Whisperings From Death Row

I was only a child, ten years of age, when I was first incarcerated in the juvenile prison system. Locked up in a small brick cage with a solid wood door containing a thick, shatterproof glass window. So began the journey that would lead me here – to DEATH ROW. I’m simply just Herminio Serna now, who was “consciously awakened” to this living nightmare of awaiting execution, here on California’s Death Row, in San Quentin State Prison. Incarcerated since August 1991. Condemned to this death in November 1997 after a six year trial. Held in isolation, solitary confinement, while undergoing that sham appearance of a trial. And once condemned I was buried alive here, in a concrete cage, entombed inside the entrails of this beast, inside the infamous Adjustment Center, (San Quentin’s “Hole”/S.H.U.) for another fourteen years. A total of 20 years – two decades of “unusual cruelty.” As if the death penalty wasn’t enough of a punishment!

“It’s nearly midnight. They are coming for me,” whispered the shadowy creature in the corner of the old prison cell. When Daniel and Joe went to a Halloween sleepover at an abandoned, historic jail, they never expected to meet a prisoner on death row—especially not one who was executed more than 75 years ago! Why was the doomed man sent to death row? And how can the boys put right a terrible mistake that was made many years before? The answers can be found behind the rusting bars of the old prison cells. Join Daniel and Joe as they explore the deserted jail and uncover its most horrifying secret. Doomed on Death Row is part of Bearport’s Cold Whispers II series. This bone-chilling book is the fiction companion to Haunted Prisons from Bearport’s best-selling nonfiction series Scary Places.

Publisher Description

When the bodies of three teenagers were found on the shores of Lake Waco, Texas in July, 1982, even seasoned lawmen were taken aback by the savage mutilation and degradation they had been subjected to. Yet only 52 days after the gruesome triple-murder was discovered, frustrated authorities suspended the case indefinitely. Patrol Sergeant Truman Simons, who had been called to the scene that night, saw the carnage first-hand -- and vowed to find the ferocious killer or killers. He soon became a man with a mission, risking his career and his family's safety in search of evidence. Plunging himself into a netherworld of violence and evil, Simons finally got close enough to a murderous ringleader to hear his careless whispers--and ultimately, put him and his three accomplices behind bars for the brutal slayings. Now, in his Edgar Award-winning account of the Lake Waco killings, acclaimed true crime writer Carlton Stowers lays bare the facts behind the tragic crimes, the twisted predators, and the heroic man who broke the investigation--with important updated information based on new developments in the case.

“Tells the story of a traumatic life spent witnessing hundreds of people being executed in Texas’ most infamous prison.” —Daily Beast “I can’t remember his name or his crime. What I remember is the nothingness. No family members, no friends, no comfort. Maybe he didn’t want them to come, maybe they didn’t care, maybe he didn’t have any in the first place. It was just a prison official and two reporters, including me, looking through the glass at this man strapped fast to the gurney, needles in both arms, staring hard at the ceiling. When the warden stepped forward and asked if he wanted to make a last statement, the man barely shook his head, said nothing and started blinking. That’s when I saw it: a single tear at the corner of his right eye. A tear he desperately wanted to blink away, a tear he didn’t want us to see. It pooled there for a moment before running down his cheek. The warden gave his signal, the chemicals started flowing, the man coughed, sputtered and exhaled. A doctor entered the room, pronounced the man dead and pulled a sheet over his head.” —Michelle Lyons, from the Prologue Michelle Lyons witnessed nearly 300 executions at the Texas State penitentiary. This “haunting, dark and hard to put down” behind-the-scenes look at those final moments of life relates shocking true stories of the inmate, his/her family members, prison officials, the death-row chaplain and the victim’s loved ones—all of whom come together in the death chamber (Houston Chronicle).

MR. JULY His Name: Rafe Courtenay His Challenge: To rescue a kidnapped child His Accomplice: Beguiling Valentina O'Hara Their Destination: A remote canyon where danger will merge with desire When Rafe Courtenay is on a mission, nothing stands in his way. Not scorching heat and rugged terrain. Not a tempting female whose tormented nightmares shatter the still desert nights. But Rafe, who has never truly needed anyone, needs Valentina O'Hara. And though the legendary markswoman inhabits a man's perilous world, Rafe intends to win her trust—and love—by treating her like a real woman. MAN OF THE MONTH THE BLACK WATCH: Men and women sworn to live—and love—by a code of honor.

As one of the most influential finance lawyers in the country, Dale Recinella was living the American dream. With prestige, power, and unthinkable paychecks at his fingertips, his life was perfect... at least on paper. But on the heels of closing a huge deal for the Miami Dolphins, Dale's life took an unfathomable turn. He heard--and heeded--Jesus's call to sell everything he owned and follow him. Thus began a radical quest to live out the words of Jesus--no matter what the cost. In this quick-paced, well-written story, Recinella shares his amazing journey from growing up in the slums of Detroit to racing through "the good life" on Wall Street to finally walking the humble path of God--the path of ministry on death row.