It was 1990. Curtis Osborne was a passenger in the back seat of the car. A man and a woman sat in the front. During an argument about a motorcycle, Osborne pulled out a .357 Magnum and killed both of the front seat passengers. Execution style.

Fletcher Sams was DA. The jury convicted Osborne and sentenced him to death.

Last Friday we were in Atlanta before the Parole Board, still debating whether to execute him. His lawyers claimed that his defense lawyer was ineffective. Many courts had already ruled that his representation was sufficient. The new slant was that the defense lawyer didn’t do everything that his appellant counsel wishes he had done because he was a racist.

The defense lawyer has been dead for years. He couldn’t defend his decisions and trial strategy. Who was saying he was a racist? Not a preacher. Not a long-time friend of the lawyer. Two convicts accused him of racism. One was a murderer who cut off the head and hands of his victim to try to keep the police from identifying the person he had killed.

Osborne’s appellate lawyers produced letters urging the Parole Board to reduce the sentence. One was from a former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice. One was from Congressman John Lewis. One was from former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell. One was even from Jimmy Carter.

Cassie Murrell wasn’t going to sit there and take this. Cassie is one of our Victim Advocates in the Griffin office. She was supposed to be on vacation. We learned that the case was to be heard by the Parole Board about a week in advance. Cassie postponed her vacation, gathered the family members of the victims (one she had to fly here from Chicago) and arranged transportation for them to the Sloppy Floyd Building in Atlanta where the hearing was to be held. She collected photographs of the victims and written descriptions of the irreparable harm Curtis Osborne caused these family members when he murdered their loved ones.

Last Friday, we were there. All of us. We nearly filled the room. The Parole Board Chairman commented that it was refreshing to see the families of the victims present. Apparently, it is uncommon for so many to attend. After all, it has been 18 years.

Monday morning we got the news. The petition to reduce the sentence was denied. The execution is scheduled for 7:00 PM on Wednesday, June 4.

Cassie, I’m so proud of you.