Jarvis Jay Masters

Background

Jarvis Jay Masters (born 1962) was an African American man from Long Beach, CA. He arrived at San Quentin State Prison in 1981 at the age of 19. He was moved to Death Row in 1990. During his time in prison, Jarvis became a Buddhist and started writing about his experiences from that perspective. He was a member of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang.

The offence

In 1985, Sergeant Howell Burchfield was stabbed to death at night on the second tier of a cell block.

Jarvis was accused of sharpening the piece of metal that was used in the murder. Jarvis was on the fourth tier at the time of the murder.

Trial

Three men were tried for Sgt Burchfield's murder. Andre Johnson was tried for stabbing him while Lawrence Woodard was tried for ordering the murder.

Jarvis was convicted of a role in Sgt Burchfield's murder and was given the death penalty. The other two men were given sentences of life without parole.

Sentencing

Of the three men, only Jarvis was given the death penalty. Jarvis Masters was on death row after being sentenced to death in 1990.

Appeals

The California Supreme Court had read Jarvis’s habeas corpus petition and decided it stated a prima facie case for granting a new trial.

On February 14, 2007, the California Supreme Court issued an order to California state prosecutors to respond to Jarvis’s claims in the petition. The Order to Show Cause (OSC) required the Attorney General to show why Jarvis was not entitled to a new trial for eight reasons.

Jarvis’s lead lawyer, Joe Baxter, called the Supreme Court’s Order to Show Cause “unique and breathtaking in its scope.”

On April 11th, 2008, the California Supreme Court ordered an evidentiary hearing.

Joe Baxter, Jarvis’s lead lawyer, said:

“allows us to prove his innocence on many different fronts and allows us to prove he didn't have a fair trial.”

Jarvis, his attorneys, and his supporters believed that his conviction would be overturned and that Jarvis would be exonerated.

Outcome

Jarvis remained on death row after his death sentence in 1990.

Other details

Finding Buddhism and related prison activities

In the early 1990s, Melody Ermachild Chavis, a member of Jarvis’ legal team, began talking to him about Buddhism and they began studying together. About a year later, she arranged for HE Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche to come to the prison to give Jarvis a Red Tara empowerment. Jarvis had been practicing ever since.

Writings

Throughout his incarceration, Jarvis wrote essays about his time in prison and on death row. His first compilation, Finding Freedom, was published in 1997.

His latest book, That Bird Stole My Wings: Autobiography of an Innocent Man, was soon to be published.

Jarvis was credited with publishing the classic recipe for pruno in his poem, “Recipe for Prison Pruno.”

Works

Finding Freedom, Jarvis Jay Masters, Padma Publishing. ISBN 1-881847-08-X