FREE ANTHONY SANCHEZ

July 13, 2023

An Open Letter to The Family of Juli Busken: "We Can Stop the Killing"

To The Family of Juli Busken.

Much has been made of my effort to save the life of Anthony Sanchez.  I do not apologize for such work.  Indeed, I believe that the message of Jesus compels me to such work.  From the beginning, I told Sanchez that I would do everything in my power to save his life and that if I failed, I would be there to pray with him as he died.  Though my work is unquestionably centered around Sanchez, that hasn’t meant that I haven’t thought of you consistently throughout this process.  Contrary to what my detractors might claim, I am not a monster.  On the contrary, I am a flawed human trying to do the best I can to cling to what I believe in the middle of an incredibly flawed world.  Such beliefs teach me that I cannot work to save Sanchez without constantly praying for you and remembering your incredible daughter, Juli.  One of the things that I’ve learned about working with guys on death row, is that you can’t hide from the horror.  The business of killers and killing is always going to be horrific.  That is, unless someone dares to stop it.  How can we stop the killing?  By stopping the killing.

I’m sure it’s apparent by now that I don’t believe that Anthony Sanchez killed your daughter.  None of the sketches look anything like him, especially the joint sketch that looks almost identical to Anthony Sanchez’s dad Glen.  Feet don’t grow at astronomical rates, the footprint of the murderer was a size 9 not the size 11 that Anthony Sanchez wears.  None of the physical evidence found in the car matches Anthony Sanchez, not the fingerprints, hairs or skin fragments.  DNA analyst Melissa Keith’s testimony in prior testimony contradicts the testimony that she gave in court.  Our private tests have repeatedly shown that there is absolutely no way that Anthony Sanchez is the killer of your daughter.  Of course, there is also the fact that Glen confessed to the crime on at least three different occasions.  I would continue, but I imagine that you’ve already been repeatedly told that I am (we are) full of it.  That’s ok.  I have no doubt that you can figure out what the truth is on your own.  More and more information seems to be coming in by the moment.  Those who have eyes to see will see.

Honestly, I’m most interested in sharing with you that Juli Busken is as much a part of our work as Anthony Sanchez is.  For so many of us who have worked on Anthony Sanchez’s behalf, we have left incredibly touched by her life and spirit.  Nobody wants to dishonor the life of Juli Busken.  I want to make that perfectly clear.  The truth is, we (I) want to honor her by making sure that the killing stops.  Whether you believe that Anthony Sanchez killed your daughter or not, you could demand that the killing stop…you could tell the authorities to stand down.

In the coming months, we will be out in public in a variety of ways, I’m writing to ask you to stand with us…to stand with me.  So that jointly, we can look at the State of Oklahoma and declare, “You who are without sin cast the first stone.”  That is the path that feels most like the path that Jesus traveled to me.  Regardless of what you choose, know that you will forever inhabit my prayers.  May we all keep the faith in these difficult times.

The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood

Spiritual Advisor, Anthony Sanchez

July 15, 2023

"Evidence Unraveled: The Fight to Free Anthony Sanchez" (Transcript)

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
On December the 20th, 1996, Juli Busken was abducted from her apartment complex, driven out to Lake Stanley Draper and executed, murdered on the shore. For years, authorities had very little evidence and no suspects to go on. They found a traced amount of DNA on a leotard that was found close to the body of Juli Busken. Using that trace amount they claim to, six or seven years later, get a random match on Anthony Sanchez. Anthony Sanchez was tried, convicted and sentenced to death based on that trace amount of DNA.

Cathy Hodge:
It seems like the prosecutors, I mean, they just made up a story. I don't know where they got it from. They wouldn't let none of his family come in the trial. He had to sit there by himself.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
What was Anthony like growing up?

Cathy Hodge:
He was a happy kid. He had a smile on his face all the time. I mean, he had the biggest grin. If you look at any of his pictures, he's got this big grin and he was real loving. He's real soft-hearted from a baby on, I mean, he was a good kid.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
When he got a death sentence, what was your reaction? What was that like?

Cathy Hodge:
It was the worst day of my life and there's nothing you can do. As a mother you want to help him and save him, and it was bad. It was just heartbreaking. He had an attorney that, a real hateful attorney, I tried to tell him, "You need to defend him." And he said, "Well, we're not trying to get him out right now. We're just trying to keep him off death row. Well, why would you not bring up the evidence that's going to prove his innocence instead of just trying to get him off death row?"

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
So you feel like in the midst of the entire trial and the entire process, there was nobody defending Anthony?

Cathy Hodge:
Nobody.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
When I met Anthony Sanchez last fall, I sat down with him and he began to talk to me about innocence and I didn't really know what to think because I hear about innocence from these guys a lot.

Abraham Bonowitz:
At Death Penalty Action, we take every case in order. I mean, we address every single execution whether they're guilty or innocent. So this one sort of came onto our radar as one of the 25 in Oklahoma, but when Jeff came and said, "This guy says he's innocent, I think he's full of it." I said, "Great, we'll just do what we usually do."

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
But as I kind of pushed more and more into this case, again, it started becoming stranger and stranger as to how this was pinpointed to be Anthony.

Abraham Bonowitz:
But then Jeff came back and said, "I think he's innocent and we need money for testing and an investigator and all this." I didn't know what that was going to take, but I sent a text to one of my best and longest donors and within half an hour she wrote back and said yes. And that's what allowed us to get to the point that we're at today where there's an independent investigator who's putting his jobs with the state on the line to come out and counter the narrative of the state.

