Press Release for immediate distribution (Oct 20th, 2011)
“Witness To Murder” by Tony Medina – November 2011
Supporters of Tony Medina are pleased to announce the publication of “Witness to Murder”, his book of original poetry and essays. Dedicated to his friend and fellow inmate, Dominique Green, who was executed on Oct. 26th, 2004, this book both meets a promise made between them, and represents an astounding education to those who wonder how an innocent man can survive 15 years on death row, knowing that the next might bring his wrongful death. Tony invites you to join in the fight to ensure justice for him, and to understand why only the abolition of the death penalty can help other innocent men and women in the future.
London, United Kingdom. Oct 20th, 2011 — Tony Medina, 36-year-old father of three children, has been waiting on death row for his execution in Texas for nearly 15 years. He was accused of shooting into a crowd of young people with a semi-automatic weapon from a dark colored car. Two children were fatally wounded during the shooting. Nevertheless, he is innocent according to the furnished evidence and the testimony of witnesses. He is only guilty of not having enough money to engage a competent lawyer who would handle his case seriously at the time of his trial.
Tony owes a great debt of gratitude to Dominique Green, a fellow inmate on Texas death row before his execution on Oct. 26th, 2004. Dominique showed him how to channel his anger, at wrongful incarceration and sentence of death, into creative endeavors, most especially in writing poetry. Both men vowed to work to publish a book of poetry and essays, and although Dominique didn”t live to see the dream come true, Tony is proud to have completed the project today in his memory. Dominique”s final words were, “You are all my family. Please keep my memory alive.” This book is dedicated to him.
Although the bulk of the works in the book are written by Tony Medina, there is one important contribution from his sister Angie, and some others by Dominique Green, who gave them freely for use in the book. Together, they tell a story of hurt, of love, and of hope – hope that you, the reader of his book, will come to understand that Justice does not come from the broken death penalty process that persists in many parts of the United States. The innocent (the many that are exonerated or have their sentences commuted clearly demonstrate that there are far more of these than the public understand) can be trapped by a system that more often than not refuses to believe that a trial verdict can be wrong. It is as certain as can ever be demonstrated after the event, that innocent men and women have been wrongly executed.
Further information about Tony Medina”s case and ways of helping/donating can be found at: www.tony-medina.info