Post by CCADP on Aug 27, 2005 21:12:42 GMT -5
Billy Moore Chat Transcript
Billy Moore, who turned his life around while on death row, answered your questions about the death penalty. Read the transcript below to find out what an insider had to say.
BillyMoore: I'm very honored to be able to chat with you, and I'm ready to get started.
803_mommi_2004: HEY BILLY WHAT MADE YOU CHANGE YOUR LIFE AROUND?
BillyMoore: I was in the county jail. A preacher came to me and told me about Jesus Christ. He told me that God loved me and no matter that I committed a crime and was on death row, Jesus was a just judge. I was 22. No one had ever told me that Jesus loved me or that they loved me.
prkt81476: What were you in jail for? How have you changed your life?
BillyMoore: I was in jail for murder and armed robbery and pleaded guilty and received the death penalty.
803_mommi_2004: WHAT MADE THEM GIVE YOU THE DEATH PENALTY?
BillyMoore: Actually, the sheriff in the county where the crime happened, told the judge to give me the death penalty. The judge had written my death sentence up before the trial started. After I pleaded guilty -- I didn't mean to cause the murder, but I did -- the judge sentenced me to death on Friday, the 13th, 1974.
hert401: Pastor Moore, in your opinion is the death penalty a waste of tax payers' money?
BillyMoore: Yes, in my money, the death penalty is a waste of tax payers' money because in the U.S. there are at least 50,000 murders a year, but only 250 people a year get the death penalty. They say they give out capital punishment for people that commit murder. What happens to the others? It's only a select few. I was on death row for 16.5 years. The state of Georgia spent more than $1 million trying to kill me. It takes less than $50,000 to keep a man or woman in prison for life, but it takes over $1 million just for the appeals process. I think the worst thing you can do to a person, is not killing them, but leaving them in prison. That's punishment.
hert401: In your opinion, does the death penalty serve any real purpose?
BillyMoore: No. The death penalty doesn't serve any real purpose. It was supposed to be a deterrent and when you look in the Bible and compare capital punishment, when a person committed a crime worthy of death, the person went to the priest, who sentenced them. Everyone in the community was involved, which served as a deterrent. What the people see in the newspaper when someone's executed is just like reading the obituaries. It's no deterrent.
tsufunk: Billy, when you were on death row, did you, at any point, give up hope? During those last hours were you ever resigned to your fate, or did you always have hope that you would live?
BillyMoore: When I first got a death sentence, I gave up hope. When I first got the sentence, I thought that was it. I wanted to die. There was guilt from the crime I committed. After the minister told me about Christ, that gave me hope to help others.
BillyMoore: In 1984, I was put on death watch. I lost my appeals. I was put in a cell next to the electric chair for three days. It came within seven hours of my execution before I got a stay from the court. Before that, I felt, "whatever God wants from me, I'm satisfied with it." When I was on death watch, God declared to me that I would live and not die. I didn't know how, but I knew God had worked it out for me.
artgal411: Are u still in jail?
BillyMoore: No. I'm an ordained minister. I go back to prison and youth detention centers. I'm in law school and teach people about non-violence. I teach them what prison really is. Some think it's the actual physical structure, but prison is when you give away your will and what God has given you that makes you unique. When you give in to that, you're in prison. You don't have to be physically confined to be mentally confined.
MSKYSHA24: WHAT TURNED THE CONVICTION AROUND FOR U AT THE LAST MINUTE?
BillyMoore: I lost all my appeals. My case went to the parole board in 1990. The members of the victims' family told the parole board that the man they wanted to kill was dead already. We'd been writing each other for years. The parole board commuted my sentence. The victim's family turned it around.
MSKYSHA24: DO U REALLY BELIEVE NOW THAT JESUS LOVES YOU, AND THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT LOVE AND CARE ABOUT YOU?
BillyMoore: Absolutely, without a doubt. I know that Jesus loves me and there are other people that love me as well and want to see me do the best at helping other people. That's exactly what my life is all about -- helping others.
MSKYSHA24: WOULD U HAVE RATHER DIED THAN STAYIN LOCKED UP ALL THOSE YEARS?
BillyMoore: Some inmates would rather die than be locked up. Others would rather be locked up than die, thinking the laws would change and they may possibly get out of prison. Others feel being locked up gives them the opportunity to help others even when they're in prison.
214queen: How do you feel to have a second chance at life?
BillyMoore: It is a great honor and a privilege. It really humbles you to know you have a second chance. I try to use my chance to teach other people that the worst thing you've ever done does not define who you are.
hert401: Do you think jail is more about big business now and less about rehabilitation of prisoners?
