March 4, 2026
In His Final Words, Death Row Inmate Gives Gift to Widow of Officer He Killed.
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RSS Feed Last night, 53 year old Billy Leon Kearse apologized to his victim’s family moments before he died by lethal injection. Kearse was just 18-years-old when he shot 29 year old officer Danny Parrish more than a dozen times after a traffic stop. Parrish’s widow has waited 35 years for justice and was there at Kearse’s execution to hear his final words.
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00:00:10
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Wednesday, March fourth, and at six twenty four pm last night, a man was declared dead thirty five years after he was convicted of killing a police officer. And after thirty five years, the family of that officer heard something from him they had not heard in the past thirty five years. I'm sorry, and with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes. Words matter. This came late, This came at the last possible moment. But we don't see this often in the final words of death row inmates, and it seems to have had an impact.
00:00:51
Speaker 2: This one brought tears to my eyes to hear the suffering of a widow for more than three decades and to be fighting for justice in her husband's honor. To finally find peace through those words I'm sorry. It's remarkable and it's a lesson for everybody. I was so moved hearing this exchange and seeing the result of it. Yes, a lot of people have differing opinions on the death penalty and on executions, and this is beyond that, because this is about not only apologizing, but about forgiveness.
00:01:31
Speaker 1: You know, this is also about quite frankly, Rob it's just more death. I understand, what does justice look like for this family, for anybody else, I don't know. Well, Robes, it's it's tough to have a moment where there's celebration or a celebration of justice even or even seeing a penalty actually gone through with by the state of Florida. Here but Robes, you just sink once again to where and this and we'll get into her exact words. But this suggestion question that anybody is celebrating when we went through the ceremony, is what it feels like sometimes of formally executing somebody, this is never a night or a moment worth celebrating.
00:02:12
Speaker 3: It feels yeah. I had a thought, Yes, I agree with that certainly.
00:02:16
Speaker 2: And there were both sides, people who were probe death penalty saying it's about time Billy Leon Curse was executed. And then there's always the other side that is fighting for life, the right to live.
00:02:29
Speaker 3: And you know what we complain about.
00:02:31
Speaker 2: And I understand not as a victim of crime or as somebody who has lost someone to crime or to a criminal act.
00:02:39
Speaker 3: But maybe it.
00:02:40
Speaker 2: Took those thirty five years on death row in prison for him to come to the realization to be able to give.
00:02:48
Speaker 3: This widow some peace. Maybe he needed all of that time of reflection.
00:02:53
Speaker 2: My point being a lot of folks who advocate against the death penalty say, if you give the life in prison without possible building a parole, as that being the ultimate punishment, you do give the opportunity for people to come around to recognize the cruelty of their past actions and to give perhaps families peace through written word, through at least some way to.
00:03:16
Speaker 3: Say I'm sorry.
00:03:17
Speaker 2: It might take these folks that long, and it was a gift to give that to this family.
00:03:23
Speaker 1: At those moments are few and far between as we know. But if it worked out in this case, that is fine. But folks, this is Florida carrying out what is his third execution of the year. It's his third in three weeks actually, and we mentioned Florida of course, always relevant because of what happened last year. They set a new record for themselves, double their previous record. They had nineteen executions last year, leading the way in this country. But last night executing Billy Leon Curse. He got a three drug cocktail which was the lethal injection and declared dead at six twenty four pm again, the crime was back in nineteen ninety one, but roads was interesting. I thought this was great. The person he killed was a police officer, and here we are thirty five years later. Some of those officers who served with him showed up, along with family members, along with the ex wife. Yes, they excuse me, I say, ex wife, she's not what they were married at the time.
00:04:15
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, but no, they said.
00:04:17
Speaker 2: More than a dozen people filled that witness chamber to witness this execution, and it was filled with people who knew and loved the victim in this case, Danny Parrish. He was twenty nine years old at the time of his killing. And to see, yes, those fellow officers and family members of his gather around to witness this final act of justice.
00:04:42
Speaker 1: And justice we that look, we're not we'll tell you what happened, not going to get into what justice looks like. And again what we always say, ropes defer to the family members if they I always I would advocate for that that our legal system should ask the family do you want them to be executed? To not let them make the call. But in this particular case, the family stayed with this case and kept an eye on it all these years and still showed up. We'll tell you that yesterday and this struck me as well. And your heart is not my heart goes out and you robes. I will always feel bad about death. Right, This is not necessarily sympathy necessary for this man who created, who did this heinous crime, Billy Leon Curse Ropes on his final day, his final moment at the end of his life. It's a fifty five year old man. I think I have the age right, fifty five to fifty three.
