beat. it was published in 2002 and was critically acclaimed into received widespread acclaim and attention from good morning texas to "the oprah winfrey show" and she's also written a memoir of growing up southern white man i met along the way is the subtitle of that one. [laughter] and her freelance articles appeared in numerous the numerous newspapers and journals in the u.s. and present you may have read her work in the dallas morning news and usa today where she appears in other publications. she is an honors department lecturer and william s. maurice lecturer and served as one of the original hosts for npr, affiliated radio show featuring best-selling authors.

joyce was appointed by governor perry to serve as the representative of the cancer prevention research institute of texas and she is honored to have been the first non- lawyer appointed to serve on the board of directors of the innocence project of texas. i will ask her not to come to the podium and take over for a while. thank you for being here. [applause] >> a good evening everyone i'm so glad to see so many of your faces i haven't seen in years. some of you are new to me altogether so i'm very glad to be meeting you for the first time tonight. i want to thank the doctor and the entire staff at the dallas institute for being so supportive of my work over the years whether it was in the form of books, manuscripts, screenplays, columns and

magazine pieces. doctor allen is always a friend i could call and i could get his opinion and he was always and is very supportive. thank you. the dallas institute is great because you are here. before we start i would like to dedicate tonight's book reading and discussion to my mother has alzheimer's. she can no longer remember her daughter's words and i want to dedicate this evening to my family that couldn't be here. my brother is our mothers primary caregiver. he is a tough gun toting horse riding cowboy. i have to tell you about my big brother. not many men would have left our life in houston to go to a little town in louisiana to take care of the woman that raised us that he's her 24/mexican caregiver and they desperately wanted to be here tonight so i dedicate this to them and my two

sons. but i do have someone here representing my family. doctor edie thank you for coming. we go way back. we grew up on the same street, so i know your secrets and you know mine. and he is a wonderful inspiration to me in a rock. he's like that other brother. so, thank you. i also have family sitting right here on the front row. and if they are family of man i would like to introduce you to, but before i bring them up, i want to give you some numbers. numbers are very important. let's look at dallas texas. i called it when i'm traveling to the dna exoneration capital of the world, not just the united states but the world. nationally the numbers i'm going to give you more than 315 people

have been exonerated by the evidence nationwide but it is texas that has had more than any other and of those 49 men, 24 have been exonerated by dna evidence in dallas. the single jurisdiction in the nation that has had more than any other place on earth. that's mind-boggling when you think about it. doubtless, how did we get here? and i hope to delve into some of that this evening. i would also like to address these cases what is the difference between a dna case and how many have there been. there've been more than 1400 across america are both dna and non- dna. of course they have no

biological evidence and they are much more difficult to prove so we may never know how many truly innocent people are locked up. but i hope the stories from the gentleman here tonight and stories like james will get people to want to learn more and do more because i consider myself an ordinary person constantly being thrust into extraordinary situations and that's how you answer those challenges that built your character so think about it the next time that you say no. now i want to bring up my family we invited about ten megs honorees and some of them couldn't be with us and sent their best wishes but when i call your name i would like you to come up to the stage and stand with me and i would like for you to stand with james because he was your brother.

let me tell you a little about them. i know most of them to have worked with them and thought with them and work with them, i've broken bread with them, gone to coffee, gone to dinner the night went for my went to a movie within megs honorees ones. i'm like why did you pick this, this is awful. [laughter] we went to see hairspray and i was like i don't get it. [laughter] i've been to football games with charles chapman, he's gone to my son's little league games. so these men are family to me and i am happy some of them were able to make it tonight. we know one man is not here. james ordered to woodward spent 27 years and four months in prison for a crime he didn't

commit and the insults to him but only as a murder he didn't commit a murder of a woman that he loves. 9,855 nights james walker was known as 223771. 323771. i'm going to ask his brothers to come forward. these are men that were wrongfully accused and convicted and were wrongfully incarcerated charles chapman, would you come up please. charles spent 26 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. when you leave exonerated you will find out that he was released only about three months before we got james out and so i got to know him quite a bit and spent quite a bit of time with

him. come on over. thomas, what do you come up, he spent 23 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. thomas and i can't he is a man of few words so i did all of the talking in the conversation. thank you. is johnny back here to ask [laughter] this is a man i've never met so like like ui needing him for the first time in some of the reasons i invited him here he spent 26 years in the texas prison, 27, thank you. don't want to forget the day. i wanted to invite johnny because james was constantly talking about him while he was

incarcerated. when we read the case file and discuss what was wrong and why you needed to get out and what people were doing about it but i missed the exonerations i'm glad you could be here tonight, thank you very much. i want to see if i get this right. billy smith spent 19 years, ten months and seven days in texas prison for a crime he did not commit. this man really knows me and so does his lovely wife sitting right here because they actually let me sleep in their house when i was a hot mess. [laughter] johny linsey of course knows me like no one else. he knows that with all the teachers james suffered, i was the one person that could soothe him through those. johnny lindsey would you please come up.

