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Infinite Hope: How Wrongful Conviction, Solitary Confinement, and 12 Years on Death Row Failed to Kill My Soul
Anthony Graves' unbelievable saga started in 1992 when, at 26 years old, he was arrested for killing six people in Somerville, Texas. Despite his air-tight alibi, his unwavering insistence that he had no knowledge of the crime, and a lack of physical evidence linking him to the scene, Graves was arrested, charged with capital murder, and eventually sentenced to death. He spent nearly two decades defending his innocence from behind bars. With the help of a hard-charging journalist, Graves' story of injustice and the astounding malfeasance he encountered at every turn was published in Texas Monthly. In 2011, eighteen years after his nightmare began, Graves was finally exonerated. The prosecutor in his case was later disbarred.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 16, 2018
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April 9, 2018
Infinite Hope: How Wrongful Conviction, Solitary Confinement and 12 Years on Death Row Failed to Kill My Soul, Anthony Graves
Anthony Graves has lived through the worst travesty and failure of our legal system to provide him with justice. For him, it was a system that was rife with racism, political abuse, a system peopled with corrupt judges motivated by politics rather than justice, a District Attorney intent on convictions regardless of guilt or innocence, deceitful and insincere members of law enforcement, corrupt convicts willing to bargain with the lives of others to curry favor and help themselves within the prison system, witnesses too afraid of the system to testify in his defense, and lawyers motivated by fee rather than the guilt or innocence of the accused.
Convicted of a crime he never committed, possessing an airtight alibi, he was nevertheless sentenced to death and mistreated for almost two decades. Graves finally walked out of prison, 18 ½ years later, a free man, not a bitter man, although he had every right to be angry and bitter. Instead he was a man now dedicated to helping others fight the system that trapped them, often unjustly. Anthony Graves was not a murderer or an ex-convict. Anthony Graves was, and is today, a hero who represents an example for others. He never gave up, never lost his faith, and always remained hopeful in a hopeless situation, believing it had to get better. As he tells his story, it is hard not to want to scream out against the system that incarcerated him, railroaded him, and then even after throwing out his conviction after 14 years, kept him imprisoned, working for his freedom for four more years. It is hard not to want some kind of revenge. I think of the “go fund me” pages that are organized for various causes, some far less worthy than his, and I wonder why there is none set up, at least for his Foundation. His current unselfish efforts to fix the system, free innocent men and women wrongfully incarcerated or excessively sentenced, and to represent those underserved, are noble and worthwhile and deserve widespread recognition and support.
His description of the prison system in Texas is enlightening and heartbreaking at the same time. The bias and dishonesty that existed within the confines of the justice system, the system that totally ignored his credible alibi, made my head spin. It was sometimes difficult to discern between the criminality of those in prison and those in charge of the prison. It could not help but make me wonder why our prison system, originally meant to rehabilitate, seems now to only mete out punishment and lacks compassion.
I have never believed in the death penalty. As a college student, decades ago, I wrote a paper on Caryl Chessman, who at 27 years old was arrested as “the red light bandit”. He, too, spent twelve years on death row. His execution was carried out. I do not believe that a system which can be flawed should mete out such flawed justice. If taking a life is criminal, it is criminal for all.
As I read, however, I did question the logic of becoming a father at so young an age, with multiple women, without any real visible means of support. It seemed like poor judgment, and I hope that he will try and set a better example for those with whom he now interacts. Certainly, though, his judgment had nothing to do with the crime for which he was unjustly convicted. I would have liked to discover more about Robert Carter’s reasoning for accusing Graves of a crime he never committed. I was disappointed in his girlfriend Yolanda’s behavior. Upon reflection, I had hoped that she might have returned as a witness, realizing that she was innocent. Then again, so was he, and he was convicted. The lack of experience within the world of law and order was devastating. The manipulation of innocent people was horrifying. I was struck by the fact that although Graves had already been subjected to the corrupt justice system, when he was forced to admit to a drug crime he had never committed, the possession of cocaine, he still believed in a justice system that so routinely ensnared young black men. He was caught in a whirlpool of disasters, a maelstrom of deception and treachery and a lack of knowledge about how to work within the system that had trapped him.
In the end, Robert Graves was unjustly robbed of so much of his life; he did not watch his children grow older or share in their successes and failures, comfort them in their bouts of sickness, or enjoy the warmth of his family as they celebrated special moments together. How can such a debt ever be repaid to him? “Justice delayed is justice denied”!
Although wrongfully accused of a heinous crime, until the very end, the wheels of justice moved unhurriedly for him; he was forced to remain a prisoner for 18 ½ years. When the book ended, I was left with several unresolved questions. From what I could tell, only the DA suffered any consequence from the lies that were told, from the manipulation and concealment of evidence and the intimidation of witnesses. Why was no justice meted out to those Rangers who were complicit in his conviction, to those witnesses who lied, or to the judge concerned more with protecting her father than the innocent victim of her father’s injustice? It seems to me that justice still has not been served.
I encourage all to read this book in order to understand the problems of our current legal system and to perhaps be inspired to fix it!
**I received this book from Beacon Press through the early reviewers program on libraything.com
Anthony Graves has lived through the worst travesty and failure of our legal system to provide him with justice. For him, it was a system that was rife with racism, political abuse, a system peopled with corrupt judges motivated by politics rather than justice, a District Attorney intent on convictions regardless of guilt or innocence, deceitful and insincere members of law enforcement, corrupt convicts willing to bargain with the lives of others to curry favor and help themselves within the prison system, witnesses too afraid of the system to testify in his defense, and lawyers motivated by fee rather than the guilt or innocence of the accused.
Convicted of a crime he never committed, possessing an airtight alibi, he was nevertheless sentenced to death and mistreated for almost two decades. Graves finally walked out of prison, 18 ½ years later, a free man, not a bitter man, although he had every right to be angry and bitter. Instead he was a man now dedicated to helping others fight the system that trapped them, often unjustly. Anthony Graves was not a murderer or an ex-convict. Anthony Graves was, and is today, a hero who represents an example for others. He never gave up, never lost his faith, and always remained hopeful in a hopeless situation, believing it had to get better. As he tells his story, it is hard not to want to scream out against the system that incarcerated him, railroaded him, and then even after throwing out his conviction after 14 years, kept him imprisoned, working for his freedom for four more years. It is hard not to want some kind of revenge. I think of the “go fund me” pages that are organized for various causes, some far less worthy than his, and I wonder why there is none set up, at least for his Foundation. His current unselfish efforts to fix the system, free innocent men and women wrongfully incarcerated or excessively sentenced, and to represent those underserved, are noble and worthwhile and deserve widespread recognition and support.
His description of the prison system in Texas is enlightening and heartbreaking at the same time. The bias and dishonesty that existed within the confines of the justice system, the system that totally ignored his credible alibi, made my head spin. It was sometimes difficult to discern between the criminality of those in prison and those in charge of the prison. It could not help but make me wonder why our prison system, originally meant to rehabilitate, seems now to only mete out punishment and lacks compassion.
I have never believed in the death penalty. As a college student, decades ago, I wrote a paper on Caryl Chessman, who at 27 years old was arrested as “the red light bandit”. He, too, spent twelve years on death row. His execution was carried out. I do not believe that a system which can be flawed should mete out such flawed justice. If taking a life is criminal, it is criminal for all.
