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A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas

By Jeralyn, Section Juvenile Offenders
Posted on Fri Jan 07, 2005 at 11:07:49 PM EST
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This was left in the comments today to our latest post on the juvenile death penalty:

how wonderful it was to see my son today. we laughed and talked for a couple of hours. we enjoyed a drink and some junk-food out of the vending machines. we took a couple of photos with a instant camera, photos that i will cherish for ever. we gazed into each others eyes and enjoyed each others company. the time passed so fast, as if it were only minutes.

time's up said the guard, so i gathered my trash and photos. we say our good bye's and i love you's. i walk away, leaving the youngest boy on texas death row waiting for the guards to take him back to his cell.

this is what we do, once a week, until the state of texas kills him or until our standards of decency evolve.

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    A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas | 8 comments (8 topical)
    Re: A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 08, 2005 at 07:41:18 AM EST
    It's every parents nightmare. Though mine revolve more around vehicular manslaughter (I have two boys) and rape (and a daughter). I wonder what her kid did? -C

    Re: A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 08, 2005 at 08:06:10 AM EST
    Assuming this is right Acuna on death row in Texas: Acuna, Robert Aaron: Latin male; age 17 at crime and now 18; robberies and murders of adult white (?) male age 75 and white (?) female age 74 in Baytown (Harris County) on 11-11-2003; sentenced on 8-11-2004 Here's a longer description.

    Re: A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas (none / 0) (#3)
    by wishful on Sat Jan 08, 2005 at 04:06:35 PM EST
    "...until the State of Texas kills him..." My heart aches for any mother who says this, when it is an objectively true statement. How are we who judge him (and kill him) any better than he who murders?

    Re: A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 08, 2005 at 05:42:57 PM EST
    Very sad. When I think of the sh** I did when I was 17 well into early 20's it scares me. Hell I don't think my brain stopped developing until mid 20's. You're just not a mature person at that age capable of reflecting back on your thoughts and the full consequneces of your actions.

    Re: A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas (none / 0) (#5)
    by jimcee on Sat Jan 08, 2005 at 08:06:53 PM EST
    [Ed. insults to mother and son deleted. Commenter is warned that I will ban people who I believe lower the level of discourse on this site. This came too close. If you disagree with the politics of TalkLeft, either express it intelligently and without debasing others, or take it elsewhere.] Remainder of comment: Whether you are passing through or live in a state or nation you are subject to their laws including the US's. There is a lot to be said for personal responsibility but sadly that is slowly vanishing in today's world. The sad thing is that this guy gets more attention than his victim will ever get. But somehow the prepatrator is the victim in some peoples eyes. And people wonder why the average guy is cynical....

    Re: A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Jan 08, 2005 at 09:57:51 PM EST
    Jimcee, It is not possible to have empathy for both the perpetrator and the victim? Why is having concern for a juvenile seen as disrepecting his victims? And yes personal responsibiliy is an admirable quality but one doesn't pick up the idea over night. Age helps one understand such concepts. B

    Re: A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Jan 09, 2005 at 08:37:03 AM EST
    And yes personal responsibiliy is an admirable quality but one doesn't pick up the idea over night. Age helps one understand such concepts. i think youthful stupidity is one thing - but murder is not just youthful stupidity. murder is the taking of lives. and while i don't support the death penalty, i also don't support the idea that this kid (a convicted murderer) was just... Very sad. When I think of the sh** I did when I was 17 well into early 20's it scares me. Hell I don't think my brain stopped developing until mid 20's. You're just not a mature person at that age capable of reflecting back on your thoughts and the full consequneces of your actions. i mean, when i was 17 i did some drugs, ran away, drove with no license, etc. i never murdered anyone, and i never performed armed robbery. so framing it in those terms is a disservice to the victims - apparently two people in thier 70's, enjoying the golden years who were robbed and then murdered. stolen from their families. nothing 'decent' about his crime. saying, 'oh he was so young and stupid, his brain wasn't fully developed yet' is attempting to excuse the behavior of this man. maybe he was incredibly stupid, and he made the choices he did out of stupidity. but not your garden variety teenage mischief. so while, as a parent, i feel deep sympathy for his mother... and, as someone who is against the death penalty, i do not want to see him put to death... i feel that it's disrespectful to the already dead to compare this mans committal of murder at age 17 to the 'crazy sh*t we did when we were kids'.

    Re: A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 17, 2005 at 08:14:35 AM EST
    It is inhumane to cage a human being up for years.

    A Mother Visits Her Son on Death Row in Texas | 8 comments (8 topical)