the 27 years. he says six. let me give you another year. i have no problem with that. i want you to look at the face of innocence and finally, christopher scott, chris spent 13 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit and chris is the founder and executive director of the house of renewed hope which is a nonprofit that works to serve other exonerated and i am so proud of him because not only is he the executive director of house of renewed hope, helping find other innocent men that he and some of the exonerated is that you see into the focus of the documentary soon to be aired and so you could say that you saw them and thank them first, but he was also the dallas morning news 2012 text and of the year

and i think that he is a model citizen on getting it right when you are released. everyone please give these men a round of applause. [applause] ..

ender redtape james two years to tell me that i bore a striking physical resemblance to beverly and jones, the murder victim and body build, characteristics, mannerisms and features. and i thought that was amazing. i'm glad he didn't tell me that immediately. what i've decided to read from essay section about the very first argument once we decided we're going to be exclusive. he convinced instead of give it a shot. he wanted to keep it a secret. he was afraid the exonerates would lose their respect as an innocence project board member. guys come i never thought that about you. but james was worried commissary to keep our relationship is

secret in the beginning. one of the first arguments we had was james telling me there's no secrets between us, i need to tell you that i smoke weed. are you trying to go back to present? and you do know that you are now in love with the square as woman in america. so i am arguing why he shouldn't do this end he is arguing that the only way he can make a transition to the free world is to smoke weed everyday because he dated in prison for 27 years. i'm telling him, you are lying now. there is no way you could open prison every day. he said no, let me tell you how. this discussion goes on all night. yelling, screaming, keys in my purse, going through the door. i'm not coming back, james. i don't smoke, drink, do drugs. i'm already creative enough.

services that section of shames convincingly why do we pass this day. but why do you smoke now that you are free? >> i am not free, james said. not as fun as demons from back there keep after me. what kind of demons asked? jesus warned me that the day might come when i was sorry i asked it even sorrier idea. wasted on the balcony for hours, sometimes resting on an old donated futon with lurch by pillows. that's another 747 flew over to land at nearby dfw airport, james nestor at the stars. under his in the mike crapo by a brilliant and nice guy, just put both his arms around me and held me tighter. i could no longer see his face. my cheek rested against his chest, a perfect fit between shoulder and underarm. our rapid from to guess each

other separated by thin layers of flesh. i was afraid to move because he hated talking about prison life. it changed his mood. he became someone else. he became inmate number 323771. i was on my way to work in the laundry room just the beginning a new story when all the sudden i heard this loud ringing. there is a guard station at the sign in. i was about to relieve whoever had been back there and most of the place is mostly deserted. the guard yelled what is that noise? what have you gotten a dryer? i told him i didn't have anything but what go check. the shames god closer than the noise grew louder. those of smaller residential something ot to positively compare tender shoes minus the close. the item that was in men for love occupancy a driver or was

it? i asked. when i looked inside at first i couldn't believe it. jesus was dropped an octave. then i heard the muffled screams. spinning around was a man. the reason he was hard to see what sparks of fire dancing all over him. his eyes were shut. he was being cooked and burned. james and prison officials would blame him for the man being inside the dryer, so he yelled out for the attending supervisor to rescue the man. finally the supervisor stopped to supervisor stopped the dryer and she supervisor stopped the dryer and she insulted me with the burning inmate who is now crying in pain. what did you do last works what could i do change that man. they carried to the infirmary. they hold master the wanderers made to stand all night to answer questions they did questions they didn't have answers for. i sit all night long. there is nothing to tell it otherwise i wouldn't have told it anyway.