David Ballard:
My name is David Ballard. I'm a chief licensed private investigator. I am also an expert witness and an instructor on courses approved for investigators and law enforcement. For the last 11 years, I've worked as a private investigator on crime scenes and on evidence and forensics, ballistics. Pretty much my expertise was anything violent crime. Back in December of '22, I was contacted by one of the attorneys for Anthony Sanchez, needed someone who was familiar with DNA and crime scenes, follow up on some evidence and try to reach out and find other DNA evidence and have it tested. Well, initially when I got some of the documentation or some interviews and the sketches, the first impression was the sketch that nothing about the sketch appeared to match Anthony.
Then went through some of the witness statements and very quickly had to move to trying to locate an item with DNA for his dad, Glen Sanchez. So involved reaching out to Charlotte, his ex and start from there. But when I met with her, she was very open and talked to me and was very forthcoming with information. And then I told her that I had been informed that at some point she may have heard a confession or a statement. And it turned out to be three different incidents where Glen Sanchez had confessed, he had killed Juli Busken, that he should have done a better job getting rid of her and that Anthony was taking it like a man.

Charlotte Beattie:
It was probably about 2014, he said, "At least Anthony's taking it for me." He said, "I'm the one that did it." And he said that she had a tight ass, and he kept on bragging about it because he said, "No one will ever know." It seemed like every few months he'd talk about it. And I'd ask him, "Why are you letting Anthony suffer for it?" And he said, "Well, because he can handle it." And he said, "Anthony doesn't know. Whenever I die, no one will know the truth about what happened to Juli."

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
Did Glen ever give any sort of details or anything like that when he was making these types of comments?

Charlotte Beattie:
No. He would turn around saying how he... that he tied her up. He hog tied her and he said he raped her.

David Ballard:
But as I was interviewing Charlotte, she was the first one to tell me that one of the reasons Anthony didn't finish school was because Glen would beat on him so bad. Sometimes he was just too beat up to go to school that he put hands on her, he would literally just go off blackout and become very violent. So now you've got the, okay, he's a propensity towards... a potential for violence towards women and other people. But sometimes you like, "Well, that's inner family." Not that it makes it better, but where you go from there. It was once you started talking about his sexual behavior too, that really stood out. Aggressive when told no, had issues with performance and blamed it on women a lot of times, making them do things face down, didn't want them looking at him. Including trying to force women to have sex with animals, sodomizing them with handles to hammers, waking up and being bound and him assaulting them.

Charlotte Beattie:
The abuse grew with time. It was sexual abuse. He figured if a baby could come out of it, a fist can go in it. And if I screamed, he would go further and he'd go in my butt too. And I was afraid to say something because he'd always say, "If you say anything, if I don't do it, somebody else will. I'll kill you." I'd come out of the room crying or something, or I'll flip out on my kids over him. "Why don't you get rid of them?" "Well, I was afraid to." I got where I was scared myself that, are you going to harm my kids? Are you going to try to harm me?

David Ballard:
I mean, you take that piece and then you add in the fact of according to Charlotte, and then Glen's own words to the detectives. He went by Draper all the time. Matter of fact, in one of the interviews when they're asking about Anthony, they were trying to establish if Anthony was familiar with Lake Draper. They asked Glen, "Have you ever taken Anthony fishing there?" And he said, "Yeah, when he was a kid." He said, "Where'd you like to go?" And he tells them, "Oh, I is over there by the bridge." And he was referring to the dam. He talks about the dirt road, the gravel... I mean off the beaten path. And the detective put in his report that he thought that was interesting because that is right next to where they found Juli Busken's body. I believe Anthony's first attorneys even thought might be Glen because Anthony got upset about that because at that point, no one had any inclination that way, but we're not the only ones. The detective also was looking pretty hard at Glen but couldn't get there at that time.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
They stuck with Anthony Sanchez because he's a poor kid, they already had this whole narrative built up. They already were able to take the DNA and manipulate it, make it fit, and they didn't take the time to investigate Glen Sanchez.

David Ballard:
There's a lot that goes into any kind of forensic evidence. You have to be very careful with how you move it, package it. They started with a cowboy hat, but they got a mixed DNA sample, which also aided to what my position was on the DNA is you cannot get an exact, a hundred percent single profile when you have mixed DNA because you can't always separate the two. And you can even get DNA that mask over another to where you can't see it. They came back with a cowboy hat in February stating that it was mixed, but they could move to the toothbrush. And in March they were able to do the toothbrush and pull a single profile.
So the profile we got was a male profile, but again, this is from his hygiene kit, but you have to ask the question, making sure that it's for sure Glen's DNA profile. But based off what we've seen, the next thing was comparing it to what we had already supplied of a DNA chart that was given to me from Anthony's legal team. And I mean, matter of fact, when I first saw that document, I think we had a meeting right after, and I had an issue as soon as I saw the first table that had all the DNA profiles. And that was because Juli Busken had matching DNA numbers in her loci that matched Anthony. And not just Anthony, but a prior person who'd been looked at as a suspect in three separate loci complete matches, which that should not happen unless you're a relative.
In this case, the only matching numbers came from the leotard, that was interesting because that in the statements of the evidence that was found is that there was no items that did not contain mixed DNA. Matter of fact, the leotard contained what seemed like a smear of potentially fecal matter and what they believed to be spermatozoa. So that was odd to me that they, one, got a hundred percent match on any item, especially since some of the other items, underwear, things like that, did not have those kind of matches. And you would assume the underwear she was wearing was going to have a lot more of a match to it than anything else.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
I mean, it's interesting. You keep on hearing the state say, "Well, you've got to trust the DNA. The DNA is going to show us the truth." And it sounds like from where you sit, your persuasion, the DNA is showing us the truth. And that is that Anthony is innocent.

