“A SISTERS LOSS”

MY NAME IS ROSEMARY MALONE AND I OPPOSE THE DEATH PENALTY. MY BROTHER KELVIN S. MALONE (KNOWN AS SLIM) WAS MURDERED BY THE STATE OF MISSOURI JAN. 13 1999 JUST 3 DAYS AFTER HIS 38TH BIRTHDAY. MY BROTHER WAS THE STRENGTH OF OUR FAMILY. HE WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH IN 2 STATES. ALL BUT THE LAST 3 WEEKS OF HIS LIFE WERE SPENT IN CALIF. AT SAN QUENTIN ON DEATH ROW. THERE HE EMERGED FROM A TROUBLED BOY INTO A FINE MAN, HE WAS A FATHER, A BROTHER, A SON AN UNCLE AND EVEN A GRANDFATHER AND NONE OF THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE CONTACT VISITING PRIVILEGES, WHICH LAST YEAR WERE SUSPENDED DUE TO A FIGHT IN THE VISITING ROOM WHICH WAS QUICKLY CONTROLLED. WE FOUGHT FOR NEARLY A YEAR TO HAVE “OUR” VISITING PRIVILEGES REINSTATED AND I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT AS OF FEB THIS YEAR (2001) WE WON THE RIGHT TO TOUCH OUR LOVED ONES AGAIN. FOR I KNEW FROM EXPERIENCE WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO NEVER TOUCH...AGAIN WHEN THEY EXTRADITED MY BROTHER TO THE STATE OF MISSOURI THEY DID NOT ALLOW MY FAMILY TO TOUCH HIM NOT EVEN TO SAY GOOD-BYE...HE TOLD MY FAMILY TO BE STRONG AND TO HOLD OUR HEADS UP, FOR HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT US...WHILE HIS MURDER WAS BEING PREPARED (PREMEDITATED) HE SAID IT WOULD BE OVER FOR HIM IN A MATTER OF MINUTES...BUT FOR YOU...THE PAIN AND SUFFERING IS JUST BEGINNING. I AM SORRY THAT MY FAMILY MUST SUFFER FOR A DEATH SENTENCE THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME, MAYBE WITH MY DEATH IT WILL OPEN SOME DOORS SO SOMEONE ELSE SHALL LIVE...WE BROUGHT HIM HOME TO LAY HIM TO REST AND I KISSED HIM GOOD-BYE AND I FELT HIS STRENGTH FLOW WITHIN ME... AND I KNEW WHAT HE WAS PASSING ON TO ME...HIS STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO FIGHT,FIGHT TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY! YES, THIS IS MY MISSION!!! DURING KELVIN'S INCARCERATION HE DEVELOPED THIS DISEASE, ULCERATED COLITIS, A STRESS RELATED DISEASE CAUSING INTERNAL BLEEDING OF HIS INTESTINES. ONLY AFTER HE COLLAPSED A NUMBER OF TIMES ON THE YARD AND LOST NEARLY HALF HIS BODY WEIGHT WERE THE PRISONS AUTHORITIES FORCED TO SEEK OUTSIDE MEDICAL ATTENTION AS THEY WERE NOT EQUIPPED TO HANDLE SUCH A TRAGEDY...BEFORE HIS DEATH MY BROTHER, SAID “IRONICALLY” THESE OFFICIALS ARE TRYING TO SAVE MY LIFE SO THAT THE COLITIS DOESN’T TAKE IT...SO THE STATE CAN KILL ME, MOMENTS BEFORE THEY ADMINISTERED THE POISON IN HIS VEINS THEY ASKED HIM WOULD HE LIKE HIS MEDICATION...HOW STRANGE THEY WOULD ASK HIM THAT, FOR THE MEDICINE THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO GIVE HIM WAS DESIGNED TO SAVE HIS LIFE AND THEY WERE ABOUT TO TERMINATE HIS LIFE...WHAT WAS THE LOGIC IN THAT? HE SAID I WOULD ONLY TAKE THE MEDICINE IF GOVERNOR CARNAHAN WERE GOING TO GRANT ME A STAY... AND THAT HE DID NOT...THE DAY BEFORE CALIFORNIA HAD OVERTURNED HIS DEATH SENTENCE AND WE WERE SO SURE MISSOURI WOULD DO THE SAME AS MISSOURI BASED THERE CASE ON CALIFORNIA’S FINDINGS....“POLITICS” THE POPE WAS DUE TO VISIT MISSOURI...THE STATE MOVED HIS EXECUTION DATE UP AS THEY DID NOT WANT TO HAVE BLOOD ON THERE HANDS WHILE THE POPE WAS THERE...MEESE LIFE WAS SPARED MY BROTHERS WAS NOT.....ALTHOUGH THE STATE NURSED HIM BACK TO HEALTH BY PUMPING HIM UP WITH STEROIDS ONLY TO KILL HIM...THEY DID NOT WANT TO KILL A DYING MAN...THEY WANTED TO KILL A STRONG HEALTHY MAN, AN INNOCENT MAN...I SAY INNOCENT SIMPLY BECAUSE HE SPENT NEARLY HALF HIS LIFE ON THE ROW AND THAT ONCE TROUBLED BOY GREW UP INTO THE FINE MAN HE WAS. THE TROUBLED YOUNG MAN DIED LONG AGO...THE STATE KILLED AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MAN. I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO TAKE A MOMENT AND REFLECT ON THE PAST 20 YEARS OF YOUR LIFE, HAVE YOU CHANGED? SURE YOU HAVE IF NOT PHYSICALLY YOU DID SPIRITUALLY, MENTALLY...I’M SURE, SO WHY IS IT SO HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A PERSON INCARCERATED CAN NOT CHANGE IN 20 YEARS...MY POINT BEING WE ARE NOT PUNISHING THE SAME PERSON THAT WAS ACCUSED OF THAT CRIME SO MANY YEARS AGO. WE ARE “MURDERING” SOMEONE ELSE...20 YEARS IS A LONG TIME TO STAY BITTER, ANGRY AND IMMATURE BELIEVE ME YOU GROW UP REAL FAST BEHIND THE WALLS OF INJUSTICE. SO BASICALLY WE EXECUTE THE INNOCENT...NOT IN MY NAME!!! IF THEY LIVE THEN LET THEM GIVE BACK TO SOCIETY AND IF THEY DIE THEN THE HOPE FOR A CHANGE DIES WITH THEM...IT SADDENS ME TO THINK THAT ALL WE’VE COME TO IS A NATION OF “CLOSURE” CLOSURE IN EFFECT IS JUST THEIR WAY OF SAYING “REVENGE” MURDER IS MURDER NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT....CRIME IS PUNISHABLE BY LAW...DEATH IS EXECUTED BY MURDER...SO WHAT IS AN EXECUTIONER...A MURDERER...AND THEREFORE MURDERERS ARE PUNISHED BY DEATH...SO WHO EXECUTES THE EXECUTIONER...A VICIOUS CYCLE ONE THAT WE NEED TO END NOW!!!! NEVER IN DEATH...SO WHAT ARE WE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN ITS OKAY TO KILL IF YOU ARE THE EXECUTIONER LEGAL MURDER...JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE...NO ITS NEVER OKAY TO KILL...MURDER IS MURDER................

KELVIN S. MALONE

1961-1999