things like adding texas prison were best left untold. i saw nothing come i said nothing. they finally let me go back to myself. a live man in a dryer, he was going round and round? don't put dead and enjoy yours, joyce. it is getting a pr keyer essay is closer to him. come on, my darling. james smiled. i will throw you a square. you look like you need one. no, james. i'm going home before the sun comes up. stay calm you still want to leave me? can you really understand why i smoke weed? i will never leave you, james. and they never did. from exonerated a brief endangers freedom, the weed. thank you for standing for james. i love it at your able to calm and share this with me. i know he would be proud of all

of you. these men did even with james. they were part of the contentions to pass the timothy cole cole compensation act, making texas the most generous elimination when it comes to compensating exonerated men. said they have worked and worked and advocated and i'm glad it was better for a couple of those moments have been traveling to boston, going to shake hands, kiss babies, telling stories over and over that they must have grown weary of telling, but each time they did, they told it with passion, with conviction and they convinced those lawmakers and governor perry who ultimately signed to tim cole compensation law into effect. so i'm very proud of you. gentlemen, which you return to your seats? thank you so much. [applause]

a lot of people have asked me, you know, how did an accomplished woman like choice can get together an old ex-con like james bulger? but to know him was truly, truly to love him. his sense of humor, the way that he made you laugh and innocently behaved like he didn't know what was funny. it was not funny? every sentence began with i, which made me wonder, can you stop saying say every time? i loved james because he was honest. he had a poodle on a sea about him if it hurt my feelings too bad. you need to know this. and then you take off his thick bifocals until may for five

hours what i needed to know that could have been sent for five minutes. so i love him for that at one of the reasons i stayed with him was because he asked me, would you save my life? how do you answer that? the other reason is very early in this book and some of you gentlemen know that this is a true story that i did not want to not want a refund from a battle to you quickly as he makes his way to the stage. i had only known genes about 10 days. i've gone to los angeles to pitch a screenplay. i was tired when i came back and he and he insisted on me as soon as you get to town. i was like why, what do you want? we got you out. he said no, just call me. i called, checked on them. i said something i wish i hadn't because it didn't come out right. i said you know i had a loved one murdered behind bars,

mr. wetter. i wouldn't dare call him james. i was still calling and mr. wetter. and he said really? he was none too eager to pursue this conversation. and then it hit me, i should've said that. he probably doesn't want to talk about that. and then he said what unit was that? i said alice, the death house. he said really? what year was that? is talking slower and slower and now i'm trying to change the subject until finally he says, was your brother away skin dude with freckles like you? guess. i saw that murder. he said yeah, i saw your brother get killed. and now i am thinking, was this man sent to me please saw david

every day that i couldn't? i was only 12 when he went away. he was gone for 20 years and 30 day shy of being released, it was put out on him and it was successful. i did get a loved one back in a box so a lot of exonerates do not know this story. neither did my fellow staff members at the innocence project because i didn't want people to feel sorry for me. anything i did for innocence legislation, reform, everything i try to do for exonerates was very personal to me. but for james porter to fall out of the sky and into my lap and professed his love in 10 days later told me he saw my loved one order made me look at him in a completely different way. i listened harder. i sat with him for hours and

hours trying to figure out, what do you want from me? and you guys know james. he told me. and that is one of the reasons i stayed with him. dr. allens, which you please come up with? while he is coming out, i want to share this crumpled piece of paper with you that someone just gave me. phone and television yesterday doing an interview for some reason this crumpled piece of paper fell out of the closet for room in his home. is that right, sir? okay, it was in a dresser toward that he pulled out then. if this was if this is not a massachusetts ocp here tonight, i don't know what is. jasper story brings local author to opera. he connected with him. i just saw her do an interview. it also connected with him that

he had met years earlier when i was with cbs and he said i very much angered you? disappointed you? i won't put words in your mouth. he thought that i had written a book that really went down on jasper ricin was very down on east access and that has never been the case. i will say when people see a book titled hate crime in a black woman on the back, they tend to ink they know what the book is going to be about. so he and i had a good conversation and he said i could rescue this. so thank you purpura innocent thank you so much for coming.

>> kiera made? okay. i want to note as we begin, a good friend of yours than mine, with whom you worked on the writer's video, wonderful program. thank you so much for coming to be with us. to begin with, could you maybe give us, i imagine most people are like me. they don't know much of anything about the innocence project of texas. could you say a little bit about that to give us some context? >> 's the innocence project of texas is nonprofit and they are not affiliated with the innocence project of new york, but they are part of a network of innocence project and are all

over the nation and a lot of them are affiliated with law schools survey work with law students and they usually have a chief counsel and is comprised of those who volunteers and attorneys and law students. and exonerates themselves are now working with the innocence project. in the case of the innocence project of texas, rick a column that the chief counsel saw and he called me on the phone and said i really want to get together with you. i thought why? i'm a writer. would he want from me? is that i know your thesis on justice, which is very interesting. justice can open the door to healing and it's in every book i've read, every, but just as they manage to get them in. so i met within the join the innocence project of texas was the first nonlawyer. i literally did not know what i was doing, but i got a quick education on numbers, statistics, the law, what needs to happen next and i became a