As I read, however, I did question the logic of becoming a father at so young an age, with multiple women, without any real visible means of support. It seemed like poor judgment, and I hope that he will try and set a better example for those with whom he now interacts. Certainly, though, his judgment had nothing to do with the crime for which he was unjustly convicted. I would have liked to discover more about Robert Carter’s reasoning for accusing Graves of a crime he never committed. I was disappointed in his girlfriend Yolanda’s behavior. Upon reflection, I had hoped that she might have returned as a witness, realizing that she was innocent. Then again, so was he, and he was convicted. The lack of experience within the world of law and order was devastating. The manipulation of innocent people was horrifying. I was struck by the fact that although Graves had already been subjected to the corrupt justice system, when he was forced to admit to a drug crime he had never committed, the possession of cocaine, he still believed in a justice system that so routinely ensnared young black men. He was caught in a whirlpool of disasters, a maelstrom of deception and treachery and a lack of knowledge about how to work within the system that had trapped him.
In the end, Robert Graves was unjustly robbed of so much of his life; he did not watch his children grow older or share in their successes and failures, comfort them in their bouts of sickness, or enjoy the warmth of his family as they celebrated special moments together. How can such a debt ever be repaid to him? “Justice delayed is justice denied”!
Although wrongfully accused of a heinous crime, until the very end, the wheels of justice moved unhurriedly for him; he was forced to remain a prisoner for 18 ½ years. When the book ended, I was left with several unresolved questions. From what I could tell, only the DA suffered any consequence from the lies that were told, from the manipulation and concealment of evidence and the intimidation of witnesses. Why was no justice meted out to those Rangers who were complicit in his conviction, to those witnesses who lied, or to the judge concerned more with protecting her father than the innocent victim of her father’s injustice? It seems to me that justice still has not been served.
I encourage all to read this book in order to understand the problems of our current legal system and to perhaps be inspired to fix it!
**I received this book from Beacon Press through the early reviewers program on libraything.com
June 12, 2020
This was like a story straight off of the Netflix show The Innocence Files. I was interested to hear Kelly Siegler mentioned as the prosecutor who set him free because I’ve recently been watching her show Cold Justice on Amazon Prime. However, the thing setting it aside from The Innocence Files is that this book felt one dimensional. It was about the miscarriage of justice only, with little mention of the crime or victims. This left it feeling hollow as there are so many tragic components to this story. I think it would have done the book justice to have expressed compassion for the victims and pain over the murders, as well as some background to the crime. Because of the lack of emotion, I did start to skim.
July 13, 2020
This was a hard book to read because the events in it are so unrelentingly wrong. I found myself wanting to avoid it. Of course, we can't can we? If we refuse to look at injustices, how can we seek to understand and correct them? And there appear to have been incalculable injustices in Graves' case. It would seem the prosecutors knowingly tried and convicted an innocent man. One has to ask why. Graves doesn't even try to answer this question, maybe he can't. Was it pure racism? He doesn't suggest so, though it certainly played a role.
I found Graves a competent but unemotional narrator of his own tale. And while I can understand how reporting the events in a detached manner might make it easier to face in the retelling, it makes it dry to read. Plus, the book centers on the miscarried justice of Graves' various trials and says comparatively little on the almost 20 years he spent in prison. Those are the years that would have fleshed him out as a character and made him more approachable to the reader. (I don't mean as a fictional character but as the central component of his own story.)
All in all, I think this was worth the read and I'm glad to see Graves seems to have found a way to form good from the experience.
I found Graves a competent but unemotional narrator of his own tale. And while I can understand how reporting the events in a detached manner might make it easier to face in the retelling, it makes it dry to read. Plus, the book centers on the miscarried justice of Graves' various trials and says comparatively little on the almost 20 years he spent in prison. Those are the years that would have fleshed him out as a character and made him more approachable to the reader. (I don't mean as a fictional character but as the central component of his own story.)
All in all, I think this was worth the read and I'm glad to see Graves seems to have found a way to form good from the experience.
Want to read
August 24, 2018pre-read: Texas Monthly featured a beautiful, heart-wrenching set of articles about Anthony Graves that made me want to cry forever (which was awesome since I read it at the reference desk after reading the whatever-journal review of this book). I can't imagine how much I'm going to ugly cry when I read this.
November 11, 2018
It is a scary thought that prosecuting attorneys, judges and juries in present day America can make the terrible decisions that Anthony Graves experienced. Every proponent of capital punishment should have to read this book, and it is a clarifying read for those of us who believed in the fairness of the American judicial system.
May 23, 2025
Such a heartbreaking and angering situation. The justice system never ceases to floor me and piss me off.
Anthony Graves is an innocent man who spent 18 years of his life in prison for a murder he did not commit ALL because of unreliable eyetwitness testimony and faulty physical evidence. Faulty eyewitness testimony is the leading cause of wrongful convictions. This book goes into his experience living on death row and his journey out of the system.
Unfortunately, mistakes occur in the legal system, innocent people are put in prison. However, getting out and resolving these mistakes is incredibly difficult and time consuming. Courts would rather uphold previous convictions. DAs would rather defend and perpetuate harmful and unconstitutional legal practices. The state failed Anthony Graves in this case and we will go through why.
One night in Somerville, Texas a brutal murder took place. A family of six people (including 4 little kids) were murdered and the house was burned to the ground. There were deep stab wounds in the little children's heads, which really showed how diabolical and evil the perpetrator was. At the funeral, there was a man named Robert Earl Carter who showed up with severe injuries and burns. He was obviously suspicious so police questioned him and he insisted he had nothing to do with this crime. However, he eventually confessed.
Since there were so many victims and weapons, the prosecutors assumed this crime could not have been committed alone. So, while being questioned he told them the name of his supposed accomplice - Anthony Graves. His wife's first cousin. Anthony Graves was not connected to the victims at all. However, Carter was, he was the father of one of the kids.
Anthony Graves is brought in for questioning and is completely blindsided because he was at home the entire night of the murders. However, his mistake was that he assumed the legal system would always find the truth. In reality, the legal system is often looking for a conviction, not the truth. He takes a lie detector test and fails and he is put in jail.
In the end, there is NO physical evidence linking him to the crime. No motive. He has a solid alibi. However, the DA is continuing to push this narrative. They find one source of 'evidence' which is that Graves carried a knife on him in the past. The friend who gave him this knife showed the police which one it was. The police come back and say 'IT'S A PERFECT MATCH to the knife wound in the children's head.'
HOWEVER, THIS KNIFE IS LITERALLY FLIMSY and wouldn't have even been able to cut through a skull, so this whole piece of evidence is egregiously flawed. I can't believe that was even able to be used as real evidence. The knife actually used made over 50 stab wounds, and the knife they were claiming was the murder weapon was literally incapable of doing any extreme harm whatsoever.
So the DA, Sebesta, has that evidence, and their star witness -- Carter, who has literally changed his story many times and killed an entire family. Therefore, how trustworthy could this eyewitness really be? And the fact they built their entire case around his testimony is so deplorable.
It was later revealed that literally right before trial, Carter recanted his statement and didn't want to testify, and the DA told him that he could get his wife on some charges if he didn't. Also, the DA never shared that information with the defense attorneys, which is illegal because that could've been used in cross examination.
AND the defense attorneys had witnesses that were going to corroborate Grave's alibi, like his girlfriend who was literally with him the entire night. BUT the DA threatened her and said he would charge her with a crime if she testified, so overall no regard for the truth. Fear tactics, manipulation, lies. The DA should seriously be rotting in prison because he created and fabricated an entire case out of nothing, there was never enough to take this case to trial. A lawyer should understand that, but as mentioned previously many times the truth isn't the driving factor in these cases.
Also, there was a woman that picked Graves out of a lineup, but she even recanted her selection later too and said she was just trying to pick someone. The DA also mentioned that 5 inmates overheard Graves talking to Carter about the murder, but these never were corroborated and probably just an attempt to reduce their sentences.
