Opening
Sequence
|
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: Okay everybody thanks a lot for joining us on KMOX. Charlie Brennan
on The Voice of St. Louis. Well I wanna ask you
everybody about uh … three woman who were convicted
of murder. They were all sentenced to life in prison for killing their
husbands or having their husbands killed. There were allegations that the
woman had been beaten by their husbands. If you’re beaten by your husband
does that give you license to kill ‘em?
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: Hello Jan you’re on KOMX.
JAN: Hi I’m
just calling that ... that I ... I don’t feel that domestic
violence is a reason to kill your spouse. You know I don’t think you should
stick around (fades out)
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: Don, take it away.
DON: What’s
the difference between you walking down the street and being mugged and you
kill him, versus a woman who was beaten by her w ... by her husband… (fades
out)
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: It’s not as if they were in a fight and in self-defense, she got the
kitchen butcher knife and killed the guy. Uh in ... in both of these cases (fades
out)
2nd
WOMAN: I don’t think the woman should go to jail, it nobody knows how it is.
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: They hired hit men, and they had their husband offed. Mafia style.
Why didn’t they just leave, as opposed to murdering them?
2nd
WOMAN: Um, Hi. I have been beaten by my husband and it’s not that easy to
just get out. It is not easy.
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: And what prevents you from just … getting the heck out of there?
2nd
WOMAN: (Sigh and Pause) I love him.
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00:00:33
00:01:03
|
Opening
Credits
|
OPERATOR:
911
WOMAN 1: My
neighbors just come in here and she said she shot her husband.
(WOMAN 2
crying in background)
OPERATOR:
By accident on purpose or what?
WOMAN 1: I
don’t know sir. I, I know that he does beat on her.
OPERATOR:
Ok stay on the line with me ok?
WOMAN 2:
(sobbing) Don’t let him get me.
WOMAN 1: He
won’t getcha go in there
honey. Don’t let him get her.
WOMAN 2:
(constant sobbing)
OPERATOR:
Take a deep breath honey, I’m not I’m not your enemy I’m your friend listen
closely. He’s on the other phone. Ok, he’s talking to us right now. He don’t know where you’re at.
WOMAN 2: Yes he does.
OPERATOR: No he don’t. Did he beat you up?
WOMAN 2:
No, not today.
OPERATOR:
Why did you shoot him with a gun?
WOMAN 2: I
don’t know. He said that he’s gonna kill me.
OPERATOR:
He said he was gonna kill you.
WOMAN: No,
I know he’s gonna kill me.
|
00:02:11
|
Shows
Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center.
|
SHIRLEY
LUTE: My name is Shirley Lute. I’m 70 years old. I’ve been locked up 23
years, I’ll be locked up 24 February 2002.
INTERVIEWER:
And do you know when you’re eligible for parole?
SHIRLEY
LUTE: Uh 2028
INTERVIEWER:
Ok, and how old will you be then?
SHIRLEY
LUTE: ‘Bout 97, 98.
|
00:03:13
00:03:18
|
Exterior of
Correctional Center
|
About six
months after … we got married that’s when the abuse started. And uh if I
didn’t do everything Melvin said, he used to kick me all the time in my ribs,
in my back. Make me steal, prostitute. I didn’t know what to do anymore. He’d
jerk me on bed and pull me across the floor. And he, I just couldn’t even …
he chained me right almost to the bathroom, and he drove off and just left me
chained up.
|
00:03:40
|
SUPER.
Shirley was convicted of 1st degree murder in 1978 for the hired
killing of her husband, Melvin Lute.
The abuse
was never mentioned at trial. She received a sentence of 50 years to life in
prison.
|
00:04:13
00:04:18
|
Mary Beck
Interview.
SUPER. Mary Beck
Clinical Professor of Law, University of
Missouri
|
MARY BECK:
There was a period of time in Missouri law, when
abuse victims could not enter evidence of abuse in trials. And so their sentences were made without knowledge of the
judge or the jury that they had been abused persons. And that created these
incredibly harsh sentences that no longer even exist.
|
00:04:25
|
Showing
snippets of newspapers and documents.
|
COLLEEN
COBLE: In 1987 Missouri was the first state to pass a state law that
established The Battered Spouse Syndrome. It was a new opportunity for women
to at least get information before the court on the level of abuse they had
suffered.
|
00:04:48
|
Colleen
Coble Interview
SUPER. Colleen Coble
CEO, Missouri Coalition Against Sexual and
Domestic Violence
|
All of that information was previously not allowed at trial.
They were
told by their attorneys not to bring up the abuse that they had suffered
because that would be seen as motive.
|
00:05:02
|
Amy
Lorenz-Moser walking in house.
SUPER. Amy Lorenz-Moser
Attorney
|
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: Anyone else like a Pop-Tart?
Breakfast
of champions.
|
00:05:15
00:05:19
00:05:25
|
|
When I was
in law school I was approached by my professor, Mary Beck, about doing a
clemency petition on behalf of a victim of domestic violence who killed their
abuser. And Mary Beck just took us out to the prison to meet her.
I think
that when you work with somebody in prison, when you’re just kinda starting out, it kinda
changes your perception and your perspective.
|
00:05:31
|
Amy walks towards car
|
It made me
realize that more could be done for other woman.
|
00:06:00
|
Shows Court
House. Cuts to Mary Becks office
|
MARY BECK:
In ’98, the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence contacted all four
Law Schools and asked us if we would band together. And we reviewed a number of cases and selected initially twelve women. Ultimately
the group of us called ourselves The Missouri Battered Women’s Clemency
Coalition, and opted to go forward with eleven of the twelve petitions.
|
00:06:08
|
|
JANE AIKEN:
What we decided was … we would represent Women who were convicted of murder, who
were involved in their crime.
|
00:06:33
|
Brendan Roediger interview
SUPER. Brendan Roediger
Attorney, Original Battered Women's Clemency
Coalition Member
|
BRENDAN
ROEDIGER: We looked specifically for women who had a documented history of
domestic violence that should have been or could have been presented at the …
to the trial court and was not.
|
00:06:40
|
SUPER. In
2000, each of the women represented by the coalition videotaped her story as
part of a clemency petition for the governor.
|
00:06:51
|
Shows videos
of Women represented by the coalition
|
ESTHER
SCAGGS: Hi my name is Esther Scaggs, and I’m here
on voluntary man slaughter with a fifteen year
sentence.
|
00:07:00
|
|
RUBY
JAMERSON: Ruby Jamerson.
