A brilliant and unprecedented work, Chasing Justice is the riveting chronicle of how a smalltown murder became one of the worst cases of prosecutorial misconduct in American history—and sent the author, an innocent man, to hell for twenty-two harrowing years. Kerry Max Cook is one of the longest-tenured death-row prisoners to be freed: This is his unbelievable story and the only first hand account of its kind.

“I dare you to read this book. . . An inspiring human being.”

“A brutal but compelling account. . . . Amazing.”

“The incredible story of this enforced visit to hell and back is a modern day version of Dante and Kafka.”

“Deserves a wide readership alongside John Grisham’s The Innocent Man.

“An inmate’s harrowing first-person account of a travesty of Texas jurisprudence.”

“As a Texas death row in-mate trying to prove himself innocent of a rape and murder in Tyler, KERRY MAX COOK was reminded of his fate every time another con made the death walk. CHASING JUSTICE is a hellish tour of a criminal justice system whose officers allegedly railroaded Cook for personal and political gain. The litany of professional malfeasance was sufficiently egregious to inspire the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to write, with unprecedented frankness, that “prosecutorial and police misconduct has tainted this entire matter” and that the “conviction was obtained through fraud and in violation of the law.” But the Kafka-esque courtroom episodes are small beer compared with the nightmarish conditions of Cook’s twenty-year incarceration; he was left naked in solitary confinement and victimized by prison predators. That he survived is astounding; the circumstances that finally freed him by means of DNA evidence are nearly miraculous. “
— Texas Monthly

Kerry Cook has a new book coming out on Feb 27th. Kerry spent 20 years on Texas death row for a crime he did not commit. You can pre-order his book on Amazon. In 2001, Kerry was TMN’s “Outstanding Lobbyist” for his actions during the 2001 Texas Legislature when he was instrumental in convincing two committees to pass moratorium on executions legislation.

He is also on MySpace.

My book/memoir is scheduled to hit book stores February 27th, 2007. It is titled “Chasing Justice: My Story of Freeing Myself After Two Decades on Death Row for a Crime I Didn’t Commit” By Kerry Max Cook.

“A brilliant and unprecedented work, Chasing Justice is the riveting chronicle of how a smalltown murder became one of the worst cases of prosecutorial misconduct in American history—and sent the author, an innocent man, to hell for twenty-two harrowing years. Kerry Max Cook is one of the longest-tenured death-row prisoners to be freed: This is his unbelievable story and the only first-hand account of its kind. Wrongfully convicted of killing a young woman in Texas, Cook was sentenced to death in 1978 and served two decades on death row, in a prison system so notoriously brutal and violent that in 1980 a federal court ruled that serving time in Texas’s jails was “cruel and unusual punishment.” As scores of men around him were executed, Cook relentlessly battled a legal system that wanted him dead; meanwhile he fought daily to survive amid unspeakable conditions and routine assaults. When an advocate and a
crusading lawyer joined his struggle in the 1990s, a series of retrials was forced. At last, in November 1996, Texas’s highest appeals court threw out Cook’s conviction, citing overwhelming evidence of police and prosecutorial misconduct. And finally in the spring of 1999 long-overlooked DNA evidence was tested and it linked
another man to the rape and murder for which Cook had been convicted.

Today, Cook is a free man and the proud father of a young son. A shocking look inside death row, a legal thriller, and an inspirational story of one man’s ultimately triumphant fight against extreme adversity, Chasing Justice is a landmark work, written with the powerful authenticity of Cook’s own hand. It will forever unsettle our view of the American justice system.” My story was featured in the award-winning, long-running New York City off-Broadway play, “The Exonerated.” Later, the Court TV network made it into a television movie, and premiering it on network telvision in January of 2005. I am a 2003 Senior Justice Fellow for the Open Society Institute in New York.

Christopher Jay Swift is set for execution on Jan 30, which is this Tuesday. He is set to die for the 2003 murders of his wife and mother-in-law. Because the appeals process usually takes a number of years, death row inmates usually wait much longer before execution than Mr. Swift has. He has canceled all appeals and asked the judge to set an execution date for him. He wants to die and he wants the state of Texas to help in his suicide. He currently has no attorneys working on his behalf. In February 2006 he asked a judge to dismiss his appeal lawyers and allow him to represent himself. Then he waived any appeals.

Whether an execution takes place or not should be the decision of the justice system after all questions that could warrant a different outcome have been addressed by the courts. Appeals of a death sentence should proceed despite the objection of a death-sentenced inmate. Executions are conducted in the name of the people, they are not conducted to satisfy the desires of an inmate, particularly one who may have mental problems and there are questions about the sanity of Swift, which could be addressed in an appeal of his case, but he won’t allow any appeals to take place. His previous defense attorneys Jerry Cobb and Derek Adame argued that Mr. Swift was legally insane, calling a psychiatrist who testified that he believed Mr. Swift was schizophrenic.

The Denton Record-Chronicle reports that:

Mr. Swift wrote several letters, which appear in court files, asking for an execution date as soon as possible.

“I am writing to you one final time to plead with you to set my execution date ahead of those already scheduled,” he wrote Oct. 19, 2006. “While others dread their approaching executions, I am very anxious to be executed and go to heaven to be reunited with my loved ones who understand what those on Earth cannot, i.e. the forgiving power of the Lord.”

At the very least, Swift should be allowed to ask the court or the governor to stop his execution, if he changes his mind about not wanting to pursue any further appeals.

Contact Governor Perry and ask him to issue a 30-day stay for Swift

Office of the Governor Main Switchboard: (512) 463-2000 [office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CST]
Office of the Governor Fax: (512) 463-1849

For anyone who wonders about stays on the day of an execution here is a number to call:
TDCJ Public information—1-936-437-1303 —-just ask if the execution is still scheduled.

Janet Elliott of The Houston Chronicle’s Austin bureau says that Robert Talton, who was appointed to the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee may not attend its meetings, “I never asked for Criminal Jurisprudence. I don’t want to be on it. I’m not going to go to a committee I don’t want to be on,” said Talton, who added that he will read a statement from the back microphone next week.

If Talton does not attend, that would leave only one Republican on the committee and 7 Democrats.

We expect lots of good things from this committee, but if there are no good bills that make it out of the committee, we will only have the Democrats to blame, since there are 7 Democrats and only 2 Republicans on the committee.

Aaron Pena (D)

Vice Chair Allen Vaught (D)

CBO Debbie Riddle (R)

Terri Hodge (D)

Juan Escobar (D)

Barbara Mallory Caraway (D)

Paul Moreno (D)

Paula Pierson (D)

Robert Talton (R)