Imagine going to work, and the first person you meet there will be dead by midnight. You know it, and he knows it, and the two of you have just met. Your job is to befriend this stranger and keep him calm, even as the hour of reckoning draws close. This is what Reverend Carroll Pickett did from 1982 to 1995, when he was the "death house" chaplain for the state of Texas. Reverend Pickett’s story is told in the documentary At the Death House Door. It’s an extremely powerful film, directed by Peter Gilbert and Steve James, who were responsible for the Oscar-nominated documentary, Hoop Dreams.
Reverend Pickett is a reserved man, calm and matter of fact. His method of coping with having to bear witness to so much death was to talk into a tape recorder, file the tapes away, and never listen to them again. Some executions have been harder to forget than others. Carlos De Luna was an innocent man executed in 1989. At the Death House Door is also De Luna’s story, told through the actions of two investigative reporters working on a series of articles that would exonerate De Luna, and motivate Reverend Pickett to speak out against the death penalty.
At the Death House Door airs on IFC beginning May 29. Click here for additional showtimes, and more about the filmmakers, Reverend Pickett, and Carlos De Luna.
I just saw a documentary called At the death house door and I feel very bad for this lost Reverend. You see I am seeing his situation from a quite different point of view. I am a former Atheist that died for over 30 minutes and changed my life completely afterwards. To make it short and to the point, Reverend Pickett’s responsibilty as a man of God was to inform and educate those near him that killing is wrong no matter who does the crime. He says that he was afraid to speak out and admit that he was against capital punishment feelig he would have been fired. Now, can you imagine any person that hires a Reverand or preacher thinking that this person is for Capital punishment ? Is that not Christianity 101 ? Thou shalt not kill . I felt that the Devil sure did his deed through him and I know is very satisfied that he has been able to hide so nicely and do his dirty tricks. Any person of God is there to be an example of that which is good and decent. Those things do not include revenge and murder which is what capital punishment is. What Reverend Pickett needs to do now is to go to each and every person that has been involved in these crimes and tell them to get down on their knees and pray for salvation and hopefully a chance to save their souls. The reason God had Reverend Pickett there in the first place was to do this. It is difficult at times to stand up and do the Christian thing and be true to your faith. Throughout history men and women have been killed, mutilated and jailed for standing up for Christ. I pray and hope that when these people get to judgement they have done enough good to and enough sacrifice to save them from hell. Yes, Hell is very real, so is heaven. I was lucky to see both and to know the truth. If anyone out there knows any of these people drive them to the nearest church or have them get down on their knees where they stand and beg and plead for them. You should do so also and pray for them every day and night. In my death I happened to see a man that had worked as a Judge for the court and he was dragged to hell in front of me and he kept screaming for God that he had gone to church etc. This did not help him as he had been too shallow and wrongfully judged too many people. I feel know that my experience must have some higher meaning than only me to benefit from it. I may write a book and share my story in hope that it may save other souls. I live my life everyday hoping and praying to only do right by God and it has changed everything I have ever been or thought I was.I pray this message will find it’s way to those that needs to read it.God Bless all.
i do not think so because he is a chaplain, but because of all the information i have gotten the last months. almost everyone over here in europe, germany, does think the death punishment is absolutely wrong. we cannot understand you won’t wake up and see the states failure. to kill a person that killed is nothing but a murder, too. i do believe that reverend carroll pickett has done a wonderful job – not to think about his own faith or what could happen to his soul, but to be there with every single men of those 95 inmates. and he is absolutely right – no one should die alone. i am full of respect for this man.
My father was Sam Hawkins and I used to wear his class ring from high school but you said of all the inmates of all the death row inmates you were with only one had a college degree and the rest did not finish high school. But my father Sam Hawkins did sir.
I am the son of Sam Hawkins (executed in 1995). My father finished high school and I used to wear his high school ring. Why did you say the all people you were with before they died did not graduate? My dad did.
Can Rev. Carroll Pickett be trusted?
Dudley Sharp, Justice Matters, contact info below
Rev. Pickett is on a promotional tour for the film "At the Death House Door", a film partially about the Reverend’s experience ministering to 95 death row inmates executed in Texas.
Rev. Pickett’s inaccuracies are many and important.
Does Rev. Pickett just make facts up as he goes along, hoping that no one fact checks or is he just confused or ignorant?
Some of his miscues are common anti death penalty deceptions and the Reverend is an anti death penalty activist.
Below are comments or paraphrases of Rev. Pickett, taken from interviews, followed by my Reply:.
Pickett: "A great majority of them (the 95 executed inmates he ministered to) were black or Hispanic." (1)
Reply: The "great majority" were 47 white (49%) with 32 black (34%), and 16 Hispanic (17%).
Pickett: "Out of the 95 we executed only one that had a college degree. All the rest of them their education was 9th grade and under." (1)
Reply: Not even close. In a review of only 31 of the 95 cases, 5 had some college or post graduate classes and 16 were high school graduates or completed their GED. Partial review (Incomplete Count) , below.
