To whom it may concern

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERNS.......

 

INTERVIEWS WITH «  THE LOST BOY'S » MOM

 

I did a series of interviews awhile back with a gentleman we called : “The Lost Boy”. If you remember, he sit on death row for the murder of his father. As for most of those who wrote to me about him, he is a hero. As he should be, but today I had the chance to speak with his mother (whom we will call : “Miss Lonely Girl”). I will let our conversation speak for itself.

 

Me: “Hello, Miss Lonely Girl, I thank you so much for accepting my invitation to speak with me.”

 

M.L.G : “No, I thank you for the invite. I'm a country girl anyway, I don't have a lot to do anyway (ah ah).

 

ME : “So, how are you these days ?

 

M.L.G :”I'm fine, thanks for asking.”

 

ME : “Okay, tell us, the “Lost Boy”, he is your son, right ?

 

M.L.G :”Yes indeed he is. The most wonderful son in the world let me add !”

 

ME : “Are you aware of the interviews I did with your son and the content of them ?”

 

M.L.G :”yes, I am aware of the interviews. I was moved... and shocked with both passion and love for my Baby.”

 

ME : “He said that his father was very abusive., not only with you, but also with him and his sister, is that true ?”

 

M.L.G :”Yes, his father was very abusive... it wasn't just with violence, he had a way to speak to you that just tore you up inside... he could make you feel worthless at times.”

 

Me : “Why did you stay with him all those years then ?”

 

M.L.G :”I was afraid... I was just afraid and stupid.”

 

ME : “Are you okay ?”

 

M.L.G :”Yes, I am fine, do not worry about me, ask whatever you want to ask.”

 

ME : “You said you were afraid... afraid of what ?”

 

M.L.G :”I was afraid that he would kill me if I tried to leave... I was afraid that if I did leave that I could expose them to even worse things. I had nothing to rely on... I met him when I was very young, I left home about that time as well. I didn't know anything about the world outside of my mirage. My husband, he was all that I knew I know now that he planed it that way so that I would always be dependent upon him. I had Lost Boy when I was 13, my daughter came when I was 16. he was the only relationship that I ever had. I was foolish and for that I will never forgive myself, because I may just be the reason my son dies.”

 

ME : “Does he resent you ?”

 

M.L.G :”Ooooh no, he doesn't blame me for anything. To him the sun still rises and sets because of me. I think that is one of the big reasons it's so hard to get out of my bed sometimes... to be so much for a person you know in your heart you let down. I mean, come on Tyree, he is my son.

 

ME : “Let me switch gears for a moment, how was he growing up ?”

 

M.L.G :”Oh my, well let me see... he was very quiet, but he was very tender, always hugging and kissing, but he never expressed any negative motions, you know what I mean ?”

 

ME : “No, not really, explain it to me.”

 

M.L.G :”Okay, he... oh, how about this; say if he was upset about something, he would never show it. Seriously, you would never know that something bothered him. He was always careful with his words... he hated to hurt people's feelings. And he was a great brother for his sister. He was more a daddy to her than her own father was. He was a great kid in every way.”

 

ME : “How was his relationship with his father ?”

 

M.L.G :”Quiet. They were never close. With his father he spoke only when he had to. He hated his father because of the things he did to me, and his father could not handle the fact that his son thought so little of him.”

 

ME : “How was his (the father) relationship with your daughter ?”

 

M.L.G :”Oh, she loved him very much. She was a witness to a lot of the beatings I received, but she was too young to really comprehend what was really going on. To her, he was daddy, and there was no one greater.”

 

ME : “Wow, but didn't he abuse her as well ?”

 

M.L.G :”yes he did, but it was always with words. When he fussed or yelled at her, she felt as though she disappointed him, and that “she” was the one who needed to be better, that “she” was the problem. He could smile at her and you would swear that she had just saw heaven. Yeah, she really loved him. In truth, she still does.”

 

ME : “How did his murder affect her ?”

 

M.L.G :”She took it very hard. She was very young when she first aw the beats, but she never feared him... I think she was the only one of us who didn't. I believe too, that he saw that. To her, he was normal, so when it happened, she shut down. She didn't really speak with anyone. She would not speak with me or her brother about her father. She went through a period where she would not even speak with her brother.

 

Me : “Why ?”

 

M.L.G :”She blamed him I think... she blamed me too.”

 

ME : “How is their relationship now ?”

 

M.L.G :”It's good. Although, she has a lot of issues to work out as to how she feels about her father being killed. She still goes to therapy for that, but she is happy, and she loves her brother.”

 

ME : “Tell me something I don't know about your son”.

 

M.L.G :”He is afraid, In spite to all the things he has said to the contrary, he is afraid that he is going to die. He has accepted that, but it scares him more than anyone will ever know.”

