rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (06/26/91)
/** pn.alerts: 53.0 **/
** Topic: HELP STOP AN EXECUTION! **
** Written 10:00 am Jun 22, 1991 by peacenet in cdp:pn.alerts **
From: <peacenet>
From ddoumakes Fri Jun 21 17:42:53 1991
HELP STOP AN EXECUTION!
Harold Lamont "Wili" Otey, 39, is currently on Nebraska's Death Row awaiting
electrocution. Wili has exhausted all traditional avenues of appeal in the
courts. His execution, originally set for 6/10/91, was stayed by a petition
for commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment. This decision will
be made by the Nebraska Board of Pardons at their hearing on 6/28/91. Please
help us convince the Board to let Wili live.
Governor Ben Nelson is a member of the Board of Pardons. To FAX a message to
Governor Nelson RIGHT NOW, enter
,wrms
and type a brief message asking that the Pardons Board stop the execution of
Willie Otey. IMPORTANT: at the "Cc:" prompt, enter
fax:4024716031
so Governor Nelson gets his copy. That's 402-471-6031 WITHOUT the hyphens.
WHO IS HAROLD OTEY?
Wili, who is African American, was the third of thirteen children born to Julia
Wheeler in Long Branch, NJ. At the age of four, he and one sister were sent
away to Bryn Mawr, PA to live with his great aunt and uncle to avoid being made
wards of the state. His childhood was troubled, marked by stern discipline
verging on abuse, and a lack of love. When he was fourteen, his great aunt
died and Wili returned to the New Jersey projects. Although he was quite
intelligent, he had discipline problems at school and in his new environment.
He quit school when he was fifteen and began to follow the horse racing circuit
throughout the U.S., working as a groom and an exercise boy. In 1977, this
work led him to Omaha, Nebraska.
WHY IS HE ON DEATH ROW?
On 6/11/77, a young white woman, Jane McManus, was found dead in her home near
the horse track. She had been raped and stabbed repeatedly. Circumstantial
evidence pointed to Wili who was finally arrested in the Tampa Bay, FL area on
1/27/78. Within 56 days after his arrest, Wili went to trial represented by an
inexperienced public defender with whom he had had only limited contact. The
trial judge turned down Wili's pretrial pleas for a continuance or a different
attorney, based primarily on the crowded court calendar. Wili was convicted by
a jury and sentenced to death. Wili has been unsuccessful in all of his
appeals, with only an Eighth Circuit (Federal Court) dissent in his favor
arguing that his trial counsel was ineffective.
HOW HAS HE CHANGED?
The irony of Wili's life is that he never had any positive influences in his
life until his incarceration. Emotionally unstable and intellectually starved
upon commitment, the discipline of prison and the dedication of certain prison
staff and volunteers have helped Wili grow and mature. He completed his G.E.D.
in 1980 and has continued to study literature, philosophy, and logic. In doing
so, he has found new friends and supporters who have opened him to emotional
and intellectual growth. In his own words, Wili was "a teenager until age 30."
Wili is still "in process," but has made remarkable rehabilitative
improvement.
Wili has become an accomplished poet with three published volumes in print.
His latest work, _yeah, clementine_, was released in late May. His poetry is
reflective, restless, searching, at times blunt, at times soft, seeking love,
appreciating life. His abilities allow him to speak with clarity and emotion
from a position in life and from life experiences which have rarely been
voiced. His writings are a triumph of personal awakenings and intense effort
toward true rehabilitation. Whatever his past, Wili has worked hard to become
a socially useful and uniquely productive citizen, capable of large
contributions to society if Nebraska will only let him live.
WHY SHOULD HIS DEATH SENTENCE BE COMMUTED TO LIFE?
We need your help to convince the Nebraska Board of Pardons to let Wili live.
Nebraska has not had an execution since mass murderer Charles Starkweather was
electrocuted in 1959. Wili should not be next, for many reasons, including:
--- Wili has no other criminal convictions.
--- Wili's death sentence is clearly disproportionate. He has been found
responsible for a single death; there are 99 other people convicted of first
degree murder, a number of them with multiple victims, now serving life
sentences in Nebraska.
--- Wili's sentence is another example of racial disparity in executions as
documented in the February 1990 General Accounting Office (GAO) report; he is
yet another African American sentenced to death for the murder of a white.
--- Wili's death sentence is a direct product of ineffective counsel and
procedural games played by the courts.
--- If Wili were sentenced today with the benefit of the last thirteen years of
U.S. Supreme Court decisions, he would probably not receive a death sentence.
--- Wili has rehabilitated himself into a socially useful and peaceful citizen.
Wili is capable of contributing to society while imprisoned through his
valuable writing abilities.
--- Wili is not a danger to society. He has learned to give, care, love, and
to be loved.
--- Wili's death will serve no socially useful purpose and will inflict
needless suffering on his family and friends.
SAMPLE LETTERS:
1. You hold the power of life and death in your hands. Choose life by
commuting Harold Otey's death sentence.
2. Executing people solves nothing. There is no proven deterrent effect of
capital punishment. In fact, one study showed that immediately following
publicized executions, there was a slight INCREASE in the murder rate. Please
prevent an execution in Nebraska by voting to commute Harold Otey's death
sentence to life.
3. How to I explain to my children that it is wrong to kill when they see the
state of Nebraska preparing to do just that? You have the power to prevent
this execution. Please do so. Commute Harold Otey's death sentence to life.
Don Doumakes
for the Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty
** End of text from cdp:pn.alerts **