There's some executions that I'll always think about
It wasn't like we just picked up somebody off the street put him on a gurney
Most of these people you got to know.
Larry Fitzgerald is preparing the prison for another inmates death
Napoleon Beasley committed a murder at age 17
Beasley is in many respects the last person you'd expect to meet on death row he was president of his high school class a
football star who hoped for a college scholarship
You know, some of those guys on death row, you get to where you like them, and Napoleon was one of them.
He did a horrible crime it was a horrible thing he did
John ludecke was in his garage when the youths carjacked his mercedes-benz
Napoleon Beasley shot him twice in the head
Beasley was just 17 when he committed the crime the attention of death penalty opponents around the world and even divided the US Supreme Court
on that jury
How would you rule about whether he deserve the death penalty?
Somebody was killed in the driveway of their house somebody goes up puts a gun in your head and shoots you
The other side of the coin is I think back when I was 17 years old did I make some bad decisions?
Sure, I did. I couldn't blame my mom. I can't blame my parents can play my friends like complain
He never denied what he'd done being here for being on death row
After six years behind these walls
execution day has finally dawn for Napoleon Beasley
It ain't gonna help fill no hole in nobody's heart
for Napoleon to be killed. all it's gonna do is create some more holes in our hearts. You know
the state is
Determining the Napoleon's fate today, but tomorrow you don't know who's going to determine yours
There were a number of people who are executed that I truly liked that
As you see them on the table on the gurney you think about past conversations you've had with them about
Things you've enjoyed with them you know
And it comes down to the last few final moments and you're gonna watch this person who you've known
die.
You know I knew it was inevitable I knew what was gonna happen you know nothing I could do to prevent
It wasn't my job to prevent it
but I
Didn't like it. I really did not like it I
Started worrying about have we executed somebody that shouldn't have been executed
And yes I had doubts, but it's
But it's one of this it's a helpless feeling that you have and you're standing there behind a glass as a witness
If you have doubts about this what can you do? Not a thing, you can't do anything.
How did you resolve that?
And I guess I really didn't resolve it
It just happened
And I think about Napoleon a lot
Real good guy.
If one of your offspring is executed how could anybody's life be the same?
It has to be a horrible experience
Knowing that Napoleon was in solitary confinement
You know, knowing that he had an execution date was a little bittersweet
you know I
Don't mind telling you that I really like Napoleon. Thank you. I've met so many of the guys on death row that were just
you know
Your heart goes out for them, horrible crime, but you know?
these people I
Think some of the guys on a deserve a second chance
I
Just feel like he was rehabilitatable
I just that's in my heart I felt like that and
That's why I think I felt like his age should have played
Fact in there, but the court system. I read the other
I agree
Knew you had a heart. I knew you had a heart
Thank you, because I used to read your comments after an execution and I remember
There was this one guy that you said didn't have anybody
Remember no so wrong. Yeah, well there was this one guy who said he had nobody nobody
There were a number of those that happened, that's really sad. I mean well. I know I felt that you felt that way
You know cause she just the emphasize that he helped anybody
Well I'd like to think that I
Treated everybody the best I could that were on death row cuz
You know we both understood the situation you know that you're on death row and unless something dramatic happens
You're gonna have a certain fate. That's gonna happen to you. You know at a certain time
Well personally I'm glad you were there for Napoleon
Do you think that Napoleon Beasley should have been executed
No
I believe there are racial biases in the justice system
And I think you've got a good example that the Thomas middle realm once they give you an execution date waiting
Becomes a nightmare we were at the precipice, if you will, of trying to make that decision life
Or death and that led me to Larry Fitzgerald. I just believe there's something besides the death penalty in Texas