David Ballard:
Yes. I mean, well, one, the DNA, the sheets that we have w ere someone generated, they're not like the benchmarks. You get the lab notes and all the details that would be in there of how they broke it down. And the thing to remember is I believe five different technicians worked this evidence. And from '97 when the first test was done and they were able to pull four loci on a profile to all the way until 2000 when they do a PCR and now they get, I believe, 13 loci is what they said. But as they're going, they're swabbing and swabbing and doing this and testing this evidence, typically, and I think I've given you this reference that I've heard before. Imagine taking a picture and put it on a copier and keep copying it, and keep copying it. You don't get a stronger picture by doing that.
And there was a swatch cut out of the leotard that was used for testing. And with swatch two inch by two inch square that contains the most evidence. And typically you swab those, you don't actually do it on that item. And that plays an important fact because at one stage in this case, when DNA was challenged, it was a letter that I, in receipt of now the DA's office saying that items were consumed and we're no longer available. And I believe we had a conversation about that and I said, "That could be a problem because you should swab every bit of it." And they said swabs were put away in storage. Also, one of the evidence items of they that they listed that were taken, this is when Melissa Keith comes in is she said she received one large envelope and literally all the evidence was stuffed in one envelope.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
So all the swabs, everything stuffed in one envelope?

David Ballard:
Everything, one big giant envelope.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
What was going on in Oklahoma City at the Oklahoma City Lab during that time?

David Ballard:
During that time was not a really good time for Oklahoma City Crime Lab. That was during the Joyce Gilchrist days where it came out that she had altered evidence or falsified reports. And I forget how many, it was a lot, a bunch of cases drug on for a number of years of them figuring out how many cases she actually did it on. That she had either falsified evidence or just straight lied about it on the reports.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
So as you go down this DNA trail and you begin to realize that you know that there are these issues, you've got Melissa Keith at the trial on the stand saying this is a 100% match. I mean, how possible is a hundred percent match under normal circumstances and then how possible is a hundred percent match under these circumstances?

David Ballard:
So a hundred percent match is, I mean, you're going to be... I'll put a swab in your mouth, take it out, and it gets packaged right or directed right there at the lab. Then you're going to get a very clean match. But from a crime scene with mixed DNA, and then eight years later after it's been handled how many times, I mean your chances of success on a hundred percent match are going to get real slim. I've only received partial at this point because of what relayed to it was Melissa Keith's testimony at the trial. And initially she talks about how the match works and all this, but when she gets pressed on, and I believe it's in the transcript, that's where she states that, "Well..." And I'm paraphrasing a little bit, but basically she didn't get a full match, but based off her knowledge and training, she felt like it was good enough or a strong enough match.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
Greetings, this is Reverend Dr. Jeff Hood, spiritual advisor for Anthony Sanchez. I'm joined by David Ballard, who is the investigator on the case. In this video, we want to talk about why a shoe print that they cited is erroneous and should have never been included as evidence.

David Ballard:
Yeah, as you said, Jeff, there was a shoe print that was found at the scene and then it was stated that it matched potentially a shoe print of a style and type of shoe that Anthony Sanchez may have owned at one time. However, again, you're talking about a mass-produced shoe. And even if you go with that and say that, "Yes, Anthony could have owned this type of shoe." The problem is that it was a size nine shoe. And Anthony Sanchez, even at the time when he was just nine months past being 18 years old, that didn't match his shoe size at that time anyway. And I believe the reference to his shoe was something from much earlier on in his life, which was a very common shoe type. And you also have to go back to... There's been a lot of developments in processes and crime scenes and a lot of these techniques, they can be supportive, but they're not absolute.
The questions I have for this case are one, the DNA, the lab notes, the collection process, chain of custody, there's a lot of documentation missing. Two would be any kind of photographs or anything of how the packaging of the evidence was. Next would be the likelihood of getting it retested, because that's the best way to answer the question. Retest the evidence, compare it all now and see what we have. The fingerprints, if you didn't get Anthony's can compare him to Glen's, compare Glen's DNA. At least it'll be ruled out because what if it isn't Glen? I mean, there's always that chance. I mean, a fingerprint from Glen Sanchez on her car would be huge because there should be no reason whatsoever his fingerprints should be there.
What about the pajama bottoms? What about the other underwear that are all in her car and not readily accessible? But all those came back nothing to Anthony, and they said they found all kind of DNA evidence on that stuff. So where are those profiles? Instead of trying to make the evidence match, Anthony, let the evidence tell you what it's trying to tell you. One of my requests would be for them to test Glen Sanchez against CODIS because one of Glenn's own family members stated that they actually turned him in on another case because they saw a sketch that they thought resembled him. And it was a woman who was assaulted and murdered, not far from Norman.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
So there is suspicion out there that Glen Sanchez could have been a serial killer.

David Ballard:
It's what, as I understand it. We have evidence right now in the possession of the state that could exonerate Anthony Sanchez, and not just exonerate him, but potentially give us the suspect, the person responsible. And if we have that capability and we have the evidence, why in the world would we not do it?

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
Do you think that there is any way possible that Anthony could be guilty of the murder of Juli Busken?

Charlotte Beattie:
No, he was a... well, what'd you call it? Like a sweetheart, just a lovable kid.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood:
We want to know the truth. We know that Anthony Sanchez did not do this. The evidence is clear. But even if you still believe that he did do this, shouldn't it be investigated on a much deeper level where all of these questions that we are bringing up just aren't left out there? You see, if Anthony Sanchez is executed, the truth will be executed, the questions will remain and the truth will be executed. So we are asking you to stand with us to give life to the truth, to give life to a deeper investigation, and to give life to the memory of Juli Busken.

Abraham Bonowitz:
So I'm a Abe Bonowitz with Death Penalty Action, and we operate hand to mouth, but what we have is massive impact. And it's because of people who support the work, who make a donation, go to deathpenaltyaction.org and donate, that we're able to do this work. So I'm asking you today if you value what we're trying to do, and if you are able to please chip in whatever you can. If it's five bucks or $5 million bucks, you give it to us, we will use it to create change and to stop executions.

