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Jarvis Jay Masters

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Jarvis Jay Masters
Born (1962-02-24) February 24, 1962 (age 62)
Long Beach, California, United States
StatusHeld on death row
OccupationAuthor
Criminal chargeArmed robbery, conspiracy
PenaltyDeath
Details
Date1981 (Armed Robbery)
1990 (Conspiracy)
CountryUnited States
State(s)California
Imprisoned atSan Quentin State Prison

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

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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]

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

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References

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