Darrel Mease

The first words you spoke to me, “you are saying some radical things", as you grinned really big. I said, "I am just saying what Jesus said this was not long after the powers and principalities failed to execute myself.  They found out what I had been telling them for years, " you people can't kill me God is my lawyer!” This was shortly before they executed James Rodden, when you came to talk to him at Potosi.  You were in India when they were trying to kill me, so you sent your partner Ray to talk to me. I informed Ray there would not be any more executing me, God is my lawyer.  Ray said, "But what if …" which I interrupted with, “There ain’t no if to Isaiah 42:7!" it got a bit contentious, but Ray prayed a good prayer before he left. Thank you. I appreciate all you did for me. I was apprehended, arrested by Christ Jesus that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 

The cop asked my name. I gave him a phony name. He ran it, nothing came back. He asked for my social security number. In that instant my real SSN and the false SSN I had been hiding under popped into the air at eye-level between the cop and me.  The real number was more prominent than the phony one. I read my real number, I could not stop, and I could not alter it. The numbers were then gone, and so was I. I was hung by my own tongue -Psalms 64:8.  The cop ran the number and then said "Darrell, put your hands on top of the car" and with that it was off to tour death row and prison with Jesus, a former death row prisoner himself, as my guide. Many interesting things have happened since then. 

After I was apprehended, without incident, as they say, I found myself in Psalms 51:1-17 position.  I began seeking God with tears and all of my heart.  All I wanted was to get right with God.  Seven days after the arrest a stranger came to the Taney County Jail and told me that, “God told him, ‘Go talk to Darrell". He said, “Just remember, you have the best lawyer in the world… God!" Of course I could not entertain the thought of that…, but I knew Roscoe Keithley was sent by God and I quit worrying that I had turned my back on God for too long and he would not take me back. Two days later I got right with God in a maximum-security jail cell. It was great! 

 A few days after I got back with God, "God is my lawyer!" started streaming in my soul, all on my mind.  It was on a loop 4 or 5 times per sequence a few times a day for a few days and then of a sudden, WHAM! I knew God is my lawyer on my criminal case.  So, I began blazing the matter abroad. 

Then God sent a reporter from the news leader of Springfield to get my testimony, the next day, February 12, 1989, the lead story on the front page was “MAN IN MURDER CASE SAYS GOD IS MY LAWYER." I was shooting hoops in the yard of the Greene County Jail when a young black man walked up and asked if I wanted to shoot a game of H-O-R-S-E.  As we shot, he said, "the courtroom where your trail will be held is easy to escape from, I have escaped from there.  Just hit the door, run down the steps, cross the lobby and you're on the street. You will be in street clothes and unshackled, but during a big trial they will have a shooter in the courtroom.  He will be a highway patrolman you have not seen before.  He will be in a suit with a 12-gauge enforcer hanging down under his arm underneath his suit coat.” Then he walked away. We had not spoken before that, and we never spoke after that. 

I did not take the stand during the trial phase. At the penalty phase the attorney that was hired for me asked, “Do you know that man standing in the back of the room?” “No." I said after looking at him. He was glaring at me, then that attorney insisted I take the stand at the penalty phase. I said, "Why? I am not going to lie." He insisted I take the stand. He asked me a couple of irrelevant questions when I took the witness stand.  Then I took the 5th as to the prosecutor's questions per the instructions of the attorney hired for me. 

Then for no apparent reason the judge, both prosecutors and the attorney hired for me all left the courtroom. I was just letting my eyes roam around the room when I saw a snub-nosed pistol in a holster, which was affixed to the side of the kneehole in the judge’s desk. I looked at the bailiff who was staring at the floor. 

At that time, I had 2 cousins who were highway patrol men, and another cousin was a stone county sheriff. They all knew I am hell on wheels with a pistol, plus some thought I was about half crazy. But God had taken all of the physical fight out of me when I was arrested in the desert on the outskirts of Phoenix. 

Michael W. Cuneo, who was a professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Fordham University in the Bronx, would come to Potosi and get notes from me for his book, "Almost Midnight," which is about myself and this snare I walked off into.  Midnight was when Missouri executed its prisoners at that time. 

I told Mike the judge left the courtroom and left his pistol for me. He was skeptical about which was good. Mike told a public defender, Robert Mauer, in Greene County what I had told him, Robert said "I know that judge, I will ask him." 

Robert said, "Darrell says you left your pistol for him." the judge put his hands up and out in front of him as if to ward evil off. Then he grinned and said, "Yes I did." I was sentenced to death and sent to death row at the prison at Potosi.  