September 10, 2023

Existential Thoughts on a Pilgrimage for Anthony Sanchez

There is danger in thinking about theological things while on pilgrimage.  The roads grow longer and longer as you try to figure out the ways of both God and man.  But what choice do you have?  The questions seem to find you whether you want them to or not.  It’s almost as if such questions pull at you every time you lift your feet…they make each step harder and harder.  Sometimes you want to give up.  Sometimes that seems to be the smartest decision.  Truth be told, maybe it’s all a lie.  Then, thoughts of truth return.  Steps grow swifter.  Oxygen comes faster.  The answer to all questions returns, presence.  Something joins you to help you keep pushing.  I don’t know what that something is.  I just know that it’s there.  I just know that there are miles ahead and I will not be walking them alone.  The theological things are there…but the answers become nonanswers…or at least truths that are more than conclusions.

Why are people addicted to killing their enemy?  I don’t know.  I just know that they think it’s their only way out.  If I can kill my enemy, then perhaps I might live.  They don’t realize that that’s the quickest way to die.  How can someone breath by shutting down their lungs?  How can someone walk by sitting down?  How can someone think by destroying their brain?  The entire organism is connected.  Decisions matter.  We are all connected.  We are each other.  I am my enemy and my enemy is me.  It doesn’t help you breath better by destroying someone else’s lungs.  It doesn’t help you walk better by cutting off someone’s legs.  Blowing someone’s brains out doesn’t improve your ability to think.  How can executing someone improve our ability to live?  The death penalty doesn’t make sense.

There is a danger of thinking about theological things while on pilgrimage.  Occasionally, you stumble on thoughts that are true.  Presence finds you in strange ways…and pushes you ahead.

September 7, 2023 

Anthony Sanchez Lawyer Eric Allen Asks Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt for 60 Day Reprieve

Office of Governor J. Kevin Stitt 

2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 212 

Oklahoma City, OK 73105 

Re: Anthony Castillo Sanchez  

Dear Governor Stitt,  

I am Anthony Castillo Sanchez’s attorney, and I am writing to request a 60-day reprieve for Mr. Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez’s previous attorney refused to provide his legal materials tohim. He requested that Federal Judge Joe Heaton provide his file to him. He refused.  Judge Heaton decided, on his own, that there were no new claims to raise. Respectfully, that is not his duty as a judge. I, as his new lawyer, have never seen what is in these boxes. Our investigator, David Ballard, was ready to take possession of the file months ago and his lawyers refused at the last minute. They also waited until the last minute to withdraw, leaving Anthony in a precarious position. We know this attorney has more than 40 boxes of materials – potentially significantly more. Our understanding is that his prior attorneys had not gone through all the materials contained in these boxes. This is unconscionable in a death penalty case. With a September 21 execution date, there simply is not enough time for me to obtain and review all Mr. Sanchez’s legal materials.  This is simply a matter of fairness. Can your great state execute this man without all of evidence being reviewed and all avenues exhausted?  

This case relies entirely on DNA that was found on the young lady’s leotard. It purportedly matched Anthony. However, this analysis was done when the scandalized Joyce Gilcrist was managing the Oklahoma City Police crime lab. I cannot make any assertions whether she was involved in managing Anthony’s case because I do not have the materials to say one way or the other. Her name may be somewhere on the bench notes regarding the analysis and that avenue would absolutely have to be examined and litigated.  

This request is about fairness of the process. While excruciating for the Buskin family, and my heart aches for them, we must be concerned whether the process given Anthony is a fair one. Can he be put to death with evidence in boxes we have no idea what is in them? Of course, even if we had them there is simply not enough time to go through such a magnitude of paper and information and have it made sense. We do have people in place to go through the boxes if you were to be so gracious.  

I will commend your actions regarding Richard Glossip. You and your attorney general have taken unprecedented, politically risky measures to keep from executing him. This must be appreciated. You also have seen to make the pardon process fairer. These things indicate to me that you believe in due process and justice.  

I hope you can help us ensure Mr. Sanchez receives justice before the final disposition in his case. First, as I wrote above, I need a 60-day reprieve to deal with Mr. Sanchez’s legal materials. Second, I hope you will call for Mr. Sanchez’s prior attorney to release the legal materials in this case. Both these actions will make sure I can fight for Mr. Sanchez at the end of his life. 

Thank you for considering my request. 

Sincerely, 

 Eric Allen

September 11, 2023

Anthony Sanchez Letter to Governor Kevin Stitt

Dear Honorable Kevin Stitt,

My name is Anthony Sanchez.  I am asking you for some help to prove my innocence.  I am scheduled to be executed September 21, 2023.

In 2006 I was convicted of the murder of Julie Busken and I am 100% innocent.  I did not murder Julie Busken.  I am writing you because you have the authority and ability to help me.  Please help me by granting me a 60 day reprieve.  So that my new lawyers can have time to go over my case.  Thank you for your time.

Respectfully Submitted,

Anthony C. Sanchez

#275098

A-4-8

PO Box 97

McAlester, Ok 74502

Governor Stitt.

I am walking dozens and dozens of miles to deliver this simple letter to you…not because of its’ simplicity but rather because of its’ profundity.  We have new evidence coming in daily.  We have new layers that are just now getting familiar with the case.  We are asking for a 60 day reprieve because we believe that such a simple act could avert a profound evil…the execution of an innocent man.

