Interview with Chris, Who Supports a Death Row Inmate

Michael Perry Innocent on Death Row

Chris is a young women from Germany who met Michael Perry, a Texas death row inmate through a pen pal ad. Since then they have corresponded and become good friends. Chris is both friend and supporter to Michael, and speaks about his case.

Chris, could you give us a bio of yourself?

My name is Chris Schmitz and I am 30 years old. I'm a teacher at a vocational college in Germany, where I teach English and German to students aged 16 to 25. 

My main interest is to teach my students not only the relatively dry subject matter of the curriculum, but also tolerance and empathy, so that they will be able to take responsibility for their own actions as well as develop an awareness for the problems and concerns of others.

I understand you're a friend and supporter to Michael Perry, who is on death row. How and when did you meet him?

Yes, I am a friend and supporter of Michael Perry's. I saw his pen pal request on a German anti-death penalty website in September 2005 and decided to write him, as I felt deeply moved by his words. I was shocked to read that a young man of 19 was sentenced to death for a crime he didn't even commit. I couldn't possibly imagine what it must feel like to Michael to know he was wrongfully convicted and most likely to pay for this with his life. So I basically got in touch with him in order to brighten up his days a little in that dark place the TDCJ keeps him locked up in. What started out as an ordinary pen pal relationship turned into a true and deep friendship over the months of our correspondence.

Please tell us a little about Michael.

Michael recently turned 25, this means he has spent the past 6 years of his life locked up in jail. Before he ended up on death row, his life was -- as he himself puts it -- "one hell of a rollercoaster", meaning that his life was not exactly that of an average teenager.