Therefore, the trial is based on:
1. A murderer's eyewitness testimony which has changed a billion times
2. The supposed murder weapon that actually physically couldn't be the murder weapon 3. An inaccurate lineup selection / biased lineup
4. Prison inmates fabricating conversations to reduce their own sentences
Additionally, in the lineup the police had him in prison chains. Therefore, that in itself creates a biased lineup, the eyewitness literally saw one of the men have their handcuffs removed before being added to the lineup!
Graves gets sentenced to death, which was a shock to him. He assumed that Carter wouldn't have the guts to lie on the stand, but he felt extreme betrayal when he did. The legal system had betrayed Graves. Him speaking to police and assuming they'd only be looking for the truth was his biggest mistake.
This book goes through his experience on death row and he exprienced and witnessed horrible things. His entire family is growing up on the outside. His kids are becoming adults. The world is completely changing. While in prison, nothing is truly changing. Prisoners are just trying to survive and navigate the prison system.
Being a convicted felon on death row for a crime you never committed must be one of the most horrible experiences imaginable. Graves’s strength to continue fighting for his freedom is incredibly commendable, especially as so many of his appeals were denied. However, he was able to still maintain hope in an extremely hopeless situation.
The turning point was when a professor and her students started looking into Graves’s case and helped get the case overturned. However, even after all that the state decided to retry him so he had to wait another 4 years for the new trial. In a shocking turn of events, the new DA realized that Graves was innocent and that the state had no evidence against him. Therefore, she dropped the case against him, AS ANY DA WITH MORALS SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Sebesta (the original DA) is seriously an evil man, I can’t believe he was so adamant about a case with no evidence.
After 18 years! Anthony Graves was released and had the murder charges dropped. The state owed him 1.4 million dollars, and even that he had to fight for beacuse they didn’t want to pay at first. All that money cannot even come close to giving a person back 18 years of life and experiences. Therefore, the fact that the state didn’t even want to pay and they had to fight for that reparation really shows how extremely broken our system is.
Anthony Graves has done great work by raising awareness and also passing legislation to try and prevent this injustice from occuring again. His story and so important and I hope more people can learn about it through his book.
Anthony Graves is an innocent man who spent 18 years of his life in prison for a murder he did not commit ALL because of unreliable eyetwitness testimony and faulty physical evidence. Faulty eyewitness testimony is the leading cause of wrongful convictions. This book goes into his experience living on death row and his journey out of the system.
Unfortunately, mistakes occur in the legal system, innocent people are put in prison. However, getting out and resolving these mistakes is incredibly difficult and time consuming. Courts would rather uphold previous convictions. DAs would rather defend and perpetuate harmful and unconstitutional legal practices. The state failed Anthony Graves in this case and we will go through why.
One night in Somerville, Texas a brutal murder took place. A family of six people (including 4 little kids) were murdered and the house was burned to the ground. There were deep stab wounds in the little children's heads, which really showed how diabolical and evil the perpetrator was. At the funeral, there was a man named Robert Earl Carter who showed up with severe injuries and burns. He was obviously suspicious so police questioned him and he insisted he had nothing to do with this crime. However, he eventually confessed.
Since there were so many victims and weapons, the prosecutors assumed this crime could not have been committed alone. So, while being questioned he told them the name of his supposed accomplice - Anthony Graves. His wife's first cousin. Anthony Graves was not connected to the victims at all. However, Carter was, he was the father of one of the kids.
Anthony Graves is brought in for questioning and is completely blindsided because he was at home the entire night of the murders. However, his mistake was that he assumed the legal system would always find the truth. In reality, the legal system is often looking for a conviction, not the truth. He takes a lie detector test and fails and he is put in jail.
In the end, there is NO physical evidence linking him to the crime. No motive. He has a solid alibi. However, the DA is continuing to push this narrative. They find one source of 'evidence' which is that Graves carried a knife on him in the past. The friend who gave him this knife showed the police which one it was. The police come back and say 'IT'S A PERFECT MATCH to the knife wound in the children's head.'
HOWEVER, THIS KNIFE IS LITERALLY FLIMSY and wouldn't have even been able to cut through a skull, so this whole piece of evidence is egregiously flawed. I can't believe that was even able to be used as real evidence. The knife actually used made over 50 stab wounds, and the knife they were claiming was the murder weapon was literally incapable of doing any extreme harm whatsoever.
So the DA, Sebesta, has that evidence, and their star witness -- Carter, who has literally changed his story many times and killed an entire family. Therefore, how trustworthy could this eyewitness really be? And the fact they built their entire case around his testimony is so deplorable.
It was later revealed that literally right before trial, Carter recanted his statement and didn't want to testify, and the DA told him that he could get his wife on some charges if he didn't. Also, the DA never shared that information with the defense attorneys, which is illegal because that could've been used in cross examination.
AND the defense attorneys had witnesses that were going to corroborate Grave's alibi, like his girlfriend who was literally with him the entire night. BUT the DA threatened her and said he would charge her with a crime if she testified, so overall no regard for the truth. Fear tactics, manipulation, lies. The DA should seriously be rotting in prison because he created and fabricated an entire case out of nothing, there was never enough to take this case to trial. A lawyer should understand that, but as mentioned previously many times the truth isn't the driving factor in these cases.
Also, there was a woman that picked Graves out of a lineup, but she even recanted her selection later too and said she was just trying to pick someone. The DA also mentioned that 5 inmates overheard Graves talking to Carter about the murder, but these never were corroborated and probably just an attempt to reduce their sentences.
Therefore, the trial is based on:
1. A murderer's eyewitness testimony which has changed a billion times
2. The supposed murder weapon that actually physically couldn't be the murder weapon 3. An inaccurate lineup selection / biased lineup
4. Prison inmates fabricating conversations to reduce their own sentences
Additionally, in the lineup the police had him in prison chains. Therefore, that in itself creates a biased lineup, the eyewitness literally saw one of the men have their handcuffs removed before being added to the lineup!
Graves gets sentenced to death, which was a shock to him. He assumed that Carter wouldn't have the guts to lie on the stand, but he felt extreme betrayal when he did. The legal system had betrayed Graves. Him speaking to police and assuming they'd only be looking for the truth was his biggest mistake.
This book goes through his experience on death row and he exprienced and witnessed horrible things. His entire family is growing up on the outside. His kids are becoming adults. The world is completely changing. While in prison, nothing is truly changing. Prisoners are just trying to survive and navigate the prison system.
Being a convicted felon on death row for a crime you never committed must be one of the most horrible experiences imaginable. Graves’s strength to continue fighting for his freedom is incredibly commendable, especially as so many of his appeals were denied. However, he was able to still maintain hope in an extremely hopeless situation.
The turning point was when a professor and her students started looking into Graves’s case and helped get the case overturned. However, even after all that the state decided to retry him so he had to wait another 4 years for the new trial. In a shocking turn of events, the new DA realized that Graves was innocent and that the state had no evidence against him. Therefore, she dropped the case against him, AS ANY DA WITH MORALS SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Sebesta (the original DA) is seriously an evil man, I can’t believe he was so adamant about a case with no evidence.
After 18 years! Anthony Graves was released and had the murder charges dropped. The state owed him 1.4 million dollars, and even that he had to fight for beacuse they didn’t want to pay at first. All that money cannot even come close to giving a person back 18 years of life and experiences. Therefore, the fact that the state didn’t even want to pay and they had to fight for that reparation really shows how extremely broken our system is.
Anthony Graves has done great work by raising awareness and also passing legislation to try and prevent this injustice from occuring again. His story and so important and I hope more people can learn about it through his book.