natural. i fell in love with that was doing it had a passion for it. >> and it's still going. >> they are still going, but not with me. i step down. >> rather projects like this and other state? >> there are projects in every state almost so if you are looking for a project, the innocence network.or has a complete list of projects they you can contact. you not only in america, they are also worldwide so you get a listing of who's real and who's not. >> that's impressive. it really is. >> there's a lot of work to do. i tell us about house bill 1736. imaginative if the cool compensation act. what was that? up until that time there is no compensation for time served behind bars? >> there was. 29 states and the district of columbia have compensation laws,

but that means just as many states do not have compensation laws. texas had a compensation law in place, but it needed to be revisited and so we did the artwork of revisiting that law and to quote himself with the benefit and who died in prison. his family allowed his name to be placed on hp, the hospital. from there was about getting people on board and it changes the model would be increasing the compensation of 50,000 a year to 80,000 a year for every year of conviction times do them into the net health care, to add tuition, to make it more beneficial selects honorees would not bring lawsuits that could drag on for years. so that is why the timothy cool compensation act became law. >> and he was accused of what?

>> timothy cole was a college student at texas tech university in lubbock in. he was convicted of being a, college student who served in the military, and on our poor young man. i'm sorry never got to know tim, but i did work with his family. his mother, the late mrs. ruby session was so generous with me and so generous and forgiving the accuser who apologized to the family, who knew this is the wrong guy that i accused. the team died before getting to see any of this happening, including his name on the bill, including have been found. he said all along and msn. i am not the texas tech. so that is who tim: is. >> the next time ago to lovick, we need to find out where it is a stop to look at what is recently placed there, the

statute. >> my goodness. i don't think you have any trouble noticing it. billy was they appear billy smith went and i understand the unveiling. i spoke with cory session a few days ago. governor perry was there as well as wendy davis, greg added. they show their support for innocence work in the community. i found it ironic that people in other parts of america joke about texas being a backward state. look at what they've done now. we are now the state you can brag that is a model for justice. we have the best compensation law because men like these have worked so hard i'm proud that texas gets to reverse itself and do some good so people can get us and say we need a compensation law like that. a column i wrote earlier this

year about a man named glenn ford and i say angry about this case, under louisiana's death row for 26 years. said mr. ford gets out of the compensation lot in louisiana's $25,000 a year and it cuts off the cap of $250,000. a column i wrote dave louisiana's and other people upset with me nifedipine change the law so he gets more than $25,000 a year. help them. there's still one third of people exonerated who got no compensation. they got no apology. they were just told you can go. >> now, and and exonerates the common exonerated person doesn't get the compensation. here she also has to be pardoned.

is that right? >> absolute correct in this state of texas. >> there is a story because the governor for some reason didn't cite his party. could you tell us about that? >> dab in chapter seven, which i don't know how dr. alan goodness, but that's my favorite chapter of the book because it did tell the story of james is hard and having been set on rick. death for weeks. before that he signed rather quickly. he had no problem with it. but james' pardon, he showed no interest in signing it. a friend of fine invited me to a private party and she said a friend of yours is going to be here. only 50 people. come on now. james will come with me. she said joe keller is going. so i didn't tell him. say where we going again? is said to a garden party.

he said a garden party? i said party? has said will be nice. you like everybody there. i did not dare tell the governor of texas to be at a private party. i wanted to put james invertebrate terry was a big trade for him. he's read all four books. free, i hope you read this one. we go of the door in dallas and the sweating profusely. i am like, what you get a grip? try to calm him down, fixing, shifting, adjusting. rick perry has his back to us. there's a lot of people. let's go get in line. rick perry turned around and james nearly passed out when he saw the governor of texas, pretty hair and all. james had actually heard that my friend rick and i were good

friends that he can save you about the governor. i said okay. when i saw it all came back. you could see it in his eyes. i said please do not let another seizure. do not let another seizure right now. governor, may i present to you the man exonerated by dna? james' hand one out in the side. he brushed his hand away and grabbed him. he asked him, he said mr. wetter, the state of texas doing everything for you that she should be? he said yes sir, absolutely. since you asked. video card on your desk. james is a type to the governor like that. i like james, shut up. governor, listening to me. i know his sister so she came over. she helped me. she's like are either adopted black republican?

