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I´m here on the Row for the April 28th, 1982, shooting of an „undercover“ (non-uniform wearing) Houston police officer. The fact that I did shoot him was never disputed; what was disputed was the actual circumstances under which I shot. Basically, the State contends that, because I was an ex-convict on the run from a warrant issued out of Minnesota for parole violation, I knew he was a police officer and shot him in my effort to “escape justice”. I contend that I was minding my own business as I was walking trough my apartment complex to the parking lot with my, then, girlfriend Claudette, when an UNKNOWN man (he never identified himself as a police officer) grabbed me from behind, pushed me against a wall, shoved a gun in my face and threatened to blow my head off. Having some martial arts knowledge, I immediately counter-attacked, fought this man (who was dressed like a cowboy) for control of his gun and, when I couldn´t disarm him (he was a little bit bigger and stronger than me), I then pulled out my own gun which I shot him with twice.
Actually, the facts had little to do with my case because I couldn´t afford the $ 25.000 to $ 50.000 to hire an attorney to defend me so I ended up with court-appointed attorneys (who had no experience in death penalty cases) in front of an all-White jury in a courtroom packed mostly with White uniformed police officers and on trial for killing a White police officer who´s wife and children were there crying – I never had a chance!
I´ve been here on the Row since May of 1983. |
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