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Interviews
with the Condemned
Interview no.20 (2006-09-09)
Time for the 20th interview in the "Interviews with the Condemned series." Who could have imagine that we would reach 20 after such a slow start. I would like to thank anyone from this position for printing the interview form and sending it to their friends and family members on the row. We have still got a bunch awaiting to be placed online, so if your friend's or family member's interview hasn't showed up, please be patience. It will probably be online very soon. Thank you all for making it possible! The
20th interview is being held with Randy E. Halprin. Randy is housed at
the Polunsky Unit in
Personality: Name:
Randy E.
Halprin #999453
1: Question:
Where were you born and raised? Answer:
I was
born in
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:
3: Question:
Do you have a favorite childhood memory? If so, what is it? Answer: My favorite childhood memory is the day I first met my adoptive father. I jumped into his arm yelling, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”
4: Question:
Did you like school? If so, share with us your favorite memory from your
school years. Answer:
I loved
the social aspects of school, I just hated doing the actual work! I went
to a private school in
5: Question:
What person or event impacted you most as a child? Answer:
The death of my ant Carol really impacted me, Watching someone die of
cancer… it’s horrible. This coincides
with the event of my Bar mitzvah which she used the last bit of her
remaining strength to come and watch me perform.
6: Question:
What hobbies or activities did you participate in while growing up, e.g.
scouting, sports, etc. Answer: I took boxing lessons, a little Karate, played soccer and took piano lessons. In high school I was a room monitor and hall monitor. I had a highschool rockband and was part of a creative writing magazine.
7: Question:
What was your first job? Please describe your duties/responsibilities
and whether or not you liked the job. Answer:
At private school we had jobs. My first job at school was mowing lawns
and cleaning up the campus. Didn’t much care for it.
8: Question:
As a child or teenager, what did you want to do when you grew up? Why? Answer:
9: Question: Do you have a favorite movie or book? Please elaborate. Answer:
10: Question:
Where was the most beautiful or special place that you can remember
having visited? Please describe it. Answer:
11: Question: What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you? Answer:
Well,
crazy and funny. I was supposed to take a grey hound bus back to school,
but freinds and I decided to take a taxi and we gave the driver the
wrong directions and ended up getting lost big times. The school and
police had to be called. That’s how lost we were.
12: Question:
What job or occupation did you have prior to your incarceration? Were
you employed at the time of your arrest? Answer: I was working on and off temp. Jobs. Labor, fast food etc. I could never stay in one job too long.
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:
I was doing LSD and other stuff heavily before I was first arrested. It
made me a very selfish and with drawn person. I began to steal, I began
to lie to friends and family. It drove a wall up in between all those
who cared and loved me.
14: Question: What do you miss most about the outside world and why? Answer:
I miss being able to hug people. To go out to the mall or movies. To be a
part of society. I miss looking at the stars at night or observing
nature. I miss having cats and dogs. I miss kissing. It’s always the
things in a normal life we might take for granted.
15: Question: What is the one thing you regret most? Answer:
I regret having lied to my father and driving up a wall between us. I
regret hurting the ones who loved and cared for me.
16: Question:
Do
you have any strong spiritual or religious beliefs? If so do they
influence how you view the future? Answer:
Yes, I
have strong spiritual beliefs. Yes, they influence how I percieve things
now and the future.
17: Question: How important is it for you to have contact with your family, friends and/or the outside world? Please elaborate. Answer:
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: It was a conflict of emotions. At first I was stunned, but then I was relieved that it was finally all over. Then I was hurt by the pain my friends were going through because I could hear them all crying in the back ground. After that I was numb for about three days.
19: Question:
What is a typical day like for you on
death row? Answer:
I get up, read write, exercise. It’s much of the same. I like to
contemplate on life and my life in general. Search for answers that
elude this thing called “life.” Listen to the radio a lot and listen
to some television. Talk with a few people here and there.
20: Question:
Do you feel that capital punishment
serves as a deterrent? Yes/No Please elaborate on your answer. Answer:
Revenge can never be the answer or the solution. Unfortunately, murder
has and always will be a part of the human experience. Until we learn to
love and show compassion to others, to see past our selfish self’s .
Death never solves anything. Capital Punishment says that no soul can be
redeemed. I don’t believe that. It’s not a solution to closure
because now you’ve inflicted pain and suffering onto the families of
the condemned. And what about the innocent who are executed? Did they
deserve to be killed? How does their death solve the problem of murder
when you’ve just murdered? There’s a difference between justice and
vengeance. Vengeance is not justice.
21: Question:
If you could change one thing in the
world today, what would it be and why? Answer: I would change the fact that we cannot love eachother and accept that we all share this world, this life, our souls together. Why can’t we work together? Why must we have wars and hate and put oneself above another? I’m no better than you or anyone else. We all need to start loving more. How hard could it be? If I can do it so can anyone else.
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 day I turned my back on my father. May 1995. That
could’ve changed the whole course of events I soon followed. I really
believe that.
23: Question:
What has been the most important and
life-altering event you have experienced? Answer: See answer 22. It all leads to that event.
24: Question:
What is the most important thing that
you want our visitors to know about you? Answer:
I guess that I am a loving human being who has a lot of love to give to
everyone. I made mistakes and while I’m not a killer (I was convicted
under the law of parties). I made choices in my life that put me where I am today. I cannot
blame anyone but myself for that. I can only strive to be the
best person I can be the remainder of my life. People are redeemable. No
soul is condemned. It all comes from love and forgiveness; the true
essence of God.
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 a vegetarian.
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!
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