 

ME : “But he gave up his appeals”

 

M.L.G :”He did that for us !!! He did not want me nor his sister suffer anymore heartache because of what happened. He was thinking that the sooner it is over the sooner everyone can go back to living their lives. The thing he did not understand is : for us it will never be over.... it's over the day he is free ! He tells me all the time to let it go, but I CAN'T ! I WON'T ! EVER ! How could he expect his mother to do that ?”

 

ME : “When did you find out that he had given up his appeals ?”

 

M.L.G :”I found out about 3 weeks later... I read it in the newspaper. So I asked him and he told me. He said that we had been through enough. I told him that there is no such thing as enough when it is about your kids. I lost a lot because I was scared to fight, that won't happen again ! I told him that we will fight to the very end, no matter how it turns out. He never agrees, but he doesn't argue with me. For the most part he allows me to handle everything. His only real issue was the concealing of our names. But, just know he is being fought for... I will always fight for my son, even if he won't fight for himself !”

 

ME : “What is going on with his case at the moment ?”

 

M.L.G :”We have obtained a lawyer and he believes that my son was not charged correctly. He was charged with capital murder, and as you know capital murder is committed when two felonies are committed withing one crime, or a public servant has been killed. My son did not commit two felonies. The State claimed that he also committed robbery because my husband's wallet was missing, but there was not proof that my son took anything. He shot him, surrendered to police without conflict, and he never left the scene of the crime. My son was broke when he was arrested save for the $ 18 he had in his pocket. He wasn't even asked about the wallet ! It wasn't even mentioned until it came time for indictment. No one was told about a missing anything... we assume that it would be a murder charge, but when the indictment came down it blew us away. Then they gave him a million dollars bail bond, so there was no way we could get him out of jail. To this day I still don't understand why they did that. Lost Boy has never ever been in any trouble with police until this, and they want to kill him ! The judge... the Grand Jury, if my son dies, they re to blame ! It will be them who must accept that responsibility ! To me, they will be just as guilty as a serial killer !!!”

 

ME : “What do you think of our justice system now ?”

 

M.L.G :””Are you serious ?!?! It's a joke !!! People die all the time; INNOCENT PEOPLE ! But as long as it doesn't affect anyone that they care about it is nothing ! I know, because I use to be one of the “they”. I never looked at crime really or capital punishment... it was never an issue for me ! But I know that it is an issue for everybody. Don't wait until potential tragedy comes and knocks on your door before you start looking at the problem, because it might be too late ! Stop it before it can even reach you 8 Take my word for it, you'll wish you had ! Seriously, haven't you been watching the news ? Men charged with rape who spent years in prison are being freed daily almost, men being charged with murder are being released as the real murderers are being caught only because they committed another crime. That's our justice system!!! This is what we raise our children to believe in !!! They say justice is blind.... well, we all know that is a lie. Juries act on emotions not facts.... DA's are motivated by the number of convictions they can rack up, not by the integrity of their jobs. It's dad.... life should mean more to us, but you never see these things until they land on your doorstep !! Anyway, I truly believe that it should be more required than a person's word to convict a person !!!

 

ME : “If you could say anything to parents and or relatives of an incarcerated person, what would you say ?”

 

M.L.G :”Know the facts, learn the laws, and never give up ! Our babies are dying in those prisons. They feed them bad, they mistreat them, and they lie to the public all the time about it. Check on your kids... write them! Send them money when you can. Those kids go into prisons and learn another side of life. They beat them up when they think no one is watching.... they act as though they are not people !!! But the same “dirty” officers are the very ones you will on visiting days with smiles on their faces and the sweetest words you would ever wish to hear ! But before that... you do what you can to stop your kids from going to prison. FIGHT FOR THEM ! Because it is hell behind the walls. You are in prison, am I lying Tyree ?”

 

ME : “No, you are not, but this is your time, say whatever you want.”

 

M.L.G :”I think it is a shame that so many people claim to stand for so many things, but in the end, they are worse than any criminal. This system is not designed for poor people. If you have money you can buy a proper defense, but what about people like me ? I am poor, I did not have any money to hire my son a lawyer, therefore he was left in the hands of two attorneys who did not care at all what happened to my boy one way or the other ! I called them with questions, I got no answers... I asked about motions they were to file, but they still never responded to me. The end result was my son getting the death penalty. But, in the end, I want to say to all families, be there for each other, because when it's all said and done, you will find out that you all are all that you have.”

 

ME : “Anything more you ant to say to my readers ?”