INTERVIEWER:
And how long have you been incarcerated, all together?
RUBY
JAMERSON: Thirteen and a half years.
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: My name is Roberta Carlene Borden. I received life without
possibility of parole for fifty years.
UNKNOWN
PRISONER 1 (WHITE BLONDE): He’d grab me by the hair and just started beating
my head on the headboard. Pushed me back down on the bed and that’s when he
tied me up.
UNKNOWN
PRISONER 2 (BLACK): He said “If you ever hurt me you better kill me ‘cause
I’m comin.” And I was like “Oh my God, I’ve hurt
him, I’ve hurt him. What do I do?”
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Blacked both my eyes and … bloodied my nose.
INTERVIEWER:
How often did this abuse occur?
ROBERTA
CARLEEN BORDEN: (sigh) ‘Bout every other day.
INTERVIEWER:
Is there anything else that you would like to tell the Governor, this is your
chance to get it on tape.
SHIRLEY
LUTE: Well I certainly hope that he would um take me into consideration to go
out on Clemency. I don’t think I would have much trouble in the transition
part because … I don’t drink, I don’t use drugs. I can make it.
|
00:07:04
00:07:09
00:07:17
00:07:25
00:07:33
00:07:44
|
Showing
documents
|
COLLEEN
COBLE: In 2004 Governor Bob Holden granted Clemency to two of the women in
the Clemency group. And in an only in Missouri scenario. The Missouri Board
of Probation and Parole didn’t release the women.
|
00:08:09
|
|
JANE AIKEN:
And the Supreme Court of Missouri said, “You have to release her because
she’s been granted Clemency.”
COLLEEN
COBLE: So in May 2007, two years after the granting
of Clemency, Shirley Lute left prison.
|
00:08:24
00:08:30
|
Shows
Shirley Lute leaving
SUPER. 2007
|
MALE
BROADCASTER: Shirley Lute served twenty nine years
in prison after a jury convicted her of hiring her son to kill her abusive
husband. The courts freed Lou saying she had Battered Wife Syndrome,
something the courts did not recognize in the late 70’s.
SHIRLEY
LUTE: Oh yeah. BLT’s and steak and all of that.
INTERVIEWER:
You’re gonna get a lot of that now.
SHIRLEY
LUTE: Well, I gotta watch my figure, you know.
(laughs)
MALE
BROADCASTER: Lute told me it’s wonderful to be free.
|
00:08:37
|
SUPER. Two
years later
Jefferson
City, Missouri
Shows
Robert L Hyder Apartments. Jefferson City, Missouri
|
(background
conversation)
|
00:09:09
|
Shirley shows us round her apartment
|
SHIRLEY
LUTE: This is Toby. My biggest bear, its one I’ve had for a long, long time.
And this is Francis. This is Muskins, ‘course he’s gonna make a sound. I have never been around stuffed
animals that made noise. And uh you know sing songs and all that I had never
seen that before. They fascinate me. Something I’d never seen before. It’s a
well lived in place, with all these dolls and everything but, I kinda like ‘em.
|
00:09:28
|
Photos.
Shirley and Melvin
Back to
Shirley at the apartment
|
BRENDAN
ROEDIGER: Shirley was a good candidate for Clemency because of how excessive
her sentence was. She was the longest serving woman in Missouri. She was
sentenced before there was any recognition of Battered Women Syndrome or the
effects of domestic violence generally.
JANE AIKEN:
From the age of four her father sold her for wine. And she went from finally
escaping when she was a teenager, and married someone who then ended up
beating her. And her son killed him. And she was convicted of being an
accomplice to the murder of Melvin Lute.
She’s still
negotiating being in the world. Initially, all she wanted to do was to sort
of stay in her room, and she asked permission to leave the room. She did
things that were consistent with somebody who’s been institutionalized.
|
00:10:03
00:10:20
00:10:40
|
Showing
Shirley with Old man
|
SHIRLEY
LUTE: Where’d you meet me at?
FRANCIS: I
met her at Oak Towers I was … lost my wife two and half years ago. And I run on to her at Oak Towers and I’ve been goin with her ever since.
SHIRLEY
LUTE: He’s my fiancé. Yeah that’s what he is, he’s my sweetheart. (Laughs)
|
00:10:55
|
Showing old
photographs
|
I tried to
leave Mel. I had everything packed up ready to go. The kids and all, and
Melvin came home and caught me he said “You ain’t goin anywheres.”
|
00:11:12
|
Shirley
Lute interview
|
And he took
me and he locked me in a basement. And he left me there for five days no
food, no water, no way out. He said “you’re not goin’
anywheres.” I was the one that was being tortured.
You know, why should I have to go to prison for being tortured by somebody.
You know but, I missed my whole life you might as well say.
|
00:11:23
|
SUPER.
Shirley was one of two women in the coalition who received clemency from the
governor.
The other 9
were denied.
|
00:11:52
|
Exterior
shots. Cuts to Jane Aiken
|
JANE AIKEN:
Those people who have life without parole have to be
given Clemency by a Governor. In other words, their sentence has to be commuted to something that will allow them to
see the parole board or will allow them to be released.
|
00:12:05
|
Picture of
Governor Matt Blunt shown.
|
WOMAN
BROADCASTER: Governor Matt Blunt signed a law providing the opportunity for
parole for battered women convicted of murder.
NEWSCASTER:
The 2007 law allows parole for people sentenced to life in prison if they had
been victims of abuse.
|
00:12:23
00:12:30
|
Street footage
|
We all
received hearings on the same day … and uh we all went one after the other
and focussed
|
00:12:36
|
Interview
|
on the
domestic violence, ‘cause I wanted to make sure that
they heard it from her perspective. Not just read it, but heard it.
|
00:12:43
|
Street footage
|
The hearing
was probably twenty minutes, and then we waited for six months.
|
00:12:50
|
Street
footage
|
MALE
NEWSCASTER: The board has denied parole to three women,
|
00:12:56
|
Newcast
|
who claim
they were driven to murder their husbands by lives filled with domestic
abuse. An attorney for two of the women says the board’s latest decision will
be appealed.
|
00:12:59
|
|
PATRCIA
HARRISON: It was one line. “It would not be in society’s best interest to
release the inmate at this time”.
|
00:13:11
|
Patricia Harrison interview
|
Nothing.
|
00:13:18
|
SUPER. Ten years since the Clemency Coalition
was founded,
3 of the 11 women originally represented by the
coalition remain incarcerated.
|
00:13:23
|
Driving shot SUPER. Vandalia, Missouri
|
00:13:33
|
Exterior
shots of WECC
SUPER.