Would Rev. Pickett tell us about the educational achievements of all the innocent murder victims and those that weren’t old enough for school?
Pickett: spoke of the Soldier of Fortune murder for hire case, stating the husband got death, while the hired murderer got 6 years. (1)
Reply: In this well known case. John Wayne Hearn, the hitman, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Sandra Black.
Pickett: speaks of how sincere hostage taker, murderer Ignacio Cuevas was. Rev. Pickett states that "between 11 and midnight (I) believe almost everything" the inmates say, because they are about to be executed. (1)
Reply: Bad judgement. Cuevas lied when on the gurney, stating that he was innocent. This goes to show how Rev. Pickett and many others are easily fooled by these murderers.
Pickett: I knew (executed inmate) Carlos (De Luna) didn’t do it. It was his big brown eyes, the way he talked, he was the same age as my son (transference). I felt so sympathetic towards him. I was so 100% certain that he couldn’t have committed this crime. (Carlos) was a super person to minister to. I knew Carlos was not guilty. Fred Allen a guard, said "by the way he talks and acts I don’t believe he is guilty, either. (1)
REPLY: Experienced prison personnel are fooled all the time by prisoners, just as parole boards are. This is simply Rev. Pickett’s and Fred Allen’s blind speculation. It means absolutely nothing.
Pickett: believes that, no way, could someone, so afraid of lightning and thunder, such as Carlos De Luna, use a knife (in a crime). (1)
Reply: Rev. Pickett talks about how important his background is in understanding people and behavior and he says something like this, destroying his own credibility on the issue. If the lightning and thunder event occurred, we already know what De Luna was capable of. In 1980, "De Luna was charged with attempted aggravated rape and driving a stolen vehicle, he pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 2 to 3 years. Paroled in May 1982, De Luna returned to Corpus Christi. Not long after, he attended a party for a former cellmate and was accused of attacking the cellmate’s 53-year-old mother. She told police that De Luna broke three of her ribs with one punch, removed her underwear, pulled down his pants, then suddenly left. He was never prosecuted for the attack, but authorities sent him back to prison on a parole violation. Released again in December of that year, he came back to Corpus Christi and got a job as a concrete worker. Almost immediately, he was arrested for public intoxication. During the arrest, De Luna allegedly laughed about the wounding of a police officer months earlier and said the officer should have been killed. Two weeks after that arrest, Lopez was murdered." (Chicago Tribune) Being a long time criminal, we can presume that there were numerous additional crimes committed by De Luna and which remained unsolved. Was De Luna capable of committing a robbery murder, even though he had big brown eyes and was scared of lightning? Of course. This goes to Pickett’s poor judgement or something else.
And there is this major problem.
In 1999, after Rev. Pickett had left his death row ministry, he was asked, "Do you think there have been some you have watched die who were strictly innocent?"
His reply: "I never felt that." (3)
PIckett: "In my opinion and in the opinion of the convicts, life in prison, with no hope of parole, is a much worse punishment (than the death penalty)." "Most of these people (death row inmates) fear life in prison more than they do the possibility of execution." (2)
REPLY: That may be Rev. Pickett’s opinion, but we know that isn’t the opinion of those facing a possible death sentence of those residing on death row. This gives more support to my suspicion that Rev. Pickett is putting words into the inmates’ mouths. His assertion is totally contradicted by the facts.
Facts: What percentage of capital murderers seek a plea bargain to a death sentence? Zero or close to it. They prefer long term imprisonment. What percentage of convicted capital murderers argue for execution in the penalty phase of their capital trial? Zero or close to it. They prefer long term imprisonment. What percentage of death row inmates waive their appeals and speed up the execution process? Nearly zero. They prefer long term imprisonment. This is not, even remotely, in dispute. How could Rev. Pickett not be aware of this? How long was he ministering to Texas’ death row? 13 years?
Pickett: stated that "doctors can’t (check the veins of inmates pending execution), it’s against the law." (1)
Reply: Ridiculous.
Pickett: Pavulon (a paralytic) has been banned by vets but we use it on people. (1)
REPLY: This is untrue and is a common anti death penalty deception. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA): "When used alone, these drugs (paralytics) all cause respiratory arrest before loss of consciousness, so the animal may perceive pain and distress after it is immobilized." Obviously, paralytics are never used alone in the human lethal injection process or animal euthanasia. The AVMA does not mention the specific paralytic – Pavulon – used in lethal injection for humans. These absurd claims, falsely attributed to veterinary literature, have been a bald faced lie by anti death penalty activists.