April 20, 2018
Summary: A first person account of an innocent black man wrongly found guilty of murder, leading to eighteen years in prison and twelve on death row until he was found innocent and released.
A terrible murder has taken place. Six people have been brutally murdered, and then set on fire in an attempt to destroy the evidence. A distant connection arrested for the murder implicates you as his collaborator, even though he barely knows you. You have an alibi, spending the time with your girlfriend, and among family, miles away from the murder scene. You are arrested, read your Miranda rights, but refuse an attorney because you think this is all a bad misunderstanding that can be cleared up by simply telling the truth. You are subjected to intense questioning, kept in prison without bond, monitored by prison guards, and other prisoners for making incriminating statements. The district attorney intimidates the murderer to testify against you even though he has previously admitted that this was a lie. Your alibi is intimidated with the threat of criminal charges. Crucial evidence is withheld from the defense team. You are convicted of murder, and sentenced to be put to death by the state of Texas. You spend twelve years on death row, and eighteen behind bars.
If you read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (review) and still weren't convinced that stories like Walter McMillian's was an exception, or cannot happen in America, perhaps this story of Anthony Graves might persuade you. In this book, Graves narrates the story from the side of the falsely accused, describing his arrest, trial, conviction and sentencing, the ordeal of living on death row, and how he was finally exonerated and his subsequent activism. It is an honest, raw account. He describes his increasing sense of desperation as he realizes that telling the truth isn't enough, that the prosecutor (eventually charge with prosecutorial misconduct) will not stop at anything to convict him, and the agonizing wait for the jury's verdict and sentence. He describes deplorable prison conditions, the unlikely friendships, and a brutal murder on death row. He recounts prison protests, and lockdowns, and periods of solitary confinement, and the terrible struggle to keep up hope. Twice he was given execution dates. He recounts the heartbreak of watching his sons grow up and not be able to be there for them.
He challenges us to grapple with the realities of living on death row:
"Like most Americans, I hadn't given much thought to death row before my arrest. The writer and anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean famously said that support for the death penalty is a mile wide but only an inch thick. She meant that the death penalty's many supporters rarely investigate the basis of their own beliefs. As I walked into Ellis One Unit, I didn't know what to think. People typically focus on the death part of a death penalty sentence. What they don't tell you is that life on death row is a torture all its own. I had no idea that I'd be living in a six-by-nine-foot cage, or that I'd do my business in a steel toilet in plain view of male and female officers alike" (p. 112).
There are also the people who keep on believing and fighting, from overseas correspondents to Nicole Caesarez, part of his legal team who doggedly investigated his case as a journalism teacher and former corporate lawyer. A mother who never stopped praying and encouraging him. And finally, when his conviction is overturned, a new prosecutor, Kelly Siegler, who has the integrity to listen to her investigators, who told her that Graves was innocent.
Graves recounts his own growth, as he writes the memoirs that form the basis of this book, as he reads extensively from the prison library (he includes a list of formative books for him at the end of the book), and watches fellow prisoners go to their deaths. He becomes a legal expert on his own case, which forms him into the advocate he is now for criminal justice reform through the Anthony Graves Foundation.
Graves writes of others he believed to be innocent, and his case is certainly among a growing list of those under death sentences who have been exonerated. Surprisingly, Graves doesn't make a big deal of his race, although racial bias is clearly evident in the narrative of his experience. Yet his case raises questions of how many innocent people have gone to their deaths. Given the number of such cases, and the racial bias in many of these cases, one has to ask whether, in the matter of death sentences, there is equal justice for all, and if not, in Bryan Stevenson's words, "Do we deserve to kill?"
As important as these questions are, it is also important to note, and end on, the determination of Anthony Graves, his family, attorneys, and friends. Corrupt officials took away his liberty but they did not take away his hope. That hope for exoneration, for justice turned a young man trying to figure out his life into an advocate for justice for others. That hope led him to confront, at his disbarment hearing, the prosecutor who wrongly tried to have him executed, and forgive him. That hope gave us this raw and yet grace-filled narrative of wrongful conviction, life on death row, and vindication. Infinite hope, indeed.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
A terrible murder has taken place. Six people have been brutally murdered, and then set on fire in an attempt to destroy the evidence. A distant connection arrested for the murder implicates you as his collaborator, even though he barely knows you. You have an alibi, spending the time with your girlfriend, and among family, miles away from the murder scene. You are arrested, read your Miranda rights, but refuse an attorney because you think this is all a bad misunderstanding that can be cleared up by simply telling the truth. You are subjected to intense questioning, kept in prison without bond, monitored by prison guards, and other prisoners for making incriminating statements. The district attorney intimidates the murderer to testify against you even though he has previously admitted that this was a lie. Your alibi is intimidated with the threat of criminal charges. Crucial evidence is withheld from the defense team. You are convicted of murder, and sentenced to be put to death by the state of Texas. You spend twelve years on death row, and eighteen behind bars.
If you read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (review) and still weren't convinced that stories like Walter McMillian's was an exception, or cannot happen in America, perhaps this story of Anthony Graves might persuade you. In this book, Graves narrates the story from the side of the falsely accused, describing his arrest, trial, conviction and sentencing, the ordeal of living on death row, and how he was finally exonerated and his subsequent activism. It is an honest, raw account. He describes his increasing sense of desperation as he realizes that telling the truth isn't enough, that the prosecutor (eventually charge with prosecutorial misconduct) will not stop at anything to convict him, and the agonizing wait for the jury's verdict and sentence. He describes deplorable prison conditions, the unlikely friendships, and a brutal murder on death row. He recounts prison protests, and lockdowns, and periods of solitary confinement, and the terrible struggle to keep up hope. Twice he was given execution dates. He recounts the heartbreak of watching his sons grow up and not be able to be there for them.
He challenges us to grapple with the realities of living on death row:
"Like most Americans, I hadn't given much thought to death row before my arrest. The writer and anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean famously said that support for the death penalty is a mile wide but only an inch thick. She meant that the death penalty's many supporters rarely investigate the basis of their own beliefs. As I walked into Ellis One Unit, I didn't know what to think. People typically focus on the death part of a death penalty sentence. What they don't tell you is that life on death row is a torture all its own. I had no idea that I'd be living in a six-by-nine-foot cage, or that I'd do my business in a steel toilet in plain view of male and female officers alike" (p. 112).
There are also the people who keep on believing and fighting, from overseas correspondents to Nicole Caesarez, part of his legal team who doggedly investigated his case as a journalism teacher and former corporate lawyer. A mother who never stopped praying and encouraging him. And finally, when his conviction is overturned, a new prosecutor, Kelly Siegler, who has the integrity to listen to her investigators, who told her that Graves was innocent.
Graves recounts his own growth, as he writes the memoirs that form the basis of this book, as he reads extensively from the prison library (he includes a list of formative books for him at the end of the book), and watches fellow prisoners go to their deaths. He becomes a legal expert on his own case, which forms him into the advocate he is now for criminal justice reform through the Anthony Graves Foundation.
Graves writes of others he believed to be innocent, and his case is certainly among a growing list of those under death sentences who have been exonerated. Surprisingly, Graves doesn't make a big deal of his race, although racial bias is clearly evident in the narrative of his experience. Yet his case raises questions of how many innocent people have gone to their deaths. Given the number of such cases, and the racial bias in many of these cases, one has to ask whether, in the matter of death sentences, there is equal justice for all, and if not, in Bryan Stevenson's words, "Do we deserve to kill?"
