tv Documentary RT November 9, 2020 10:30am-11:01am EST
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all the time there. is no day that goes by i don't think about or. i wish i had a magical time machine that i can go back in time. entire put her in my closet. that none of this would happen that she wanted to end it. over there when she got framed for she did it. i was a kid i had a pretty decent life. to nothing. to lower than nothing you were 17 at the time you're just what half the stock. dropped out. my family turned their back on me. i lived in a tent in the middle of winter time just to survive. people e-mailing me and said my family should be and still. they say that it was my
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fault. that i shouldn't be here i should be dead. i hated america. has still do. no love my country but i hate the people. you sometimes your. the phone call that would tell you that your mom might be executed yes. but if so that i want to be there. i want her to be my face not the people around her that want her dead person that wants her there. one less. in a few of my dad which me for the rest well i for willing to take that risk. her mother's
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execution seems inevitable. unless she can finally have a new trial. in the united states very few women on death row managed to prove their innocence. until the last minute but they are almost never able to overturn a decision. since 976 only 6 women have been released. we met one of them and nashville tennessee. convicted for plotting the murder of her husband who beat her she was released in 2015 and died in 2019 she lived in a home for battered women. it was the only place that would accept this old woman who was poor and seriously ill. after breast cancer
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contracted in prison and several pneumonia. to me and lived with. what they say yesterday. no cancer in the. longer they had a miscarriage or. i'd like to go you know do some traveling you know everything. right now well the thing is about saving money but you know what you know. in this place. if it wasn't for this place i'd be living under a bridge. while you have had a lot of here you got your 1st cell phone yes but 1st. we got to be a part of the 1st text and found calls that live by. now your yes. pete. myself here. michelle byron receives
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a retirement pension of $600.00 a month and less than a year she'll be forced to leave the home and will be on her own she will have to start all over again with no compensation from the state. all this can be wrong you know i think i don't even get the money that you get when you leave prison. i mean you can get ahead. and you are i didn't think you were in them you know. so now you're on your own and so are mile. i've come through too many obstacles. to let it get me down. michelle byron went through is inconceivable. after 14 years on death row she was suddenly released
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just a few hours before being executed. the woman convicted of killing her husband was not executed today the state supreme court wants more time to review the case. michelle byron learned about her release in a surprising way. and the little girl on this for was next door to me she said you're not going to be executed you're free. and you know i've heard that so many times now she says it's on the news. and on the news and i said. 16 to be executed in 8 hours her sentence was overturned. michelle byron always claims you're innocent was. your own son also charged always insisted that he murdered his father. for 14
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years he wrote her letters where he clearly admitted to the murder. i'm going to tell you. and it wasn't for the money it was for the. letters that were never taken into account by the court this evidence should have cleared michelle byron's name and allow her to receive a large financial compensation. everybody was going to go for a new trial go see a new trial but then i found out that. at the last minute there wasn't going to be a trial. and that's why i couldn't understand why all of us. everybody turned against. to and what they do want to do that they said take the plea plate take the no contest take no contest and then a month later i figured out why they wanted me to take no count this because i had
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cancer i found out a month after i was finally released that i had 3rd stage breast cancer. and said that i have had it for years at the stage it was c.n.n. and they had taken a mammogram and prison so they knew i had it. what does it mean. for you to be no contest is to save their face so they don't get sick. and they don't have to pay anything. the state should have paid for initial buyers medical expenses but by signing the no contest agreement she gave up her rights. to free in the eyes of the law she was not pardoned she remains guilty consequently she was not able to sue the state or obtain any compensation for her damages they took my life. taking my life to
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this day still. being taken away from me my pleasure has been taken away from me. my hopes have been taken away from me. i mean so much even a. wasted life and a deep sense of injustice. this is also what a judge at the mississippi supreme court thought. oliver diaz was one of the 7 judges who reexamined. proceedings. he believed from the start that her guilt was unfounded and that she needed to be released in the machine case while i was on the court in 2003 the majority of the judges voted to keep her conviction in place to keep her on death row even though i had written an opinion
