Paul Wayne Slater

Case record

Paul Wayne Slater was an African male inmate on Texas death row. He was 26 years of age and had been incarcerated since 1995. He was known by the state of Texas as number 999208.

Timeline

• 1995 — Slater stated he was incarcerated.
• 19 July 1995 — An incident occurred that Slater described as a drug deal, in which he said he was the drug dealer and later defended himself after a disagreement.
• 1 November 1996 — Slater was sentenced to death.

Background

Slater wrote to “all the wonderfull & concerned people, regarding justice in America, especially Texas !” and said he intended to explain why he believed he was wrongly convicted of capital murder and sentenced to die for protecting his own life.

He said he was an African male inmate on Texas death row and identified himself as Paul Slater, better known by the state of Texas as number 999208. He said he was 26 years of age.

He described himself as having been incarcerated since 1995.

The offence

Slater stated that on the date of July 19, 1995 an incident occurred that he described as a “drug deal.” He said he was “the drug dealer” and that the drug deal ended in a disagreement.

Slater stated that the disagreement put him “in a position to defend for my life.” He said that as a result “two men ended up losing their lives.”

Slater said he believed there was “substantial evidence” that “would have surely proved” that he was reacting to a violent situation that he said he “otherwise, I felt could have cost me my life.”

Investigation

Slater stated that evidence that he believed would have supported his self-defence claim was not investigated adequately.

He said there was “substancial evidence” that would have “surely proved” he was reacting to a violent situation, and that he believed it was not fully presented or developed because of his attorney.

He stated that his attorney had “very ineffective” representation and said the attorney “did not investigate the facts” and “never talked to my witness.”

Trial

Slater stated that his witness had interviewed with “the State prosecutor attorney” and that the witness “backed up my story, regarding self-defence!”

He stated that “The prosecutors never told my attorney that they had in fact, interviewed my witness and his story had corroborated with mine !”

Slater stated that the judge denied his attorney “the right to present my case in the light of self-defence,” and that this resulted in “not allowing the jury to weither conmsider a lesser charge or find that it was indeed self-defence !”

Slater stated that because the jury was “only allowed to review my case from under the instructions of Capital Murder, I was convicted and sentenced to die !”

Sentencing

Slater stated that because the jury was only allowed to review his case under the instructions of capital murder, “I was convicted and sentenced to die !”

He was sentenced to death on November 1, 1996.

Outcome

Slater remained on Texas death row after receiving a death sentence.

Appeals

Slater did not provide an appeal history in his account. His statements focused on his belief that he was wrongly convicted and sentenced to die.

Aftermath

Slater wrote that he was “desperatelywriting this letter from death row” and said that unless someone became involved in his case, he believed “Texas is going to murder me for defending my life !”

He described his plea for assistance, asking those “who are sincerely concerned about equal justice, in the state of Texas, to please look into my case !”

He asked that someone “please let me hear from you Soon !”

Other details

Slater included multiple statements as written:

“First of all I would like to Praise God for the many Blessings that he has bestowed on me & my family !
To all the wonderfull & concerned people, regarding justice in America, especially Texas !”

“My name is Paul Slater, better known by the state of Texas as number 999208 ! I am a African male inmate on Texas death row ! I am 26 years of age & have been incarcerated since 1995 !”

“I'm writing this in hopes that someone, anyone ! will listen as I try to explain, why I have been wrongly convicted of Capital murder & sentenced to die for protecting my own life !”

“On the date of July 19, 1995 an incident occured, a drug deal, which I was the drug dealer, I was to sell some men some drugs, we ended up having a disagreement, which put me in a position to defend for my life, as a result two men ended up losing their lives !”

“There was substancial evidence that would have surely proved that I was reacting to a violent situation that otherwise, I felt could have cost me my life !
But because of my attorney being very ineffective, did not investigate the facts, never talked to my witness, whom had interviewed with the State prosecutor attorney and backed up my story, regarding self-defence!”

“The prosecutors never told my attorney that they had in fact, interviewed my witness and his story had corroborated with mine !”

“The judge denied my attorney the right to present my case in the light of self-defence, therefore, not allowing the jury to weither conmsider a lesser charge or find that it was indeed self-defence !”

“Because the jury was only allowed to review my case from under the instructions of Capital Murder, I was convicted and sentenced to die !”

“I'm not writing my story trying to convince anyone that I know nothing about this incident !
It's a sad situation when a human being loses his or her life, but it was never my intentions to take someone's life !
My life was threatened and I reacted in self-defence !”

“I'm asking for assistance of those who are sincerely concerned about equal justice, in the state of Texas, to please look into my case !
The evidence is out there to prove that this is a case, where a man was defending his life, but as the story goes in Texas !”

“Because I was poor, I had unqualified legal representation to bring out the facts in this case, well, I'm desperatelywriting this letter from death row and unless some one actually gets involved in my case, Texas is going to murder me for defending my life !”

“Imagine riding down the street, in your car & someone jumps out in front of you, firing a gun in your direction, you run over this individual to save your own life and because of that, you are now sitting on death row !
Or lets say, you're a sales man & you go to one of your customer's home, you & him have a disagreement, he puts you in a situation where you have to defend yourself & because of that you are sitting on death row !”

“My name is Paul Slater & I am still defending my life !”

“I hope & pray that I have said, something in my story that will get the attention of those that can very well find themselves in my position !”

“For any additional information regarding my case, please write to me personally & I will answer all letters as Honestly as possible ! Please let me hear from you Soon !
"God Bless You !" Paul Slater”