Women’s Eastern Correction Center
|
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: Hi Carlene.
MARY BECK:
Hey Carlene.
ROBERTA
CARLENE WARDEN: Hi.
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: How are you?
|
00:13:44
|
Amy meets
Roberta inside
SUPER. Carlene
Sentenced in 1978
Cuts
between old photographs
|
ROBERTA
CARLENE WARDEN: Fine, how are you?
MARY BECK:
What’s goin on? I hear you got a new dog.
ROBERTA
CARLENE MOSEN: I got a new dog this …
today and, I’m gonna do the basic training
on her for her to be adopted to make her a better pet.
I would be eighty two years old before I would go see the parole
board. And I came in when I was thirty three years old I came in.
I met my
husband many years ago when we was young. We was raised up together, so I was fourteen years old when I
got married. I was still a child. I was married about two years before the
abuse started. Then it dismantled. I was fat, I was ugly, you’re a whore like
your mother, and I guess at first I thought that’s the way marriage was
supposed to be.
I would
come home from work, and he’d be waiting for me. And I’d fix him something to
eat well that wasn’t good enough and he’d hit me and throw that on the floor.
Our
daughter, she had major back surgery. And she was in a body cast. Well, she
didn’t get up off of the van fast enough for him, he
whipped her with a belt.
|
00:13:51
00:14:12
00:14:41
00:14:53
|
Tresea Clinton Interview.
SUPER. Tresea Clinton
Carlene's daughter
Cuts
between old photos
|
TRESEA
CLINTON: Life there was just was not good. It was like bein’
in prison. We did our best to protect each other, cause
we knew that if one of us didn’t cover our backs, we paid for it.
ROBERTA
CARLENE WARDEN: I can’t even explain how down he had me.
|
00:15:04
00:15:19
|
Carlene
Interview
|
I didn’t
even know who I was.
|
00:15:24
|
SUPER.
Carlene was convicted of 1st degree murder in 1978 for the hired
killing of Delbert Borden.
She was not
allowed to mention the abuse at trial, and received a sentence of 50 years to
life in prison.
|
00:15:27
|
Women’s
Eastern Correction Center
|
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: I wanted to show you the letter that your Great Grandson wrote
to me, And it says: “Dear guy who sets women free,
Hi I’m Lance Smith, and I’m Carlene’s great grandson and she’s been in there
long enough.”
ROBERTA
CARLENE WARDEN: “She has been in there my mom whole life and my whole life.
She needs to see more of … of the outside world. She needs to get out so she
can live the rest of her life with her family she hardly knows. Sincerely,
Lance.” He drives these officers crazy.(all laugh)
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: How many grandkids do you have now?
ROBERTA
CARLENE WARDEN: I’ve got seven grandkids and nine great grandkids. I’ve
raised ‘em in the visiting area.
AMY LORENZ-MOSER:
Just hang in there.
ROBERTA
CARLENE WARDEN: I’m trying but some days it’s awfully hard.
|
00:15:38
|
Jane Aiken
|
JANE AIKEN:
When you kill somebody, you have to pay a price. On
the other hand, the sentences these people got were way disproportionate to
their … um, culpability.
|
00:16:38
|
Amy
Lorenz-Moser at home
|
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: The board did not correctly follow the statute, and so we filed
a writ against them. To force them to give them new hearings and hopefully
come to what we believe is the right decision which is that they’ve served
enough time and they’re no danger to society.
|
00:16:50
|
Patricia
Harrison reading
SUPER. Voice of Charlie Brennan
Radio Host
|
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: The one thing about coming back thirty years later, is that the guy
is not there to present his side of the story. Is it possible that the women
change their story, because if you can claim abuse years later that’s one way
to beat your charge of being sentenced to life without parole.
|
00:17:12
|
Documents
shown
|
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: You know when you’re dealing with a case that’s thirty years
old, where evidence wasn’t developed because it wasn’t admissible. In many of
these cases there aren’t any records of it because these women aren’t
permitted to get medical treatment.
MARY BECK: Carlene’s
mother saw bruises on her all the time. But because Carlene’s husband was a
police officer, he wouldn’t let her complain to the police because those were
his colleagues. So there were no police records. And
the prosecutor’s office in Springfield seemed to believe that that meant
there had never been any abuse.
PATRICIA
HARRISON: This was in a period of time where
Battered Women Syndrome had just been passed and I don’t think lawyers really
knew what to do with it. Because they were afraid that the jurors would not
understand it and would blame the victim.
|
00:17:22
00:17:35
00:17:53
|
SUPER. Voice of S.
Louis County Prosecutor
Bob McCullough
|
BOB McCULLOUGH: Both of these women,
at the time, said that “I was never abused by my husband.”
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: So, thirty years ago they were given the
opportunity to present evidence of abuse, but uh, they denied that they were
abused.”
BOB McCULLOUGH: Absolutely.
|
00:18:06
|
Exterior
shot of Park. Cut to Amy Lorenz-Moser
|
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: If you’re gonna claim Battered Spouse
Syndrome you have to admit you did that killing. And
so it’s a pretty big risk. Cause you’re relying on
the jury to give you an out. But because it wasn’t in the heat of battle,
some jurors aren’t gonna do it.
|
00:18:22
|
Ruby Jamerson Interview
|
RUBY
JAMERSON: I wanna go back out there and be …
somebody. Be the person that I was. You know before all this happened.
Because this, this just isn’t a life … in here.
|
00:18:36
|
SUPER. Ruby
was convicted of hiring her son, Donyae, to kill her
husband Horace.
She was
sentenced to life without parole. Donyae served 20
years before being released.
|
00:18:49
|
Driving
shot. SUPER. North St. Louis, Missouri
|
|
00:19:00
|
Exterior
shot of Donyae’s house.
|
DONYAE: I
think that a real man should never put his hands on a woman real men don’t do
that. But to grow up seein’ totally the opposite,
|
00:19:07
|
Donyae interview. SUPER. Donyae
Ruby's youngest son
|
me I’ve
always been … uh, a fighter. So I always did fight
back.
|
00:19:16
|
Photos. Jamerson
family
|
Seein her being left face down in the snow, with fractured ribs. Back
then the police came and they left because ya’ll married and that’s in ya’ll
household and that’s where we gonna leave that at.
|
00:19:22
|
Back to interview
|
I know it
was wrong that a person lost their life. But at the same token, when do the
cycle ever stop?
|
00:19:39
|
Ruby Jamerson interview in prison
|
PATRICIA
HARRISON: How old was he though when you saw him the last time?