The Supremes sent me a "Darrell Mease shall suffer death on January 27, 1999" letter in November of 1998, I think it was. Therefore, I wrote the 10-page letter of which I sent Larry Rice a copy. This letter set the record straight by declaring the Supreme Court, nor any other power, did not have enough power to execute this believer. I am not bragging except in the cross of our lord Jesus Christ. 

Then the supreme court found out pope John Paul II would be speaking in nearby St. Louis on January 27, 1999 so they changed their execution date on me to February 12, 1999 without comment, Assistant warden Charles W. Dwyer brought the 4th "Darrell Mease shall suffer death on February 12, 1999" letter over to the wing and had me called out to the sally port. The doors slid shut behind us as he said, “I don't know why you are getting so many of these. The date change would account for 2, but not 4." I said, “They don't bother me, they are just ‘Sanballat letters’ to me.” He said, "What?" I said, "Nehemiah 6:4." He wants to stay away from God's word, so he says, "Are you hanging in there?" I said "no, I am not hanging by my neck until I am dead, I am standing on God's word and walking out the front door on God's word" by now he is thinking he's locked down in the sally port with a stone cold lunatic who has nothing to lose and has just handed him a death letter.  So, he gets the bubble officer's attention and as the doors are sliding open, he says, "you have a nice day." I said, "You have a nice day too and I meant that.” 

 Less than a month before a prisoner is to be executed, he is compelled to see a psych doctor, as they want to know where one's head is. I was ticked off because I did not need to talk to any psych doctors. Doctor John saw I was not well pleased, so he said, “I did not have to talk to him, if I did not want to.” That is what I wanted, but God did yet another Proverbs 21:1 number on me.  Dr. John was a young man such as myself, and I told him, "these people think they are going to execute me, but they cannot execute me, God is my lawyer.” and I gave him a bit of background he said, “you are real, and if I have one word from God, for you it is, ‘don’t give up." I said, “I am not going to give up." He repeated, "Don’t give up" in the presence of guards and other prisoners as he left. 

Got used an employee of the very people who were doing their utmost to kill to encourage me who would have thought such a thing could happen Exodus 3:20-21. Mr. King was an investigator at Potosi, a guard cuffed me and escorted me to his office. Mr. King said, "today we will take your photo (which was to be my obituary photo) and as things progress along - " I interrupted with, "hold up! You can't execute me, God is my lawyer! "We went around the mountain 3 or 4 times as a large black man in a suit eased into position to bum rush me if need be. Finally, Mr. King gave up, took the photo and the guard escorted me back to the wing. 

The next day Mr. King came to the wing and said, "That photo didn't take, will you step in the side room and take another one?" I said, “I wasn’t trying to buck you yesterday, but I won't let anyone back me off my confession." We started cracking one liner and laughing.  He took a photo, looked at the display and said, “we need to take another photo, you are laughing at this one and ‘we’ don't want people to think ‘we’ are crazy." I laughed and said, "you especially Me." when I told mom she said I should have said, “Too late for that!” I saw Mr. King through a window after I could not be executed.  I grinned and waved; he grinned back. 

God has his own death row investigations since John-Matthew 11:11-13; 12:25; Luke 16:16 John 8:2-18, 26-31.  She told me she had wanted to be an attorney, but God put her in the investigations field and told her, “I will give you success everywhere your feet trod." 

She said, “I see you have McMillian’s points and Minnick’s points on your case.  I was on the teams that got both of them off death row.”  I said, “put another mark in your win column, I am walking off death row and out of prison." McMillian, in Alabama, was framed by the judge.  Instead of throwing a rope over a limb and turning him into “strange fruit" they used their death penalty to try to murder him. 

Minnick in Mississippi said, “yes, I killed that young girl," but they denied his right to an attorney, or else they did not give him a Miranda warning. They did both to me.  As the execution date drew near, mom's church, she prayed for me.  Then mom's pastor, John Barnes, was walking back and forth up front.  Then he stopped and said, “We are going to see an awesome, awesome miracle.” 

After speaking at St. Louis Pope John Paul II walked over to the Gov. Carnahan and said, “Have mercy on Mr. Mease." and walked on.  Around 9pm. On January 27, 1999, it was streamed across the bottom of regular programming on a Springfield TV station that I had been taken off death row.  It was the only time in the United States of America that a death row prisoner had his death sentence commuted at the request of a religious figure. 

Pope John Paul II's health was failing so he had planned on going only to Mexico City and then back to the Vatican, but Archbishop Rigali of St. Louis had spent 8 years in the Vatican, so he asked Pope John Paul II to come to St. Louis. 