[laughter] so i kind of care for the signal. she said come on, mr. wetter. let's get a drink. you need to enjoy some of need to let joyce and i need to enjoy some of the other top airball james is gone, i said why won't you sign a pardon for james and he basically listen to what i had to say. yes a couple questions about james. did i think james was better? what kind of man was james? next there was a monday. i get a phone call at home and as governor perry. he said what are you doing? i said nothing, what are you doing. if the middle of the day, are you running a state? he said well, i want to tell you what i'm doing. i said what are you doing? essay just signed a full pardon for james pittard. i said did you call and tell him? he said man, he would rather hear from you. so i had the honor of calling

jameson telling him the governor did in fact sign his part in. i said before you hang out, i want to tell you something i did not tell you. james is not only the 17,000 exonerated, he's also my fiancé. i didn't want that to cloud your judgment. why didn't you tell me at the party? unloving and hugging on this woman. after that, james believed in my deep and true friendship with perry who's been as he heard an introduction, convinced me to serve as representative in 2010 on the cancer of the cancer plangent research institute of texas, which was worker really loved the first time in the job in the helping cancer patients in the state. we awarded $216 million in grants and they were slumming to put me on the board because his oncologist, scientists, to tears

by researchers. as the guys, i am just a writer. as of the governor must what you hear for some reason. i love my state and i love scene make it better. we can do more than we are doing. >> james was pardon. >> yes, u.s. he was qualified for the compensation, which came not to play $5000 a year, the $80,000 a year times two for a total -- >> $4.2 million. >> and credible. the cash basis of justice, right, and it should be no list. and yet you high, fairly early in the book, been exonerated doesn't end in the court room. the gavel to conclude a hearing for an exonerated out to be called a warning shot.

>> yes. >> why? >> because these men have no idea when they first were set free what was waiting for them. the people were willing to do for a dollar, with even some greedy family members might view to you for the money. i'm not saying family members do not care, but i'm saying that kind of money at the different component and as i said in an interview recently, psychological issues, technological issues, getting acclimated to society. james used to call himself a social barbarian who needed civilizing. he would say i can play with the.because i have no filter. we were at a law school function in this woman kept grabbing his

arm and flirting i was giving james the signal. be cool. finally it came out, he said who did you say you were again? she again? she's at time of the dean of the law school. okay, as okay, as i sat you a the way you were rubbing on me. [laughter] i said okay. but he was honest. but that's an example. i give you many examples in the book of the first time a sad and down is ever going to learn how to shot. he said he can go without me. now, i will take you to wal-mart first. what kind of plan is that? i've been to walgreens. i said no wal-mart. he said i've been there. i said you're not listening. i'm going to take you to wal-mart. james saw wal-mart supercenter in this neighborhood and we'd only gone a few rows before he stopped and i looked behind me and he said what?

he said, get out of here? i can't do this. and he literally were shaking trying to light a cigarette outside the door. he said this freedom thing is not all it's cracked up to be. that is not walgreens. so just getting acclimated to everyday living, learning the internet, e-mail, cell phones are we connecting with people no longer know and then billy smith's case, tell him how much i'd wire him. he lost 10 family members who died when he was incarcerated. when you get up or you go? the family do you have? do they know what you are going through? that is why i love these guys. >> you learn many things reading this book and it's very moving. it's a love story. >> above all else.

>> above all else it is a love story. one of the most painful parts of reading this book for me is to see the phrases and sentences that you have throughout the book such as james changed that morning forever. another one, james was morphing into someone else and i could feel him looking away. and this was not james. so when the book you trees the metamorphosis of his that was not a pleasant thing for you to watch, but you watch to and you say the compensation was the biggest of his demons, all that money. >> it wasn't even so much for james. he enjoyed having the money and how it helped him. he did not enjoy the people attracted to him.

james was unable to say nowhere as i have no problem saying no and in fact i had a nickname the word. if you can get to her, you might be able to get to him. but that was impossible since we had a joint account and i appointed for every penny. he would laugh on sunday and out clip coupons and say you know we have enough money there. you don't want to do that anymore. i like living coupons. i like saving money and i'm going to save you a lot of money. there were people trying to figure out this great business idea. i've got this dope i want this value. while that would come to our front door knowing i've lived in there to bar the proverbial cup of sugar. i was like he don't need a freak show today. i'm sorry i can't put it any other way except to say i saw the demons of clothes.

