Interviews with the Condemned

Interview no.3

The third interview in our "Interview with the Condemned" series is with Orlando C. Hall. Orlando is housed at the federal death row unit in Terre Haute, Indiana. We like to thank him very much for contributing this interview and we wish him all the best in the future. Orlando is looking for pen-pals to help him through the critical stage of his appeals. For further information about Orlando see his profile.

Personality:

Name: Orlando C. Hall 
Prison Register: # 26176-077                                                                                Address: United States Penitentiary, PO Box 12015, Terre Haute, IN 47801, USA
Age: 33
Race: Black
Sex: Male
How long on Death Row: Since 10-18-95 (Locked up since 9-29-94)

1:                                                                                                                                                    

Question: Where were you born and raised?

Answer: I was born in El Dorado , Arkansas , raised there and in Louisiana by my grandmother and aunt.

2:                                                                                                                                             

Question: Will you share with us what it was like for you growing up? (Did you have a pet, a favorite game, hiding place, or favorite toy? Were you raised by both parents, a single parent or relative?)

Answer: I had a pretty normal childhood. I had both parents in the home, n ot that that’s always a good thing. I came from a large family. We always had dogs. My household was very dysfunctional, but nevertheless loving. I don’t care to go into greater detail in this open form. I’m sorry…

3:                                                                                                                                                             

Question: Do you have a favorite childhood memory? If so, what is it?

Answer: Being at my grandmother’s. She lived on a farm. We had animals, fruits, vegetable gardens. It was heaven for me. They spoiled me! Being around so much love is what I remember most. The kindness my grandmother showed to everyone I will never forget.

4:                                                                                                                                                             

Question: Did you like school? If so, share with us your favorite memory from your school years.

Answer: I was like most school children. I didn’t fully appreciate school. However, I did like school. My favorite memory was of playing football and running track with my friends. Life was so innocent back then.

5:                                                                                                                                                             

Question: What person or event impacted you most as a child?

Answer: My grandmother and her death. I normally spent my weekends with her, and the weekend that I didn’t go she fell. I just believe if I was there I could have helped her. I somehow blamed myself. All of my family changed after her death.

6:                                                                                                                                                            

Question: What hobbies or activities did you participate in while growing up, e.g. scouting, sports, etc.

Answer: Growing up as a child for me was very adventurous. I played all sports. My first love was baseball. The children in my neighborhood, we didn’t have money, so we built our own go-carts, bikes, tree-house. We made up our own games. None of us were scouts. Well, we did, but it was on our own. I had a fun childhood. I had lots of friends and things to do. The church also played a big role in my childhood.

7:                                                                                                                                                           

Question: What was your first job? Please describe your duties/responsibilities and whether or not you liked the job.

Answer: My first job was working my grandmother’s land. I loved it. I didn’t get paid in money- I would bale hay for that. My first pay check came in high school. I worked at a grocery store, sacking and cleaning up.

8:                                                                                                                                                             

Question: As a child or teenager, what did you want to do when you grew up? Why?

Answer: I always dreamed of being a veterinarian. I love animals. I breed dogs (doberman pinschers) which caused me to spend a lot of time at the vet’s. However, I became a father at 14 and I can’t remember having dreams of anything after that.

9:                                                                                                                                                             

Question: Do you have a favorite movie or book? Please elaborate.

Answer: My favorite book is the Bible. It has everything. A thriller, action, suspense, education, spirituality, a hero in Jesus. Everything is in this one book. James Patterson is one of my favorite authors. Movies: The Color Purple , O Brother Where Art Thou? and The five Heartbeats.

10:                                                                                                                                                      

Question: Where was the most beautiful or special place that you can remember having visited? Please describe it.

Answer: Hot Springs in Arkansas . Everything about it. I never got to see the world. I was young when all this took place. I also liked Las Vegas . I loved the lights.

11:                                                                                                                                                       

Question: What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you?

Answer: I can’t recall, and that’s sad.

12:                                                                                                                                                           

Question: What job or occupation did you have prior to your incarceration? Were you employed at the time of your arrest?

Answer: No.

13:                                                                                                                                                

Question: Were you involved with drugs or alcohol prior to your incarceration? If so, please share the effects this had on your life.

