Three years ago, a man on Texas death row asked a prison spokesman if I could be the reporter to witness his execution The man was John Ramirez. I'd never met or written him before – but that request eventually led to several stories and a 3-year film project that is finally out this week. Thread: - ThreadSky

keribla.bsky.social • 94 days ago

Three years ago, a man on Texas death row asked a prison spokesman if I could be the reporter to witness his execution

The man was John Ramirez. I'd never met or written him before – but that request eventually led to several stories and a 3-year film project that is finally out this week. Thread:

Comments

newyorka.bsky.social•94 days ago

The death sentence should be abolished

teion1.bsky.social•89 days ago

Watching this now.

ltuhura.bsky.social•94 days ago

Sounds like a guy punch, for sure.

I'll have to be in the right headspace for a story like that, but it sounds heartbreakingly compelling, my friend. 😞🖖🏾

thegreatduggo.bsky.social•94 days ago

Execution doesn't fix anything. I understand the need for the feeling of closure, but it's not really closure, it's retribution. Yes, it's human nature, but I'd do my best to circumvent it.

keribla.bsky.social•94 days ago

So after the spokesman called me to tell me about the unusual request, I decided to formally request a visit.

I wasn’t sure what the story would be but I thought I’d at least see where it went. To start, I read up on his case.

keribla.bsky.social•94 days ago

John had been sentenced to death for the drug-fueled killing of Pablo Castro, a store clerk in Corpus Christi.

At one point he actually asked for death bc he said he thought he deserved it.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/john-henry-ramirez-execution-texas-pablo-castro/671751/

keribla.bsky.social•94 days ago

By the time I met him, he’d become a devout Christian, and his case had gained attention because he’d sued Texas prisons for the right to let his pastor lay hands on him during the execution. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/07/death-row-inmate-pastor-execution-rules

keribla.bsky.social•94 days ago

I am not a person of faith, but I was struck by how enthusiastic he was about his; he had an elaborate view of the afterlife, and it seemed to comfort him in the face of imminent execution – originally scheduled for about a week after I visited.

keribla.bsky.social•94 days ago

After the first visit, Maurice Chammah and I wrote about the case in this story – but the interview led me to another story I wrote a few weeks later.

By that point, John had ended up getting a stay so he actually got to see both stories. https://tcadp.org/2021/09/08/state-of-texas-scheduled-to-execute-john-ramirez/

keribla.bsky.social•94 days ago

The story was about this death row radio station, run by & for prisoners – and John was one of the guys who participated.

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2021/12/20/the-prison-radio-station-that-s-reaching-men-on-death-row

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