Execution Report: Ray Jasper

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A jury found Jasper guilty of capital murder in January 2000 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in November 2001. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied. His appeals alleged that a black man was excluded from the jury because of his race.

Steven J. Russell and Douglas DeSean Williams are serving life sentences for capital murder. After the jury sentenced Jasper to death, Russell pleaded guilty to avoid a trial with possibly the same outcome. Williams went to trial and was sentenced to life by a jury.

While on death row, Jasper declined requests for interviews from the Associated Press and the San Antonio Express-News. In January 2014, however, he responded in writing to a questionnaire from Gawker, a media blog site. "I'm on death row and yet I didn't commit the act of murder," Jasper wrote in his seven-page, single-spaced, typed letter. "I was convicted under the law of parties. When people read about the case, they assume I killed the victim, but the facts are undisputed that I did not kill the victim."

To a question about his past and upbringing, Jasper answered, "I grew up like most young blacks at a disadvantage, susceptible to the street life out of the environment and a lack of education. For most young blacks we rebel out of subtle racism and being targeted by the police." He expressed his belief in the unfairness of the justice system and capital punishment and wrote at length about the disproportionate number of blacks in prison and the disadvantages of being black. Despite using the words "black" and "white" 47 times in his letter, Jasper wanted his readers to know, "I'm not trying to play the race card."

Jasper also wrote, "I am a deeply religious person" and "I have a strong faith in Christ" and offered his views on religion, the Bible, and the death penalty.

In reaction to Jasper's letter, David Alejandro's brother, Steven Alejandro, posted a message to a blog. He wrote that Jasper's position that he was not guilty of capital murder "is based in a fantasy that Jasper has convinced himself of." He also stated that, contrary to Jasper's portrayal of himself as disadvantaged in life and poorly represented in court, he came from a stable home and was defended by "a well paid for and well known private practice firm."

Steven stated that he is opposed to the death penalty, although when Jasper's attorney asked him about that in court, he answered, "I don't think it's relevant what my opinion is."

Steven wrote that despite his contradictory feelings about Jasper, he remained opposed to the death penalty. "I have to say to my fellow death penalty opponent friends: Keep up your fight. It is an honorable one. But do not use this man, Ray Jasper, as your spokesperson, as your example of why the death penalty should be abolished. The death penalty should be abolished because it is wrong to kill another human being. Not because a Medical Examiner said your knife wound did not cause immediate death."

No one attended Jasper's execution other than prison employees and members of the news media. In his last statement, Jasper told his family to "take care of each other, stay strong and faithful to God." He thanked his supporters and told his daughter that he loved her, encouraging her to "be strong, be positive, have a great life." He concluded his statement with the words, "Lord God Almighty in Heaven Jesus Christ see my spirit. Amen." The lethal injection was then started. He was pronounced dead at 6:31 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 20 March 2014. Misspelling corrected on 27 May 2015.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, court documents, public documents, Associated Press, San Antonio Express-News, gawker.com, steven-alejandro.kinja.com.