Someone said it was just a wonder Pope John Paul II even came to St. Louis.  My Aunt Ruby said, “he had to come!" Aunt Ruby knew. After Acts 12:1-4 politicians and their partakers were powerless to execute me, my brother Larry and his wife Sophia came to Potosi to visit me. Sophia said to me: “Larry went to your moms to make funeral arrangements for you as the execution date drew near. Your mom informed Larry there would not be any funeral. When Larry told me that I said, “we are going to have to be strong for your mom when they kill Darrell because she is not dealing with reality." We all had a good laugh and then I said, “this isn’t over either, I am walking out of prison." Sophia said, “after that last deal I would believe anything!" We all laughed some more. 

O. Smith was a VIC at Potosi, after I was taken off death row he asked, “Darrell how did it feel to be on death row?” I said, “I don’t know, I never was on death row.” When Pope John Paul II died in 2005 CNN, channel 2 out of St. Louis and others came to Potosi to interview me because of that Pope’s worldwide fame – which is one reason God used that Pope. 

I was shown on CNN saying, “Jesus Christ frees real prisoners from real prisons, and he outlawed the death penalty.” That was Mark 16:15, which went out to a possible worldwide viewing audience of 250 million people – from a prisoner in a level 5 maximum security prison. The next time I am on CNN, in 2025 it will be Mark 16:20 to a possible worldwide audience of 330 million – from a freed indeed man! “For which I suffer trouble an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.” and I will be saying, “I told you so” - John 14:29 – Ezekiel 33:1-20, 33. 

That same day Charles Jaco of Channel 2 out of St. Louis said, “This governor says he is a Christian, but he is killing these prisoners here.  (Potosi death row prisoner) what would you say to that governor if he was sitting at this table right now?” I said, “he needs to repent of that and get into God’s word for himself and see what Jesus says as to the death penalty and what Jesus did about the death penalty.” – John 15:22-24. 

The lead in for the Channel 2 news that evening had Mr. Jaco standing in front of the prison with a razor wire backdrop as he said: “prisoner has advice for governor.” sounds a lot like Luke 12:8-12; 21:12-15 to me. 

I was asked, “what would you say to anyone who said you’re not being executed was just a fluke?” “God will at times show us it was him who did a thing by 2 or more witnesses, such as John 8:15-18 (2 Corinthians 13:1) or by the precise timing of a thing, such as in John 4:46-53. “MAN IN MURDER CASE SAYS GOD IS MY LAWYER” front paged the news- leader on February 12, 1999.  They discovered Pope John Paul II would be speaking in nearby St. Louis on January 27, 1999.  So, they changed their kill date on me to February 12, 1999.  Rembert February 12, 1989? Moreover February 12, 1999, had to fall on a Wednesday because Wednesday was the only day Missouri executed its prisoners at that time. Then I was taken off death row on January 27, 1999 – the very day I was to have been executed on. What are the long odds of all those days, times, dates and events lining up like that? That is DNA odds! And to cap it all off Jesus will free me indeed from prison, totally exonerated, on February 12, 2025, which is also on a Wednesday.  The word “Coincidence” is not in the Hebrew language. 

Here are some more radical things I am now saying, “Job 33:25 - Numbers 23:19.”  I am coming out of prison with a restored renewal and enhanced body and renewed youth for God’s worldwide glory for his Holy name’s sake (Ezekiel 36:22,23) and for my abundant life and full joy, which Jesus paid for, for me and all of us John 15:7 people in his own blood on the cross.  There is no abundant life and full joy in prison – John 10:10, 15:11 – Acts 26:29. 

 Job 33:22-24 is about Jesus and a death row prisoner. So is Job 3:22-24 for me and Jesus will do Job 33:25 for me at any time, now – Mark 9:23; 11:22-26.  Thank you, Jesus, SO MUCH!  Job 33:22 – Zechariah 9:9 (John 12:9-19), II (Psalms 79:8-11; 102:17-21; 107:10-22.  Job 33:23 - “the messenger of the covenant” Malachi 3:1. “He is also a mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” - -Hebrews 8:6-13; 9:14, 15; 12:22-25; Timothy 2:5.  Job 33:24 – Mark 10:45; 1 Timothy 2:6; Zechariah 9:11.  Job 33:25 – Psalms 92:12-15; 103:1-5; Isaiah 40:29-31.  “Do you believe I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” “According to your faith let it be to you.” 

All scripture is from the NKJV. You have my permission to use any of this letter in The New Life ZOA free paper 2.0. God bless you Brother Larry and your family and your new ministry more and more. You are much needed and appreciated, I appreciate you. 

Acts 26:29        

Darrell Mease