As important as these questions are, it is also important to note, and end on, the determination of Anthony Graves, his family, attorneys, and friends. Corrupt officials took away his liberty but they did not take away his hope. That hope for exoneration, for justice turned a young man trying to figure out his life into an advocate for justice for others. That hope led him to confront, at his disbarment hearing, the prosecutor who wrongly tried to have him executed, and forgive him. That hope gave us this raw and yet grace-filled narrative of wrongful conviction, life on death row, and vindication. Infinite hope, indeed.
____________________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
June 2, 2018
On August 18, 1992 in Somerville, Texas, a man named Robert Carter entered a trailer home and killed 6 people in cold blood, including his son. Then he set the trailer on fire to hide the evidence. 5 days later, at the funeral, he was noticed with burns and bandages on his hands. He was picked up by the police and because of the physical evidence(the burns) and inconsistencies of his story, they questioned him, he confessed and they charged him with murder. During the interrogation, he named Anthony Graves as his accomplice.
Graves was the second cousin of Carter’s wife, but the two men didn’t know each other. Despite no physical evidence tying him the crime and an alibi, Graves was charged, tried and convicted. Graves would spend 18 years in jail, 12 of them on death row, before he was exonerated and went home a free man. Infinite Hope: How Wrongful Confinement and 12 years on Death Row Failed to Kill My Soul is Graves story, in his own words of how he got where he was and how he was able to hold out hope against hope that Justice would prevail.
When Graves was first arrested, he naively assumed, ‘the truth would set him free.’ Unfortunately, the Rangers and prosecutor working on his case, didn’t seem to be on a mission to uncover the truth or check into Graves’s story. They sought instead to look for ways to trap him, get a confession, or find incriminating evidence. Thinking that he was helping himself, Graves went into interrogations and before a grand jury without a lawyer, assuming that if he was innocent, he didn’t really need a lawyer to protect him. Unfortunately, a couple of careless answers were used to try to discredit his testimony at trial. When he was in his early 20s, Graves was arrested on a Marijuana possession charge but he was convinced by his lawyer at the time, to accept the prosecutors’ plea bargain (a guilty plea for dealing cocaine, in exchange for 18 months probation). The same prosecutor, Charles Sebesta was now trying to prosecute Graves for murder.
Then he did get a lawyer. A family friend arranged for him to have one of the best trial lawyers in Texas, Dick DeGuerin. DeGuerin believed in Graves’s innocence. But his fee was steep, and with no means for Graves or his family to pay him, DeGuerin abandoned Graves’s case shortly after he was indicted. The lawyer that took Graves to trial, Calvin Garvin, was sincere but inexperienced.
Later, it was uncovered that Sebesta, the prosecutor, suppressed exculpatory evidence in Graves’s trial (e.g. Carter had said to Sebesta the day before that Graves was not an accomplice and Sebesta pressured him to testify anyway without informing the defense), and intimidated Graves’s alibi witness with a threat that he would charge her for murder too. When a special prosecutor reviewed Graves case (18 years later), she recommended the charges be dropped. And a couple of years after that, Sebesta was disbarred for ethics violations relating to Graves case.
Infinite Hope recounts the story of Graves arrest, trial, sentence, eventual exoneration and his current activism. Graves was buoyed through the hard times by family and friendships near and far—pen pals and visitors, who followed his case—and faith in a ‘God who was good all the time.’
This is a hopeful story and it is a sad story. It is hopeful, because the arc the moral universe is long but it bent towards justice, even in a Texas capital case. It is a sad story, because I want to believe that criminal investigators and DAs care more about justice than they do about getting a conviction. While the circumstances of Graves’s case are certainly unique and represent an egregious miscarriage of justice, it is unfortunate justice is not as fair and blind as we would like to think. Confessions get coerced, and people get railroaded by the system (often people of color).
This book is a personal story. There are other books deal with prison reform and capital punishment from an ideological or sociological perspective. Graves says at one point that he hadn’t really thought through his positions on the death penalty until he found himself on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. That made the issue far less abstract. I give this book four stars.
Notice of material connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via librarything.com. In exchange for my honest review.
Graves was the second cousin of Carter’s wife, but the two men didn’t know each other. Despite no physical evidence tying him the crime and an alibi, Graves was charged, tried and convicted. Graves would spend 18 years in jail, 12 of them on death row, before he was exonerated and went home a free man. Infinite Hope: How Wrongful Confinement and 12 years on Death Row Failed to Kill My Soul is Graves story, in his own words of how he got where he was and how he was able to hold out hope against hope that Justice would prevail.
When Graves was first arrested, he naively assumed, ‘the truth would set him free.’ Unfortunately, the Rangers and prosecutor working on his case, didn’t seem to be on a mission to uncover the truth or check into Graves’s story. They sought instead to look for ways to trap him, get a confession, or find incriminating evidence. Thinking that he was helping himself, Graves went into interrogations and before a grand jury without a lawyer, assuming that if he was innocent, he didn’t really need a lawyer to protect him. Unfortunately, a couple of careless answers were used to try to discredit his testimony at trial. When he was in his early 20s, Graves was arrested on a Marijuana possession charge but he was convinced by his lawyer at the time, to accept the prosecutors’ plea bargain (a guilty plea for dealing cocaine, in exchange for 18 months probation). The same prosecutor, Charles Sebesta was now trying to prosecute Graves for murder.
Then he did get a lawyer. A family friend arranged for him to have one of the best trial lawyers in Texas, Dick DeGuerin. DeGuerin believed in Graves’s innocence. But his fee was steep, and with no means for Graves or his family to pay him, DeGuerin abandoned Graves’s case shortly after he was indicted. The lawyer that took Graves to trial, Calvin Garvin, was sincere but inexperienced.
Later, it was uncovered that Sebesta, the prosecutor, suppressed exculpatory evidence in Graves’s trial (e.g. Carter had said to Sebesta the day before that Graves was not an accomplice and Sebesta pressured him to testify anyway without informing the defense), and intimidated Graves’s alibi witness with a threat that he would charge her for murder too. When a special prosecutor reviewed Graves case (18 years later), she recommended the charges be dropped. And a couple of years after that, Sebesta was disbarred for ethics violations relating to Graves case.
Infinite Hope recounts the story of Graves arrest, trial, sentence, eventual exoneration and his current activism. Graves was buoyed through the hard times by family and friendships near and far—pen pals and visitors, who followed his case—and faith in a ‘God who was good all the time.’
This is a hopeful story and it is a sad story. It is hopeful, because the arc the moral universe is long but it bent towards justice, even in a Texas capital case. It is a sad story, because I want to believe that criminal investigators and DAs care more about justice than they do about getting a conviction. While the circumstances of Graves’s case are certainly unique and represent an egregious miscarriage of justice, it is unfortunate justice is not as fair and blind as we would like to think. Confessions get coerced, and people get railroaded by the system (often people of color).
This book is a personal story. There are other books deal with prison reform and capital punishment from an ideological or sociological perspective. Graves says at one point that he hadn’t really thought through his positions on the death penalty until he found himself on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. That made the issue far less abstract. I give this book four stars.
Notice of material connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via librarything.com. In exchange for my honest review.
April 1, 2018
I saw this book on a display table at Porter Square Books and began reading the dust jacket. About a week later, I found it at the library.
I knew it was going to be an emotional read, but didn't realize how emotional of a read it would be: I was holding back tears at lunch break after reading the introduction alone: the scenes shows what his reaction was when he was finally released and called his mother to ask what she was making for dinner that night.
Anthony Graves spent almost twenty years in prison, 12 on death row, in Texas for murder, crimes he had absolutely nothing to do with. That our judicial system is corrupt, biased, and inhumane is not a surprising report; but the lengths they went to ignore Graves' innocence, and not attempt to carry out a legitimate trial, or case or appalling and criminal.
