The Innocent Children of Death Row Inmates

Paige Lynn Wood holds a sign for the crowd to read, "If You Kill My Dad, Jeff Wood, Your Killing Me." Her dad Jeff Wood is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on August 2008. Paige was only about 3 years old when her dad was convicted for murder under the "Law of Parties" Statue in Texas for the murder of a store attendant. She is now 14.

Her plea for help can be read on a website constructed by Wood's family, "Jeffrey Wood has only one child and that is me. I have been without my father for many years, and I have suffered greatly because of this. I need my father. I need to be able to hug him, and to sit in his lap, and just talk when I need somebody. I have been deprived because of somebody else's crime. Should I continue to be punished? I have has a lot to deal with over these years. I have struggled in school, I have been alone, and I have done it all without my lifeline..my father. Please do not kill him, he did not kill anyone. He is a kind gentle man, and I need him. If you kill him, you are killing me."

Wood was convicted and sentenced to die under the "Law of Parties Statue" in Texas, where you are held responsible for someone else's actions of murder, despite the fact you never touched the gun, never pulled the trigger, or never knew the intentions of your codefendant. Wood's codefendant, Daniel Earl Reneau was executed on June 13, 2003.

Last year, Nydesha Foster, then 11 years old, daughter of former death row inmate Kenneth Foster also pleaded for the life of her father who was scheduled to be executed in Texas on August 30, 2007, and also under the same "Law of Parties" statue in Texas. Foster was convicted of murder and sentence to die by lethal injection for a murder that took place while he was seated in the car, quite a distance from the crime. Foster's family and supporters generated thousands of calls to the Governor and Texas Parole and Pardons resulting in a commutation of sentence for Foster. Foster is now serving time in a Texas prison. Wood's case has many similarities to that of Foster's. You can listen to Nydesha's pleas to save her father from execution here.

Another Texas inmate, Richard Michael Cartwright also known as to his friends as "Chi-Town" was executed on May 19, 2005 by the state of Texas. Again another child was involved. Ricki Marie Cartwright lost her daddy that day. On Richard's memorial page he stated "I will be dead of this world in less than 2 days. I will leave behind my 8 year old daughter, a baby I only held one time and that was for only 5 minutes in court as I waited to be sentenced.". His memorial site can be read here

There are many other children who have lost a parent to an execution, and many more children who are living with a parent who is on death row, or one who has an execution date. Please listen to the words of these children, who are also victims of the death penalty.

Sources:

Free Jeff Wood Website
http://www.freewebs.com/savejeffwood/index.htm

Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFr_A__Xfoo

Richard Cartwright memorial Site
http://www.myspace.com/chitown999224