Do You Think The Prosecutors Didn’t Know?!

“Kill him, because he killed someone and killing’s wrong!” Another member of the American government yelled,“ we don’t care what you gotta do, just kill him!”

“Even if he’s innocent,” one judge with a conscience, just not enough to value justice over his career, asked. The contorted expression on his face showed that he wasn’t sure if he heard them right, and the redness of his face showed his fear that he did.

“Even if he’s innocent,” someone else mocked, followed by a chorus of laughter. But not everyone in the court found the humor in this took these matters much more serious. The volume of the outbursts rose to rival the amount of tension in the air. There was so much confusion between the laughter and angry words that you would have to concentrate in order to barely pick out a few of the phrases like, “they arrested him, didn’t they? So, he’s guilty!” “He looks like he did it! If he didn’t, he did something else!” “Either way, it’s one more criminal off the streets!”

After looking at the picture I Just painted, do you believe I’m fabricating these thoughts or embellishing these ideas that I claim our government officials, law-makers, and peace-keepers have? Well, before you make your mind up or answer that question, let’s take a quick look at Alabama death row inmate Derek Horton’s case which was recently overturned for this very injustice.

Mr. Horton was convicted and sentenced to death for a … typical burglary, murder, arson. I’m not saying there’s anything “typical” about it. I only mean there were no extenuating circumstances to speak of. There wasn’t any rape, torture, or otherwise senseless brutality.

Now, during Mr. Horton’s trial, the state introduced evidence, and admitted testimony completely irrelevant to the crime. State’s witnesses testified to Mr. Horton’s prior drug history when there was no evidence that he was on drugs at the time of the crime and nothing supporting a theory that drugs were even a motive. So, what was the state’s reason for admitting this evidence? Clearly to demonize Mr. Horton and attack his character. The state has pointed this picture of him to enflame the jury, causing them to base their findings, not on facts of the case, but on prejudicial emotions which the state manipulated for this very reason.

But, most importantly, what I want to point out is the apparent fact that the state, behind its mast of counterfeit fairness and justice, knew exactly what it was doing by not only allowing, but intentionally admitting this illegal and improper character evidence. Point, blank, period. If the state doesn’t abide by its own laws, and if the judge doesn’t ensure that those laws are followed then we can be sure of one thing: like many other victims of injustice and abused authority, Mr. Horton was not given a fair trial as is his, and every other American citizen’s right. The state wanted one more notch under its belt, by any means necessary, and got it by breaking its own laws and manipulating the jurors, subsequently insulting their intelligence and the community they represent. Now, I encourage you to answer the question of whether or not you believe I fabricated or embellished the thoughts represented in the scene at the beginning of this article.

Castro

Black & White

He’s white and he killed a black guy … 

Good riddance; he did us a favor. 

He’s black and he killed another black guy … 

Ahhh, so what; let em kill each other. 

He’s white and he killed another white man … 

He’s one of us but we gotta teach em a lesson. 

He’s black and he did what, he killed a white man?! 

Let’s get him boys!!! (crowd cheers) 

Castro

Now Who’s The Monster?!

They want to murder me! But it’s so much deeper than that. The extent they’re willing to go to in order to accomplish that, and the years and years of mental torture they put a person through, make it outright sadistic.

In my personal experience, I had to sit and observe as the prosecutors twisted the facts, and spun a web of lies in order to convince the jury that the right decision to make is to kill me. I have no history of violence, either in prison or out of prison, so they played a game of deception to convince the jury I have a problem, I can’t be rehabilitated from, and that I’m a danger to everyone I come in contact with. That’s ridiculous!

This justice system has put a humane mask on a cruel and unusual method to exact revenge, not justice. In doing so, they have deceived many into believing that murdering someone is okay when the person being executed has killed someone or was present during the murder of another. What kind of sense does that make? “It’s okay to kill someone for killing someone, because killing is wrong?!” “Ruling someone is okay when we do it, but not when you do it.” “Do as I say; not as I do.”

But, it gets worse, much worse. As if it’s not bad enough that they are obviously above the law and can murder people while telling others they can’t, they subject the condemned to  years and years of mental torture. Recent studies show that inmates held in solitary confinement can begin to suffer from anxiety, paranoia, perceptual disturbances, and deep depression. For this reason, suicides that take place in solitary confinement make up for nearly half of all prison suicides.

They tell you that they want to put us to death because it’s the right thing to do. But, what they don’t tell you is that they want to torture us until they break our minds, kill our spirits, and completely destroy our will to live, all together. This system and the ends they’re willing to go to in order to murder me, and those locked in the cells around me, can easily be called sinister. I have been convicted of one murder, but this system has tortured and murdered thousands. Now, who’s the monster?