RUBY
JAMERSON: Sixteen.
PATRICIA
HARRISON: So you’re still seeing that sixteen year
old boy. When you talk to him on the phone.
RUBY
JAMERSON: Yeah, when he sixteen he’s a baby so.
PATRICIA
HARRISON: Of course, yeah.
RUBY
JAMERSON: You know, mama’s baby.
|
00:19:48
|
Interview interspersed with newspaper articles
|
I guess, if
I had of just thought everything through, you know. And took my son away from
the house, it wouldn’t of happened.
Anybody can
make the wrong decision in a split second. But when you get bashed upside
your head, and knocked down and beat with, you know wooden coat hangers and
stuff you don’t think. You can’t think.
I guess
what I should’ve did was pack my bags and leave. But sometimes you just feel
like you’re tired of runnin’.
|
00:20:11
00:20:24
00:20:44
|
Colleen Coble Interview cut with footage of Shirley Lute in
her apartment
|
COLLEEN
COBLE: The first question that most people wanna
ask is, “Why didn’t she leave?” And that’s the wrong question. We wanna know what’s wrong with her. When the question is,
“Why is he still beating her?” You think she’s a lousy wife, you don’t like
her cooking, you think she doesn’t do a good job around the house, you don’t
like the work she does for pay, why in God’s name don’t you leave?
And we … we
don’t ask that question. We turn it all around to, “Well, why doesn’t she do
something?” The person who is being threatened, the person who has been told,
“I’ll make sure you don’t leave”, we put the entire burden on her. Instead of
the one who’s committing the crime.
|
00:20:54
00:21:26
|
Patricia
Harrison
|
PATRICIA
HARRISON: When the woman kills, when the woman doesn’t leave, there’s outrage
to that. And it’s because we don’t understand domestic violence.
|
00:21:47
|
Exterior
Shot. SUPER. April 2009
|
BROADCASTER:
Cole County Judge Richard Callahan said the parole board must reconsider its
earlier denial in the cases of Carlene Borden and Ruby Jamerson.
|
00:21:55
|
Newscast
|
That order
stemmed from a law passed two years ago that said
parole hearings must consider the claims of battered wives.
|
00:22:06
|
Patricia
Harrison with Ruby Jamerson
|
PATRICIA
HARRISON: They look at your history of criminal involvement. You have none.
Abusive drugs or alcohol, no. Need for institutional substance abuse or a sex
offender program, no doesn’t apply to you. And then lack of a good faith
effort toward getting your GED, well you came in here with a degree. And then
the judge says, the board shall not consider the seriousness of the events.
That’s what makes this new hearing pretty different
because in the past, what were all the questions they asked us about? The
seriousness of the events,
|
00:22:12
|
Snippets of
newspaper shown. Cuts to Amy Lorenz-Moser driving.
|
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: Amy Lorenz-Moser is attorney for Vicky Williams and Carlene Borden
she joins us right now on KMOX. Now, uh you insisted these women were beaten
although some of their relatives disagree and, don’t you agree if you kill
someone you should pay a very harsh consequence.
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: Well let’s go back to Ms. Borden’s case. Her husband was a
police officer, she attempted to leave her husband on multiple occasions. He
hired a private investigator, threatened her children until she came back.
CHARLIE
BRENNAN: So in other words if you think the police
won’t listen to you take the matters into your own hands?
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: That’s not true. I don’t think that what these women were
convicted of doing is a correct course of action. However, each of them have
been in jail for over thirty two years each, they
did not receive a slap on the wrist for this.
|
00:22:43
|
Old Photos
of Carlene
Carlene
interview
Tresea Clinton Interview
Carlene
interview
|
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: Carlene, unlike a lot of these women in these cases, is actually somebody who tried to leave. She ended up living
with a boyfriend.
ROBERTA CARLENE
BORDEN: I think it was first part of February when Don found us. On February
27th, that night I fixed dinner and we watched Family Feud. I got
up and went to the bathroom, and when I came back there was Don in front of
Delbert with a gun.
TRESEA CLINTON:
Me and my brother heard a loud crash, like something had fell.
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Delbert he looked at me and he says uh ... “Carlene call the
ambulance cause Don just shot me.”
|
00:23:32
00:23:45
00:24:08
00:24:12
|
SUPER.
Donald Pilkerton received a shortened sentence in
return for testimony against Carlene.
A decade
later, he recanted his original statement, taking full responsibility for the
shooting.
|
00:24:25
|
Newspaper article. Cuts to Carlene interview
|
My trial
lasted for two and a half days. The jurors didn’t wanna
stay up in a motel because it was labor day weekend.
So they sentenced me life to fifty. There on Friday
night.
|
00:24:35
|
Photo of
Carlene
|
MARY BECK:
Carlene didn’t have enough money to hire her own council so the court appointed
attorneys to represent her. The court appointed her husband’s attorney to
represent her in
|
00:24:48
|
Mary Beck
interview
|
the murder
trial of her husband. That’s a conflict of interest there’s no way around it.
|
00:24:59
|
SUPER. On
July 15, 2009, the parole board issues new rulings for Carlene and Ruby.
|
00:25:03
|
News
footage
|
MALE
NEWSCASTER: Three Missouri women serving time for murdering their husbands
will not be let out on parole even though they claim they were abused by
their spouses, and that led to the killings.
FEMALE
NEWSCASTER: The Missouri Board of Parole denied parole for Carlene Borden and
Ruby Jamerson.
MALE
NEWSCASTER: The three won’t be eligible for another hearing for three years,
unless this ruling’s overturned.
|
00:25:05
00:25:14
00:25:19
|
Inside
prison
|
RUBY
JAMERSON: Hi.
PATRICIA
HARRISON: Oh boy.
RUBY
JAMERSON: Yeah.
PATRICIA
HARRISON: So you got this on Friday.
RUBY
JAMERSON: Yeah.
PATRICIA
HARRISON: Ok, And it’s my understanding that the
decisions that they gave are similar for Carlene too did you see hers? Exactly the same
RUBY
JAMERSON: Exact same words.