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urging the rest of my fellow judges to overturn that conviction because i thought there were problems and i thought it should be overturned she remained in prison and stayed there for i think another 11 years or so after i wrote my opinion oliver diaz now retired has never forgotten michel case which remains his greatest regret . since. he's made a point of speaking in the media about the unfairness of the death penalty. a 2 tier system where the poorest in advance. rich people generally don't go to death row poor people do. i mean if you've got the resources if you're wealthy if you're rich if you've got your own private attorneys and you can hire investigators and you have witnesses you're not going to go to death row support people that can't fight back they don't have the right. sources if you don't have those resources the
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chances of you being convicted are go up dramatically at that point. they are tactics that can be used to get innocent people to confess to crimes they didn't commit i don't even think people in the us really get that the police are allowed to lie to the person who falsely from the past actually came to believe the lie that they were told about their own behavior once a false confession
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a stake in the case is closed and nobody really can tell the difference between a good confession and one that is. you know those will suit will push sleeves. but. do w. clubbable was if you are sure. i can avoid it that doesn't actually matter vegetable would have been murdered by. you got to go with us because all of these to do just about because those stories could be game we will see in the movie it is with the we've seen the most news but it's the most severe some of it is in your speech coming off the news the. 20th century was thing in or of revolution the great depression and world war the 21st century of mental illness. those aren't my words that's what surfaced some psychiatry to tell us the only question is should we accept it as
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though you are completely guilty from that point on the state will. not going to stop until it's over i've seen cases where prosecutors say. there's newly discovered d.n.a. in the case which will tell you who should have been convicted and prosecutors will fight that they don't want this d.n.a. tested because they already have a conviction in place. in that conviction technically today for the state of mississippi. technically she is guilty. but. in exchange. she needs to serve. means that she can't sue. me which. i think it's about $100000.00 a year for each year that you serve. something around there.
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somewhere over a $1000000.00 probably over 10 years on death row. more than a $1000000.00 not counting medical expenses but how can you defend yourself when you're poor and about to be executed. virtually all women on death row. and. another case. accused of killing her 2 year old daughter. it was 40 when she was convinced that in 2008 the media barely covered the story the case of a poor drug addicted hispanic woman mother of 13 children generated no interests.
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her sister and her daughter in law refused to believe that melissa would have hurt mariah. to go through that it was an accident caused by a. we went to see the body before they brought her out i mean we had that in our head what happened was. they said she had trauma she had trauma to the head. and she had a broken arm. but that could have been from the. only one i have. a buddy year and a half old. i don't believe it was melissa the did it. i don't. they were i mean there was a house full of children i mean small kids i mean i don't know i honestly don't
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believe it was her. i don't mean bone in her body i mean she never disciplined these kids so i remember her yelling you know but i mean the kids. in the home. i've never known the senators and i wish you would if. you could all these. they've been through a lot richard trying to hate him so. he tried to hang himself. using this because of what they want to do with. one of them. and imagine going from foster care to foster care. and. somebody knows. you need your mom. mr was a good mother. following the arrest of middle east solution the
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family was broken apart and the children were placed in homes all over texas. they have never seen their mother again. i don't know why my sister sitting on death row i do you know to society having 13 children. there just doesn't make any sense that i'll. have anybody that sat through that trial knows that my sister's trial was a circus it was just awful. she stood no chance. she stood no chance we tried to be going everywhere pro bono everybody $150.00 just started 100008 star or do we come up with that money we can sell everything and we still don't have that money do you feel that her attorneys for the trial nope not at all . not at all. believes that the lawyers assigned to the case botched the trial. they never
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interrogated her family or any of her children. this is. this is where she lives. nor did they investigate an accident that mariah suffered 2 days before the tragedy. we. fall down the stairs which could have been the cause of her head trauma so from here they were moving and in between that time that accident happened so to me how i mean my sister's moving stuff and whatever she had where would she have time to abuse. the younger boys are the ones that stated that mariah fell i don't even think. soft. it was just coming from the smaller children m.r. i have fallen down the stairs. 13 stairs. i mean a baby i mean she had she had no. role or protect herself
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and she could have been hitting her head as she was falling down and then hit her last. course they say she had to come to a concussion to the head. right there. which was witnessed by a. son's was never taken into account by the court even though they had told this to the police when their mother was arrested. despite the evidence that was never taken into account. state appeals have all failed. her last job is to appeal to the u.s. supreme court. she's on gainesville death row with slim chance of escaping execution. this is the 1st time she's been interviewed about this crime she has always maintained her innocence.
