My name is Howard S. Pruett, Sr. I am the father of Robert L. Pruett who is on death row in ‘Texas. I am serving a life sentence for a murder in Houston, Texas back in August. 1995. The guy I had the confrontation with was our next door neighbor. Both my sons left the scene with me and my wife, their mother. When we left, the man was not dead. He died at the hospital a few hours later.

Long story short, Robert was only 15 years old and our neighbor and Robert had been arguing over his stepdaughter who was 14 or 15 years old also. Our neighbor hit Robert in the mouth with his fist and my oldest son woke me up and I went outside to get Robert. I asked why he hit a 15 year old in the mouth–he was in his late 20s or early 30s. He said he’d show us why and reached into his truck. We had heard he had a gun or guns in that truck and I thought that’s what he was going for. That’s when I grabbed his hand, jerked it back, and stabbed him in the stomach area with a 4 inch steak knife. I had stabbed him while we were fighting maybe 3-4 times. After the fight, we went back to our trailer and (my mistake) I told my wife to lets go to a relative’s in Orange, Texas until things cooled down. I told both my sons to leave with me as well. After we left, the victim’s wife removed the gun(s) before the police got there–or at least that’s what we heard at the time.

My sons did not cause the death of our neighbor. I was the only one yet the D.A. in Houston convinced the jury that my son Robert and Steven (who had never been in jail for anything) be given harsh sentences–not even a chance at probation or boot camp. They were also charged with murder because they wouldn’t testify against their own father. I received life because I was stupid. Robert received 99 years and Steven got 40 for nothing–they didn’t do anything.

After coming to the Texas Department of Corrections, Robert was 20 years old back in December ‘99 and was accused of stabbing to death a correctional guard. He was sentenced to death in 2002. But, the fact is that Robert never should have been sent to a men’s prison at 16 years old. He was a bright kid and done well in school and was still going to school. He was the class clown, but he always excelled in his work. I don’t think my son is guilty of the murder of Officer Nagle. I think he was used as a scapegoat and I think that it was a gang that had this officer killed by a gang member as there was officers on the unit that were also gang members. This gang knew that th officer who was killed was fixing to expose different gang members who were smuggling in drugs and money. No evidence of that officer’s blood was found on my son. If you stab someone, I don’t care who you are, the person that’s getting stabbed–some of his blood is going to be on the person doing the stabbing. The inmates who testified all had different stories and were given special treatment and parole to get on the stand and lie on Robert. But the good old state of Texas, in a hurry to get a conviction, has decided to execute my son… He had no money for an attorney but was provided one assigned by the state… My son was convicted even though DNA proved he was not the killer. The term ‘blind justice’….this is exactly what his conviction is. Court transcripts can be found in the Nueces County records, Corpus Christi, Texas.

Robert’s not to blame for being on death row. I am. If it weren’t for me causing the death of our neighbor in Houston, he wouldn’t be where he is… I just wanted this to be on the web page so all could see how the justice system is so messed up in the state of Texas. When you’re poor, you’re coming to prison or death row even when the evidence says you don’t belong there.

Robert had it hard since birth. His dad was in prison in MO in 1979 for robbery. He spent the first 7 years of his life without his father. His mother, like his father, was uneducated and poor. They struggled from day to day to make ends meet. Some days there was no food…while dad was in prison eating 3 meals a day….

There are a couple of people who have been supportive of my son and feel that he’s not guilty of the crime that put him on death row that I have to thank–Ines Aubert from Switzerland and Jenniy French from Georgia, two beautiful people who have been here for him. Also a lady from Australia, Ms. Heather. They work hard but he still needs help innocence groups as well as investigators or attorneys who will take this case pro bono because the state appointed attorney rarely speaks to him about his case at all… As his father, I’m asking that someone who is not afraid of the state of Texas to come forward and just see if you can save my son’s life. I long for the day to know he is free.