Answer: Yes, I smoked weed, and sold it. I drank alcohol, not all the time, but enough. Drugs flat out ruined my life in every way Period!

14:                                                                                                                                                   

Question: What do you miss most about the outside world and why?

Answer: My freedom. But more than anything, my children and family. Why, what’s more important than them and God?

15:                                                                                                                                                  

Question: What is the one thing you regret most?

Answer: Not listening to my parents as a teenager. My disobedience shaped the unfortunate course of my life. To me becoming a father at 14, to my dropping out of high school, and feeling like I could be nothing but a drug dealer.

16:                                                                                                                                             

Question: Do you have any strong spiritual or religious beliefs? If so do they influence how you view the future?

Answer: Yes! I’m very spiritual. Without my faith I would have ended my life a long time ago. I believe I’m still here because my work is not done. I believe that I still have something positive to offer the world and my children. I see my future in Heaven with Jesus.

17:                                                                                                                                                    

Question: How important is it for you to have contact with your family, friends and/or the outside world? Please elaborate.

Answer: It’s life or death with me. My family gives me the strength to live. If I didn’t have my family I wouldn’t see the point in living the life I live. Sure, I know my God has a better place for me. Knowing this helps me endure my everyday life. God, family, and friends is all I got.

18:                                                                                                                                                         

Question: Do you remember your first thoughts when hearing the jury’s verdict of death as your sentence? Will you share this experience with us, e.g. your thoughts, feelings, reactions?

Answer: To be honest with you, I thought about my family. I could hear their cries. Then everything went blank. It took a long time for me to come to terms with “death”.

In fact, I have yet to fully do so. No matter how many ways I try to explain it to you, you will never understand.

19:                                                                                                                                               

Question: What is a typical day like for you on death row?

Answer: A typical day is spent finding ways to keep my mind active. I read a lot, write letters, work on my appeals. I try to interact with positive people, I work out, play chess. I pray five times a day. It’s very hard fighting for your life every day. It’s rare to have a peace of mind so prayer is very important. I pray a lot….

20:                                                                                                                                              

Question: Do you feel that capital punishment serves as a deterrent? Yes/No Please elaborate on you answer.

Answer: NO! How could it be when you have more men and women on death row today than at any time in history. Let’s be honest, it’s about revenge. An eye for an eye. There is nothing fair about this injustice. It’s also used as a political tool. The poor is often the target, and it only makes more victims.

21:                                                                                                                                             

Question: If you could change one thing in the world today, what would it be and why?

Answer: The mis-education of the masses. People are being misled about almost everything, from God, AIDS, the poor. I would also change the world view of the continent of Africa . It is said that in 2025 over 80 million will have AIDS there. More can be done.

22:                                                                                                                                                          

Question: If you could go back in time, where and to what date would you travel and why?

Answer: I would go back to the time of Jesus. I don’t think I need to elaborate any more than that. Jesus is life. Without him what would the world be like? If it would still be one.

23:                                                                                                                                                           

Question: What has been the most important and life-altering event you have experienced?

Answer: The birth of my first child is the most life-altering, but the day my youngest son’s mother decided to walk out of my life. My life has been downhill since that day for the most. I’ve had some wonderful things happen, but losing her and my son caused me not to care about a lot of things.

24:                                                                                                                                                          

Question: What is the most important thing that you want our visitors to know about you?

Answer: That my life is worth something. I’m like everyone else. I want to live. I’m a good person. I’ve made many mistakes and I’ve learned from them all. I have a strong faith in God. I love my children. And I want to share my story to help others. 

25:                                                                                                                                                

Question: If you have anything else that you would like included as a part of this interview, please share it with us now.

Answer: I am at the end of my appeal process. If I don’t win in the courts soon, it will be over for me. I would love to correspond with open minded people. No topic is off limits. If  you write me I will write you back in truth. Bless you all and thank you for your time.

Click here to see Orlando's profile.

Back to interview introduction page.

Webmaster’s note: I have tried to type the handwritten answers as complete and correct as possible. There is always a possibility that a typo or so slips in. Please send an e-mail when you come across them. Thank you!