BillyMoore: Absolutely. Prison, especially in the south, is about money. It's no different than slavery. The wardens are the masters. The guards are the overseers. The prison is the slave quarters. They make park benches, uniforms, etc... Inmates that worked were supposed to get $25 a month. All they got was a 5-lb bag of coffee or Kool-Aid a week.
axerouge: Why is it such a common experience for people to "get religion" when they're in prison?
BillyMoore: I believe the reason why that happens is because when they're on the outside, they're constantly running and doing what they want to do. It's only when you're arrested -- physically and in your mind -- begin you begin to seek help. They're more receptive to what God has to say.
MESOADDICTIVE: HOW LONG HAVE U BEEN OUT?
BillyMoore: I got out of prison Nov. 8, 1991.
hert401: I know there's no love like God's love, but what do you say to your critics who want to play devil's advocate and say once a murderer always a murderer.
BillyMoore: I would say all they have to do is look at my life. My life has changed. It's just not me. There are many that have committed murder and their lives have changed. The majority of the time, they're young, on drugs and into violence. They usually grow up and mature and understand that violence is not the way to go. Harming others is not the way to live your life. People can change.
Snoopy76: Are you still in contact with the victim's family?
BillyMoore: Yes. I talk to them by phone and have been down to where they live to visit. Visiting them was like going to see my own family. It was like a family reunion. I was living in Michigan and a station was doing a story on forgiveness. We went to visit the family and met at a church. It was like meeting my family at a family reunion. We hugged and cried. It was a wonder meeting.
MSKYSHA24: Y IS IT, WHEN SOME PEPOPLE R RELEASED, THEY DONT KEEP THEIR PROMISES WITH GOD? IT’S LIKE THEY USED GOD TO GET WHAT THEY WANT.
BillyMoore: That's true. There are some people who make commitments that don't live up to them, but then there are those who are serious about their conversion and change. They make their commitment to God and stick to it. They better themselves. I go around the country and talk to law students and try to get them to go into public service and try to help others. There are many that can't afford lawyers that need lawyers. Part of being a lawyer is public service.
NOXZGURL: HOW DID U FEEL WHEN THEY TOLD U U WERE FREE?
BillyMoore: It was hard to believe. It was really hard to believe. I got a letter from the parole board. When I first got it, I thought it was a joke. The morning of my release, I was called to the warden's office. I had a friend who has a life sentence and the morning he was to be released, the sheriff had got the parole board to rescind. I was called to the office, and I was anxious. There were four stacks of papers that had been filed for my case. They were curious because TV networks wanted to do interviews with me. Then, it began to sink in that I was going to get out.
Ms_Westside: Would u say that those who do commit crimes such as murder, rape, and etc. are because they were on drugs or came from violent families?
BillyMoore: It's a combination of a lot of things as to why people commit violent crimes. Some were raised that way. Others are on a quest to get money. Some have a propensity for being mean and violent. It's a lot of different things that go into it. It depends on the person. Some commit crimes that just get caught up in the moment of what's going on. The majority of murders are usually related to domestic stuff and people that know one another.
MSKYSHA24: BEFORE LEAVING PRISON, DID U GET ANYONE SAVED?
BillyMoore: Yes. When I was on death row, the cell block I lived on had 34 inmates. Eighteen of them had gotten saved. For more than 10 years, I taught Bible study classes to five different groups. It was so well-known by the institution. Every new person that came to death row was put in our cell block. Other blocks were violent. Because of the Christian influence in that cell block, the captain would put the new inmates on our block so they would follow our pattern and see how we live.
MSKYSHA24: WHEN WILL YOU BE IN FLORIDA SPEEKING?
BillyMoore: At the present time, I don't have any engagements in Florida, but all my contact information is out there. e-mail: bnalmoore@aol.com
hert401: Is it's better to be rich and guilty in the U.S. than poor and innocent? Do you think if you had better legal representation your case would've gone differently?
BillyMoore: It's always better to be innocent, whether you're rich or poor. One of the main things that happens is that if you have money, you can get top-notch representation. In doing so, it evens the playing field between the attorneys and the prosecutors. Poor people have attorneys assigned to them by the judge. Some are totally incompetent or have never defended someone on death row. The courts would uphold the verdict just because the lawyer was present. It's best to be innocent, regardless if you're poor or rich.
hotgril2000: How old or you?
BillyMoore: I am 54.
jacquicross: I just want to wish him God's speed and a good life.
BillyMoore: Thank you very much.
BillyMoore: I truly thank you for your questions. I hope there's something I said that was helpful to give you a better understanding of me, prison and the death penalty. "I Shall Not Die," my book, deals with my life on death row up to the seven hours prior to the execution.
