Introduction to Charles

Purpose of this website

My name is Charles Douglas Raby. I was sentenced to death for the murder of a friend's Grandmother, Mrs. Edna M. Franklin, a murder that I falsely confessed to. The object of this website is to generate support and media attention to help me win a new trial, to get more DNA testing done, and to get a much needed investigation into finding her real murderer.

I did confess to the murder of Mrs. Franklin because the investigation detective, Sgt. Waymon Allen, let me know he (could) lock up my fiancée and have her baby placed in child care; [they] were at the police station with me. I was told [they] were being taken home at her request [but the police kept them there until I confessed]. After I confessed, they were allowed to go home. I was arrested on October 19, 1992 and sent to Death Row in June of 1994. I have been here a long time fighting to prove my innocence. And now that the DNA results are in [showing that the DNA was not mine], you would think that would be enough to exonerate me, but it hasn’t worked out that way. You will read all about these things. Some of the things you will read are not nice or pretty. Some things I would rather be left dead and buried. Things I haven’t thought of in years I have written about.

Background

To tell you, I am not the best of writers. At the time I entered Death Row I was more or less illiterate. I have done the best I can to try to explain things. I hope I have done a good job. I have been as honest as I can be, relying on my memory that isn’t the best after more than 27 years. My memories aren’t the same as others. I could have written everything to fit with everyone else’s memories, but that would be lies, and I do not want to go with other people's memories of the events. Some of the things you will read aren’t pretty. The murder of Mrs. Franklin is bad. I have done my best to be as respectful as I can, but there are facts that I speak of that, well, they are just facts.

In Houston TX I was born to Betty Jean Perteet and Charles Elvis Raby on March 22, 1970. I was raised by my mother for the most part, not knowing my dad until I was 17.5 years old. He left when I was two years of age. Then there is my past life: the way I was as a young wild teenager, with no structure at all, and who did nothing but drink. I started drinking at the very early age of 11 years old. I have done many things in my past which I am not proud of and feel shame over. I wasn’t perfect. I’m still not perfect, but I am not that young and dumb wild teenager anymore. I have grown and I have grown for the better. But I am still full of faults. I have flaws. I have scars. I have memories I wish to forget. I have not had an easy life, some of which you will read. I just ask that you keep an open mind, and not see me as that young fool I was many years ago. I hurt people. I hurt people I loved, that loved me. I am not the same person I was then.

Being on Death Row has caused me to really take a look at my past actions, and what I see, I don’t like. I wasn’t perfect, far from it. I have met a lot of good hearted guys who have made mistakes and now have to pay for those mistakes with their lives. I have met a lot of good people who have written me over the years; they have kept me sane in this insane place. To them I say, Yakoke! Thank you!

Interests

As I like to read, I will read just about anything I can get my hands on. As a child, I hated school, hated it with a passion. I have a learning disability. But these days I like to read anything that will teach me something: outer space, prehistoric times, (native American) history, law and anything about the human body. I didn’t get ever far in school so I am pretty self taught as you will read. I like to draw, although I rarely do it these days. But I love looking at art. Frank Franzette is by far my all time favorite artist.

Criminal legal system

My stay here has shown me a few things about the ‘justice system’. And what I have learned is, 'money talks'. There are no rich people here on TX Death Row. At least, I don’t know any.

I have seen how that ‘Law of Parties’ law [The Texas law of parties states that a person can be criminally responsible for the actions of another in certain circumstances] works: the prosecution makes deals with the actual killers and give them life or LESS, while the man who didn’t kill anyone sits here waiting to die, or has since been executed. In some cases the actual killer is now out on parole. Where is the ‘fairness’ in making a deal with a murderer in order to prosecute someone who didn’t kill anyone, and in many cases didn’t even know what was going on until afterwards? Yeah, that's not “fair justice”.

I have learned that these courts are 'Prosecution friendly' and will ignore facts and accept the prosecution's theory, no matter how off the wall it is (as you will read in my case). Many of the guys here had next to nothing in the way of competent representation, and were used as nothing more than political stepping stones for the Prosecution.

I have seen guys put to death that were nothing but children when they committed their crimes, and grow into good decent men whose mistake as a teenager cost them their lives. Guys who would never make that type of mistake ever again or cause a threat to general population. I also have seen cases that are mirror images of each other; some receive life or less, while others get Death. I have seen the State sentence guys to death and spend millions of dollars fighting to have them killed, saying they were not worthy to live or they are not rehabilitable. Yet, years later, these very same guys will win a new punishment hearing/trial, and the very people who said they were monsters and deserve nothing short of Death, make a deal and decide to give them life. Which is good, which is what they should had received from the start.

Help

Whether you are a supporter of capital punishment or against it, I ask you to read everything with an open mind. I am doing my best to present you with facts. I have done my best to write about events in historic order. It is a lot. And a lot of my life isn’t pretty. I have added things about my family history that was damn hard to write about. I have touched on lightly about some events in my childhood. I have become as open as I can.

By this website I am asking for help from the public and the media to save my life. I am at my wit's end! There are days I just want to give up, and tell them to set an execution day, and come and kill me. And yet, I keep on fighting. I really don’t know how much more I have left in me.

Everything you will read beside my legal files are in my words, and my words only! I have asked the wonderful people who are retyping all this for me to correct my spelling and minor errors. But these words are my words.

Thank all of you who have stuck by me, who believe in me, who help me in every way you can. Those are the ones that give me the will to keep going. And it ain’t easy. So thank you. I love each of you, you are those that I know who really love and care for me, many who started out as total strangers, who entered my life. Yakoke!!

With that, I will end, and let you read everything. Thank you for taking the time to read my story!

Sincerely,  Charles D. Raby