DeSantis to Execute Child Abuse Survivor

 

Warrant Signed for Glen Rogers For the entire legislative session, including just yesterday before a Senate Committee, our lawmakers and Governor DeSantis have been claiming that their highest calling is to protect child victims of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Yet, late yesterday, Governor DeSantis picked up his blue sharpie, and chose to execute one. In signing the fifth death warrant of 2025, DeSantis scheduled the execution of Glen Rogers for Thursday, May 15 at 6 pm for the 1995 murder of Tina Marie Cribbs. Yes, Mr. Rogers was convicted of a brutal Florida murder. Sadly, the reasons that led him down that path are just as brutal. Here is just some of the horrific abuse he suffered as a child, that neither his jury, nor his sentencing judge ever heard. I’m warning you, it is really hard to read: Glen’s older brother Clay pimped out a 10-year-old Glen to feed his own drug habit, selling him to two older women in their mid-20s he had known around town, Carla Taggert and Vanessa Auer. Clay watched as both Carla and Vanessa raped Glen. Carla and Vanessa not only raped young Glen, but they offered him to other men in the community who produced child pornography, including a notorious child pornographer who went by the name of “Bear.” Bear molested 12-year-old Glen and other young children and took pictures of them, selling the child pornography to underground magazines. Vanessa and Carla participated in the making of the child pornography, stimulating Glen for the photographs. As hard as it is to read these details, imagine the devastating impact on young Glen. With a terrible home life and no therapy for this sexual trauma, are we in any way surprised that he turned to violence, especially against women? The hypocrisy of our leaders is astounding. They pretend to care so much about protecting and honoring child victims when they are children, but are quick to discount that abuse, discard them as adults, and call for their death? That is not justice. Take action for Glen now: sign our petition and tell Governor DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to stop this execution and commute his sentence to life without parole. Update on Jeffrey Hutchinson As you all know, Jeffrey “Ranger” Hutchinson is still set for execution on May 1 at 6 pm. As a reminder, Jeff is a decorated Gulf War veteran who was trained as a paratrooper and Army Ranger. He bravely served in some of the most dangerous combat zones in Operation Desert Storm and was honorably discharged after nearly a decade of service. In the years after Jeff’s return, his family watched helplessly as he struggled with memory problems, terrifying hallucinations, paranoid delusions, and severe mood swings. He became consumed by the belief that he was being surveilled because of “military secrets.” He became increasingly distrustful, even of his own attorneys. His untreated mental illness defined nearly every moment of his post-service life, and is continuing to haunt him as he is marched towards the execution chamber. Please click here to sign and share our petition urging Governor DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency to stop Jeff’s execution and grant clemency. If you're a veteran, or connected to a veteran’s group, we’d especially love to hear from you. Please reach out to us at info@fadp.org. Ranger needs your support. These two executions are not justice. We should not execute victims of childhood sexual abuse. We should not execute men who we broke in war and refused to treat when they came home. To be honest, I’m running out of adjectives to adequately describe my disgust and my fury at the State of Florida’s killing spree. And yet, as always, we must not turn a blind eye to this horror. Stay with us, take action, call out their hypocrisy. Show up with me and speak for the voiceless. Onward,   Maria DeLiberato   FADP Executive Director P.S. We need you too. Make a contribution today so that we can continue fighting against Florida’s killing machine. Please click here to donate.

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty P.O. Box 82943 Tampa, FL 33682 Copyright © 2024 Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP)

Stop the Execution of Eddie James

MIDDLEBOROREVIEWAND SO ON 

Rest in Peace James Ford

 

Last night the State of Florida conducted its 107th execution; its first execution of this year. Even though the execution was carried out, I remain so proud of the FADP team, and all of you, who worked tirelessly to try to stop this state sanctioned murder from happening. More than 70 people joined us in the pouring rain across from the death chamber at Florida State Prison to ring the bell and say “Not in My Name.” After 19 agonizing minutes, James was pronounced dead, and we released this statement: Tonight, we the people of the State of Florida, killed 64 year old James Ford. We killed a man who had the emotional and intellectual capacity of a teenager. We killed the father of three daughters, whom he loved and who loved him back. We killed a man who was no longer a danger to anyone, who could have and should have lived out his remaining days in prison. When the Governor signed James’ warrant last month and the guards came to pull him from his cell to take him to death watch, James was doing his weekly bible study with his death row neighbors. With tears in his eyes as he was hauled away, he thanked one of his neighbors for teaching him so much of the Lord’s word over the years. The State wants you to believe that everyone on death row is a monster. That they are subhuman, or less than, or somehow “other.” It’s simply not true. We ripped a man away from his bible study and led him to his death. These are the people we are killing. James is more than the worst thing he has ever done. We grieve for James’ victims, and we acknowledge and grieve that his crimes left another child parentless. We grieve for his daughters, who are now also without their father. But this case could have ended 30 years ago with a life sentence, and the healing for the victims could have started then. There is so much misinformation and fear-mongering in the State of Florida right now. Today, as the State prepared to kill James, our legislature hurriedly passed, and the Governor signed, sweeping anti-immigrant legislation. This legislation included an “automatic” and “mandatory” death penalty for immigrants who are convicted of capital crimes. No jury, no individualized sentence, just automatic death. This is of course blatantly unconstitutional, a fact which our lawmakers knew and boasted about. When the respect for the rule of law is lost, we are all in grave danger. The death penalty debases us all. The hatred debases us all. We have to do better. Onward, Maria DeLiberato FADP Executive Director P.S. Your contributions are necessary for us to continue this important work. Please consider making a donation today.

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty P.O. Box 82943 Tampa, FL 33682 Copyright © 2024 Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP)