| Return to Bettie Beets Homepage |
An open letter to be
published Thursday in the Houston Chronicle
In an open letter to be published Thursday in the Houston Chronicle, the 2 groups drew attention to the repeated sexual, physical and emotional abuse Beets endured throughout her life. Neither this history nor the abuse by her husband were presented at her trial. "The execution of Betty Lou Beets will only complete a cycle of appalling abuse and violence," the letter states.
In 1994, Bush stated, "Texas must act
to send the message to people who
feel like abusing their spouse is their
right, that we won't accept it in our society. It just reinforces
that criminal behavior is OK, that beating up your wife is OK, that violence
is an acceptable way of life."
Sheila Dauer, Director of AIUSA's Women's
Human Rights Program, said
"Governor Bush must ensure that Texas
does not commit the final act of
violence against this woman.
We ask the Governor to act on his stated
concern for the victims of domestic
violence and demonstrate his
compassion by commuting the sentence
of Betty Lou Beets."
"Texas failed to protect Betty Lou Beets
when she was being beaten by an abusive spouse," said Juley Fulcher, NCADV
Public Policy Director.
"It will be a terrible miscarriage
of justice if Texas executes this battered
woman without hearing her story."
The open letter was also signed by anti-domestic
violence groups in
12 states, including Texas.
Dear Governor Bush:
We are urgently concerned about the
imminent execution of Betty Lou
Beets, a 62-year-old great-grandmother
who was convicted of killing
her physically abusive husband.
Ms. Beets is scheduled for execution
on February 24, 2000.
We do not seek to excuse any crime or
belittle the suffering it has
caused. We extend our deepest sympathy
to the relatives and friends
of the victim of the crime for which
Ms. Beets was convicted.
However, the execution of Betty Lou
Beets will only complete a cycle
of appalling abuse and violence.
Ms. Beets, who is both hearing impaired
and learning disabled, was raised in extreme poverty by a violent and alcoholic
father and a mentally ill mother. The record of her life is a chronicle
of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Married at 15, Ms. Beets
had a succession of husbands who brutally beat and sexually abused her.
This abuse led to drug and alcohol
dependency, which became a way of
escaping the torment of a lifetime
of sexual violence and domestic abuse. However, neither this history
nor the extensive physical and sexual abuse Ms. Beets was suffering at
the hands of her husband were presented as mitigating circumstances in
her trial. Her original attorney has since admitted that he failed
to investigate her background and made no effort to present expert testimony
on her behalf.
Legislatures around the country have
recognized the role of domestic
and sexual violence as mitigating factors
in capital cases. Governors
in states such as Maryland, Ohio, Illinois,
California and Florida have
commuted the sentences of battered
women.
Betty Lou Beets would be the 4th woman
in the USA to be executed since
reinstatement of the death penalty
in 1976. She would be the 1st in
Texas to face execution without any
recognition in court of the battery
she faced all her life and at the hands
of her husband. Her tragic
lifef deserves a compassionate response.
The State of Texas has an
obligation to ensure that justice is
done in each and every case that
comes before it. The clemency
procedure offers you, Governor Bush, an
opportunity to prevent a fatal miscarriage
of justice.
We urge you to commute the sentence of Betty Lou Beets.
Sincerely,
Sheila Dauer, Director,
Women's Human Rights Program, Amnesty International USA
Juley Fulcher, Director
of Public Policy, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
| Return to Bettie Beets Homepage |
