"After 10 years of seeing Texas law legally kill my fellow prisoners, I know that even an innocent man can be killed.  I'm praying not to be listed among the 'OOPS WE MADE A MISTAKE' victims... "   - James Clayton, 1999

    Executed in Texas - May 25, 2000
  James Clayton
``There is no anger in my heart about this entire situation,'' he said, saying he was dying
``with peace in my heart and forgiveness.''  - from the news report of the execution
                 Texas Kills James Clayton - News Reports
 Supporters have created a petition for James Clayton, who is scheduled to be executed by the State of Texas May 25. 
    You can sign the petition here :      http://www.petitiononline.com/jc921/petition.html
     Click here to read original trial notes taken by James during his 1988 trial
                  Click here to see Institute of Forensic Sciences Report
                                 Click here to see FBI Lab Report
                         Click here to read Brief on Behalf of Applicant

  It was a tragic ending to an otherwise glorious beginning of a wonderfully bright future for Louise Michelle Barrett.   To have had her life taken away was truly a tragedy indeed, but the tragedy is compounded, mulitplied and made worse by the Abilene Police Department's inept and shoddy investigative tacticts, the one time District Attorney's pandering to the public for the votes to put him as a judge, the theory that "We've no one better at hand so lets go with him" and ultimately the conviction and call for the life of a man who couldn't have done this crime yet and the courts all seem to overlook this simple fact.

Not only is there no evidence, but what little there is, is very questionable since no one can agree on not only that, but a basic part of any conviction ;
the cause of death.

If no one can say how the victim who was killed, why isolate the cause of death as alleged in the indictiment as "death by firearm" ?  Not only is this circumstantial but even judges can't say what the charge is, whether its kidnapping / murder , robbery / murder or burglary / murder, they just gloss over all that with "he was found guilty of capital murder," but what is the charge ?  Surely they don't expect a man's life to be given up because they think he did something, only they aren't sure.
First time in prison, never arrested before now.
                                                
              JAMES CLAYTON'S PEN-PAL REQUEST: 


I've been on Texas Death Row for 10+ years.  Amazing I know but I'm still here fighting.   The latest fight has me wondering how a lower court can deny help the Supreme Court says I'm entitled to.  Its easy to see the why of it all, but I haven't the luxury of sitting about, deep in thought.  The situation is this : My state habeaus was denied so we filed a Certificate of Appeals with the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and they also turned down the appeal.  The reason we appealed is because I've never been allowed investigative or forensic help and this is crucial in a habeaus and some judge just chooses not to give me what the Supreme Court has declared defendants are allowed.  On top of that, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals turned it down just because Texas is known to never allow such help and saw no need to reverse the ruling on the initial habeaus.  I am looking for and requesting whether I can solicit help from those in the field of investigation and forensics ?  All up and down the appeals process there's been nothing but stalling and plain old glossing over.  There has to be an investigator found to look into how the police just didn't look into the case as they should have, plain and simple.   I don't know what more to tell you that the facts don't already say. My lawyer will confirm that this case is worse than a fabrication its right along the area of injustice and help is needed, but as is the case with many of us, we've no money for a competent fight against any death penalty case.  After 10 years of seeing Texas law legally kill my fellow prisoners, I know that even an innocent man can be killed.  I'm praying not to be listed among the "OOPS WE MADE A MISTAKE" victims so I'm asking your help for me and my severely overworked attorney, who you are very much invited to call and speak to.  I do pray something can be done.    Thank you for your time.
                                                    Peace! Sincerely

                              
                     James E. Clayton  #000921
                              Terrell Unit D.R
                            12002 FM  350 South
                            Livingston Texas
                                77351    USA
 
 
                 Texas Kills James Clayton - News Reports
 Supporters have created a petition for James Clayton, who is scheduled to be executed by the State of Texas May 25. 
    You can sign the petition here :      http://www.petitiononline.com/jc921/petition.html
     Click here to read original trial notes taken by James during his 1988 trial
                  Click here to see Institute of Forensic Sciences Report
                                 Click here to see FBI Lab Report
                         Click here to read Brief on Behalf of Applicant

                  The CCADP offers free webpages to over 500 Death Row Prisoners
                                                Contact us for more information.
                                                   info@ccadp.org
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This page was last updated May 21, 2001       Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty
info@ccadp.org          This page is maintained and updated by Dave Parkinson and Tracy Lamourie