and i saw what they did to him. >> you were christian. >> iem. >> you are person of deep faith, deep conviction. what role did that play in your relationship? >> at the very provocative question that i rarely get asked. i have to say without my faith in god and being able to talk to my mother when she met james did not have alzheimer's, she could counsel me and give me advise and i prayed a lot. james and i went to church all the time. we were speaking something spiritual that he had not found in prison. and so i looked within. a lot of self reflection in a virtual conversation. a lot of talking to god. a lot of asking is this what you want me to do? why am i so here?

many days i wanted to run away from james. i doubt seriously that people knew how sick james was. he suffered from seizures for 20 years in prison, which amazingly was managed by medication. he would get out and the seizures intensified because of the stress of the free world here at go figure. he also discovered upon his release he had type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, smoke two packs of cigarettes a day and thought at times that i was living with a walking time bomb. james had a very short fuse with some people. now with me because i don't play that. but i knew how to reach him, how to communicate and let them know everything is going to be all right. you're having one of i called the winston churchill but dogs do. when they would part, i would make sure we weren't home so you could have time to reflect, to

be a piece that no one misunderstood where the anger was coming from, the seizures could happen at any time. james could get out of a moving car several times on the interstate. under the influence of the seizure. so i had my hands full. i did. >> you know i admire your writing. you know i think you're a wonderful writer. you're right in in this book convinces me of your complete devotion to james, your complete love of him. some people, even now would say, you were crazy to stay with him. and i'm sure you probably got that some people. so why did you stay with james click >> a sense of humor. he knew how to make me laugh and despite her obvious background

differences and how we came out so differently, looking at james was like looking into a mirror, a twin, a soulmate, a person i needed as much as he needed me, but people didn't know that because no one asked me what i saw james. they asked james how did you get her? they never asked me. he made me laugh. he was wonderful to be around. we went everywhere together. we did everything together. i went all the way to london. we have been planning our honeymoon and her wedding day. we had bought engagement ring and james wanted to go to london because we argued constantly for hitler and churchill and i was going to show him london, but we neglect or to get his passport on time.

the last big fight we had a just god on a british airways jet. i knew he could not follow me without a passport and i were to want in one-person honeymoon or so i did try to get away from james, but he always had a way of pulling me back to him. i'm going to better. i'll get help. we'll get counseling or we'll go and talk to the minister. let's get married. those whose answers to everything. zero everything. our time now, we have to get all of this out. you have to stop doing this. i did physically leave him, but the whole time i was away from james i. was never away from james. he was calling me. he was crying, telling me everything that was wrong in my absence. he said of all the women he tried to replace me with, they just did not have it.

>> he never lost faith in the prospect even james could be happy together. >> no, i never did. >> that is where that is for your safety most of the players seems to me. i want to ask you and then turn to you on what questions you have. to be a painful part of the book was it's not all painful. does the fact you're away from james, as a matter of fact he didn't even know he died. the circumstances when he was back in jail, the dallas county jail were mysterious. you never got all the information. so you write terzian of the book, this is not the end of the story. and i got the time i want justice for james.

is there world the story click >> i think there is. you all may know these gentlemen that james died on october 15, 2012 and dallas county jail of the seizure on the floor. he had been rearrested after the eight car crash of his short freedom and they discovered a substance on hand and he was arrested for that. and for some other issues that have been going on. and when i try to locate james, no one would tell me where he was because we were living together. so i came back to my home and i could not find him. the car was gone. finally, one of his lawyers called me and said don't worry,

james is in dallas county jail. how does that sound? don't worry, james is in dallas county jail. he had iraq. this is getting better. he's not injured. he's going to be okay. i had a kind of a false hope. we are going to bond him out. at that time was living where i had become the oldest student on campus. i was living in apartment at smu going to school full-time, which tripped a lot of the kids out when i would come into the classroom. i use these to her? no, i'm with you guys. i really enjoyed that. i got the call the day james died as a lawyer who knew me you said don't turn on the tv. don't turn on the news. okay. james is dead. that's exactly how they told me. i let out a bloodcurdling scream

that drew several smu students to figure out the middle-aged woman in her class. what's wrong with her? she's hysterical. finally when they calm me down, i knew that it was anger because he didn't have to die that way. a lot of what happened in that jail is beginning to come to life. dallas county jail have been notorious for years with the federal oversight clamped on until 2011 and that made it mandatory for them to treat prisoners better, not let them be fixed, not let them die, go to their aid when they needed. and i did meet with an inmate who said he heard my name in dallas county from james and every guy in there said you don't know her. there is a column in the paper and james saw it while he was

