This work was featured in issue #078 of Packet Bi-Weekly: http://packet-biweekly.com
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In this letter, death row inmate Charles Raby asked me to requested his school records and the police report from the night of the murder. The following and quotes from letters he wrote to me in February 2016:
“I don’t know if they will give you access to my CPS record or TYC record. But in these places I did no school work at all. But I think if I am reading these records right... I mean this form, it is from the CPS, or Department of Family and Protective Services. I think they just changed the name from CPS to DFPS.
The other thing is this. You can file an open records request to the HPD, that is the Houston Police Department. And request the following. We have to know what to ask for or they will BS us.
1. Police Report including but not limited to the following
a) any and all hand written notes
b) witness list
c) Supplement records by any and all investigating officers
d) Any and all Photos of crime scene
e) And anything else you can think of. But at the end of the letter request an Itemized list of everything they have and don’t have.
f) any and all video recordings of crime scene
That’s about it, will except one more... and it has nothing to do with the criminal case. But rather TDCJ Policy on these cameras. I told you in my letter about my ass beating, and how they only recorded a mere one minute of it, and there is a 19 minute game. They say the ‘lost’ the video but maybe someone new can find it. Never know until we ask. TX has new open file laws.
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There is one thing I was to also tell you if I already haven’t. That is, I do have a GED. I got it while I was in the State School TYC. But here is the story to that. And I can back it up with a few news articles but you will have to go to the Dallas Morning News paper to get them they are very interesting articles at how they blew the lid off TYC’s education system. At how teachers were giving kids with learning disabilities diplomas and GED. Even truly retarded kids. I would very much like to have copies of all those articles, it was a big thing a few years ago, so they shouldn’t be hard to find.
Now about my GED. Hell I couldn’t even read, so there is no way I could had passed this test, and back then we didn’t have to write an essay? If I would had had to I would never had gotten one. But I recall the day clearly, I just turned 16, and this teacher came and asked me if I would like to take the GED I said what is it? She explained it to me, I thought what the hell, it will get me out of class. So I go to her office and I didn’t know it was a bunch of test! But one thing about the books or test she gave me, they had the answers in the book, every answer was clearly marked, so I just marked a few of them but still failed! You are supposed to wait 6 months to retake the test, but she asked me if I want to try again and that she knows I will pass it this time. She then leans into me and with her finger is tapping the hook and says, just LOOK at the book, she is slowly dragging her finger down the page and with her finger nail is hitting all the dark marks, ...which were the answers! So I take it, I sit there and she informs me ‘you passed!’
And here is why I think she did that Amanda. She and all the rest did these things to guy boys and girls like me a fight chance in the job market. I have gotten several jobs due to that GED. Hell I could had even joined the Army, for they are the only branch in the armed forces that will except a GED. Hell I could had worked for TDCJ! They hire people with GEDs to!”
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He ended this letter with his social security number and date of birth, so I could access his school records.
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Charles D. Raby is a prisoner on Death Row in Livingston, Texas. All text above are excerpts from a letter written to me in February of 2016. For more on his case and situation, please read this article and see my previous posts:
http://www.houstonpress.com/news/true-confessions-6574624