Death Row: The Final Minutes

By: Michelle Lyons, Larry Fitzgerald

Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow, John Moraitis, Michelle Lyons

Length: 7 hrs

Publisher's summary

In 12 years, Michelle Lyons witnessed nearly 300 executions.

First as a reporter and then as a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Michelle was a frequent visitor to Huntsville's Walls Unit, where she recorded and relayed the final moments of death row inmates' lives before they were put to death by the state.

Michelle was in the death chamber as some of the United States' most notorious criminals, including serial killers, child murderers and rapists, spoke their last words on earth, while a cocktail of lethal drugs surged through their veins.

Michelle supported the death penalty, before misgivings began to set in as the executions mounted. During her time in the prison system, and together with her dear friend and colleague, Larry Fitzgerald, she came to know and like some of the condemned men and women she saw die. She began to query the arbitrary nature of the death penalty and ask the question: do executions make victims of all of us?

An incredibly powerful and unique look at the complex story of capital punishment, as told by those whose lives have been shaped by it, Death Row: The Final Minutes is an important take on crime and punishment at a fascinating point in America's political history.

©2018 Michelle Lyons & Larry Fitzgerald (P)2018 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Tough but worth it.

A tough subject from someone who lived a tough life.
I found myself wanting to stop and return this book multiple times:
- Sometimes because I did not want to hear any more praise for the prison system
- Sometimes because the reading was not all that great
- Sometimes because I was done hearing about the conflict that is capital punishment

It was worth the listen. Mostly to hear the heartfelt story that Michelle told.
I was curious to see where Michelle would stand at the end and it was not what I would have thought.
The only way Capital Punishment will come to an end or more prominent use is if we as a society hear and understand all sides and then as a group attempt to move beyond punishment revenge.
Easy for me to type as I have not experienced the challenges that Michelle has...however, I would quote Victor Frankel who said: "There is always a choice."

Brilliant

Michelle is by far one of the most brilliant writers I’ve heard and her honest & raw portrayal of the death penalty in Texas is riveting. Very thought provoking

Interesting

As a person whose interest in LE and all aspects of it, it is interesting to hear the inside stories behind a very well known Texas Prison as Texas is highly known for the death penalty. There are stories of the persons on death row on the TDCJ website. It tells you the crime committed, last meal if there was one and date of execution. Michelle did good with this book. Getting her and Larry’s perspective on it. Superiors like hers seem to be everywhere.

Somewhat misleading title

This is an interesting book, but it does not really go into detail about “the final minutes”.
I was very disappointed the narrator consistently mispronounced several words common in Texas such as “San Miguel, Martinez, and Corsicana”. Come on, you’re from Texas and do not know how to pronounce common Hispanic surnames?
I appreciate that the author did not try to convince me the death penalty is wrong, but instead she explains her growth and changes which led to her change of mind.
As far as the conflict with Livingston, he is your boss. Your job is to do what he says, not what your former supervisor thought the job should be. No wonder you were drummed out, but as a former exempt employee, I understand the hypocrisy of those time sheets
Overall, a good listen

Deeply moved by this book

I would certainly recommend this book. It will make anyone think about their decision to support or to object to the death penalty. There are some people that their crimes are bad enough to be pretty disturbing, but there are inevitably those who are wrongfully convicted and then there are also those who society seems to have forgotten about entirely.

Really in-depth and engaging. Great job!

Really good work here. I didn’t want it to end. I’m fascinated by that walk down the hall, the climb up onto the gurney, and how these inmates just allow those lines to be hooked up into their veins. Wow. At that point I can’t believe you can feel any more hopeless. Unfortunately so many of them have nothing to do in prison but “change” and I can’t help but ask myself would they’ve been the case if they hadn’t been caught? I still, after many years of thought can’t decide where I am on the death penalty but if an inmate is being executed for a terrible crime it doesn’t bother me in the least to know that their execution was 1/2 botched and they suffered in great pain in the end. Still doesn’t compare to killing a woman’s children in front of her and then raping and slicing their throat. If there is going to be a death penalty, then I have no qualms about how these criminals are smoked. See ‘ya later! But I also believe there are many sincere stories where men died that didn’t need to. One time is too many right? The author did a great job of putting us IN the environment with her during the heyday, the gentleman’s club she adhered to in good faith, the everyday that only those that do that job can relate to. All the while never focusing too much on herself or making herself into a hero of any sorts. I do believe her when she tells her side of the story and what they did to her on the wha out was bullshit. Bags of shit. Glad she can rest easy on her pillow at night because she deserves it. “Falsifying time-sheets.” C’mon ppl…..we’ve all worked in situations like that. They run you dry, so you take a little when you can and fuck ‘em. Each and every inmate she covered, whether she liked them, had a good or bad repore with them or not she simply gave her opinion and moved in. She made sure to quickly go over each of their crimes as well. Whew. But over all I think this is one I’ll remember for a long time. Very honest. Very detailed and most of all very personal. Can’t recommend it enough!

Great read

I never considered the impact capital punishment has on those charged with carrying out the task. a very interesting perspective and the balance of humanity for others and realization of past transgressions are profound.

Great Book

This has been a great book about death row those who have had to go through it. Thank you for giving us a seat into yours and Larry's lives. God bless you.

PLEASE READ/LISTEN TO THIS! 👏🏼 👏🏼

𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞! I cannot say that enough. I have always been so intrigued by prisons, death row, death penalty and inmates stories. 🫣
While the death penalty is such a controversial topic… this book approached it with sensitivity and it was just so interesting and insightful. With two different perspectives of former TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) employees; I honestly feel like this book was definitely written with so much knowledge and good information.
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I found myself somehow understanding the former employees empathy, confusion, defensiveness, and overall perspectives. It was relatable in a very strange way, since I’ve never experienced any of this! lol
It’s so cool to learn all these different inmates crimes, history, last meal, and even last statements.
She did mention how the last sound she heard when witnessing executions was the inmates last breath, and that gave me chills!
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NOW- I may be biased with this book and my thoughts as I myself did go to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville and I did live there for 7 years. 😂 (in fact I was walking distance from the walls unit/ execution chamber at one point!) with that being said; this book was oddly nostalgic and sentimental for me because I did find myself recognizing things mentioned since I first hand witnessed or heard things while I lived there!
Some “fun facts” from the book that I knew before hand, but thought would be fun to share:
•The stereotype that Huntsville is “one giant prison” 😂
•There is no negative energy bc of the 7 prisons or death chamber
•All executions in Texas are done at the walls unit
•TDCJ (Prison system) is the biggest employer in the city
•SHSU is there 🫶🏼
•Protesters would stand outside walls unit on Wednesdays around 6 for executions
•The Werner Herzog documentary - Into The Abyss- this is a must watch!
• They say everything is bigger in Texas, even the crime!
•Vocational skills are taught to inmates before they’re released
•Joe Byrd Cemetery is for inmates who family didn’t claim them… walking through it does give very eerie and sad vibes.
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PLEASE READ/LISTEN TO THIS! 👏🏼 👏🏼

Amazing perspective on capital punishment

I’ve been a long time neutral proponent of capital punishment especially since it’s been reported that we’ve executed several innocent people in the past that were exonerated after the fact by DNA testing. This book offers a first person perspective of the humanity and depravity involved in our capital punishment system. 100% worth the read or listen.