locked up and he was showing it to guys seen this woman used to be my fiancée. they were like right. and we are the queen of sheba. but one guy believed him. so when he finally got out, months later he contacted me through my website and i called them and i said i know you don't want to meet with anymore and made so you probably don't want anything to do with this, but if you want to know some of james' last words. i said where are you? i drove to where he was. my only stipulation was that he let me record what he was saying. the footage told me some very disturbing things about what had gone on in the jail prior to james is having a seizure. my idea of getting justice for james was to file a wrongful death lawsuits, people answer questions, either be an investigation the proper legal way, but i got slapped down by people who said you are not as

legal spouse. if you know the law, there only to people who can bring a wrongful death lawsuit. to be either the spouse, children or parents of the person who is deceased. so i was never able to get my way and that's why i said in god's good time i believe there will be more about this to come out. i know something else went on. >> james is still with you very much. >> questions or comments? any questions? >> we have a microphone for you. >> i think if you live in dallas county and you read the paper, he would craig watkins had an

accident on the tollway and while he was distracted ran into another car. in the story just keeps going on and on and on. you are given as a whole different picture here. i am wondering to what extent the exoneration whether there is a pattern that existed prior to his first coming on and whether it's something he's picked up and brought to the city a lot of name in recognition. there's a lot to this man which we are missing by reading the "dallas morning news." >> i won't say anything about the paper that i write for. thank you for your question. the dna exoneration had begun in 2001 because of chapter 64 to effectively certifying for dna testing. that happened for mr. watkins took office. he returned the news on and see

barry shaq from the innocence project in new york. after mr. watkins became the first african-american d.a. in the history of texas, he can be credited for picking up the ball and running with it because the organization i worked with the innocence protection detective was able to partner with mr. watson i could not have happened without his stamp of approval and it definitely could not have happened, we could not have looked into the files without his office saying i'm not going to block it. the conviction integrity unit is approved for something that $400,000 by the dallas county commissioners gave mr. watson what he needed to establish one of the first conviction integrity unit in the country. and now as we speak, the u.s. attorney's office is about to launch its own conviction integrity unit. look at this model in dallas because now that the federal

level they look at what states are doing and i hope they definitely do what texas has done and what craig watkins has done. thank you. thank you for question. in the frontier, mr. lindsey. >> just to add to the question that was asked in your response, i want to let the public know that for seven years i filed a motion for dna testing. for seven years i was ignored. as a matter of fact, my attorney, michele moore came back and told me that probably all my emotions was in file 13, which we know is the trash until craig watkins came in. i think we can give him the credit from all of us be here

because the biggest probably would have tried to get some justice first falls on the d.a.'s desk. he could deny or grant. if you deny inmates, you have to fight to add to what you were saying that when craig watkins took office, i mean -- the nike ran with it. but will things change. i was on my last leg. seven notions and i have been reading six, seven years trying to get announced a dallas county and i never got one until it called the changing of the guards. >> absolutely correct. i would like to add to that that working with craig, keep in mind he came in office at 39 years

old, so i was one of the youngest d.a. is ever elected. i enjoyed my tenure with the project working with him, meeting him. keep in mind, even if we've brought a case, he could still rejected. he could still fight it. via the power to say i don't believe this guy is innocent. our kids to go back to square one. we start all over again. start talking and interviewing people appear to see what you can find out. tallulah back to him at the same case in with something more powerful. he then would say let's get them out. so we found a lot of henry wade's lieutenants were still in place. they vigorously sought the information of the way we were doing games. i learned a lot being a

nonlawyer and some of the lawyers that they don't the lawyers that they don't mess with her because she can do everything except stand up in court. so i enjoyed the learning experience. but i will always give credit to craig watson wherever i go say yes it started to bore him to get back to your question, but he really took off with it. >> was he with the d.a. before? >> he was a longtime for about three decades of a lot of people remember him from roof you read of course. i call him in the boat to prosecutor who was denied, so a lot of people do have a great amount of respect for henry late and i'm sure the legacy he left was due to him being a man of his time. a time change and any city equal justice more so when the state. i want to mention while we talk about testis, don't you believe

america is crying out for justice in some form or another all over whether it's ferguson, missouri. whether it's beheadings, you see americans crying for justice. they want justice in some way or another and that brings me to buy a long time that justice can open the door to healing. >> what was king's great wall? the arc of justice and the art of history is long, but it stories justice. speenine nobel peace prize winner from 50 years ago, october 1964. almost coming up on 50 years exactly when he made that announcement that the youngest man at the time, i believe 35 years old, to ever be awarded the nobel peace prize for his

