By Kielce Gussie
In less than 24 hours, Curtis Windom is scheduled to be executed in the state of Florida in the United States. Despite appeals from his family—those directly affected by the murders he committed in 1992—the governor signed Curtis’ death warrant on 29 July this year.
Kevin Jackson, a member of the Community of Sant’Egidio, is one of the people advocating for clemency for Curtis. Kevin has been corresponding with Curtis for more than a year and believes Curtis has become a caring and genuinely thoughtful man.
Speaking with Vatican News, he issues a last plea for a halt to the execution—set to take place at 18.00 Florida time on Aug 28. “In supporting Curtis, we’re not saying that crime goes unpunished. We’re not saying that it doesn’t matter when people do bad things. We’re saying that we’re capable of offering forgiveness and mercy that transcend those things.”
This transcript has been adapted for style and length.
Vatican News: How could Curtis’s case still be a story of hope?
Despite all the difficulties that Curtis is facing, the terrible situation he’s in, we do need to remember also that we’re in the year of hope. We’re in this Jubilee Year of Hope and we have to try and find those moments or stories of hope.
I think it’s right to ask that question: How can we see this in some way as a moment of hope? His family is a beautiful example of that.
I just want to back up just briefly for one second to say that there’s a strong suspicion that Curtis’ death warrant was signed in retaliation to a civil rights lawsuit that was filed in Florida. Kyle Bates was executed last Tuesday in Florida. After his death warrant was signed, an attorney group in Florida filed a civil rights lawsuit against the state saying, they were only executing convicts whose victims were white. So, they argued the state was being discriminatory in their selection of who’s being executed.
Within two hours of that lawsuit being filed, Curtis’ death warrant was signed. Curtis’ three victims were all black. Therefore, we have a situation where the government seems to be saying, this man killed three black people and we’re executing him as well.
I think that this kind of cold logic of who lives and who dies is in stark contrast to the forgiveness that his family is displaying. His daughter, Curtisia, was only a few months old at the time of the murders. In the tragic events of 1992 when Curtis committed the murders of three people, two of those victims were Curtisia’s mother and her grandmother. For her to go through life, learn why her father was in prison, learn the reason why she didn’t have a mother, why she didn’t have a grandmother, and then to make a gesture of forgiveness to form a relationship with her father is inspiring.
They were in touch regularly over the years. They’ve been in touch frequently since his death warrant has been signed. To make that gesture of forgiveness, I think it’s such a stark opposition to the cold logic of the death penalty system in the United States. And I think that really is a gesture of hope that she’s been able to forgive her father, to accept what he’s done and to still want him as part of her life. He’s a grandfather. He has multiple grandkids who he knows. I would highlight their forgiveness and their mercy as a real sign of hope here.
You have a personal connection with Curtis and have been corresponding for more than a year.
In our correspondence, I found Curtis to be extremely sweet, sensitive, interested in the world. In the time that we’ve been writing to each other, he has always asked about my family, has always sent his good wishes to me living in New York, has asked questions, and is very interested in the world. We’ve talked about everything from the traffic situation in Atlanta—where I grew up—to the migrant crisis in New York City.
He’s someone who cares and wants to learn. In these last months leading up to his execution date, there’s been a lot of fear about his death warrant being signed. It was clear from the beginning of this year that that something had changed and the atmosphere on death row was one of anxiety and fear as Governor DeSantis began signing more and more death warrants.
So personally, I’m very grateful for his ability even in that anxiety, Curtis has maintained a positive attitude and a spirit of friendliness in all of his writing. He always signs it off with peace and love. It is always his signature and he always asks us to keep him in our prayers, which we, of course, do. So, corresponding with him really has been a great gift.
Does Curtis know that people around the world are praying for him and trying to stop the execution?
My understanding is that he does. Once the prisoners’ death warrant is signed, it becomes much more difficult to communicate with them. So only the people that are on his designated visitation list, which is essentially his family, are able to actually visit in person or have phone calls.
I’ve written to him several times in the last few weeks. I’ve only heard from him twice since his execution date was set. He is definitely aware that his family and others are trying to call for clemency, trying to stop the execution.
If you had once more chance to speak to Curtis, what would you say to him?
First, I would like to thank him for the gentleness that he’s shown many, many people since becoming incarcerated. He’s become caring. He’s become someone that’s interested in other people’s lives. And I would want to thank him for that and for the tenderness he’s shown to many others.
Even just in these past weeks, he wrote to his pen pal in Rome—Lorenza D’Andrea—and wished her son a happy birthday. This is from a man that is scheduled to be executed just days after writing the letter.
Second, I would tell Curtis that we continue to pray for him. We don’t know how these things turn out. We know that our God is a God of hope. He is a God of miracles and of the impossible. We hope and we pray for a miracle that the governor will spare his life, and we won’t stop. We don’t stop praying. Right up until the very last minute, we’ll continue to do that.
As a last appeal for clemency to spare Curtis’ life, what would you say?
I would encourage all those who come across Curtis’ case to look at the example of his family, to look at the forgiveness that they’ve extended to their father, their grandfather, and to realize that we need to emulate that as best we can. We need to honor their gesture of forgiveness.
In supporting Curtis, we’re not saying that crime goes unpunished. We’re not saying that it doesn’t matter when people do bad things. We’re saying that we’re capable of offering forgiveness and mercy that transcend those things. For his family, especially his daughter, to forgive him and form a relationship with him over the years is a beautiful gesture of hope. It’s a beautiful gesture of mercy.
In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we need more of that. We need more of that type of encounter in the world, that type of gesture. I would certainly encourage everyone to sign the petitions online, to make their voice heard, to pray Curtis, and to pray for a miracle that his life will be spared.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
One thing that I continue to be struck by was Pope Francis’ visit to a prison outside Rome on Holy Thursday this year. As he was leaving the prison, he said, “Every time I come into the prison, I think, why them and not me?”
I think that’s such a beautiful attitude that we can take towards those who have been convicted of crimes. Why them and not me? If the circumstances of my life were different, if things had played out differently for me, I could be in their shoes.
I think that corresponding with Curtis has certainly taught me that lesson. I think it is something that is in the Gospels. Jesus identifies himself with the prisoner. When we visit the prisoner, we encounter Jesus. I think just keeping that in mind, keeping that disposition that Pope Francis clearly understood so well in our hearts is something that we can all do when it comes to encountering those who are incarcerated and on death row.
Join the thousands of people appealing to stop Curtis Windom’s execution. Sign the petition here. – Vatican News