Thank you and may God bless,
Howard S. Pruett, Sr. #764528

One argument advanced by pro supporters is “how would you feel if it was your sister/daughter/mother/father etc. murdered/raped etc?” The answer to that question is I honestly do not know, but I turn the argument around and ask how would I feel if the state had executed my sister/daughter/mother/father etc and then it later transpired that they were innocent? I am pretty certain I would be much less able to understand the motives of the state. As an Irish citizen growing up in the UK, I look at two cases. Known as the “Guildford 4” and the “Birmingham 6”. In the early 1970’s bombs planted in Birmingham (England’s second city) and Guildford (an affluent garrison town outside London) led to the deaths of many people. The police, under intense political and media pressure, arrested six Irish people for the Birmingham bombings and four Irish people for the Guildford bombings. In the mid 1970s they were sentenced to life imprisonment. Had the UK had the death penalty they would have been executed. Some 15 years later they were all released – new forensic evidence proved them to be innocent. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Convictions were needed to soothe the public anger and here they were.

Around the USA many people have been freed from death row after new forensic evidence, mainly in the form of new DNA technology have proved them to be innocent. How many other innocent people have been executed by the state?

I came across Robert on an internet site. To this day I do not know how I came across the site. I was not looking for someone to write to. Amongst other things, he is interested in science and as a chemistry teacher I decided to write to him. His reply came back to me and we have been writing to each other for close on two years now.

What transpires from his letters is not the mad homicidal maniac the press and some pro DP people would have us believe DR inmates are (although the conditions endured by the Polunsky inmates would be enough to turn any sane person mad). He is an articulate, thoughtful and extremely intelligent young man. He is very well read in numerous disciplines. He endures his conditions with a keen sense of humour. In a very indirect way he has taught me a lot about myself and my relationship towards other people. I am very proud to have him as a friend.

One of the highlights of knowing Robert was a visit to him last August. I took a break from a family holiday in Florida to travel to the Polunksy unit. I was apprehensive for a few days before the visit, both meeting Robert and entering a high security facility. I understand several visitors to the unit have had issues regarding the staff, but I found them to be very polite and helpful. On the day of the visit I was strangely not nervous. Sitting waiting in the booth for him to arrive I saw a visitor in a booth next to me chatting and laughing with one of the inmates. There was a young child of around 7. I could not understand why these visits are non contact. To this day it haunts me that this young girl will in all probability never get to kiss or hold hands with her father (who knows he maybe one of the 20 people executed in Texas since my visit). Whatever his crime (assuming him to be guilty) this surely cannot be justified?

When Robert arrived he was accompanied by two officers, his hands cuffed behind his back (so tight that I noticed they had left a mark on his wrists). The four hours really did fly by, helped by serious conversation, laughter, general talk and a grounding in the rules of American football (I am going to get my own back by explaining cricket!). The second day visit also passed very quickly with more general chat. Whilst arriving for the visits caused me no problems, leaving certainly did. Walking out of the prison gates, I wanted to shout, scream a whole range of emotions came over me. I was free; I could do what I want when I wanted. What was I going to do that evening? Where should I eat? Should I go shopping or to the cinema? I had choices. Robert did not. His day was regimented. Leaving was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do

In four weeks I am going back. Is it worth it? The cost in money and time of the 11 hour (10,000 mile round trip)? Absolutely. I asked him just before my first visit if he would prefer the money I would have spent on the visit to be paid to his legal fund. Absolutely not. He wanted the visit. That spoke volumes to me.

Does the death penalty make the USA a safer society? As an outsider, I am not best placed to answer that. My feeling is no. Reading some of the biographies of the men on DR you can see that for a majority the murders they are accused of were committed in the furtherance of a robbery. In many cases money needed to fund a drug habit. In my opinion the millions of dollars spent on the lengthy appeals processes would be better spent on education, law enforcement and drug rehabilitation programmes. And I come back to the point that one life taken by the state of an innocent person, cannot justify the death penalty.

Robert has been found guilty of a serious crime that is a fact. The officer murdered had children; they too will never kiss or hold their father, I accept that. But read Roberts story and you will see the facts of the case simply do not add up.

Look at the numerous websites regarding the terrible conditions at the Polunsky unit. I long for the day when he is released. Until then know that there are people who care, who think of you and all the other inmates on DR around your country. Stay strong in adversity, keep true Your friend Tony.