Castro

The Un-United States

Since when has the United States of America ever been united? Whether it’s issues of war, race, or religion, this country has been divided since its birth. Even in matters of law, rules and regulations vary from state to state. For instance, some states have banned capital punishment, while others are willing to do any- and everything to strap a convicted murderer to a gurney and force lethal doses of toxic chemicals and poisons into their body until they stop breathing. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a somewhat timely and peaceful execution or a 2 hour torturous procedure of gasping, writhing, and convulsions. Those representing our states, government, and justice system are willing to lie, hide evidence, and break the law themselves in order to kill someone for committing a murder.

It’s bad enough that much of our country believes that capital punishment is constitutional, that justice is being served when murdering someone for taking another’s life, but it’s much worse when the requirements vary from state to state. Some states require a unanimous 12-0 vote to sentence a convict to death, as it should be when dealing out the ultimate, irreversible punishment. Then we move to the south, only to find out the death penalty becomes easier and easier to apply. Alabama requires a 10-2 vote, and Florida only requires a majority, 7-5 vote. Now, does this sound fair, just, and does it sound like a country of united peoples and states? There is nothing united about it! Will this country ever be able to come together and live up to its name? Until it does, this country will continue to decline. United we stand, but divided we fall.

Castro
H-21

They Don’t Know Me

I’m not a monster. I’m not an animal. I’m not a menace to my society. What’s on the outside, like my tattoos, isn’t evidence of what’s inside me. You got a heart, you got a soul, and we’re all created equal. See, I got a heart, a heart of gold, but only God sees thru my peephole.

I made some mistakes, and you’ve made some bad decisions. So, how can you look in my face, and tell me there’s a difference?! Then you tell me that you’re better than me, I can’t believe you said that to me when I’m already going thru hell. (DAMN) I wonder how heaven’ll be …..

Picture pearly gates and streets of gold, where everyone’s got a mansion, where angels sing songs and trumpets blow, while the precious children are dancing. Now picture the exact opposite, welcome to my life!

Where the days are dark and nights are cold, ‘cause they done cut off my lights.

My son’s calling because he’s hungry, and no one’s hiring a felon. Now drugs are our main export, I swear everyone’s buying or selling. One wrong move, you slip, you lose, and end up in a cell feeling lonely.

Now everyone’s judging and got something to say, regardless of the fact they don’t know me!

Castro

Fear Not

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ...”

Matthew 10:28

From the moment of conception, the dying process begins. Some are lost before birth, some are lost during birth, some see old age, and some don’t. For those that are not lost due to natural causes, there are countless ways to lose one’s life: car accidents, plane crashes, drownings, suicides, murders, etc. The list goes on and on.

I once read a book entitled “The 50^th Law”, by Robert Greene and 50 Cent. Many of us have heard how Curtis Jackson a.k.a. 50 was shot nine times and lived to become one of the richest men in the music industry. Well, this book is about overcoming fear and tells how overcoming the fear of death made his success possible.

Many people are paralyzed by fear, while others are pushed and driven by it. Some have a fear of the unknown and some have a fear of fear itself. Either way, it is fear that blinds us or clouds our vision and judgment, leading to bad choices. It is fear that causes many to focus on dying instead of living. It’s for that very reason that 50 Cent says, when you overcome the fear of death, you overcome fear itself. Fear no longer hinders you from living your life to the fullest and stepping out to take the chances necessary to prosper.

Whether you are free or on death row, tomorrow is promised to no one. Our next breath is a gift and should be treated as such, instead of being wasted worrying whether or not we’ll continue to breathe. Whether we live one more second is not in our control, so why worry over it. Life is too short to be wasted by worrying about something that is in the hands of the one who created us, cares about us, and loves us unconditionally.

Be blessed,
Castro

Stephen Marc Stone has been accused of the murder of his 37 year old wife and 7 year old son in Madison Co. AL. The murders were committed on Feb 24, 2013, but Mr. Stone was found incompetent to stand trial, so the state has provided psychiatric treatment to get him well enough to be tried. After treatment, he was re-evaluated and found competent. His trial is set for Jan. 28, 2019.

During that time, a lot has taken place surrounding capital murder trials and the death penalty. The most relevant being the ban of "jury override," where the judge had the power to override a jury's recommendation and impose an alternate sentence. But, Mr. Stone's crime was committed before the ban on jury override, the judge in this case has reserved the right to override the jury recommendation.

Brian Clark and Larry Marsili, defense attorneys for Mr. Stone, have requested that the judge take jury override off the table. This raises a huge question: Why would the judge want to keep jury override on the table and leave a major possibility for Mr. Stone to appeal?

                           Castro