Maurice Chammah Knihy

This deeply reported and honest portrait examines the death penalty in Texas and its implications for crime and punishment in America. Following a 1972 Supreme Court ruling that deemed the death penalty system unconstitutional, Texas, with its cultural ties to executions and a history of lynching, became the national leader in capital punishment once it resumed. However, amid a wave of criminal justice reform, the death penalty has seen a significant decline, nearing extinction even in Texas. The narrative follows various individuals impacted by this system, including Elsa Alcala, an orphaned Mexican American who became a prosecutor and later a judge; Danalynn Recer, a lawyer dedicated to uncovering the life stories of those who committed heinous crimes while advocating for mercy; and death row prisoners like Henry Lee Lucas and Karla Faye Tucker, along with their families. The executioners, too, grapple with the moral weight of their roles. Through these interconnected lives, the exploration reveals what the persistence of the death penalty signifies about forgiveness, retribution, fairness, justice, and the interplay of history and myth in the context of mass incarceration in Texas and beyond.