Norma Herrera lived her brother's personal hell as he waited on Death Row for the courts to decide if the new evidence that proved Leonel Herrera's innocence would save his life. Her book fulfills her last promise to Leo: to tell his story, to tell the truth. "Federal habeas courts do not sit to correct errors of fact but to ensure the individuals are not imprisoned in violation of the Constitution," it said. In other words, being falsely imprisoned is not a violation of your rights. Herrera was executed four months after the ruling. In his final statement he said: "I am innocent, innocent, innocent. I am an innocent man, and something very wrong is taking place tonight." Norma Herrera's book documents court events and press coverage. She recounts the tribulations she and her family suffered as they worked to free Leonel Herrera from his fate. If the all the court proceedings, including the Supreme Court's decision prior to Leo's execution represent the visible tip of the death penalty iceberg, LAST WORDS FROM DEATH ROW exposes the enormous human tragedy that resides below the surface. Her questions drive a powerful wedge between the legal process in capital cases and the truth. Why do the guilty go unpunished? When is innocence not enough to free a convicted man? Does Truth not prevail in the American Justice system? Who pays? We all do. Who is next?
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams,
This review is from: LAST WORDS FROM DEATH ROW --- The Wall Unit (Paperback)
The story of Leonel Herrera is a picture of a flawed justice system. In Last Words From Death Row, Norma Herrera relates the events of the early 1980s which took place in a small border town in Texas that put an innocent man, her brother, on death row. Reading the story is like suffering through the horrendous ordeal with Norma. She begins by explaining her family's history. Her father, Jose, an abusive man, was a key player in a drug cartel propagated by local law enforcement. He did not hesitate to bring his sons into his saga of corruption and make them key players in it, as well. As Norma opens her home to us, we become familiar with her family through photographs.
Leonel was a cocaine addict and his pitiful situation made him an easy target to be framed. When two police officers associated with the cartel are gunned down due to a failed transaction, the Hidalgo County Police Department wastes no time pinning the crime on Leonel. Arrested and beaten to the brink of death, labelled a cop-killer, Leo immediately went to trial based on false circumstancial evidence. With a corrupt legal system facilitating his trial, he is sentenced to death by lethal injection. A series of mysterious deaths occur afterward while evidence of Herrera's innocence surfaces. Norma and her family began an exhaustive battle against legal technicalities preventing the new evidence to be presented. This is a true story that evokes strong empathy from the reader. Norma points out repeatedly how easily one of our own family members could be sentenced to death for crimes they had absolutely nothing to do with. Her frustration and sense of helplessness are apparent in her words. The controversy caught the attention of thousands of sympathetic Americans, including celebrities such as Danny Glover, who spoke at rallies organized in support of Leonel and others like him. The story makes a strong argument for those who oppose the use of capital punishment under any circumstances. It presents an alarming reality that forces the reader to question the sanctity of the American judicial system.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Publisher Speaks,
By
This review is from: LAST WORDS FROM DEATH ROW --- The Wall Unit (Paperback)
Ms. Herrera has opened the well of pain she and her family lived for all to see in her book LAST WORDS FROM DEATH ROW. There are some in The Valley, where the events in her book took place, who seek to defame Ms. Herrera's work. This is understandable, when they experience their own pain in actually reading her book. But, take heed. There are some who have reviewed this book without reading it. People contacted us to try to prevent the publication of LAST WORDS FROM DEATH ROW. These are the people who do not want any truth known other than their own. I encourage them to write their own book about this execution and the events that led to it. I invite them to read LAST WORDS FROM DEATH ROW before they write their "review" in the vain attempt to discredit this book. The death penalty legal community hails it as a true revelation, and side with Ms. Herrera. We stand behind this book and its author, and would say to all who come to read these reviews, this book is powerful and hits home. Otherwise, why would there be any blatantly self-serving "review" claiming that the truth in this book is false? Be thinkers. Read LAST WORDS FROM DEATH ROW.
Valerie Connelly Publisher Nightengale Press
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A story about an innocent man. A Powerful, true tragedy of injustice.,
This review is from: LAST WORDS FROM DEATH ROW --- The Wall Unit (Paperback)
Once convicted, Innocence is Irrelevant
This story tells of a man who was convicted and could prove his innocence, but it was past the 30 days that was allowed to show new evidence. So, Anyone who is convicted of a crime, no matter what it is, could only have 30 days to prove otherwise. What if was someone in your family and evidence was suppressed beyond the 30 day limit? Too bad. We kill you anyway. Justice is blind and will always turn a blind eye to new evidence, because it is too late then. A very compelling story how one lone woman who tried to save her brother and show that he was with her during the killings and couldn't have been anywhere near where it happened. Also the car that was supposed to be the one he was driving was up on blocks and hadn't even been driveable. The witness couldn't even identify the car until it was pointed out to them, even then it was the wrong car as stated in a newspaper article about the killings.
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