The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood

September 11, 2023

The Cure for Dying While Alive: On the Upcoming Execution of Anthony Sanchez

Recently, I found out that a dear friend is dying of cancer.  Instead of treating it as if it is an end, he treated it as a beginning.  Since the seemingly grim news, my friend has made it a point to share as much connection with people as possible.  Surprisingly, he tells me that the past few weeks have been anything but grim.  After making a conscious choice, joy is everywhere he turns.  Some might call such a choice courageous.  Perhaps.  But more than courage, my friend tells me that he is simply trying to be as human as possible in the time that he has left.  My weekly interactions with my friend have taught me so much about life.  Not the cheesy ‘live like you’re dying’ stuff, but more of the ‘make people count’ stuff and push others to adopt the beauty of such a simple statement.  The intensity of my friend’s passion for connectional joy has grown me…especially in the way that I live out my profession.

For over a decade, I’ve served as a spiritual advisor to various people who have been sentenced to death, including accompanying over a dozen people to various stages of their execution process.  In the midst of such, I have become a zealous abolitionist.  Not primarily for all of the great philosophical and political reasons that people are opposed to the death penalty (although there are many), but more so due to the fact that I didn’t want the state to kill the person in front of me…a person that I’d come to have a relationship with.  Humanity changes everything.  You see, the death penalty is not about the death of the offender.  It is about the death of their potential to be guided to make conscious decisions for joy.  It is about the silencing of their humanity…and as such…the silencing of our own humanity…our own ability to experience something more than death with the person we are killing.  Shouldn’t we all get the chance to live and interact as my dying friend is getting to?  Wouldn’t that be what would make us most human?  The death penalty is not about death as much as it is about us.  Whether we can handle the intensity of the joy of connection.

Last January, I accompanied Scott Eizember to his execution in Oklahoma.  In the weeks prior, I helped him make meaningful connection with his daughter, whom he hadn’t spoken to in a few decades.  Through such intense interaction, I watched a very angry man develop a very human side.  He loved his daughter with everything that had.  That much was clear.  The joy of connection changed everything for him.  Not long before he breathed his last, Scott turned his head and mouthed “I love you” to her.  Dozens of people came to watch a killer be killed.  They came to watch death.  The image that is ingrained in my mind was that moment of connectional joy…a moment of life.

In the coming weeks (September 21 to be exact), Oklahoma is again planning to kill another one of the guys that I work with, Anthony Sanchez.  For nearly a year, Anthony and I have talked every night at 8pm.  To say that we have come to know each other would be an understatement…we have become brothers.  To some, such a connection sounds strange.  But isn’t connectional joy always strange?  We live in a society of moving parts instead of a connected integral moving community.  In our society, it seems as if the worst thing that a person can learn to be is their self.  Through deep connection, Anthony has learned to be who he is…who he was created by God to be.  Isn’t the potential for connection enough to keep us from killing him?  The potential for connectional joy?  How are we going to be better after Anthony is dead?  We won’t.  We will be worse.  We will have lost him and a part of ourselves.  We will have lost connection and the possibility of joy.

Currently, I’ve made the decision to pilgrimage across Oklahoma, walking from Death Row in McAlester to the Governor’s Office in Oklahoma City (over 120 miles), to be a physical reminder that Anthony Sanchez is capable of both connection and joy.  To declare with my physical body that if you kill him you will be killing a part of me.  The potential for connection and joy is the cure for dying while we’re alive.  I know.  I feel it now more than ever.  If you want to feel it, join me in fighting to stop the execution of Anthony Sanchez.

September 17, 2023

Angry Doves: The Fight for Anthony Sanchez (On The Coming Days)

I arose this morning (like I do on most mornings), pondering the troubling existential questions of human existence.  One fundamental question visits me the most, “Where is God in the midst of all of this bullshit?”  Today, was no different.  For nearly a year, I have given my life to ministering to and fighting for Anthony Sanchez.  In the process, he has become one of my dearest friends.  Life is cruel.  Although I got to know him as someone on death row that I knew likely would be executed, I never held back.  I believed then as I do now that Sanchez was worth everything I have.  Over the past year, I have helped Sanchez make it through each day, developed a campaign to try to save his life, secured for him competent legal counsel and pushed for him alone to be able to make all of the decisions that can alter the course of his life.  The idea that someone on death row should have agency is a terrifying thing for most.  Indeed, much of the anti-death penalty establishment in Oklahoma is terrified that these guys on death row will start making decisions for themselves.  All of that is of no consequence now.  We are days away from a potential execution.  Thankfully, Sanchez’s new legal team is in court fighting until the very last minute to save his life.  So, while I don’t know what will happen…I can’t help but question what has.  So much betrayal of the cause.  So much betrayal of basic human decency.  So much betrayal of Anthony Sanchez.  The fundamental question remains, “Where is God in the midst of all of this bullshit?”

The question lingered.  When I sat down in my office to begin to work, I saw a painting that Sanchez did for me many months ago (he’s a damn good artist).  It’s a picture of a dove looking like it's spoiling for a fight.  It was perfect for the moment that I’m in…we’re in.  Since the beginning of our relationship, Sanchez has always known that I am a nonviolent activist.  I am dedicated working through injustice without violence.  On multiple occasions during our struggle, Sanchez has told me that I needed to be more violent.  While I have no use for physical violence, I do believe that we are called to metaphorically fight back with all that we have against injustice.  Sanchez has given an image to something that I have always felt, the call of Jesus the Christ is to be a dove spoiling for a fight…ready to push back against injustice wherever it raises its’ head…violent in both revolutionary focus and word but not in physical deed.  Even though I take great pride in the fight that Sanchez has both activists and attorneys fighting for his life until the very end, there is more work to do.  Will you join me?  We need doves who are unafraid…unafraid of violence in both revolutionary focus and word but not in physical deed.  There is still time to stop the execution of Anthony Sanchez.  There is still time to stop all of these upcoming executions.  May we heed Sanchez’s illustrative call to be doves spoiling for a fight.

freeanthonysanchez.com

September 19, 2023

Anthony Sanchez on Why He Rejected Clemency

With days to go before his possible execution, Anthony Sanchez has asked that I share his original reasons for rejecting clemency.  He wants to make sure that nobody gets it twisted.  The text is below and a link to the audio of the statement is below that.

