Today, I drove to sales conference in Connecticut, and delivered 100 little green gift bags, for the reps, stuffed with homemade CDs, thank you cards, and LIQUOR. That’s right people, bribing your sales reps never hurts. They like Bailey’s. Here I am standing beside the blow-up of my cover, looking like I’m about to burst from pure happiness:
And in case you’re wondering, yes, that’s David Archuletta by my knee. He gets the floor, I get the table. That’s just how I roll.
Please, buy my books! From one of these fine retailers:
WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T CHANGE THE WORLD? This was Julie and Robin’s battle cry. In their memory, I ask you to please consider making a contribution toward change in one of the following ways:
Please, become that annoying friend or co-worker who questions people on their conceptions of the media. Remind people that headlines = dollar signs, and the truth isn’t always easily accessible. Teach your kids how to be savvy media consumers!
**Disclaimer: Please note that the information listed on this page is my simplified version of the complex legal developments in these cases. I’m not a lawyer, and my interpretations may not always be 100% legally exact, but this is what’s happening with these four guys to the best of my understanding:
In 1992, Gray was convicted of multiple felonies, including two counts of first degree murder, two counts of rape and felonious restraint. He was sentenced to death. The last of his appeals was exhausted in 2002.
Marlin Gray was excecuted at the Eastern Reception Diagnostic & Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri on October 26, 2005.
In 1993, Clemons was convicted of multiple felonies, including two counts of first degree murder, two counts of rape and felonious restraint. He was also sentenced to death. This summer, Clemons’s lawyers filed a petition claiming they had “new evidence” of police brutality against their client, and in response, the Missouri Supreme Court appointed a Special Master to review the case. Public support for Clemons has swelled in recent years, with the involvement of ill-informed celebrity idiots activists like Danny Glover. Misinformation about Clemons’s culpability is rife online and in the media. I trust that the special master will remain outside the reach of the ludicrous fabrications, and make his findings based on the facts of the case. In the meantime, Clemons remains on Missouri’s Death Row at Potosi State Penitentiary, where he belongs.
Richardson was convicted in 1993 on one count of first degree murder (for Julie) and one count of second degree murder (for Robin). This is a point that I’ve always found to be particularly disgusting. As I understand it, the second degree conviction for Robin had something to do with the fact that we never found her, so there wasn’t the same degree of “evidence.” Infuriating. Richardson was also convicted on the rape and felonious restraint charges. Because he was 16 at the time of his crimes, the jury came back hung on his sentence. The judge then sentenced him to death. In October of 2003, there was a federal mandate passed which stated that, in capital cases, only a jury (and not a judge) could pass down a sentence of death. Missouri voted to make this law retroactive and, as a result, Richardson’s death penalty verdict was commuted. He remains at Potosi State Penitentiary where I hope he will stays until the day he dies.
Thanks to his agreement to plea bargain with Nels Moss back in 1992, Winfrey’s murder convictions were second degree, and consequently he received a sentence of 30 years instead of the death penalty. Several years ago, shortly after my book came out, my family was astounded to learn that Winfrey chose to waive his parole hearing. Within a couple of months, my brother received a private and personal letter from Daniel Winfrey, apologizing. He said he would no longer seek parole, because (and I’m paraphrasing here) his prison was his mind, but at least while he remained incarcerated, he could serve justice for my family. We did not actively seek his continued incarceration, and in the summer of 2007, Winfrey was paroled. By the time of his release, he had served 15 years, half of his life. Personally, I believe he is sorry for what he did.