"Death row is the loudest thing I ever experienced, louder than anything in the free world… and it is loud all the time—morning, day and night."
Confessions of an Innocent Man opens with the surprising yet captivating love story of Tieresse, a beautiful, intelligent, kind, interesting, and wealthy philanthropist; and her unlikely partner, Rafael, a less privileged yet talented, hardworking restauranteur. In part one, Rafael describes their life together, from meeting and traveling to getting married and purchasing a home in Kansas. But their romance and the excitement surrounding their move is short-lived, as Tieresse is murdered just afterward, and Rafael is soon accused of her murder.
Rafael walks us through his initial trial and guilty verdict, followed by his sentencing trial and the moment in which he is sentenced to death. This story, however, is less emotional and more matter-of-fact than that of the story told at the beginning of part one. Rafael seems detached, as if unable or unwilling to recount the intimate details of the experience, and his confidence in both the criminal justice system and the value of the truth only dissipates with time.
In part two, Rafael faces the realities of what it means to be inmate number 0002647. He recounts the long-gone “benefits” of county jail and must accept the Polunsky Unit of Texas’ death row as his new home. Through chess games and later the shared memorization of sonnets, he forms relationships with two fellow inmates who, though on the outside would not have qualified as acquaintances, eventually become the truest of friends. From one such friend, Rafael gains the nickname Inocente.
After six and a half years behind bars, Inocente learns that a detective on his case had improperly stored physical evidence from multiple investigations, and it is later revealed that items relating to Inocente’s case were among such evidence. Though he is nearly executed, Inocente is granted a stay of execution at the eleventh hour, and DNA testing of the evidence ultimately reveals the identity of the true murderer.
Thus, in part three, Inocente finds himself a free man with no real agenda. He travels to New York for a number of fleeting publicity opportunities and makes his way back to the home he shared with Tieresse. Then, in the midst of trying to figure out what to do with his newfound freedom, he stumbles upon an underground missile silo located on the Kansas property.
It is here that Inocente’s lack of agenda transforms into an elaborate, calculated, and time-consuming scheme. Though it is not immediately clear what is meant by his initial references to his “inmates,” we soon learn that Inocente plans to kidnap and imprison two of the judges responsible for his death sentence. Suffice it to say I was engrossed when reading about the measures taken to accomplish this brave and weighty plan—and fascinated by its success.
With the judges imprisoned, part four reveals an internal struggle during which Inocente vacillates between callousness and compassion. In one instance, he explains to the judges that they will remain locked up for a total of 58,656 hours—precisely the amount of time he spent in county jail and on death row. In others, he brings wine and home-cooked meals, shares stories, and offers to send letters written to loved ones. He displays, as noted by one of the judges, a host of incongruent emotions, and eventually begins to wonder whether his resentment is misplaced.
While I won’t reveal whether Inocente keeps his prisoners for all of the 2,444 days he intends, I will say that the story of Inocente—or Rafael—is a fascinating story about many things. It’s a story about love and hatred, innocence and guilt, friendship and animosity, forgiveness and condemnation, hope and hopelessness, coping and failing to cope. It’s a story about the many, mixed, and devastating emotions associated with the loss of a partner, the loss of freedom, and the loss of normalcy all at once. It’s a story about relationships—those accepted and denounced, broken and repaired, real and perceived, unlikely and purposeful, traditional and extraordinary. And finally, it’s a story about the numerous inefficacies of our criminal justice system and the devastating tolls paid by those wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death.
Confessions of an Innocent Man is Professor David Dow’s first novel and is now available on the New Books shelf.
Confessions of an Innocent Man opens with the surprising yet captivating love story of Tieresse, a beautiful, intelligent, kind, interesting, and wealthy philanthropist; and her unlikely partner, Rafael, a less privileged yet talented, hardworking restauranteur. In part one, Rafael describes their life together, from meeting and traveling to getting married and purchasing a home in Kansas. But their romance and the excitement surrounding their move is short-lived, as Tieresse is murdered just afterward, and Rafael is soon accused of her murder.
Rafael walks us through his initial trial and guilty verdict, followed by his sentencing trial and the moment in which he is sentenced to death. This story, however, is less emotional and more matter-of-fact than that of the story told at the beginning of part one. Rafael seems detached, as if unable or unwilling to recount the intimate details of the experience, and his confidence in both the criminal justice system and the value of the truth only dissipates with time.
In part two, Rafael faces the realities of what it means to be inmate number 0002647. He recounts the long-gone “benefits” of county jail and must accept the Polunsky Unit of Texas’ death row as his new home. Through chess games and later the shared memorization of sonnets, he forms relationships with two fellow inmates who, though on the outside would not have qualified as acquaintances, eventually become the truest of friends. From one such friend, Rafael gains the nickname Inocente.
After six and a half years behind bars, Inocente learns that a detective on his case had improperly stored physical evidence from multiple investigations, and it is later revealed that items relating to Inocente’s case were among such evidence. Though he is nearly executed, Inocente is granted a stay of execution at the eleventh hour, and DNA testing of the evidence ultimately reveals the identity of the true murderer.
Thus, in part three, Inocente finds himself a free man with no real agenda. He travels to New York for a number of fleeting publicity opportunities and makes his way back to the home he shared with Tieresse. Then, in the midst of trying to figure out what to do with his newfound freedom, he stumbles upon an underground missile silo located on the Kansas property.
It is here that Inocente’s lack of agenda transforms into an elaborate, calculated, and time-consuming scheme. Though it is not immediately clear what is meant by his initial references to his “inmates,” we soon learn that Inocente plans to kidnap and imprison two of the judges responsible for his death sentence. Suffice it to say I was engrossed when reading about the measures taken to accomplish this brave and weighty plan—and fascinated by its success.
With the judges imprisoned, part four reveals an internal struggle during which Inocente vacillates between callousness and compassion. In one instance, he explains to the judges that they will remain locked up for a total of 58,656 hours—precisely the amount of time he spent in county jail and on death row. In others, he brings wine and home-cooked meals, shares stories, and offers to send letters written to loved ones. He displays, as noted by one of the judges, a host of incongruent emotions, and eventually begins to wonder whether his resentment is misplaced.
While I won’t reveal whether Inocente keeps his prisoners for all of the 2,444 days he intends, I will say that the story of Inocente—or Rafael—is a fascinating story about many things. It’s a story about love and hatred, innocence and guilt, friendship and animosity, forgiveness and condemnation, hope and hopelessness, coping and failing to cope. It’s a story about the many, mixed, and devastating emotions associated with the loss of a partner, the loss of freedom, and the loss of normalcy all at once. It’s a story about relationships—those accepted and denounced, broken and repaired, real and perceived, unlikely and purposeful, traditional and extraordinary. And finally, it’s a story about the numerous inefficacies of our criminal justice system and the devastating tolls paid by those wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death.
Confessions of an Innocent Man is Professor David Dow’s first novel and is now available on the New Books shelf.
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