June 28, 2023

Anthony Sanchez’s Final Statement on Why He Rejected Clemency

I’ve been asked several different times, “Why did you let Jeff Hood talk you out of doing clemency?”  Well, that’s far from the truth.  This really don’t have much to do with clemency.  It’s got to do with my lawyers.  I’ve been trying to fire these lawyers way before I ever met you.  To answer the questions specifically to clemency though, I’ve watched folk repeatedly go up to clemency, say they are sorry and beg for mercy…some were able to show their innocence…and they were still executed.  The Board does nothing but kick people when they’re already down.  Take for example BJ Stouffer.  This man actually got clemency and was still executed.  So he did all of that and they still executed him.  He could have spent all the time he spent on clemency actually fighting in court.  What a waste.  They all blamed it on Gov. Stitt.  Well, Gov. Stitt is still the Gov. ain’t he?  Why isn’t he the one sitting in the clemency hearing?  It’s like somebody going to trial and the judge being on vacation.  The one who makes the ultimate decision is not even the one that I’m talking to.  I don’t understand that.  James Coddington went up there and poured his soul out…he got clemency and they still executed him.  Clemency is a joke.  These people act like they have authority when they really don’t.  It would be a different story if they had the ultimate say so…but they don’t.  These folks can’t stop my execution or overturn my conviction.  They can only recommend.  The Board is full of people who are going to rule against me no matter what…former prosecutors, judges and law enforcement officials.  The same people who put us in prison are the ones who are going to judge whether we get executed or not?  Come on.  How could that be fair?  Of course, at this point people want to bring up Julius Jones.  The explanation there is simple, Kim Kardashian…if it wasn’t for her and all of her followers…he would have been executed just like the rest of them.  Plus, Julius Jones didn’t get no good deal.  A life without sentence and forfeit your appeals?  Come on.  How is that even legal?  It feels like such a waste of time to build a case for clemency.  I’ve been telling everybody I’m innocent from the beginning…and nobody will listen.  So I’m supposed to go up for clemency with the belief that the Board will?  An even if they did, I’m supposed to get my hopes up for Gov. Stitt to knock them down.  Look at the way that this Gov. has treated native peoples.  I can’t trust him.  How can I expect a state that has screwed over native peoples forever?  There are so many factors that went into this decision.  To say that Jeff Hood is responsible for my decision is absolutely foolish.  Hood has given me a platform to share my story that I could have never dreamed of.  If the courts don’t step in, the bottom line is that I am dead whether I go up there for clemency or not.  I would be just like BJ Stouffer and James Coddington.  The Board cannot declare me to be anything other than deserving of mercy…I need a declaration that I am innocent…not that I am deserving of mercy.  I don’t want this foolishness they did with Julius Jones.  Why would anybody sign for a life without when they claim they are innocent?  I’m not doing it.  I’m not signing anything out of fear.  I try not to think about being executed.  I want to live the life that I have right now.  I want to file my own stuff.  I want to fight in court until the last minute.  If I’m executed…let it be said of me…that I died standing for my innocence rather than begging for clemency on my knees.

*edited for clarity/based on clarifying conversations with Anthony

Audio of Anthony’s Explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A2mazZpC8M

September 20, 2023

“The Fight for Anthony Sanchez”: Last Minute Reflections on the Death of God and an Innocent Man

“IS GOD DEAD?”  Yes.  I’ve seen it.  For over a decade, I’ve worked with those whom our society has chosen to execute.  I believe that God inhabits the least of these.  I believe that God has died repeatedly…and we are the culprits of such a moral catastrophe.  It takes courage to allow the mind and heart to journey to such a disturbing place.  How can a dead God be worth believing in?  On the contrary, perhaps a dead God is the only God worth believing in.  Like the woman who reached out for the garment of God and was healed, sometimes it takes weaving through clarity to find something worth grasping for.

Dead Gods are strange teachers.  The lessons they teach are not always clear.  But like the woman found out, healing doesn’t usually come from the clarity of rational behavior.  You see, only the courageous get to be healed.  The ones who choose to touch the dead.

Courage is an interesting cultural phenomenon.  It’s sort of a linguistical mirage.  Everybody talks about it…but nobody seems to actually know the fullness of what they’re describing.  It is partial devoid of perfect.  I’ve known partial.  Then, I was surprised by the perfect.

Jesus the very incarnation of God is drowning in a world of fear and sorrow.  Knowing that society is determined to kill him, Jesus asks those that he trusts to sit and watch with him…to engage what is to come…to be present…deadly present.

Sexual assault and murder are obviously not phenomenon one should look past.  When I met Anthony Sanchez, I assumed that I was meeting someone who had sexually assaulted and murdered a beautiful young woman named Juli Busken.  Even though Sanchez passionately claimed otherwise, I assumed that he was full of shit.  He certainly wouldn’t have been the first guy on death row I’d met who was. I was wrong.  Time has revealed new truths.  If we open our hearts, new truths can reveal to us the fullness of God.

I investigated for myself.  I read the transcripts.  I engaged the witnesses.  I sought out experts.  Slowly, I came to a surprising conclusion…there was an innocent man on death row in Oklahoma.  Injustice was metastasizing by the day.  I knew that it was my duty to sit and watch with him…to stand guard against an approaching moral catastrophe.