 

M.L.G :””MAKE PLENTY OF NOISE !!! Demand things from the justice system ! Hold judges and D.A.'S accountable for the things they do... demand that they bring integrity to the jobs they hold, no matter what it may cost them career wise. Don't just talk about the things you want to change, really go out there and put forth the effort. People in my hometown, along with a few surrounding towns and churches took up donations, had fund raisers, cook-offs, and raffles, that is how we came up with the money to hire an attorney. He never looks at the positives because that would be too much to recover from if we failed in our quest to get him a new trial. He focuses on death... he still refuses help, but we have it, and we are very optimistic about our chances. For me, I know it will happen, I know we will win ! I know I will hold my son again... I know it as sure as my heart beats today ! If you love somebody in trouble, help them … really help them ! Never take no for an answer, because as long as you live, victory is possible ! I am an old woman who has been told “no” her whole life, but today I am the saying “no” to the word “no” ! I know I talk too much, but again, people please, if you love someone, give them a fighting chance.... give someone something to live for.... give them a fighting chance. Miracles happen on the battlefield, not on the kitchen table.”

 

ME : “I saved this question for last.... what happened exactly, the day your husband died ?”

 

M.L.G :”I knew you were going to ask me this, but I was hoping that you wouldn't... I will answer only to what happened to me, as our lawyer had advised against speaking about actual facts of the case. The fight that day started over a phone call : My half sister's husband called me, and we talked a little bit about their new home in California... about adjusting to life in a new State, you know the usual family thing, Well, my husband, he never really liked my brother-in-law, he knew who I was talking to so he told me to get off the phone, and I was about to, but my brother-in-law passed the phone to my sister and she was crying, having one of her I am homesick phases. Do we talked and cried a little together. When I hung up the phone, I went to the washroom to take the clothes out of the dryer... I bent over, and that is when he appeared out of nowhere, he grabbed the back of y head and yanked my head back towards him... and he told me “When I tell U to do something,U do it !!! You don't ever mention my name to that nosie ass brother of yours, and that whore you have for a sister !!!” I remember trying to ask him what he was talking about, but that seemed to make him more angry... he said : “You think I don't know that you are fucking your brother-in-law ? YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW U LYING BITOH !” Then he punched me in the stomach, when I fell, he kicked me in the back. He told me to get up, but I couldn't so he grabbed my hair again and yanked me up, taking out a huge chunk of my hair, he grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall, and punched me in the face, he broke my nose... then when I fell, he kicked me and broke my ribs.... the last thing I remember is him climbing on top of me and just punching and punching and punching me, calling me a lying, cheating, whore. I found out he was dead the next day.”

 

ME : “What were the extent of your injuries ?”

 

M.L.G :”I had a broken nose, I lost four teeth, three ribs were broken,, and I had a ruptured spleen. I also had some kidney damage. My jaw was broken also.”

 

ME : “Was anyone there with U when it happened ?”

 

M.L.G :”Yes, my daughter.”

 

ME : “Did she see that attack ?”

 

M.L.G :”I don't know. I didn't see her, she was in her room when it started. When I woke up she was in the hospital with me. And let me just say this : whatever happened between me and him, it wasn't a matter for my kids to be involved in... I always hoped for it to be that way anyway. What I did, it is for me to pay for, not my babies. So, the private things, they will stay private. Do you understand what I mean, Tyree ?”

 

ME : “Yes ma'am, I understand perfectly. Is there anything else you would like to say ?”

 

M.L.G :”I want to thank you Tyree. My son told me about you, so I started to read your articles... you're a good man son. For those of you who do not know him, he is a sweetheart. He answers always with respect, nothing but yes ma'am and no ma'am... whatever you like Miss Lonely Girl. He has done a lot for my son, people who have read his articles have reached out to Lost Boy. Our names have never been given, but his case was very high profile when it first happened. Really Tyree is a wonderful person, I wish I could hug him personally... I know I will get the chance one day. You will be liberated one day sweetie”.

 

ME : “You know that I won't print the things you said about me”.

 

M.L.G :”laughs), you better young man, or I will not sign off permission for you to print this story ! Promise me that I will read everything I said to you when it goes to your site ?”

 

ME : “I promise you that”

 

M.L.G :”I know you will sweetie. Keep fighting Tyree, on behalf on my whole family I thank you for all that you have done.”

 

Me : “No, thank you for speaking with me.... thank you for allowing me into your life. Buuuuuutttttt, if you really want to thank me, give me the first interview with you, your daughter and your son the days his conviction is overturned, because that day is coming. No court in their right mind is going to uphold this conviction.”

 

M.L.G :”Oh, you know you have that, besides, I think the Lost Boy will insist on it (laughs). But let's hope that we will be meeting in a coffeehouse instead of a cold prison.”

 

ME : “Yes, let us hope so... Thanks again for your time Miss Lonely Girl.”

 

M.L.G :”Thank you too sweetie, and thanks to all of you who support us... stay sweet Tyree.”

 

Me : “I will, bye-bye.”

 

M.L.G :”Bye-Bye sugar.”

 

Love and respect

Tyree

Feb 1, 2011

21 : 22

 

*Authors note : this interview was done over a period of weeks, both by phone and letter. The Lost Boy has an attorney, and his conviction is being challenged on the grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel, faulty indictment unsupported by facts, due process violations, and jury misconduct. I wrote to his lawyer several times, but he refused to speak to me.*