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and they're saying before. we welcome so tell me how long have you been. on death row i've been here. going on 9 years. on august 12th will be 9 years. did you ever think that something like this would happen. you know. huge you feel that you stupid when the struggle to try to no no no no. because they. i think the jury when the jury walked in and they saw. they saw these pictures of my daughter. i'm sure they
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they agreed with what the district attorney was you know trying to convince them that i was guilty so i think they came they came in already thinking that they were going there accused me and by me guilty of. you know. murdering my daughter. and how many of your appeals have been and i will. i have one appeal live so that means my last appeal will go into the u.s. supreme court so that will be my last resort and if i get the night there then i get an execution date. i use here. i wouldn't say i'm scared. i just feel for my children. now. not being able
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to. say goodbye to them in this that's. what's your biggest regret. not being the mother that i should have been to my children. being. a drug get it. put in my drugs before battle group. i think that's my biggest regret. you know everybody. you know they they hear about that bro when they won a you know put a tag on a scent and that were the worst of the worst and we're not you know some of us deadly lead apu lives out there but we're not the
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person that they're accusing us of being any if there is if there are some women on that road that are guilty of the charge. you know. something was going on with the muck and the world that led them to do what they did but. nobody can nobody should inject anybody because everybody sins every day nobody's perfect we all make mistakes it's a statement that could be her last words thank you thank you so what. is the next woman on the list of those to be executed in texas. when the. public all right thank you only the supreme court can save her now. in arlington and south texas her family is also preparing for the worst.
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when they meet they remember happy times as if to ward off the misfortune times when melissa lucio danced to her brother's music. 6 that. that was one of melissa's favorite that was the one time voice is something you can count on paper yeah sure. growing up which was kind of like my savior more than my mom the older. little monster which is not sure where she ever flows mosharraf role she heard her say she was a liberal but. it wasn't enough. to be a murder and this is. i'm just scared.
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it's. true. actually think about it because i can see how can i really have to go can i. have a life. i have a love it or is it isn't it i don't know. i'm scared this instead of you know. how kids know we don't see why i don't want to be counted because i'm scared to eat i'm. going to see you you're still sealed you're not open. process she was no good girl is that. there's no hope. and settle down so. if she was a few good men here she chose you go. to. go.
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by claims victory but what about those who get into trouble when they say now not my president is your facing another wave of terrorism is me a liberal ideology showing signs of exhaustion. is your media a reflection of reality. in the world transformed. what will make you feel safe. high salacious for community. are you going the right way or are you being led. direct. what is truth what is faith.
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in a world corrupted you need to descend. to join us in the depths. for a mate in the shallowest. seemed wrong why don't we all just don't all. get to shape out these days to come out ahead and engagement because the trail. when so many find themselves worlds apart we choose to look for common ground. the or tactics that can be used to get innocent people to confess to crimes they didn't commit i don't even think people in the us really get that the police are
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allowed to lie to the person who falsely confessed actually came to believe the lie that they were told about their own behavior once a false confession a stake in the case is closed and nobody really can tell the difference between a good confession and then one that is a. you know personal soup wolf there's. your. truth to the lovable was. sure. i care for it it doesn't actually matter the age to put a gun by. you to go with us because all of these to do just about because those stories could be game we will see in the in the it is with it would seem to most of us but it's the most insidious some of put it in your sleeves come on and use the of. the 20th century was thing in order of revolution the great depression and world war the 21st is the century of mental illness. those aren't my words
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that's what surfaced some psychiatry to tell us the only question is should we accept it as a fact. supporters of president trump take to the streets across the country refusing to accept the results of the election and there's a role reversal with team trump accusing the democrats of stealing the 20 twentieth's vote 4 years after the opposition call them to republican victory. in europe expresses hope of better transatlantic ties under joe biden though not everyone on the continent is convinced. also this hour azerbaijan captures a strategic town and the disputed province.
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