A death row prisoner who helped lead a death row ministry in a Texas maximum security prison is scheduled to be executed this week.
On Tuesday, the state denied Will Speer’s application for clemency. Speer has been held in Texas’ Allan B. Polunsky Unit on death row.
According to Christianity Today, Speer leads prayer and worship every morning and sometimes even delivers a sermon through prison radio.
Death row inmates are in solitary confinement 22 hours a day, but sources say they sometimes sing together during Speer’s worship, said pastor Dana Moore, who ministers to death row prisoners.
Speer is also the first “inmate coordinator” for the God Pod program, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice program that allows death row inmates to go through an application process for classes, worship, and fellowship time. Speer graduated from the 18-month program this year.
Speer’s highest level of education was eighth grade.
When he was 16, Speer was convicted of murdering Jerry Collins and sentenced to life in prison as an adult. In 2001, he was convicted of another murder– this time that of a fellow prisoner, Gary Dickerson. Speer said the murder was so he could secure gang protection in prison.
He was sentenced to death for the murder.
Speer has said he had a “horrific” childhood of abuse and violence, and in 2022, after he was baptized, he apologized for the murders.
“I know what I robbed from them and their families,” Speer previously told the Baptist Standard. “I understand because I’ve been there. The stepfather who abused me killed my mother. I know what it feels like. I can’t restore what I took away from them. But maybe I can give back some other way.”
Meanwhile, Sammie Gail Martin, the sole surviving immediate family member of Dickerson, said she submitted a letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles asking that Speer be spared from death and instead sentenced to life in prison.
“I have spent much time reflecting on what justice my brother and family deserve,” she wrote. She said she thought Speer was remorseful and “has something left to offer the world.” If he received a life sentence, “hopefully he can continue to help others and make amends for his past crimes.”
Speer’s attorney, Amy Fly has said that if Speer’s sentence is commuted to life in prison, he would join a Texas ministry program, which includes more seminary training and prepares participants to be de facto prison chaplains.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Motortion
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
LISTEN: How United Should the Global Church Be?
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Salem Web Network and Salem Media Group.
WATCH: 5 Signs Your Church Might Be Heading Toward Progressive Christianity
Stock Footage & Music Courtesy of Soundstripe.com Thumbnail by Getty Images
Jesus Christ is King
Comments are closed.