PATRICIA
HARRISON: So they’re exactly the same. Because it’s
a farce. And they’re not following the law, and they did exactly what they
did last year.
|
00:25:25
|
SUPER. The
parole board and the Department of Corrections refused to comment or appaear on camera.
|
PAROLE
BOARD: I appreciate your extending the opportunity to interview but we’re gonna have to decline that.
|
00:25:55
|
Inside Prison
|
RUBY
JAMERSON: Every year you say oh another year that went past and we still
fighting. Another year I never thought it would been ten years you know and
you still you know the same people still working with you and fightin’ for you and....
|
00:26:04
|
Newspaper articles
|
BRENDAN
ROEDIGER: I think the Parole Board is looking for the perfect victim, and I
think the problem is that they will never find it. A lot of these women
suffer from the fact that they don’t fit our image of domestic violence.
|
00:26:17
|
Brendan Roediger Interview
|
That image
is of women who are submissive at all times. Often
white. If they don’t fit that image if they’ve ever fought back a lot of
folks stop believing that they’re victims.
|
00:26:29
|
Documents
Patricia harrison
|
PATRICIA
HARRISON: We’re not allowed by law to see any of the information that they
have. The institutional parole officer writes a report and then makes a
recommendation to the board, we’re not allowed to see that. It’s just, unlike
anything I’ve ever experienced as a lawyer. You just feel completely in the
dark.
We’re not
exactly sure what were gonna do yet. We need to
review the judge’s order, and then we need to decide how to best proceed.
|
00:26:47
00:27:07
|
Women’s
Eastern Correction Center
|
TANYA
MITCHELL: My name is Tanya Mitchell and um … Cut. I don’t know. (laughs)
|
00:27:21
|
Old Photo
|
(phone
rings)
OPERATOR:
911
WOMAN: My neighbor’s just come in here
screaming ‘help me’ and she says she shot her husband.
OPERATOR:
By accident or on purpose or what?
WOMAN: I
don’t know sir.
TANYA:
Don’t let him get me.
WOMAN: He
won’t getcha go in there
honey.
OPERATOR:
Now Tanya…
TANYA: Uh
huh (sobbing)
OPERATOR:
Why did you shoot him with a gun?
TANYA: I
don’t know. He said that he was gonna kill me.
OPERATOR:
He said he was gonna kill you?
TANYA: No,
I know he’s gonna kill me.
|
00:27:28
|
SUPER.
Tanya was charged with second degree murder in 2002.
Her
attorneys feared that a Battered Woman's Syndrome defense would not be enough
to acquit at trial.
She pleaded
guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received the maximum allowable sentence,
15 years.
|
00:27:56
|
Photos of
Tanya and Jimmy
|
TANYA
MITCHELL: Jimmy was only like 5’ 9”. But when you would meet him and have any
type of interaction with him you would think he was like six foot something
and huge, just his persona that he had. He did all kinds of little things for
me that just was really impressive and he was
romantic and very intelligent. You know one time we was
out at a rest area on a run and he picked the big roses right in the middle
of bring em over and hand em
to me. Gestures like that was just I thought was just awesome.But as time progressed, our relationship
just got worse and worse.
BRENDAN
ROEDIGER: He was involved in a motorcycle club. She became the property of
that motorcycle club.
TANYA
MITCHELL: Couldn’t walk, been beat with a bat. Bruises on my forehead from
playing Russian Roulette. Taking the gun and jamming my forehead with it. Puttin’ a bullet in, spinnin it
pullin the trigger. Grabbed a pair of pliers had
the pliers around my toe trying to pull my toes and toenails off. He pretty
much told me that we were gonna get married at gun
point. I was ready to get out of the relationship, but he wasn’t gonna let me go at this point. He said if um, if he
couldn’t have me nobody could have me and he meant it.
|
00:28:11
00:28:50
00:28:55
|
Old Wedding
Photo
|
BRENDAN
ROEDIGER: The abuse escalated to sort of monstrous proportions it’s a hard
case to even talk about. It’s more of a case of domestic terrorism.
|
00:29:34
|
Cherlyn Interview.
SUPER. Cherlyn
Tanya's
cousin and legal aid
|
CHERLYN:
They would go on …. on these
motorcycle runs and he would allow her to be gang raped by members of the
motor cycle gang. I mean telling her that she enjoyed it, he would beat her
because she allowed it to happen even though she had no choice.
|
00:29:42
|
Photo of
Tanya and Jimmy
|
BRENDAN
ROEDIGER: Her family encouraged her to leave the situation. I think everyone
was stumped on how to do it.
|
00:30:00
|
Driving
shots. Cuts to Brendan Roediger interview
Gruesome
abuse photos
cuts to
Tanya Mitchell interview
|
In Tanya
Mitchell’s case in particular there were very graphic photographs taken by
co-workers. Co-workers that were concerned that ultimately she would be
killed and there’d be no evidence that it was her husband who had killed her.
They took
her to a building, took pictures of bruises all over her body, and stored
those photographs.
TANYA
MITCHELL: For the last ten months before the shooting, he would tell me every
day that “it was my lucky day and he was gonna let
me live” and the day of the shooting he’d come in to the bedroom and got me …
and wanted some breakfast uh … and I didn’t
have none ready. He said, “it wasn’t my lucky day”, and that his big decision
was how he was going to kill me. And from that point on, fear was just
instilled in me and… I snapped sometime that evening.
|
00:30:07
00:30:22
00:30:30
00:30:42
|
Driving shots
|
OPERATOR:
911
JIMMY: My
wife shot me.
OPERATOR:
You’re wife shot you?
JIMMY:
Yeah.
OPERATOR:
When did she shoot you?
JIMMY: I
don’t know I was sound asleep.
OPERATOR:
You was asleep?
JIMMY: Yes.
OPERATOR:
She just came in and shot you?
JIMMY: Yes.
I don’t know what came over her. Oh god, oh. Oh I’m dyin.
|
00:31:06
|
Patricia Harrison Interview. Cuts to newspaper
articles and old photos
Brendan Roediger
Interview
|
PATRICIA
HARRISON: The law is written in such a way that it is very difficult to use
as an affirmative defense to be proven not guilty. Battered Woman Syndrome
requires you to prove self-defense. You have to prove that there was an
immediate threat or physical injury that you would have to kill or you would
be killed. And a lot of times that’s not how these things happen.
