At the beginning of 2026, the world is witnessing a dramatic acceleration of the machinery of death in the United States. Three lives, three different stories, one tragic fate looming on death rows in Texas and Florida between March and April.

Despite growing global awareness and the increasing number of states choosing abolition, the persistence of capital punishment forces us to confront profound questions about the nature of justice. Can a state promote nonviolence while practicing the ultimate form of violence?

The data make one truth undeniable human justice is fallible: in the United States, for every eight executions, one innocent person has been discovered on death row. Yet beyond the statistics stand human beings. Today we ask you to raise your voice with ours for three men awaiting their final hour.

1. Cedric Allen Ricks: the Power of Forgiveness (Texas, March 11)

Cedric Allen Ricks, 51, has spent 12 years on death row in Texas. After confessing to the crime committed in 2013, Cedric began a profound journey of spiritual transformation, documented in the book These Dry Bones, Redemption from Death Row.

“I must forgive, because only then can God forgive me… I am not good at saying goodbye, Barbara. Be strong and stay safe, my faraway Italian friend.”

Just days before his execution, we ask that his sentence be commuted to life imprisonment. His story is the focus of an international mobilization campaign together with the Community of Sant’Egidio.

2. James Aren Duckett: 38 Years of Doubt (Florida, March 31)

The story of James Aren Duckett is that of a life held in limbo. A former police officer, Jim has proclaimed his innocence since June 30, 1988. Thirty-eight years have passed since he entered Florida State Prison, fighting against the inconsistencies of an imperfect justice system.

His friendship with Laura Bellotti (author of the book The Second Letter) has broken through the wall of solitude. Jim stands for all who, even after decades in isolation, have never lost faith in the truth.

“On June 30, 1988, the judge pronounced my death sentence… I have been here ever since, despite my attempts to prove my innocence. I will never stop fighting. Never!”

3. James Garfield Broadnax:When Justice Is Blind (Texas, April 30)

The case of James Broadnax, 38, highlights the discrimination that often taints capital trials. Sentenced to death for a crime committed at age 19, James endured a childhood marked by abuse and suffers from severe mental disorders. Concerns have been raised about whether the fundamental standards of fairness required in a death penalty case were upheld, including

• Jury: Composed of 11 white jurors and only one Black juror, raising concerns about the impartiality of the verdict.
• Confession: Obtained while he was under the influence of psychotropic substances and in the midst of a psychiatric crisis.
• DNA: Scientific tests exclude him from the murder weapon and from direct contact with the victim.

His wife, Tiana, pleads with us: “I ask you to fight for him and for his life. I only hope that James comes home and that I will not have to mourn him before his time.”

What You Can Do Today

The Community of Sant’Egidio asks each of us not to look the other way. Every signature, every shared post is an act of resistance against the violence of capital punishment.

• Sign the appeals asking for clemency for Cedric, Jim, and James.
• Share these stories to raise public awareness.
• Join us in our prayer for life.

We ask for clemency. We stand for life.