Pervis was our first child. And if you have children, you know that the first one is life-changing. You immediately become protective over them because you want the best for them.
But there was nothing I could have done to protect him from the wrongful conviction that has derailed his life — and our family’s — for the last 33 years.
When Pervis was born, he was so small — he was born premature. But we had such great plans for him because he was the oldest and, for a while, we thought he might be our only child. He was always such a sweet, loving son and shared a close bond with his sisters.
With me being a pastor, all of our children grew up in the church, going with us every Sunday. Pervis tried really hard at school, but he struggled and was unable to finish high school because of his intellectual disability.
Then, in 1987, Pervis was arrested and convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, and now he’s set to be executed by the State of Tennessee on Dec. 3.
Today, I’m asking you to help me save my son’s life by watching and sharing this video about his case. We have to spread the word and put pressure on Tennessee’s leaders to do the right thing.
I know my son didn’t do this — he had no prior run-ins with the law and no reason to commit the crime. I will continue to fight every day to help prove his innocence, and I’m so blessed to have people like you by my side.
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. www.innocenceproject.org