BRENDAN
ROEDIGER: These sorts of questions about when she can pull the trigger and
when she can’t,
I think
that’s sorta silly. I think she was gonna die that day … the reason she didn’t die that day
is because she pulled the trigger.
|
00:31:30
00:31:54
|
SUPER. Tanya's case does not meet the criteria
of the 2007 statute, and she is not represented by the Clemency Coalition
Her family is currently preparing for her next
parole hearing.
|
00:32:03
|
Exterior
shots of a house.
|
GLORIA:
We’ve done the parole board twice. Once with Washington U, and then share in
2008. For 2010, we’re not going to go through all the trouble with a brief
and doing petitions and letters, because they’re not readin’
it. If they would’ve read the 208 one there’s no way that they would’ve came
up with an answer that she may go out and do the same crime again.
PHYLLIS:
What if we do like we did before and we send uh … get those addresses for up
at Jeff’s city and we just start emailin’
constantly.
GLORIA: I’m
tellin you I have no faith in the Parole Board.
|
00:32:14
|
Tanya in
prison
|
TANYA
MITCHELL: This is my answer to the uh … my last Parole Board hearing. “This
does not appear to be a reasonable probability at this time that the
offender,” that’d be me, “would live and remain at liberty without again
violating the law based on circumstances surrounding the present events.” So
they think I’m gonna go out and do this again or somethin’ I don’t know.
|
00:32:57
|
SUPER. May
2010.
Cuts to Amy
Lorenz-Moser interview
Amy gets reasy for parole hearings
Amy
interview
|
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: We filed another writ against the Parole Board and that’s
basically a law suit that says, “You’ve exceeded your authority, you don’t
have the authority to do this. And you need to take that decision and throw
it out.
WOMAN: So
Amy, are you getting ready to practice your argument?
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: I am.
There are
several points of error that we’ve said the Parole Board made. This statute
specifically set forth a requirement that they provide a report detailing the
reasons that they were denying parole or granting parole. They literally
provided two sentences of decision for each of these women after over a year
of consideration of their cases overall.
At this
point I really don’t have a feel for where she’s goin’.
You know both sides made good arguments so we’ll just see what she decides.
|
00:33:28
00:33:40
00:33:46
00:34:00
00:34:07
|
Women’s
Eastern Correction Center
|
PATRICIA
HARRISON: We filed our new writ. This is a new judge, she doesn’t know
anything about our case. I don’t think she’s real familiar with the statute
it’s very new it only applies you know to a small group of women.
RUBY
JAMERSON: Three people.
PATRICIA
HARRISON: Exactly so … so I don’t know I have a lot of answers today.
RUBY
JAMERSON: Well that’s okay.
PATRICIA
HARRISON: Yeah.
|
00:34:16
|
SUPER.
Judge Patricia Joyce rules that the parole board overstepped their authority.
She awards
Ruby and Carlene new hearings.
|
00:34:33
|
Inside prison
|
MARY BECK:
I will be seeing you on the 27th, at 8 o’clock, and we’ll plan and
be ready. Ok?
ROBERTA CARLENE
BORDEN: Ok.
MARY BECK:
Hang in.
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: I will. I’m going to. I’m going to.
|
00:34:40
|
|
RUBY
JAMERSON: I just feel like as I say there’s a light at the end of the tunnel
we got more, another light just you know open, shown for us. And to me I feel
like it’s even brighter this time. So…. You can’t … beat yourself down you
know because you know at first you feel like, “oh I failed again.” But, I
don’t feel that way this time.
|
00:34:52
|
SUPER. September 15, 2010
|
00:35:19
|
Newscasts
|
MALE NEWSCASTER:
Today 3 Missouri women convicted of murdering their husbands decades ago,
have been granted parole.
FEMALE
NEWSCASTER: Williams and Borden will be released from prison October 15th,
Ruby Jamerson will be release later in 2013. They
are the only remaining inmates eligible for parole under the 2007 statute.
|
00:35:23
00:35:29
|
Women’s
Eastern Correction Center
Cuts to
Teresa Clinton interview
|
RUBY
JAMERSON: I mean she laid the paper
down and it was like, I jumped up out of the seat. I’m not goin’ home for two more years … but, it is a date. And
I’m happy about that.
TANYA
MITCHELL: We had a good day in here Monday there was tears flowin like crazy. And Carlene’s gonna
be two days short of thirty two years. She was just in shock.
TRESEA CLINTON:
When they said released … I kinda think I zoned her
out for a minute. And then when she told me a third time that yes she was
released, then I hung up and I just started ballin.
I, couldn’t believe this. It was good news. Best day of my life.
|
00:35:40
00:35:53
00:36:03
|
Carlene in
a car leaving Women’s Eastern Correction Center
|
Won’t have
to see that place again. No. No way.
Wow I’m
just thinkin’ it feels good ridin’
in a car without no handcuffs on. My gosh. Or shackles hanging between my legs.
|
00:36:23
00:36:33
|
Cuts to Brendan Roediger
intreview
|
BRENDAN
ROEDIGER: The parole board absolutely believes that these woman are learning
life skills in prison.
I don’t
know if, you know, when they go home at night they still believe that but, I
believe that a lot of them needed a lot of help. That they needed counseling,
that they needed resources that they needed a hundred things but, they didn’t
need prison. Not, not a single one.
|
00:36:45
00:36:50
|
Everyone seated in a restaurant
|
MARY BECK:
You get to wear your ring now.
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Yeah, my ring and my earrings and… I’ve had this ring thirty
two years.
MARY BECK:
Is that from you?
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Yup. She got it when I got locked up.
WOMAN: It
just don’t seem real.
WOMAN: Are
we all ready to order?
WAITRESS:
I, wherever whoever wants to start.
CREW?:
Right here.
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: We’re gonna get this over the top.
WAITRESS:
Ok. And how do you want your eggs done?
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Over easy.
WAITRESS:
Ok, bacon or sausage?
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Bacon. Bacon.
WAITRESS:
White toast, wheat toast?
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Wheat.
WAITRESS:
Ok.
(Laughing,
conversation).
MAN: Push
it.
TRESEA
CLINTON: No just, yeah. Push that down. Oh this is going to be so much fun.
(laughs)
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Oh real pancakes. Nothing like … prison pancakes.
|
00:37:05
|
Tanya in
prison
Cuts to
photo of Tanya and Jimmy
|
INTERVIEWER:
Would you ever want to be in a relationship again?
TANYA
MITCHELL: At this point no. It’s not worth the … risk. The hurt, the pain.
It’s still too fresh. And I’m still in love with Jimmy
INTERVIEWER:
And do you miss him?
TANYA
MITCHELL: Yeah
INTERVIEWER:
How much do you think about him?