In Gethsemane, Jesus knew that he was the victim of a society determined to extract blood from an innocent man.  Throughout human history, people seem determined to destroy that which is righteous and just.  Instead of fleeing, Jesus remained in the Garden.  On his knees, Jesus prays in anguish, “Is there any other way?”  The forces of evil were at the gate.

From the beginning, Anthony Sanchez has known that his execution is more than possible.  When people on death row find their backs against the wall, most are willing to say or do whatever it takes to save their life.  I’ve seen it…repeatedly.  Sanchez is different.  From the beginning, he told me that he was not going to compromise his claims of innocence under any circumstance.  He hasn’t.

Consistently, Sanchez has hated his attorneys.  Repeatedly, they’ve proven unwilling or incapable of fighting for his innocence, even going for almost six years without communicating with him at one point.  One of the cruel twists of fate in our system is that justice is something to be bought and if you don’t have the means then you are stuck with the attorneys you have.  Such legal hopelessness never deterred Sanchez from maintaining that he was an innocent man.

When the possibility of execution came up, Sanchez told me that he would rather die than waiver in his declaration of innocence.  I believe him.  Surely, no life is not worth living if you lose your soul in the process.  The more that I heard the more that I realized what my job was…remain steadfast in supporting Sanchez in his convictions while doing all that I can to save his life.

Jesus offered no physical resistance.  He simply questioned the process, proclaimed his innocence and demanded justice.  Injustice has a way of creating insurmountable processes amid assumptions or assignments of guilt.  Unquestionably, Oklahoma is one of the epicenters of injustice.

In recent months, Anthony Sanchez has shown unbelievable courage.  When he realized that the clemency process would involve an extrajudicial process that declared him to be a monster, his own attorneys refusal to advocate wholeheartedly for his innocence and his participation in a process insurmountably stacked against him, Sanchez decided to reject the opportunity.  Even if it meant that he was giving up an opportunity to beg for his life, Sanchez was going to stick with his convictions.  Repeatedly he has declared, “l will not participate in a hearing that demands that I act guilty.”

Unable to comprehend the inaction of his attorneys in any other way, Sanchez came to the belief that they wanted him to be executed.  Even if that isn’t true, there seems to be little doubt that all trust was gone.  Instead of simply rolling over and taking their neglect, Sanchez made the decision to fire them, even if that meant acting as his own attorney in the final months of his life.  Repeatedly he has declared, “I refuse to stand with anyone who will not stand with me.”  It is important to note that Sanchez is not dense to what his decisions could mean.  The possibility of his execution looms large over every decision he makes.  However, that’s not his primary concern.  Repeatedly, Sanchez has declared, “I would rather die standing on my feet in the knowledge of my innocence than begging on my knees for something that I didn’t do.”

Jesus knew what was likely.  Unwaveringly, Jesus refused to move or even beg for his life.  His convictions mattered much more to him than his life.

The parallels between Jesus’ Gethsemane moment to Sanchez’s current moment are too stark to be ignored.  No matter what the cost, Jesus stuck by his principles, even to his detriment.  Presently, the decisions that Sanchez has made are based on his principles, even to his possible detriment.  Sanchez is an innocent man who refuses to act like a guilty one.  He demands justice and justice alone.  Sometimes, courage is not a mirage.

In those final hours, the disciples were told to watch and pray.  Anthony Sanchez is asking the same of you.  Do not fall asleep.  Stay awake with us.

God doesn’t have to die.

September 20, 2023

The Final Visit:  Alone with Anthony Sanchez On His Last Day

Early this morning, I visited with Anthony Sanchez for an extended clergy visit.  For close to a year, we have grown closer and closer.  Speaking by phone every night at 8pm, we have shared our hopes and dreams.  Truth be told, I didn’t think this was how things were going to end up.  We had produced such a strong case for his innocence…or at the very least…a strong case for too much doubt.  It felt like all of it was behind us this morning.  In a cold prison visitation room, we looked each other in the eye with the understanding that the end was getting close.

From the beginning of the conversation, Anthony wanted me to know that he had no regrets, “I have fought for my innocence in the most effective ways that I know how.”  When I told him that I felt like I failed him, he replied, “You have taken my claims of innocence to the entire world.  Nobody else could have done that but you.”  Leaning in, he said something that I’ve heard him say many times, “I would rather die on my feet proclaiming my innocence than begging for clemency down on my knees.”  Once again, I was reminded of just how courageous Anthony really is.  Then he added, “If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn’t change anything.  I made the decisions that I had to make.  With your help, I was able to be something more than a prisoner…a real person.  Thank you, Jeff.”  Both of our eyes began to water.

Though much has been made of the decisions that Anthony made, I was reminded in those moments why he made them.  He thought that clemency was impossible for him.  He wanted to be rid of his lawyers.  He wanted to plead his case on his terms.  I could go on and on, but the point is that these decisions were made by someone choosing to exercise their agency in an exceedingly visceral way.  He wasn’t going to be controlled by lawyers anymore.  He was going to be his own man.  “I did it my way, Jeff.”

Anthony started talking about his family.  I was especially moved as he talked about his 6-month-old grandson, Florentino.  They’d met for the first-time last Friday.  “It was the best moment of my life.  It was as if God was giving me a glimpse of the future.”  It made me think about Moses getting a glimpse of the promised land.  Anthony wasn’t allowed to be presence for his family in the ways that he wanted to…but they always seemed to find a way back to him and he them…and this moment was no different.  Love can conquer a multitude of obstacles.

Like in many of our previous conversations, The Busken Family came up, “I want you to know that I am more than happy to give my life if it will grant them peace.”  Having done this work for many years now, I’ve heard such language before.  This time, however, something was different.  I could see the love in his eyes.  I could feel the love in his spirit.  There is no doubt that he meant every word.  I hope the Buskens will be able to hear him.