belief in nonviolence and his belief that we could be a better nation without all the bloodshed. where has that philosophy in print the book on? we could use there right now. >> yes. in the back. microphone first. >> i hear pfl is talk statistics about america. we need this done and not done, but i never hear anybody say, how do you do it, come with any partial solutions. i just don't. you are always during a statistics, which we all know by heart now. but if somebody does try to do something, it seems like people people -- would usually? >> i agree and disagree. i would have to say their people proposing solutions that working towards aleutians.

the few bring back the innocence discussion on the causes for these wrongful exonerations would be 75% of the more than 300 cases ,-com,-com ma we are looking at a fact that witnesses misidentified people. was the light skinned or dark skinned? the way that you sought that issue is to address that issue. a lot of laws have been changed. so i must conversation, i would have to say yes. >> you are done great. i'm not talking about this, but generally when you put on the tv, you see people talking about 90% -- some% of blacks are unemployed. they come with all these drab statistics. or not doing enough to help the

poor. he toured the country, pamina guy named cornell west. i'm trying to figure out, how is that supposed to help somebody? you go on tour or on tour announced somebody how on tour or not somebody who is poor and put them on camera. >> to understand what you're getting. i will talk with the ones we brought up one on one because i can say i wrote to president obama in 2012. not a very angry letter. not like the guy who charge the white house. but i did write a letter that should concern the secret service and i'm sure it did because i sent my resume. if any 100 page screenplay to prove that i can write, mr. president and in that letter i told him of my deep concern that the middle class in this country is banishing and we are the glue between poverty and the very rich, the 1%.

without us, there is not a bridge they toss over into. i did not expect to get an answer, but mr. obama did write to me in 2012. i really appreciated him doing that. there's more than enough work for any one of us to start at the community grassroots level. i'm going to have to ask. we have one more question. we have time for one more? is -- >> miki wade with our miler. the whole track team in the 60s when on a moscow about six of them and became prosecuting attorneys during the 60s and 70s. so i stayed in touch with these people over the years. one of the things that bothered me when this whole exonerations and came out was since i was

cocaptain with bill hill on the track team and they knew him well in a lot of circumstances. integrity i think was pretty much obviously missing in bill. why attack to about things that the court when i would go visit, he did make users were trying to prosecute cases when he didn't have valid evidence. it was part of the system, you know, to prosecute people so they could get victories. it was all about winning rather than justice. so a question about head and talk about it. so many exonerations thinking that, i guess that occurred to me that what other of me as i've never seen anything in which we go after this is done or after people like bill hill who were

responsible for doing things like these injustices. i was thinking, why has that not been dealt with in the media? i mean, i spent one night in jail as a mistake. it wasn't like years or anything. so i have a tiny little feeling of what you get treated like for your one night in jail. but to be treated that way for years and then nothing ever goes back to the person responsible for putting you there. i've never understood that. i've never seen anyone talk about the prosecutors and the lack of evidence and how they could get away with it. i just hear about reparations and the attempted just as in so forth. >> you say why not? prosecutorial misconduct is one of the reasons for these wrongful exonerations besides

there've been problems with identifying witnesses. misidentification is number one. right behind it is prosecutorial misconduct, not sharing evidence. in james' case, one week before the trial, investigators learned a murder victim had gotten into a car with 39. james witter was not one of the three men, but the prosecutors in the trial had the evidence from a very inexperienced court-appointed attorney who did not have it to share with the jury or the judge and james was locked up, face no critical evidence to the crime whatsoever. prosecutorial misconduct needs to be looked at for all of the damage it has done. no one has seen a prosecutor, and apologize to the men of a lot of them are still living who prosecuted these cases.

i would like to say michael mortons case, we did get a slap as a judge in that case and the michael moores law in texas was established. i've not met mr. morton, but i have written about him. we are starting to see a little bit more progress in that area. i remembered though hill's tenure as that's what you want to call it. it was very troubled. thank you to power and privilege has a lot to do with it. these people protect each other. [inaudible] >> reconciliation. [inaudible] >> you have immunity from crime. either your mac

[inaudible] >> we are going to transition here. i am going to invite people to purchase your book away are going to go over here and sit in silence and talk about your book. i am going to end with the final question. it won't take too long to answer it. ..