Charita Goshay: Canton's Charles Keith helps Texas mother fight execution
Sometimes, you don't get to choose what you want to do with your life.
Sometimes, it chooses you.
Last month, Melissa Lucio of Brownsville, Texas, came within a hair's breadth of becoming the first woman in Texas to be executed.
More: Listen to Melissa Lucio hear that her execution was halted
She had been convicted of killing her toddler daughter. Mounting evidence suggests that Lucio may indeed be innocent. It's caused 103 members from the Texas Legislature, and five jurors from her trial to call for stay of execution, which was granted late last month.
It is believed by her supporters that the little girl died as a result of an accidental fall down a set of steps the day before she died.
Among those offering support was Charles Keith of Canton who traveled to Brownsville to advise the family as a community liaison with the Death Penalty Action, a national anti-death penalty organization.
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"The family had no idea what to do," Keith said. "We were preparing them how to engage with the media. We were able to get them going. They had great family support."
Educating the state
Keith said he and Death Penalty Action founder Abe Borowitz traversed the state on Lucio's behalf.
"People were very receptive everywhere we went," he said. "We were educating the state."
For nearly 30 years, Keith has been fighting on behalf of his younger brother Kevin, who had his execution for a triple murder in Bucyrus in 1994 commuted to life in prison.
No physical evidence has linked Kevin Keith to the crime. He continues to maintain his innocence. To help his brother, Charles Keith put his own life on hold and managed to uncover enough evidence to convince former Gov. Ted Strickland to issue the commutation in 2010.
Kevin Keith's case was specifically cited by President Bill Clinton when he visited Bucyrus to tout the crime bill in 1994.
A new investigative piece in The Atlantic on investigations conducted by former Ohio Bureau of Criminal forensic scientist G. Michelle Yezzo cites Kevin Keith's case.
Charles Keith's one-man crusade has resulted in documentaries about his brother's case, and has drawn the support and attention of former federal prosecutor Justin Herdman, former Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher, former Ohio Secretary of State Jim Petro, and Kim Kardashian, who has take up the issue of prison reform while pursuing a law degree.
Last year, Charles Keith's devotion turned into a job.
Lucio, the mother of 14, remains in prison while her request for a new trial winds it way through the courts.
"It was definitely shown she didn't kill her baby; she fell down the steps," Charles Keith said. "If they had let her children testify, she wouldn't have been prosecuted. There was no physical evidence. She had a deformed foot. She had fallen down stairs while in foster care, hitting head on the floor. When they brought that baby home, they never told (Lucio) about the injuries. I actually discovered those documents. This was the first time we've gone in deep, not just rallying, but fighting."
There also are reports that police used an abusive interviewing tactic known as the "Reid Method" during Lucio's interrogation, coercing a confession.
'She's a beautiful person.'
Meanwhile, former Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who tried Lucio's case, has been accused of ignoring or botching 100 allegations of child abuse.
Critics accuse him of using Lucio's case during an election year to present himself as tough on crime. He currently is serving 13 years in federal prison on bribery and extortion charges.
"He cost the state millions of dollars," Charles Keith said. "Why is Melissa still in prison when there was no crime committed? She never got a chance to grieve. She wrote me a letter and touched my heart. She's a beautiful person."
He's motivated by his deep belief that the death penalty violates Christian principles.
"I'm fighting in the name of Jesus, in the name of the executed ones," he said. "The execution of anyone is wrong whether they're guilty or innocent. Jesus told a murderer 'This day you shall be in paradise.' The rest of us are trying to figure out how to get into heaven, and a murderer is already sitting there."
After Texas, Charles Keith traveled to Arizona to fight another scheduled execution.
"Julius Jones, Melissa, Kevin Keith, they're all innocent; that's the thing." he said. "I think they've all been victims of the 1994 crime bill. Things have changed but my brother is still incarcerated."
Charita M. Goshay is a Canton Repository staff writer and member of the editorial board. Reach her at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton's Charles Keith helped Texas woman fight her execution
