 83 cell, which really pissed me off. I told them that this guy looked like he was about to try to commit suicide, and they replied that he only wanted attention. I told them it doesn’t matter if he wants attention or not, I’m not going sit around being quiet if I can do something to prevent this.
A few minutes after that, an officer and a psych doctor showed up to his door. The psych doctor looked annoyed that he had been disturbed from whatever he was doing to come down here and help 83 cell. He asked him, “What’s going on?” 83 cell shouted back some nonsense, and the psych doctor walked off. After that, 83 cell covered up all of his windows and I had no idea what was going on until an SRT was passing out lunch, saw the blanket that was hanging on the inside of his door, asked me what was going on, and I told him I’d been trying to tell officers that he’s been saying he was trying to kill himself, but no one’s taking it serious. The SRT removed something from his pocket that was able to knock the blanket from his door, and then 83 cell started ramming his head into the door. The SRT wasted no time, opened up his door, grabbed ahold of him and said, “C’mon, I’m going to take you to go get help.” I was impressed by the SRT’s professionalism and concern. He was the only jail official to intervene and get this guy the help that he needs. As far as I know, he is now in Crisis Observation, and I can only hope that he will receive whatever meds he needs to help him deal with whatever is going on with himself. Dallas County Jail sadly has a long history of ignoring inmates with mental health issues. I witnessed it firsthand today.
Not much else going on today. Just waiting for a video visit. I hope the rest of the day is peaceful.
Be kind.
Courage. Strength. Hope and faith.
Peace.