BET
Billy Moore, who turned his life around while on death row, answered your questions about the death penalty. Read the transcript below to find out what an insider had to say.
BillyMoore: I'm very honored to be able to chat with you, and I'm ready to get started.
803_mommi_2004: HEY BILLY WHAT MADE YOU CHANGE YOUR LIFE AROUND?
BillyMoore: I was in the county jail. A preacher came to me and told me about Jesus Christ. He told me that God loved me and no matter that I committed a crime and was on death row, Jesus was a just judge. I was 22. No one had ever told me that Jesus loved me or that they loved me.
prkt81476: What were you in jail for? How have you changed your life?
BillyMoore: I was in jail for murder and armed robbery and pleaded guilty and received the death penalty.
803_mommi_2004: WHAT MADE THEM GIVE YOU THE DEATH PENALTY?
BillyMoore: Actually, the sheriff in the county where the crime happened, told the judge to give me the death penalty. The judge had written my death sentence up before the trial started. After I pleaded guilty -- I didn't mean to cause the murder, but I did -- the judge sentenced me to death on Friday, the 13th, 1974.
hert401: Pastor Moore, in your opinion is the death penalty a waste of tax payers' money?
BillyMoore: Yes, in my money, the death penalty is a waste of tax payers' money because in the U.S. there are at least 50,000 murders a year, but only 250 people a year get the death penalty. They say they give out capital punishment for people that commit murder. What happens to the others? It's only a select few. I was on death row for 16.5 years. The state of Georgia spent more than $1 million trying to kill me. It takes less than $50,000 to keep a man or woman in prison for life, but it takes over $1 million just for the appeals process. I think the worst thing you can do to a person, is not killing them, but leaving them in prison. That's punishment.
hert401: In your opinion, does the death penalty serve any real purpose?
BillyMoore: No. The death penalty doesn't serve any real purpose. It was supposed to be a deterrent and when you look in the Bible and compare capital punishment, when a person committed a crime worthy of death, the person went to the priest, who sentenced them. Everyone in the community was involved, which served as a deterrent. What the people see in the newspaper when someone's executed is just like reading the obituaries. It's no deterrent.
tsufunk: Billy, when you were on death row, did you, at any point, give up hope? During those last hours were you ever resigned to your fate, or did you always have hope that you would live?
BillyMoore: When I first got a death sentence, I gave up hope. When I first got the sentence, I thought that was it. I wanted to die. There was guilt from the crime I committed. After the minister told me about Christ, that gave me hope to help others.
BillyMoore: In 1984, I was put on death watch. I lost my appeals. I was put in a cell next to the electric chair for three days. It came within seven hours of my execution before I got a stay from the court. Before that, I felt, "whatever God wants from me, I'm satisfied with it." When I was on death watch, God declared to me that I would live and not die. I didn't know how, but I knew God had worked it out for me.
artgal411: Are u still in jail?
BillyMoore: No. I'm an ordained minister. I go back to prison and youth detention centers. I'm in law school and teach people about non-violence. I teach them what prison really is. Some think it's the actual physical structure, but prison is when you give away your will and what God has given you that makes you unique. When you give in to that, you're in prison. You don't have to be physically confined to be mentally confined.
MSKYSHA24: WHAT TURNED THE CONVICTION AROUND FOR U AT THE LAST MINUTE?
BillyMoore: I lost all my appeals. My case went to the parole board in 1990. The members of the victims' family told the parole board that the man they wanted to kill was dead already. We'd been writing each other for years. The parole board commuted my sentence. The victim's family turned it around.
MSKYSHA24: DO U REALLY BELIEVE NOW THAT JESUS LOVES YOU, AND THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD THAT LOVE AND CARE ABOUT YOU?
BillyMoore: Absolutely, without a doubt. I know that Jesus loves me and there are other people that love me as well and want to see me do the best at helping other people. That's exactly what my life is all about -- helping others.
MSKYSHA24: WOULD U HAVE RATHER DIED THAN STAYIN LOCKED UP ALL THOSE YEARS?
BillyMoore: Some inmates would rather die than be locked up. Others would rather be locked up than die, thinking the laws would change and they may possibly get out of prison. Others feel being locked up gives them the opportunity to help others even when they're in prison.
214queen: How do you feel to have a second chance at life?
BillyMoore: It is a great honor and a privilege. It really humbles you to know you have a second chance. I try to use my chance to teach other people that the worst thing you've ever done does not define who you are.
hert401: Do you think jail is more about big business now and less about rehabilitation of prisoners?