The man who did commit the crimes was convicted; however, even after he recanted his initial fabrication that Graves was involved, and told the DA Graves was innocent, the DA continued to pursue murder charges and capital punishment.
Graves details his experiences on death row, and the labyrinthine appeals process that eventually exonerated him. He detailed how the pen pal system, which I was surprised to learn was so common a practice in Europe interacting with American death row prisoners, helped him make friends, who wound up using their resources to hire attorneys to properly investigate and appeal his case.
What should make this required reading is Graves' capacity for forgiveness and grace. During one scene, after many years in prison, he encounters the man (Robert Carter) who had committed the crime. A simple conversation reveals that Carter had wanted to tell the truth. The DA had told Carter his wife was also indicted, and if he said Graves was involved, his wife's indictment would be lifted. (This also turned out to be a fabrication on the DA's behalf.) Upon hearing this, Graves forgave Carter. He didn't hate him for his actions: he understood that Carter was being used a pawn in a horrific, unjust, corrupt machine. However, he did say that the rec center they were interacting in would not be able to handle both of them.
Another example of Graves' sense of infinite compassion was at the civil trial of the DA Charles Sebesta after Graves had been released. In the hallway of the courtroom, Graves saw a now retired man in his 70's, his body broken down from old age. He stood, reached out his hand to Sebesta, and said, "I just want you to know, there are no hard feelings." Sebesta accepted the handshake, and was disbarred by the state of Texas.
To be able to confront the person who took away 20 years of your life, who took away your ability to raise your kids, to not be able to move freely in the world at your own will, and to be able to say that succinctly, and to not wish ill upon that other person is a depth of compassion we think only belongs to spiritual leaders.
We can learn from Graves' actions, dignity, and composure.
I am a crier at movies, but not with books, despite how much I read. But reading scenes of Graves' release at the beginning and the end, the celebration with his family, I could not hide my eyes when reading this on the subway.
I knew it was going to be an emotional read, but didn't realize how emotional of a read it would be: I was holding back tears at lunch break after reading the introduction alone: the scenes shows what his reaction was when he was finally released and called his mother to ask what she was making for dinner that night.
Anthony Graves spent almost twenty years in prison, 12 on death row, in Texas for murder, crimes he had absolutely nothing to do with. That our judicial system is corrupt, biased, and inhumane is not a surprising report; but the lengths they went to ignore Graves' innocence, and not attempt to carry out a legitimate trial, or case or appalling and criminal.
The man who did commit the crimes was convicted; however, even after he recanted his initial fabrication that Graves was involved, and told the DA Graves was innocent, the DA continued to pursue murder charges and capital punishment.
Graves details his experiences on death row, and the labyrinthine appeals process that eventually exonerated him. He detailed how the pen pal system, which I was surprised to learn was so common a practice in Europe interacting with American death row prisoners, helped him make friends, who wound up using their resources to hire attorneys to properly investigate and appeal his case.
What should make this required reading is Graves' capacity for forgiveness and grace. During one scene, after many years in prison, he encounters the man (Robert Carter) who had committed the crime. A simple conversation reveals that Carter had wanted to tell the truth. The DA had told Carter his wife was also indicted, and if he said Graves was involved, his wife's indictment would be lifted. (This also turned out to be a fabrication on the DA's behalf.) Upon hearing this, Graves forgave Carter. He didn't hate him for his actions: he understood that Carter was being used a pawn in a horrific, unjust, corrupt machine. However, he did say that the rec center they were interacting in would not be able to handle both of them.
Another example of Graves' sense of infinite compassion was at the civil trial of the DA Charles Sebesta after Graves had been released. In the hallway of the courtroom, Graves saw a now retired man in his 70's, his body broken down from old age. He stood, reached out his hand to Sebesta, and said, "I just want you to know, there are no hard feelings." Sebesta accepted the handshake, and was disbarred by the state of Texas.
To be able to confront the person who took away 20 years of your life, who took away your ability to raise your kids, to not be able to move freely in the world at your own will, and to be able to say that succinctly, and to not wish ill upon that other person is a depth of compassion we think only belongs to spiritual leaders.
We can learn from Graves' actions, dignity, and composure.
I am a crier at movies, but not with books, despite how much I read. But reading scenes of Graves' release at the beginning and the end, the celebration with his family, I could not hide my eyes when reading this on the subway.
February 18, 2018
“Infinite Hope: How Wrongful Conviction, Solitary Confinement, and 12 Years on Death Row Failed to Kill My Soul” an inspiring memoir of courage, hope, resilience, and faith that I won through Goodreads Giveaways begins in 1992 in Texas when twenty-six-year-old Anthony Graves, father of three is arrested for murder and arson in a case that rocks the Somerville community. Innocent, with an airtight alibi and no physical evidence linking him to the murders, Anthony’s innocence is undermined by the prejudice of the Texas State Rangers, corrupt prosecutors and an apathetic criminal justice system.
Charged, convicted and sentenced to death row where he survives two execution dates over a period of twelve years, Anthony is confronted with depravity, suicides and killings in a hellish environment, struggling to keep his sanity and from drifting into despair. With inner strength and purpose born of an enduring faith, he begins writing letters to anyone who will listen, finding solace from his European pen pals and attracting a legal team that works relentlessly to gain his freedom.
Well- written, emotionally-charged and utterly riveting Anthony Graves incarcerated in the hell of death row for a crime he never committed is a man to be admired for his strength of faith, his drive and a courage that saw him through the callousness, prejudice and injustice of Texas’s legal system as well as the madness and aimlessness of his confinement. Losing his freedom, his family and seeing his sons grow up without their father would shatter anyone but instead of wallowing in despair and giving up, Anthony kept faith that God would see him through the darkness, and took heart not only pursuing his innocence but easing the pain of his fellow inmates on death row with his words.
Powerful in its insight Anthony’s eighteen and half year experience brings to light a penal system that also needs reform with its corruption and the death row prisoners who lose their souls in the isolation and aimlessness of lockup like the “Young Lion” and “Jermar Arnold.” And, it leaves a bitter taste knowing that there are innocent men and women locked away who face execution in the near future. Yet at the core of this memoir is a ray of hope that protected by God in his journey and even forgiving those who hurt him Anthony has now found his calling and a richness in his new life helping those wrongfully accused or over-sentenced through his Foundation.
“Infinite Hope: How Wrongful Conviction, Solitary Confinement, and 12 Years on Death Row Failed to Kill My Soul” is a fascinating must-read which I will be passing on to friends and family.
Charged, convicted and sentenced to death row where he survives two execution dates over a period of twelve years, Anthony is confronted with depravity, suicides and killings in a hellish environment, struggling to keep his sanity and from drifting into despair. With inner strength and purpose born of an enduring faith, he begins writing letters to anyone who will listen, finding solace from his European pen pals and attracting a legal team that works relentlessly to gain his freedom.
Well- written, emotionally-charged and utterly riveting Anthony Graves incarcerated in the hell of death row for a crime he never committed is a man to be admired for his strength of faith, his drive and a courage that saw him through the callousness, prejudice and injustice of Texas’s legal system as well as the madness and aimlessness of his confinement. Losing his freedom, his family and seeing his sons grow up without their father would shatter anyone but instead of wallowing in despair and giving up, Anthony kept faith that God would see him through the darkness, and took heart not only pursuing his innocence but easing the pain of his fellow inmates on death row with his words.
Powerful in its insight Anthony’s eighteen and half year experience brings to light a penal system that also needs reform with its corruption and the death row prisoners who lose their souls in the isolation and aimlessness of lockup like the “Young Lion” and “Jermar Arnold.” And, it leaves a bitter taste knowing that there are innocent men and women locked away who face execution in the near future. Yet at the core of this memoir is a ray of hope that protected by God in his journey and even forgiving those who hurt him Anthony has now found his calling and a richness in his new life helping those wrongfully accused or over-sentenced through his Foundation.
“Infinite Hope: How Wrongful Conviction, Solitary Confinement, and 12 Years on Death Row Failed to Kill My Soul” is a fascinating must-read which I will be passing on to friends and family.
February 20, 2018
Received a free copy for honest review.
Anthony Graves was convicted of the murder of 6 people ( 4 of which were children ) The authorities said that he and another man beat and stabbed them and then set fire to their house. He spent 12 years on death row for a crime he had nothing to do with. He was not convicted on what we would normally expect. There was no evidence, no DNA, no fingerprints etc.. All there was to go on was the word of the man who committed the actual crime and said that Mr. Graves participated in the murders as well. Right from the start he was railroaded by police and the prosecutor who lied and bullied his way to a conviction. I found this book difficult to read, we all know that there are problems in the justice system, we often hear that people are wrongfully convicted and are later exonerated by new technology in DNA etc. but I have a really hard time understanding how this case could have gone so wrong and the system fail Mr. Graves so grievously.
I have always been someone who has very strong views on how criminals who commit violent acts,(murder, rape, crimes against children) should be treated but whether you are someone who agrees with capital punishment or not you have to agree after reading this book that serious chances need to be made. I really am shocked and rather sick to know that it happens rather often.
This book describes all that the author dealt with through his time in prison, fighting for his life. How he managed to survive this horrible ordeal with such dignity and perseverance is really astonishing and how he chose to spend his life after prison helping others is really inspiring.
I think this is a book that everyone should read, we should all be aware of how flawed the justice system is and this book will really get you thinking about change.
Anthony Graves was convicted of the murder of 6 people ( 4 of which were children ) The authorities said that he and another man beat and stabbed them and then set fire to their house. He spent 12 years on death row for a crime he had nothing to do with. He was not convicted on what we would normally expect. There was no evidence, no DNA, no fingerprints etc.. All there was to go on was the word of the man who committed the actual crime and said that Mr. Graves participated in the murders as well. Right from the start he was railroaded by police and the prosecutor who lied and bullied his way to a conviction. I found this book difficult to read, we all know that there are problems in the justice system, we often hear that people are wrongfully convicted and are later exonerated by new technology in DNA etc. but I have a really hard time understanding how this case could have gone so wrong and the system fail Mr. Graves so grievously.
I have always been someone who has very strong views on how criminals who commit violent acts,(murder, rape, crimes against children) should be treated but whether you are someone who agrees with capital punishment or not you have to agree after reading this book that serious chances need to be made. I really am shocked and rather sick to know that it happens rather often.
This book describes all that the author dealt with through his time in prison, fighting for his life. How he managed to survive this horrible ordeal with such dignity and perseverance is really astonishing and how he chose to spend his life after prison helping others is really inspiring.
I think this is a book that everyone should read, we should all be aware of how flawed the justice system is and this book will really get you thinking about change.
February 9, 2018
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Wow. It's almost unbelievable that this kind of thing actually happens to people. I think this book is important because it was very eye-opening, especially for me, being a Canadian who doesn't know much about the Texas (or American, really) Justice system. Anthony Graves' went through Hell and back, but he kept on fighting because he wasn't about to sit back and be executed for a crime he was innocent of.
I was so angry over the different ways the State was able to manipulate things to incriminate an innocent man and very nearly get away with it. Some of the things that happened, I never would have thought they'd actually get away with. It's a scary thing to realize that innocent people get sentenced to death more frequently than you'd think possible. I've never personally approved of the death penalty and I'm very glad Canada does not use it.
Anthony Graves experienced the most terrible thing, yet he turned his experience into something great by starting his own foundation and helping other innocent people who are going through the same thing he did. I applaud him honestly, for the strength he showed in persevering and continuing to fight for justice, despite being knocked down at every turn. Thank you for sharing your story, and I am so glad you finally got your freedom back.
I would recommend this book to anyone; it's a heartfelt retelling of an innocent man's journey from arrest to jail to death row and finally, after 2 decades of imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit, he is awarded his freedom.
Wow. It's almost unbelievable that this kind of thing actually happens to people. I think this book is important because it was very eye-opening, especially for me, being a Canadian who doesn't know much about the Texas (or American, really) Justice system. Anthony Graves' went through Hell and back, but he kept on fighting because he wasn't about to sit back and be executed for a crime he was innocent of.
I was so angry over the different ways the State was able to manipulate things to incriminate an innocent man and very nearly get away with it. Some of the things that happened, I never would have thought they'd actually get away with. It's a scary thing to realize that innocent people get sentenced to death more frequently than you'd think possible. I've never personally approved of the death penalty and I'm very glad Canada does not use it.
Anthony Graves experienced the most terrible thing, yet he turned his experience into something great by starting his own foundation and helping other innocent people who are going through the same thing he did. I applaud him honestly, for the strength he showed in persevering and continuing to fight for justice, despite being knocked down at every turn. Thank you for sharing your story, and I am so glad you finally got your freedom back.
I would recommend this book to anyone; it's a heartfelt retelling of an innocent man's journey from arrest to jail to death row and finally, after 2 decades of imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit, he is awarded his freedom.
April 18, 2018
I will first note that I received this book as a free giveaway.
I really enjoyed this book - as much as one can 'enjoy' a book about someone wrongfully convicted of a crime that is. I did find it a little hard to get into at the very beginning, but it very quickly picked up. I'm a Canadian so we obviously don't have the death penalty here so getting this insight into such a dark topic was endlessly fascinating. Additionally, I am also a law student so it appealed to me on that level as well. I have always thought criminal law was fascinating even though it's not an area I could see myself working in.
The system in Texas clearly wronged Mr. Graves here as it likely wrongs many people of colour and others as well. We are not immune from these issues here in Canada, but it definitely appears to be a starker reality in the US. It was horrifying to see how the law officials treated the case and Mr. Graves here. Obviously no legal system is perfect, but this was a particularly horrific misuse of the justice system. The fact that Mr. Graves held on and has managed to do so well for himself as well as for others in the wake of this ordeal is a testament to his strength and the support of those who believed in him.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the law, in wrongful conviction, or just in general human rights and justice issues.
I really enjoyed this book - as much as one can 'enjoy' a book about someone wrongfully convicted of a crime that is. I did find it a little hard to get into at the very beginning, but it very quickly picked up. I'm a Canadian so we obviously don't have the death penalty here so getting this insight into such a dark topic was endlessly fascinating. Additionally, I am also a law student so it appealed to me on that level as well. I have always thought criminal law was fascinating even though it's not an area I could see myself working in.
The system in Texas clearly wronged Mr. Graves here as it likely wrongs many people of colour and others as well. We are not immune from these issues here in Canada, but it definitely appears to be a starker reality in the US. It was horrifying to see how the law officials treated the case and Mr. Graves here. Obviously no legal system is perfect, but this was a particularly horrific misuse of the justice system. The fact that Mr. Graves held on and has managed to do so well for himself as well as for others in the wake of this ordeal is a testament to his strength and the support of those who believed in him.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the law, in wrongful conviction, or just in general human rights and justice issues.
January 26, 2018
Mr. Graves has written an important book, and I am better informed for having read it. Mr. Graves writes of his wrongful conviction and sentencing to death and shares a detailed and personal account of his years fighting to prove his innocence. His easy style of communicating his story makes this a must read for everyone.