TANYA
MITCHELL: (crying) Been holdin’ my breath for a
long time. I miss him a whole lot. I miss him a whole lot.
|
00:38:15
00:38:32
00:38:59
|
Cherlyn’s office. SUPER. Cherlyn
Tanya's cousin and legal aid
Cuts to old photos of Tanya
Cuts to Tanya in prison
|
CHERLYN:
When I was developing this book for her last parole hearing, and going
through boxes and boxes of pictures this is one that just really kind of got
to me. Uh, this picture was taken three days after Tanya and Jim got married
in Vegas. She comes back for her … wedding shower and she has two black eyes.
And in a room full of about thirty women, not one person said a thing to her,
including us. While we were playing games and, everything that you would do
at a bridal shower. It just disgusted me the fact that, that’s what
everyone’s approach was. Instead of someone saying, you know, “Can you get an
annulment? Can you run away?” You know, everybody just kinda
brushed it off like it was nothing. How horrible to have to live a life like
that, and have everybody around you not say a word about it. Until it was too
late.
TANYA
MITCHELL: People just don’t understand the fear that women go through with an
abuser. The fear is so real, and you have reason to fear. But for some reason
if it’s
your husband, they just don’t think it’s that big a deal. But if it would be
a stranger or a serial killer or something, then that would be like, “oh we gotta do something about this.” I think most people that
feel that fear … they’re not around to tell you about it. They’re not,
they’re dead.
|
00:39:18
00:40:21
00:40:34
|
Photo album of Tanya
|
BRENDAN
ROEDIGER: I certainly worry about her, I … I certainly believe that her
husband still has friends that are … a danger to her.
|
00:40:57
|
Cherlyn
with Tanya’s family in meeting room.
|
CHERLYN:
She’s starting to get a little nervous about and … they’re still threatening
her. So she’s kinda freakin’
out about that.
TERESA: So
you think she should said in front of the parole board she’s scared for her
safety and her, family’s safety? That’s what you’re kinda
thinkin?
CHERLYN: I
mean, I think it’s a validation of her feelings to say that she’s scared.
PHYLLIS:
Yeah, cause she is. You know if they wanted to do anything to us … or if they
wanted to do anything to you, they know where all of us are.
CHERLYN:
Right. But on the other hand the purpose of the parole board and what they’re
trying to do is see if she has overcome what happened to her. So, if she
can’t answer those questions, then to them it’s always gonna
look like she’s not ready. So we need to figure out how we can get her past
that, and help her get home.
|
00:41:03
|
Party for
Carlene
SUPER. Lance
Carlene's great-grandson
|
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: (laughing) It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you Ray.
RAY: Nah no
it’s not, no it’s not.
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: She was 18 months old. My girl.
LANCE: My
letter got you out.
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Sure did honey.
LANCE: I
guess it was all because uh, me and my letter that … well you’re here.
|
00:41:48
|
Footage of
Carlene around the house
|
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: I woke up this morning and didn’t have a back ache for the
first time. So it was just like, sleeping on water. (laughs)
Oh, it
feels great to be here on this … deck. I dreamed about this since my son had
it built long in the summer.
I’ve been
locked up for so long and I really don’t know how I’m gonna
feel being in a house in a home. Cause I don’t know what I’m gonna be doing I don’t know how I’m gonna
act.
I don’t
even know where to start.
I feel like
… I really don’t belong. Because, I don’t know what to do. I wanna sit down and just cry because I feel … kinda lost.
|
00:42:12
00:42:24
00:42:32
00:42:51
00:43:01
|
SUPER. The morning of Tanya's parole hearing
|
00:43:15
|
Gloria’s
house
|
GLORIA:
Hello?
TERESA: I’m
getting ready to leave.
GLORIA: Alright,
bye.
TERESA: Ok,
see ya.
|
00:43:25
|
Gloria in
car
Teresa
reads magazine
|
TANYA: Hi
mom I just called to tell you I love you.
GLORIA: I
love you too and I’m on my way up there. See ya in
a little bit even though I can’t tell you anything to ya.
TERESA: I
love you sissy good luck.
TANYA: Aw,
I love you guys.
GLORIA:
Alright. Alright.
TANYA:
Alright. Bye bye.
GLORIA: Bye
bye.
TERESA:
She’s only allowed to take one person in so, she wants her momma there. (laughs)
|
00:43:43
00:44:16
|
SUPER. Two
hours later - Gloria meeting with Phyllis
|
PHYLLIS:
Did she do good?
GLORIA: Oh she ended up breakin’ down.
She came in teary eyed. Yep.
PHYLLIS:
How come she was doin’ so good.
GLORIA: I don’t know what happened.
PHYLLIS:
When he said, “do you have anything else to say”, she didn’t say the things
like … what her plans were and that she was gonna …
GLORIA:
Yup.
PHYLLIS: So she lost all of that when she got upset.
GLORIA: She
just lost it.
He said,
“is there a reason why you think that you should be let out of here sooner?”
And she turned around and she told why she was cryin
and she said, “sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t be let out sooner.” You
know.
TANYA
MITCHELL: I’m sorry I did such a bad job.
GLORIA: You
didn’t, you didn’t do real bad but, you could’ve
done better. You didn’t do real bad, you know.
TANYA
MITCHELL: Yes I did, I did horrible.
GLORIA: I
know.
TANYA
MITCHELL: They were just so cut and dry.
GLORIA: I
know. Hey settle yourself down you did what you could. You know, no matter
what we’ll just have to wait and see what’s gonna
happen ok?
|
00:44:29
|
Gloria
getting in car.
Cuts to Amy
interview
Cuts to
Gloria at home
|
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: They did a study in the state of Missouri about the
disproportionality of the sentences that women who killed their spouses
receive versus men. There were vastly more men in prison for killing their
spouses,
none of
them had the most severe penalty that you could get. Of the
women that
were in jail for killing their spouses, there were many that had the most
severe sentence that you could get.
|
00:45:32
00:45:48
00:45:52
|
Gloria’s
house
|
GLORIA: Ok,
I’m ready. Collect call from Tanya.
TANYA
MITCHELL: I went back up a few minutes ago and got
my answer from the pro board.
GLORIA:
Yeah?
TANYA MITCHELL:
Are you Ready?
GLORIA:
Yeah.
TANYA
MITCHELL: I got a date.
GLORIA: You
got a date? When?
TANYA
MITCHELL: It’s January 21st, 2015.
GLORIA:
Huh? 2015?
TANYA
MITCHELL: I know mama, but at least it’s a date.
