Interviews with the Condemned

Interview no.8 (2005-12-22)

The eighth interview is being held with Nelson E. Mitchell who is housed at Georgia's row for prisoners condemned to death. To be honest, we don't know a lot of information to give Nelson a proper introduction. Please visit Nelson's profile (link below) to learn a bit more about him. We also like to state that we had some difficulties reading his handwritten interview form that he returned to us, but we did our best. We will send him a copy of this so he has the chance to alter or correct his answers. 

We like to thank Nelson for working with us on the "Interviews with the Condemned" series.

Personality:

Name: Nelson E. Mitchell
Prison Register: 468901
Address: P.O. Box 3811, Jackson, GA. 30233 USA
Age: 43
Race: African American
Sex: Male
How long on Death Row: 15 years and 3 months

1:

Question: Where were you born and raised?

Answer: In a small North Florida Town called Havana.

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 was born into the home of my maternal grandparents. My father had nothing to do with me (he lived in the same small town), my mother was gone more than with us. She was an alcoholic. Our grandparents did most of the raising. When with our grandparents growing up was structured. With our mother’s abandonment, loneliness and violence. My grandmother always had a dog for me. A favourite toy was glass marbles.

3:

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

Answer:  At one time our mother dragged us away from our grandparent. I remember being befriended by a woman who would come by where we were living and would call me to her and talk to me. She always gave me an orange drink and gum. I was a loner even at 5 1/2 years of age and I think she recognized it. I looked forward to her, the treats were great, but to have someone to talk to me.

4:

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

Answer: I really loved school, especially unto the 5^th grade. My favourite memory was in the third grade. I sat behind a little white girl and was allowed to play with her hair. We were buddies, take our naps together and I would always walk her to her bus so that none of the boys would pull her hair. Unfortunately the teacher and parents made it ugly and she was put into another school I think. But our time together was great.

5:

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

Answer: My mother and the type of person she was. I always sought as a young buy approval from older women for lack of have it from her. I also grew to fear relationships. She never had one for any lengths of time and there were many and most were drunken and violent. From the time I could understand I knew she treated me so much differently from her other five children.

6:

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

Answer: I played football, basketball and fishing. Until I was 11 I had not been a part of a team. I like fixing bicycles and learning how to work on cars. At one time I was interested in drawing and I enjoyed reading. When with our mother it was surviving when she would leave us on our own. There was scavenging at the city dumps / goodwill boxes and stealing from homes and stores.

7:

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

Answer: I think I was 7 or 8 and it was with my uncle. I had to carry bricks to them to build up around a home. I don’t think I did a very good job trying to mix the mortal (the mixture tine with cement) but I was good at carrying things. I enjoyed it very much as I was around my older brother and uncles working!

8:

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

Answer: It varied. Depending on whom I was living with at the time. From resenting my biological father I wanted to go into the military like him but in a different branch and do so much more then he. Always feeling abused as a child I wanted to be a child psychologist. Growing up so poor I wanted to be a professional basketball, football or track star.

9:

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

Answer: To kill a mocking bird – That movie really help me to not view all non-blacks as uncaring folks with superiority complexes. Also there’s “I know why the caged bird sings”, really revealing stories I read and saw and also “Sounder” and “Old Yellow”. Sentimental stories of loyalty, courage and pain.

10:

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

Answer: There were some woods near where I lived in which I would go there alone and sit and stand with my mind at peace and listen to all the different sounds, especially those coming from within me. Being border lined anti social I really felt myself in those woods far from any other person.

11:

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

Answer: I would have to say that when I visited my daughter in the hospital for the first time and she was in the nursery crying like the hounds of hell were after her and the nurse was holding a baby that wasn’t and seemingly ignoring my daughter; I panic and in trying to get her attention (hitting on the glass) I woke the other baby’s and the nurse come out and let me hear it, and explained my daughter had to strengthen her lungs. Everyone was laughing at me.

12:

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

Answer: Just prior to my arrest I was working in a nursing home. I was unemployed shortly before my crime.

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 didn’t do any drugs other then marihuana. I was a full fledge alcoholic like my mother and father. The short answer is a devastating one! I used alcohol to forget, to create my own world. I was in 4 alcoholic related car wrecks that left me with head trauma and other injuries and in one of them nearly killed one of my brothers. I ran from everything to alcohol.

14:

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

Answer: I miss 6 human beings having to grow up without me. I miss the chance I had to be a positive influence in their lives and giving them the confidence and the benefits of my experiences. I am also missing out on at least three grand children! I have three children from 19 to 23 who grew up with the same emptiness in their hearts I grew up within my own for not having a father around.

15:

Question: What is the one thing you regret most?

Answer: Being responsible for a man’s life having been cut short!!!

16:

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

Answer:  No, on the religious and yes, on the spiritual tip. I know that some of the things I have done since being incarcerated were from a spiritual foundation. The reward has been about it having been the right thing to do. A smile, a word of appreciation is sought and it’s done on more human level for the present.

17:

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

Answer: Its extremely important not to feel forgotten. In here it like another world, one in which you’re so limited in being a normal human being. A lost of the solicited communication has to do with maintaining a hold on who you wish to be. I guess we all want to leave our footprint others can identify as being of human origin.

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: I was arrested in August 1986. I went to court January 1990. By the time the verdict was read there was no reaction. I felt and thought that making it official how long would I fight to stay alive. There was a lot of fatalistic thinking on my part at that time. I felt I had to search hard for a strong enough purpose to want to exist on death row.

19:

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

Answer: A week day is get me up for breakfast around 6.30, cleaning and straightening your cell for the warden’s inspection. Talking to other guys about sports or to my one friend about everything. Reading , writing letters. In between there’s outside recreation twice a week for 3 hours (weather permitting) a phone call once a week. Maybe watch a TV program. It’s pretty routine thinking and otherwise.

20:

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

Answer: I am sure in someone’s mind it does. I think of the biggest effect is has as a deterrent is that African Americans are aware that a white victim is likely to get them here. In reverse they have little fear of it if it’s a black victim (actually no race in this country truly fear it if the victim is black. Whites have the fear when the victim are connected whites (police, law enforcement) and so on.

21:

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

Answer: To not have money and power ALWAYS to be the bottom line when it comes to conflicts and deaths. A small fraction of the world’s population decides the viability of life. Millions of preventable deaths can be traced to the gaining and maintaining power. Followed by - Today being August 26, 1984 and tomorrow I make different decisions.

22:

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

Answer: I should have looked at this question before I finished the answer to question 21. Go back to August 26 and not making the trip the following day to visit my youngest daughter and my brother’s daughter – go fishing instead.

23:

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

Answer: The first time I looked at my daughter.

24:

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

Answer: I guess that would be that I am honest!

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: thank all of you for this opportunity that you’re giving us. Thanks!

Visit Nelson'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!