December 31st, 2008

On this last day of the year I want to reflect on the life of my brother, Rick. In a few short months he will have been in prison five years. He was once a vital, happy man, refereeing ball games for his son, escorting his oldest daughter down a football field when she was part of her high school homecoming court, romping around with his youngest child and laughing at her antics. He loved to buy presents for his children. I was with him when he purchased a new bicycle for his son. He was excited about the gift and meticulously searched for just the right bike. Tall, handsome and thin, my brother is now a near lifeless shell, bloated from the medication he is on due to injuries he sustained from inmates at the Beaumont prison in Texas who beat and raped him. I’ll never see the brother I knew again. In my estimation the mother and daughter who did this to him are murderers. My grandmother lives at the rest home where one of the killers works. According to my grandmother the killer recently told her that “she never meant things to get this far.” If she wanted out of the marriage and wanted money, I would have given it to her. More than $345,000 was spent on my brother’s defense. I would have given her the money and anything else she wanted. They lied and the brother I knew is gone. I will not forget him, nor what was done to him. I will try to move into 2009 with hope. Hope that I can heal. That we all can heal.