BillyMoore: Absolutely. Prison, especially in the south, is about money. It's no different than slavery. The wardens are the masters. The guards are the overseers. The prison is the slave quarters. They make park benches, uniforms, etc... Inmates that worked were supposed to get $25 a month. All they got was a 5-lb bag of coffee or Kool-Aid a week.
axerouge: Why is it such a common experience for people to "get religion" when they're in prison?
BillyMoore: I believe the reason why that happens is because when they're on the outside, they're constantly running and doing what they want to do. It's only when you're arrested -- physically and in your mind -- begin you begin to seek help. They're more receptive to what God has to say.
MESOADDICTIVE: HOW LONG HAVE U BEEN OUT?
BillyMoore: I got out of prison Nov. 8, 1991.
hert401: I know there's no love like God's love, but what do you say to your critics who want to play devil's advocate and say once a murderer always a murderer.
BillyMoore: I would say all they have to do is look at my life. My life has changed. It's just not me. There are many that have committed murder and their lives have changed. The majority of the time, they're young, on drugs and into violence. They usually grow up and mature and understand that violence is not the way to go. Harming others is not the way to live your life. People can change.
Snoopy76: Are you still in contact with the victim's family?
BillyMoore: Yes. I talk to them by phone and have been down to where they live to visit. Visiting them was like going to see my own family. It was like a family reunion. I was living in Michigan and a station was doing a story on forgiveness. We went to visit the family and met at a church. It was like meeting my family at a family reunion. We hugged and cried. It was a wonder meeting.
MSKYSHA24: Y IS IT, WHEN SOME PEPOPLE R RELEASED, THEY DONT KEEP THEIR PROMISES WITH GOD? IT’S LIKE THEY USED GOD TO GET WHAT THEY WANT.
BillyMoore: That's true. There are some people who make commitments that don't live up to them, but then there are those who are serious about their conversion and change. They make their commitment to God and stick to it. They better themselves. I go around the country and talk to law students and try to get them to go into public service and try to help others. There are many that can't afford lawyers that need lawyers. Part of being a lawyer is public service.
NOXZGURL: HOW DID U FEEL WHEN THEY TOLD U U WERE FREE?
BillyMoore: It was hard to believe. It was really hard to believe. I got a letter from the parole board. When I first got it, I thought it was a joke. The morning of my release, I was called to the warden's office. I had a friend who has a life sentence and the morning he was to be released, the sheriff had got the parole board to rescind. I was called to the office, and I was anxious. There were four stacks of papers that had been filed for my case. They were curious because TV networks wanted to do interviews with me. Then, it began to sink in that I was going to get out.
Ms_Westside: Would u say that those who do commit crimes such as murder, rape, and etc. are because they were on drugs or came from violent families?
BillyMoore: It's a combination of a lot of things as to why people commit violent crimes. Some were raised that way. Others are on a quest to get money. Some have a propensity for being mean and violent. It's a lot of different things that go into it. It depends on the person. Some commit crimes that just get caught up in the moment of what's going on. The majority of murders are usually related to domestic stuff and people that know one another.
MSKYSHA24: BEFORE LEAVING PRISON, DID U GET ANYONE SAVED?
BillyMoore: Yes. When I was on death row, the cell block I lived on had 34 inmates. Eighteen of them had gotten saved. For more than 10 years, I taught Bible study classes to five different groups. It was so well-known by the institution. Every new person that came to death row was put in our cell block. Other blocks were violent. Because of the Christian influence in that cell block, the captain would put the new inmates on our block so they would follow our pattern and see how we live.
MSKYSHA24: WHEN WILL YOU BE IN FLORIDA SPEEKING?
BillyMoore: At the present time, I don't have any engagements in Florida, but all my contact information is out there. e-mail: bnalmoore@aol.com
hert401: Is it's better to be rich and guilty in the U.S. than poor and innocent? Do you think if you had better legal representation your case would've gone differently?
BillyMoore: It's always better to be innocent, whether you're rich or poor. One of the main things that happens is that if you have money, you can get top-notch representation. In doing so, it evens the playing field between the attorneys and the prosecutors. Poor people have attorneys assigned to them by the judge. Some are totally incompetent or have never defended someone on death row. The courts would uphold the verdict just because the lawyer was present. It's best to be innocent, regardless if you're poor or rich.
hotgril2000: How old or you?
BillyMoore: I am 54.
jacquicross: I just want to wish him God's speed and a good life.
BillyMoore: Thank you very much.
BillyMoore: I truly thank you for your questions. I hope there's something I said that was helpful to give you a better understanding of me, prison and the death penalty. "I Shall Not Die," my book, deals with my life on death row up to the seven hours prior to the execution.
BET