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Karl Eugene Chamberlain
IN MEMORIUM
Karl was born in 1970 in Oklahoma City. On Wednesday 11th June 2008 at 6.30 in the evening, after 11 years on Death Row in Texas, Karl was executed by lethal injection. A memorial service was held at 6.00pm on the 12th June at the Friends Meeting Hall in Houston.
Karl's execution followed a temporary stay of execution in February 2008 in response to a Supreme Court interim ruling on lethal injection. However the justices on the 16th April upheld the use of lethal injection and the order for his execution was reinstated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
A last minute appeal for clemency was denied on the 10th June despite his attorney again bringing attention to the court the circumstances surrounding his original trial (MORE HERE).
Friends of Karl around the world campaigned to have his death sentence commuted to life but ultimately failed. This website now stands as a memorial to Karl's life and explains why his friends believed that despite the severity of his crime he deserved a chance to live.
We originally established this site to highlight the plight of Prisoner 999241 who faced the death penalty instead of life imprisonment due to a miscarriage of justice.
As you will read in these pages, Karl had always admitted his guilt and had full remorse for the terrible crime he committed. His argument with the State of Texas is not that he didn't deserve punishment but that during his trial he was not given the representation he deserved, in a trial that did not take mitigating circumstances into account, and he argued that he was misadvised over a plea bargain that would have seen him serving a double life sentence instead of facing execution.
Join with us as we meet the man that was prisoner 999241 and explore his world, a world where prison walls were banished from his mind. Here you can also get to understand why Karl's many friends worldwide find the death penalty so abhorrent.
An Enigma
An Argument
A Question
What is life? Where does it come from? Why are we here? What are we supposed to do with life?
Some argue that there is no 'right' to life - but if you take theirs, they'll quickly fight for the right to live.
Whether or not there is a right to life most people will agree life is a precious gift - but what if you lived in a seven foot by nine foot concrete and steel tomb? What if you were locked in 22 to 24 hours a day, for eleven years? Out to 'rec' a few times a week, food miserable, degraded and dehumanized daily - and terrorized and demonized by your country.
What would your life be worth then? How would you live? Why would you want to live? What reason would be good enough?
Karl Chamberlain
December 2007
TIME On TEXAS DEATH ROW
How we tried to help Karl
Karl created a considerable gallery of paintings and drawings during his time inside. Here you have the chance to enjoy some of his art.
Rarely without a pencil in his hand or the keys of his typewriter dancing beneath his fingers (on the occasions when it was working) Karl also produced a formidable library of poetry and other musings, many of which have been published across the web worldwide.
Karl nurtured a network of friends scattered across the globe. These friendships not only supported his considerable inner strength but in return provided his friends with the benefit of his wisdom and open warmth.