Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Introducing: Dear Governor

Episode Date: May 20, 2020

In issuing his moratorium on capital punishment in California, Governor Gavin Newsom went on record saying he believes there are innocent people on Death Row. “Dear Governor” invites the listener to get to know Jarvis Jay Masters, a condemned prisoner who has maintained his innocence for over 30 years. After sharing intimate details of his life story and his ongoing legal case, we ask the listener to answer for themselves, “Is the death penalty a necessary evil to keep our streets safe, to exact righteous punishment and to deliver a semblance of justice to victims – or is it too fraught with ambiguity, contradictions and biases to ensure that we are all protected equally under the law?” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Dear Governor Newsom. Dear Mr. Governor Newsom. This is an open letter to Governor Gavin Newsom. It would be a bold move to exonerate Jarvis Masters, and it would not give him back the decades that he has lived at San Quentin after a grave miscarriage of justice. In this podcast, Dear Governor, myself along with a community of supporters want to introduce

you and the governor of California to the man who is Jarvis Masters. My name is Jarvis Masters. I have been an inmate at San Quentin Institute for almost 30 years. 40 years. Oh, shit. That's a long time, isn't it? Sometimes you just want to let that stuff go, right? I mean, you want to keep it low?

You know, you want to, like, you know, you don't want to, you know what it is, but you just say something different all the time. I have been an inmate at San Quentin Prison for almost 40 years. I am certainly guilty of the crimes that brought me here. And I own the mistakes I've made, and I've paid my dues. But I'm not guilty of the crime that put me here on death row for the last 30 years. When he put a moratorium on the death penalty, Governor Newsom made a call to our better angels

because he said, when you know better, you do better. There are innocent people on death row. I cannot sign off on executing hundreds and hundreds of human beings. Before the penalty phase, do you remember the moment when you heard the jury come back and say guilty? Yeah, I did. I was really messed up after that. It became real. This is the story of one man, but it's not merely one man's story. I hope you take time to listen to my story, and I hope you have the heart

to recognize the unjust reality of capital punishment. How many guilty men have to be put to death to justify the execution of one innocent man? I'm Corny Cole, and I'm host of Dear Governor, a new podcast from iHeartRadio about renowned Buddhist author Jarvis Masters, who has steadfastly maintained his innocence since he was sentenced to death almost 30 years ago. From the confines of his 9x4 cell, Jarvis will share his riveting life story, how he has managed to maintain a sense of optimism in the most dire circumstances,

and he'll provide the details of the bloody murder that landed him on death row. They said that I sharpened the weapon and sent it down to the guy who then made it into a pole and speared the guard. With newly disclosed evidence that bolsters Jarvis' claims of innocence, will the California Supreme Court exonerate him or reaffirm his death sentence? It's longer than anybody on death row, by far. Corpus Furter to come in and been waiting 26 years for it. It's longer than anybody on death row by far. You'll hear the testimony. You be the judge. Dear Governor, the podcast. Listen and subscribe on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.