Jarvis Jay Masters Explained

Birth Place:Long Beach, California, United States
Birth Date:24 February 1962
Imprisoned:San Quentin State Prison
Occupation:Author
Criminal Penalty:Death
Criminal Charge:Armed robbery, conspiracy
States:California
Country:United States
Date:1981 (Armed Robbery)
1990 (Conspiracy)

Jarvis Jay Masters (born February 24, 1962) is an American author[1] and death row inmate at California's San Quentin State Prison.[2]

Background

Masters, who is of African American heritage,[3] was originally sent to San Quentin State Prison in 1981 for armed robbery. In 1990, Masters was convicted of fashioning a weapon that was used by another inmate in the 1985 murder of a prison guard at San Quentin, and sentenced to death.[4] Masters has maintained his innocence through his trial and sentencing,[5] and through the California appeals process.[6] [7] In 2019, the California Supreme Court upheld Masters' conviction.[8] [9] Masters has presented new evidence of innocence[4] to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California as part of a federal appeal for exoneration.[10] Reporting by The Los Angeles Times details what it describes as "discrepancies in the evidence" to convict Masters, including sworn recantations from the state's original witnesses against Masters, an eyewitness description that does not match Masters, and that another inmate confessed to the crime. The trial jury never heard that confession because it was not disclosed to Masters’ attorneys during his original trial.[11]

Publisher and popular culture

Masters is an adherent of Buddhism, and the author of That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row,[12] which was selected by Oprah Winfrey as an Oprah's Book Club selection in September 2022.[13] Winfrey stated her belief in Masters' innocence in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.[14] Masters is also author of Finding Freedom: How Death Row Broke & Opened My Heart,[15] as well as poems, short stories, articles, essays, and an op-ed in The Guardian newspaper.[16] Masters is the subject of the book The Buddhist on Death Row by author David Sheff,[17] the iHeart Radio two-season podcast Dear Governor,[18] and an op-ed in the New York Times by author Rebecca Solnit.[19]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jarvis Jay Masters . 2022-09-15 . HarperCollins . en.
  2. Division of Adult Operations. "Death Row Tracking System Condemned Inmate List (Secure)" (PDF). California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
  3. https://www.thenation.com/article/society/jarvis-jay-masters/
  4. Web site: 2022-09-13 . Oprah picks California death row inmate's autobiography for book club . 2022-09-15 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  5. Web site: Seasly . John . 2019-12-03 . Jarvis Jay Masters: Accuser's description of Masters matched inmate who confessed . 2022-09-29 . Injustice Watch . en-US.
  6. Web site: Death Penalty Upheld For Inmate Accused Of 1985 San Quentin Prison Guard Murder . 2022-09-29 . www.cbsnews.com . 22 February 2016 . en-US.
  7. CBS News:
  8. Web site: Egelko . Bob . 2019-08-14 . Death penalty upheld in 1985 slaying of San Quentin guard, despite recantation . 2022-09-29 . San Francisco Chronicle . en-US.
  9. Web site: 2019-08-21 . Innocence Lost Pacific Sun . 2022-09-29 . Pacific Sun Marin County, California . en-US.
  10. News: Italie . Hillel . 2022-09-13 . Winfrey selects prison memoir 'That Bird Has My Wings' . Associated Press . 2022-09-14.
  11. Web site: 2022-10-24 . A prison guard's murder, an inmate's death sentence and a decades-long battle for freedom . 2022-11-07 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  12. Reviews:
  13. Web site: 2022-09-13 . Oprah's New Book Club Pick Is "That Bird Has My Wings," by Jarvis Jay Masters . 2022-09-15 . Oprah Daily . en-us.
  14. Web site: 2022-10-24 . He has been on death row for decades. With a new appeal and help from Oprah, can he win his freedom? . 2022-11-07 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  15. Reviews:
  16. Web site: 2020-05-22 . Letting prisoners use cellphones makes sense – now more than ever Jarvis Jay Masters . 2022-09-15 . the Guardian . en.
  17. News: David Sheff Charts Jarvis Jay Masters' Buddhist Journey In Prison In New Book . en . NPR.org . 2022-09-29.
  18. Web site: Dear Governor . 2022-09-29 . iHeart . en.
  19. News: Solnit . Rebecca . 2022-04-22 . Opinion Why Did We Stop Believing That People Can Change? . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-09-30 . 0362-4331.