GLORIA: My
god that’s four years away yet. Five almost.
TANYA
MITCHELL: It’s only like, a little over four years. Four years and ten
months.
GLORIA:
That’s your date to get out anyway right?
TANYA
MITCHELL: Right yeah. That’s my conditional release date.
GLORIA:
(sighs)
I just
wanted to tell ya she got her answer ... and it’s
not a good one. January 21st 2015
WOMAN ON
PHONE: What is goin on?
GLORIA: I
don’t know.
|
00:46:01
00:46:47
|
Carlene
walks up the drive
Carlene on
rocking chair on deck
|
TRESEA
CLINTON: So how was Wal-Mart?
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Oh man it was scary kinda at first. I’m not used to big old stores like that
you know.
TRESEA
CLINTON: Afraid you’re gonna get lost?
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Yeah. Well I’m walking pretty fast kinda like, “well don’t, don’t let people see me.” You
know they think, well I’m just a regular person.
It was hard
to leave Ruby. Cause I’ve known her for so long and it … and really they’re my family. But still, it was, it was nice leavin ‘em. And one day, their
day will be
comin’ too for them to able to come home.
|
00:47:04
00:47:26
00:47:38
|
Carlene and
Tresea walk towards old car
Carlene on
rocking chair
|
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Sure don’t look like it did when I
owned it. Brand new car back when I had it.
TRESEA
CLINTON: I took care of it for a lot of years.
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Yeah.
TRESEA
CLINTON: It was bought back in seventy…
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Two.
TRESEA
CLINTON: Two?
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Yep, I bought brand new I picked it out and… and everything.
And I kept this sucker clean. Me and the kids drove this many… miles just me
and the kids. That’s the one good time it was about it because… he had it,
was in it was always fussin’ and fightin’. And if it got a little bit over he’d… gripe at
me. Ok let’s…I had enough of the car.
TRESEA
CLINTON: You’re good?
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Yeah. I’m good with it.
I do not
think about Dilbert at all anymore. He don’t own me
anymore. So he, he can’t control me anymore.
|
00:47:41
00:48:32
|
Amy driving
|
AMY LORENZ-MOSER:
You can’t, really say that you’ve gotten justice for these women until they
walk out. It’s important not just to them, but to all of us to see them be
out of prison. Seeing the photographs, I don’t see how anybody can look at
that…and say no.
|
00:48:41
|
Amy
approaches Gloria's house
Inside
Gloria's house
Amy leaves
|
GLORIA: Hi.
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: Hi, how are you?
GLORIA: Yeah I’m fine. (laughs)
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: Good, good, good to see you.
GLORIA:
Yeah.
Tanya’s
medical records and, work records and…
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: Now what’s in the bottom here?
GLORIA:
Pictures. I guess you’d say crime scene.
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: Oh great. Well now, we’ll uh…we’ll probably retain it through
the, representation.
GLORIA:
Yeah.
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: And then when we’re done, hopefully with the terrific results,
I’ll you know, meet you for a beer.
GLORIA:
Yeah. Ok. (laughs)
Jim just
downgraded her all the time, told her she was fat and ugly and but… if you
met him you would say, “oh he’s not so bad.” He’s just one of those types
that can hide it like a lot of guys can.
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: This case, has a different kind of chance than I thought,
because we can prove it. I feel like, she deserves somebody to help her.
|
00:49:06
00:49:16
00:49:37
00:49:51
|
Women’s
Eastern Correction Center
(Cuts to
Ruby's family at home)
|
RUBY
JAMERSON: You know I just, I just… missed my family.
WOMEN:
Everybody pig out and go to sleep. (laugh)
RUBY
JAMERSON: Just to sit down at a table, you know, and talk. And eat, and have
fun with the kids and you know.
DONYAE: Hey
everybody my momma on the phone. So…
(Ruby’s
family say hello to her on the phone)
You gotta see the house, it’s like a… museum up in here. Your
house is just different, you have pictures… pictures all around.
MAN: You
got a lot of people who love you here.
RUBY
JAMERSON: Oh yeah I know. I miss ‘em all too.
RUBY’S
FAMILY: We miss you too!
DONYAE:
Love you.
RUBY
JAMERSON: Bye.
|
00:50:03
|
Shirley
Lute at home
|
SHIRLEY
LUTE: I never know what I really want. I just followed the other person. I
want so much that I don’t know what I really want. Is that hard to
understand? That you want so much that you don’t really know what you want?
Well that’s me. (laughs) I would like to have a home, it’s a trailer home
that’s fine. But I wanna have it where I can have
flowers and I have a little dog. It’s quite a… give and take family but we’re
it. And we’re all gonna survive it. Do the best we
can.
|
00:50:47
|
Carlene
playing with dogs at home
|
ROBERTA
CARLENE BORDEN: Yeah, we gotta fatten you up boy.
We gotta fatten you up. What…yeah. Yeah. Free from
the past. No more thinkin’ about that stupid past.
|
00:51:23
|
Amy meets
Tanya in prison
Cut to
Tanya Mitchell interview
|
TANYA MITCHELL: Me and Ruby, we sat around
that table one day… and um we made up our bucket list. One of the biggest
things when you come on a visit is, you just get a brief hug. That’s like one
thing I miss the most is my hugs. Eat meat. Bacon you know, some real bacon I
just… grease I just want some grease. And sleep through 5 AM count ‘cause
everyone’s up every…morning at 5 AM for count. And the stretch limousine pickin’ me up. Here’s all my… family.
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: That’s a good list.
TANYA
MITCHELL: That’s just sitting around just thinkin’…
silly stuff to write.
AMY
LORENZ-MOSER: That’s not silly at all.
TANYA
MITCHELL: Sometimes I think, um… that if I forgive myself that, then what I
did was ok.
I have to learn that forgiveness doesn’t mean what I did was
ok. I forgive him for what he’s done, now I have to
forgive me for what I’ve done. And that’s the next
step.
|
00:51:44
00:52:36
|
Shirley
Lute interview footage
|
SHIRLEY
LUTE: I would like to say that, in my younger days I grew up in uh… knowing
that the man was the boss.
And they
could do with you as you please. And um… a lot… a lot of this, you know, reginates from that too.
INTERVIEWER:
And you feel different about that now?
SHIRLEY
LUTE: Oh yes, definitely. I can take care of
Shirley… and I can make it, if given the opportunity to do it. I’m
determined.
|
00:52:53
00:53:01
00:53:26
|