Weekly Report from the Board Meeting at Holman Prison 4.1.26
The Attorney General has asked for a date for Jeffrey Lee. We will keep you updated. Meanwhile it is important to note that he has many powerful issues, including 7-5 jury override of the life without sentence for which the jury had voted and at the time of the crime an untreated TBI. Meanwhile Jaylove, as he is called by his friends and family, continues to be a great asset to our community and is doing well.
The Attorney General has also asked for an execution date for Michael Taylor.
“A man convicted of raping and murdering a 5-year-old girl is asking the state to carry out his death sentence quickly. Jeremy Williams could be moved to the top of Alabama’s execution list at his own request.”
There was a celebratory meeting of the successful clemency grant for Sonny, who was spared from execution in Alabama. Participants discussed the collaborative efforts that led to this outcome, including public vigils, media coverage, and community organizing.
We were honored to be invited to “Reflecting on Our Progress and Next Steps for Rocky Myers” by Attorney Kacey Keeton: “As we reflect on the one-year mark since the commutation of Rocky Myers’s death sentence—and only weeks after the extraordinary news of Sonny Burton’s commutation—I wanted to take a moment to reach out to all of you. These milestones are worth pausing for. They represent something rare and powerful in Alabama: real, tangible change in places where many believed change was impossible.” Yes, Rocky is no longer on death row but not only is he still our brother and has the other death sentence, life without, but his issue of being represented by an attorney at trial with connections to the KKK is one relevant to many of us. Simply put: can a black man receive a fair trial in Alabama?
At this time part of our focus during our meetings is the training for different positions of men who have joined us more recently. We have a rich history and there is much to learn so that it can continue.
The men are planning a Good Friday celebration and this will be the first one on death row at Holman. We are also getting organized and looking forward to a 3 day Kairos weekend in April.
We thank all who are working so hard and diligently to stop all killing in Alabama! And as always in closing, we thank all our generous donors who either gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button or who gave directly. Thank you also to all who took the time to read our notes, commented, liked and shared them on Facebook. Stay safe and be kind to each other.
Esther