It’s frightening to realize how many corrupted people are pulling strings in the justice system and just how vulnerable black and poor Americans are to the whims of people in power. I was horrified to learn of the number of executions in the state of Texas and how many innocent lives are lost due to wrongful conviction. This book has changed my opinion about the death penalty and made me aware of the tortures of solitary confinement.
Thank you, Mr. Graves, for sharing your life with us. May you have success in your mission to change people’s lives and change the prison system. May we see the day when the death penalty is outlawed throughout the U.S.
It’s frightening to realize how many corrupted people are pulling strings in the justice system and just how vulnerable black and poor Americans are to the whims of people in power. I was horrified to learn of the number of executions in the state of Texas and how many innocent lives are lost due to wrongful conviction. This book has changed my opinion about the death penalty and made me aware of the tortures of solitary confinement.
Thank you, Mr. Graves, for sharing your life with us. May you have success in your mission to change people’s lives and change the prison system. May we see the day when the death penalty is outlawed throughout the U.S.
February 15, 2018
Enthralling, shocking, depressing, but heartening. Anthony Graves tells his own story in clear, well written prose. He spent more than 18 years behind bars, including 12 years on death row, for a crime that he had nothing to do with. There was no credible evidence against him, one person after another lied under oath, and the actual murderer stated repeatedly that Anthony was not involved. Unfortunately, it appears that some people can only get the legal justice that they can afford to pay for. Throughout it all, he refused to give up. And he refused to plea bargain. “They’ll have to kill me or set me free.” It’s amazing that all of this didn’t turn him into a bitter man. It was so uplifting to read the epilogue in which he describes what he’s been able to do to help others since he gained his freedom. This man is a true inspiration.
July 20, 2018
I decided to read this book after Anthony Graves came to my university to talk about his story and reform in the justice system. I was immediately given insight into this man’s tragic but inspiring life and the struggles he encountered.
Reading this book just reminded of the day I met him and how his injustice struck me and changed my views on the American justice system. It is both a powerful yet down-to-earth recollection of the events Graves experienced while in prison. You feel a sympathy for both him and the other inmates he presents without feeling like it is sugarcoated.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, regardless of our views on the justice system or the death penalty as it is an eye opener to the injustices that can occur to people from every walks of life.
Reading this book just reminded of the day I met him and how his injustice struck me and changed my views on the American justice system. It is both a powerful yet down-to-earth recollection of the events Graves experienced while in prison. You feel a sympathy for both him and the other inmates he presents without feeling like it is sugarcoated.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, regardless of our views on the justice system or the death penalty as it is an eye opener to the injustices that can occur to people from every walks of life.
February 5, 2019
Powerful and Daunting
As a mother raising two brown little boys this was a difficult read. As a citizen of Houston familiar with the area where this took place, there was an added connection. And as the wife of a man whose life was also turned upside down by the Texas Justice system, there was so much unfortunate familiarity. The seemingly inevitable that we want so desperately to be an annomoly is all to common.
The writing in this book was vivid as Mr. Graves walked us through two decades of physical, mental and emotional torture. The story was an absolutely relevant narritive to keep prison reform at the forefront of the public's minds. A necessary read for any citizen of humanity! I hope e are all moved to get involved meaningfully.
As a mother raising two brown little boys this was a difficult read. As a citizen of Houston familiar with the area where this took place, there was an added connection. And as the wife of a man whose life was also turned upside down by the Texas Justice system, there was so much unfortunate familiarity. The seemingly inevitable that we want so desperately to be an annomoly is all to common.
The writing in this book was vivid as Mr. Graves walked us through two decades of physical, mental and emotional torture. The story was an absolutely relevant narritive to keep prison reform at the forefront of the public's minds. A necessary read for any citizen of humanity! I hope e are all moved to get involved meaningfully.
February 11, 2018
The strength of Anthony's face is amazing. Despite a legal system working against him and a prison system trying to dehumanize him, he kept his faith in truth and in himself.
This book is very insightful into how easily a political and powerful legal system can twist and ignore truth and evidence (or the lack thereof) to fit the narrative that they feel is necessary for re-election, regardless of the effect on the accused. I can't understand how anyone can pursue a murder case which will result in execution when they know that the accused person is innocent. Such a sad statement on how personal gain can become more important than doing what is right :(
This book is very insightful into how easily a political and powerful legal system can twist and ignore truth and evidence (or the lack thereof) to fit the narrative that they feel is necessary for re-election, regardless of the effect on the accused. I can't understand how anyone can pursue a murder case which will result in execution when they know that the accused person is innocent. Such a sad statement on how personal gain can become more important than doing what is right :(
February 15, 2018
This was such a sad story, yet filled with hope. God's hand was in the situation the entire time even though satan did his best. I am shocked at the outright refusal of so many to see the truth so blatantly clear right in front of them, as the authorities we are to trust railroad this young man to jail, taking him from the lives of his dear mom and three young boys. A life that could have turned so bitter, is made better by God as he now reaches out to help others. God bless you Anthony Graves.
April 11, 2024
4.5 stars. This book is pretty rage inducing in what they did to him. Because of past work and being an abolitionist, I’ve read and heard of many DP cases and his is by far the most egregious story I’ve heard. His was not a case of “almost being right there” “close but no cigar.” He was not at all there. Every single step of the way he met misconduct by officials. So many lies and cover ups and blatant errors.
June 15, 2018
I couldn't put this book down. It is amazing to me how messed up our justice system is and continues to be. This guy was completely innocent. Wow. I don't know what else to say. I was moved to send an email to the Ohio Innocence Project to see if they have volunteer opportunities. I have read a lot of stories about innocent people and I think I need to do something.
July 3, 2018
I met Mr. Graves at the opening of UT Law School’s Innocence Project and his speech was incredible. I immediately pre-ordered this book.
His own story of keeping faith and hope alive in the dimmest and darkest place brought tears to my eyes. Thank goodness in the end Charles Sebesta was disbarred and Rick Perry didn’t become president. This book was amazing, highly recommended!
His own story of keeping faith and hope alive in the dimmest and darkest place brought tears to my eyes. Thank goodness in the end Charles Sebesta was disbarred and Rick Perry didn’t become president. This book was amazing, highly recommended!
April 20, 2019
This book is very harrowing considering that the writer spent the majority of his life in jail, and a good chunk of it on death row for a crime he never committed. If a person can be sent to die on the whim and political aspirations of a corrupt district attorney, then the United States definitely has to rethink how it practices "justice."
January 27, 2018
Sad yet a glorious read in its totality. Very difficult to put down and walk away even for an hour.
I felt sympathetic, empathetic, and finally such relief that a broken system can sometimes be forced to work as it should. Very worth rereading.
I felt sympathetic, empathetic, and finally such relief that a broken system can sometimes be forced to work as it should. Very worth rereading.
February 23, 2020
I've been reading a lot of prison memoirs and this one started out to be too much of a recitation of facts and more simplistic than the others I've read. But it ended up being very informative, inspiring and--of course--outrageous, given that the author was absolutely innocent.
February 7, 2018
This is an amazing story of hope, Love, forgiveness and patience, the best read for me this year.
February 10, 2018
This is a must-read story! I just finished reading it and I am going to take some time to write a deserving review. For now, all I can say is everyone should read this book!
February 27, 2018
This was a WOW book for me. I would recommend anyone and everyone to read this book.
July 13, 2018
Great insight into an innocent man who never loses hope. Another reason to keep pushing for prison reform; too much corruption in our world.
February 1, 2021
Amazing
The book brings light to the criminal justice system that needs so badly reformed. I couldn't put the book down. Highly recommended.
The book brings light to the criminal justice system that needs so badly reformed. I couldn't put the book down. Highly recommended.
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