Sensing that time was running short, we journeyed into the celebration of the Eucharist.  “Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ will come again.”  The words echoed over and over.  We both were placing our hope in the magic of the Resurrection.  “Take: this is my body.”  I felt the presence of God both in the Eucharist and in him.  It was almost as if God was transforming Anthony into the very presence of Christ right in front of me.  When we finished, Anthony said something that I will never forget, “Does this mean that we can meet each other at the gates of heaven?”  Holding back tears, I loudly proclaimed, “Absolutely.  Love always wins.”  Then, he surprised me again, “I bet Juli Busken will be there too.”  Leaning in, I anointed his head with oil and whispered the prayers.

Before I knew it, it was all over.  I hugged him tightly.  Then, that was it.  Or maybe, that was the beginning of eternity.  Indeed, it is by death and resurrection that we are all set free.

Amen.

September 22, 2023

“The Worst Attorneys in Oklahoma”: Anthony Sanchez on Mark Barrett and Randy Coyne

During our visit on September 7, 2023, Anthony Sanchez asked if I would share the following words if he was executed.  He adapted these words from a previous statement and from multiple audio/videos.  If anyone is curious why Anthony Sanchez declared Mark Barrett and Randy Coyne to be the “…worst attorneys in Oklahoma.” from the execution chamber yesterday, his thoughts below go far to express why.

September 7, 2023

The claims of Mark Barrett and Randy Coyne that they have properly represented me are unbelievable and too outrageous to not be addressed.  If Mark and Randy had tried as hard on my appeals as they have defending themselves from allegations that they have failed to properly represent me, I wouldn’t be nearing execution.  Why couldn’t they just have done their job?

Mark Barrett has claimed that communications were really good between him and I and that he himself communicated on a number of occasions.  Give me a break.  I am in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on Death Row about to be executed for a crime I did not commit.  All calls are logged by my Department of Correction number and so are all texts on the tablet.  He has only talked to me on the phone 3 times in 7 years…and visited me for the first time in over 6 years in February.

When pushed on these facts, Mark Barrett always pushes his second chair Randy Coyne to speak up.  He can’t do better than Mark because he has done no better than Mark.

For instance, I reached out to Randy last Spring because my father (2022) passed away and I wanted to know about my rights.  Neither Mark nor Randy offered any help or sympathy/empathy.  Randy is always throwing around dates.  So to be exact, I contacted him on 4-15-22.  He did not respond until 4-17-22.  The last time I talked to him was 6-8-23.  The last time he contacted me was 7-10-23.  Randy contacts me a few times over a decade and thinks that we’re friends.  Most disturbingly, Randy sent me really messed up pictures and told me that his favorite shirt was one that had an image of a man being executed on it.  Obviously, I didn’t find it amusing at all.

These are a few of the rare times that Mark Barrett or Randy Coyne ever contacted me.  The conversations were never helpful and always surrounded by foolishness.

Prior to Mark Barrett and Randy Coyne visiting me on 2-1-23, I received a call from them.  During our conversation, I asked them to help make a smooth transition to new pro bono attorneys who had agreed to represent me.  They agreed.  Instead of working on a transition, they filed for more money from the courts for clemency.  It was a bait and switch.

When they arrived on 2-1, I asked them why they were still my attorneys.  I further asked, why they were keeping all of my evidence away from the investigator we hired to investigate my case.  Even further I asked, why they refused to consult with the pro bono lawyers.  As usual, they had no answers.  Our time was useless because I felt lied to.  I felt like I had no choice but to do what they told me to do…or I wouldn’t be able to proceed with my next appeal.  Mark has traumatized me repeatedly.

I’ve long felt that Mark Barrett had to be working for the State.  In fact, Mark and Randy’s work has helped the State 100% and me 0%.

I have benefitted from multiple pauses in executions.  Mark Barrett and Randy Coyne didn’t have anything to do with it.  If I had followed their advice, I’d already been dead.

Instead of being honest, Mark Barrett tries to use the pandemic as an excuse for his behavior…or that he is a senior citizen.  The pandemic didn’t stop him from going on lavish vacations and bragging about them to guys down here.  Maybe Mark is right on one level, he is up in age and should have to go through a comprehensive cognitive evaluation to continue representing any clients.

Mark Barrett threatened any lawyers who tried to help me.  He basically has done his best to seal my fate.

Mark Barrett has repeatedly lied or exaggerated his work on capital cases.  With regard to clemency or exonerations, he has always taken the glory for the work of others.

Mark Barrett has never allowed me to assist in my own defense.  I have yet to see a complete trial transcript or be able to engage with my evidence.  He slammed the door on me every time I tried to get anything.

I first tried to fire Mark Barrett and Randy Coyne in early 2011.  I spoke with both Randy Bauman and Susan Otto at the public defender’s office and both said, “If you can’t afford to hire an attorney…you can’t afford to fire one.”

Neither Mark Barrett nor Randy Coyne have done any investigation around my case at all (since not getting funding around 2010).  They didn’t even check my alibis.  After outside groups raised the money to hire a private investigator, they wouldn’t even give him access to the evidence.  They just want me to hurry up and get executed.

My relationship with these guys has been gut-wrenching.  Mark Barrett and Randy Coyne have treated me with such unbelievable disrespect.  I’m not rich.  I'm not white.  They made sure that I remembered that.  My life has been ruled by a dictatorship of two, Mark and Randy.  This whole thing is full of oppression…like most dictatorships.  I’ve just been a source of revenue for these guys.

Mark Barrett and Randy Coyne must be held accountable.  They have repeatedly acted or failed to act with no conversation with me whatsoever.  They abandoned me plain and simple.  I remain convinced it’s because I’m poor and brown.

Anthony Sanchez