Death Row Confessions - Execution Chamber Last Statements from the Files of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
When a person accused of a crime is convicted and sentenced to capital punishment, the person can make a final statement, or express their "last words", before being executed. Much of the time, the last word is an apology to their family, family of the victim, friends, or God.
Sometimes though, a final statement includes words of hatred, disgust, or defiance. You are about to read the touching last statements of 162 convicted criminals from 1984 to the present. The statements you are about to read where either read aloud by the convicted prisoner or read from a pre-prepared written statement.
All these statements where spoken in the death chamber while the condemned was being prepared for execution.
‘I’m not ready to go, but I have no choice; I sent several letters to my family; they’ll be very moving when you get them. I want to say goodbye again to my boys. I know I’m missing somebody, but if there’s anything I have left to say, it would be that I wish I had a Shakespearean vocabulary, but since I was raised in TDC, I missed out on some of my vocabulary.’
‘If my words can persuade you to discontinue this practice of executing people, please do so. If the citizens don’t do away with the death penalty, Texas won’t be a safe place to be. I have no revenge because hate won’t solve anything.’
‘You all brought me here to be executed, not to make a speech. That’s it.’
When a person accused of a crime is convicted and sentenced to capital punishment, the person can make a final statement, or express their "last words", before being executed. Much of the time, the last word is an apology to their family, family of the victim, friends, or God.
Sometimes though, a final statement includes words of hatred, disgust, or defiance. You are about to read the touching last statements of 162 convicted criminals from 1984 to the present. The statements you are about to read where either read aloud by the convicted prisoner or read from a pre-prepared written statement.
All these statements where spoken in the death chamber while the condemned was being prepared for execution.
‘I’m not ready to go, but I have no choice; I sent several letters to my family; they’ll be very moving when you get them. I want to say goodbye again to my boys. I know I’m missing somebody, but if there’s anything I have left to say, it would be that I wish I had a Shakespearean vocabulary, but since I was raised in TDC, I missed out on some of my vocabulary.’
‘If my words can persuade you to discontinue this practice of executing people, please do so. If the citizens don’t do away with the death penalty, Texas won’t be a safe place to be. I have no revenge because hate won’t solve anything.’
‘You all brought me here to be executed, not to make a speech. That’s it.’