In Belgium and the Netherlands, their euthanasia protocol is as follows: A coma is first induced by intravenous administration of 20 mg/kg sodium thiopental (Nesdonal) (NOTE-the first drug in human lethal injection) in a small volume (10 ml physiological saline). Then a triple intravenous dose of a non-depolarizing neuromuscular muscle relaxant is given, such as 20 mg pancuronium bromide (Pavulon) (NOTE-the second drug, the paralytic, in human lethal injection) or 20 mg vecuronium bromide (Norcuron). The muscle relaxant should preferably be given intravenously, in order to ensure optimal availability. Only for pancuronium bromide (Pavulon) are there substantial indications that the agent may also be given intramuscularly in a dosage of 40 mg.
Just like execution/lethal injection in the US, although we give a third drug which speeds up death.
Pickett: said an inmate said "its burning" "its burning", during an execution. (1)
REPLY: This may have occurred for a variety of reasons and does not appear to be an issue. It is the third drug which is noted for a burning sensation, if one were conscious during its
injection. However, none of the inmates that Rev. Pickett handled were conscious after the first drug was administered. That would not be the case, here, as the burning complaints came at the very beginning of the injection process, which would involve a reaction where the burning would be quite minor. Has Rev. Pickett reviewed the pain and suffering of the real victims – the innocent murdered ones?
Pickett: "Most of the inmates would ask the question, "How can Texas kill people who kill people and tell people that killing people is wrong?" That came out of inmates’ mouths regularly and I think it’s a pretty good question to ask." (2)
REPLY: Most? Would that be more than 48 out of 95? I simply don’t believe it. 10 out of 95? Doubtful. I suspect it is no coincidence that "Why do we kill people to show that killing is wrong" has been a common anti death penalty slogan for a very long time. I suspect that Rev. Pickett has just picked it up, used it and placed it in inmate’s mouths. Furthermore, we don’t execute murderers to show that murder is wrong. Most folks know that murder is wrong even without a sanction. The murder is wrong and there are various sanctions for committing that wrong, including execution.
————
Incomplete count
this is a review of 31 out of the 95 death row inmates ministered by Rev. Pickett
21 of the 31 below had some college or post graduate classes (5)
or were high school graduates or completed their GED (16)
———–
1) Brooks 12
3) O’Bryan post graduate degree – dentist
41 james russel 10th
42 G Green sophomore college
45 David Clark 10th and GED
46 Edward Ellis 10th
47 Billy White 10th
48 Justin May 11th
49 Jesus Romero 11th and GED
50 Robert Black, Jr. a pilot (probably beyond 12th)
55. Carlos Santana 11th
57 Darryl Stewart 12th
58 Leonel Herrera 11th and GED
60) Markum Duff Smith Post graduate College
33) Carlos De Luna 9th
95 Ronald Keith Allridge 10th and GED
93 Noble Mays Junior in College
92 Samuel Hawkins 12th
91 Billy Conn Gardner 12th
90 Jeffery Dean Motley 9th
89 Willie Ray Williams 11th
86 Jesse Jacobs 12th
85 Raymond Carl Kinnamon 11th and GED
84 Herman Clark sophomore college
83 Warren Eugene Bridge 11th
82 Walter Key Williams 12th
72 Harold Barnard 12th
73 Freddie Webb 11th and GED
75 Larry Anderson 12th
77 Stephen Nethery 12th
79 Robert Drew 10th
Dudley Sharp, Justice Matters
e-mail , 713-622-5491,
Houston, Texas
Mr. Sharp has appeared on ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, C-SPAN, FOX, NBC, NPR, PBS , VOA and many other TV and radio networks, on such programs as Nightline, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, The O’Reilly Factor, etc., has been quoted in newspapers throughout the world and is a published author.
A former opponent of capital punishment, he has written and granted interviews about, testified on and debated the subject of the death penalty, extensively and internationally.
Pro death penalty sites
homicidesurvivors(dot)com/categories/Dudley%20Sharp%20-%20Justice%20Matters.aspx
www(dot)dpinfo.com
www(dot)cjlf.org/deathpenalty/DPinformation.htm
www(dot)clarkprosecutor.org/html/links/dplinks.htm
www(dot)coastda.com/archives.html
www(dot)lexingtonprosecutor.com/death_penalty_debate.htm
www(dot)prodeathpenalty.com
www(dot)yesdeathpenalty.com/deathpenalty_co
yesdeathpenalty.googlepages.com/home2 (Sweden)
www(dot)wesleylowe.com/cp.html
1) "Chaplain Discusses ‘Death House’ Ministry", Interview, Legal Affairs, FRESH AIR, NPR, May 19, 2007.
2) THE FAILURE INTERVIEW: REVEREND CARROLL PICKETT—AUTHOR OF "WITHIN THESE WALLS: MEMOIRS OF A DEATH HOUSE CHAPLAIN" Interview, by Kathleen A. Ervin
www(DOT)failuremag.com/arch_history_carroll_pickett_interview.html
3) "The Execution: Interview with Reverend Carroll Pickett", PBS, FRONTLINE, 1999
www(DOT)pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/execution/readings/pickett.html