00:05:34
Speaker 3: I think he's, yes, fifty three years old. I believe, yes, fifty.
00:05:37
Speaker 1: Three years old. His last day on earth, he got one visitor, Robes and it wasn't a family member even something about that, and this whole ceremony just feels just feels icky, the death family in this country.
00:05:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was eighteen years old at the time of this crime. Again not excusing what he did, but he was eighteen and he is right on the borderline for IQ.
00:05:59
Speaker 3: So that was part of the argument as he I believe.
00:06:02
Speaker 2: Seventeen appeals throughout the years trying to vacate this death penalty sentence. But there were arguments that yes he was eighteen, and yes he was mentally challenged. But he had his spiritual advisor come visit him on the day of his execution on yesterday, and yes, that was his only visitor.
00:06:25
Speaker 1: It's lonely, that's wrong, that's I mean, just life. We always talk about life and whose life life life. There was a life that was lost last night. There was a life that he took. Yes, all of that. It's actually all horrible. It's actually all horrible. I am not making any defense for this guy and what he went through in his background and some people. That's not the argument. It's just it's something very heavy about us going through this ceremony of executing somebody, and this man on his last day didn't have a family member, didn't didn't have anybody show up that cared about him, essentially outside of his spiritual advisor. But again, all these people that showed up and they did care about this officer, this officer who I mean, I can't remember right now the death toll from Operation Desert's dorm. But this officer was an Army sergeant who was months away from being deployed to a war zone. But he gets killed here mean that it's just this whole thing.
00:07:17
Speaker 2: I don't now and when you hear about the crime that he pulled over Kres who was driving, I believe the opposite way. So he pulls him over, a danger to himself and to anyone else who was on the road at that time. And when he didn't provide a driver's license, he said, you need to get out of the car, you know, put your hands.
00:07:35
Speaker 3: He is going to arrest him.
00:07:37
Speaker 2: And according to the police documents, apparently Kers claims that the handcuffs that he was using accidentally hit him in the eye and he.
00:07:47
Speaker 3: Turned around and said, what's going on man? And then when he did.
00:07:50
Speaker 2: That, he said he saw Officer Paris reach for his gun, and so he grabbed the gun and just started shooting more than a dozen times. I believe he shot him thirty ten times. And Danny Parrish was wearing a bulletproof vest, but he still managed. I read this chilling account, and this was from Kars saying that Danny Perrish begged for his life at the end. Please don't do it, man, please don't do it. And he did it anyway, and that was curious. Admitting that that is how it went down. That is chilling, that is heinous, that is horrific.
00:08:25
Speaker 1: And this is not a crime. But this is not a case where anyone's making an argument about guilt or innocence. This is not that We have seen some of those cases in the past, and even some sentences changed. We've seen people in historically in this country who've actually been taken off death row when new evidence came. This is not that case. So people who are arguing on his behalf, where essentially we're arguing against just the death penalty in general, not necessarily arguing for his innocence. Now, we always mention this robes that usually start right at six o'clock. Doctor comes in, shade goes back, audience sitting there watching audience seems like a weird thing to say, but yes, there are people there gathered to watch this. They come in, they give them the cocktail. It does take about twenty five minutes, so six twenty four is when he was declared dead. This robes, unlike some we've seen, he didn't seem to react that much after being given the drugs. From what we see, sometimes we see some adverse reactions, if you will, This one didn't seem like much happened after he was given the dosage.
00:09:24
Speaker 2: Yes, the reports from the journalists who were in the room just said he twitched a couple of times, which is fairly standard, and that he then just went to sleep. And so as in terms of executions, this was about as peaceful as they get.
00:09:39
Speaker 1: So, yes, that went to plan. It's always ropes fascinating. Two things with death row inmates. We ask about the final meal, and we ask about the final words and the final as you mentioned here, final meal. There's nothing to report there. They actually say he refused, declined to have a final meal. There was somewhere in the past two or three we did cover someone else did that stomach was just we said, how can you eat?
00:10:05
Speaker 2: Honestly, I'm fairly certain I think we all, maybe anecdotally talk about, oh what would your final meal be be? I've thought about it and thought to myself, I don't think I could eat because when I'm stressed, or I'm upset, or I'm nervous or any of the above.
00:10:18
Speaker 3: I cannot eat.
00:10:19
Speaker 2: So I can't imagine having a big old last meal, thinking whoo, this is it?
00:10:24
Speaker 3: So that actually makes perfect sense.
00:10:26
Speaker 1: And we know some do. We've seen some incredible meals before. But he refused a last meal. But then the last words Robes, several of them. There's some risks refuse, some say no, some say I'm on my way as quick. He had a.
00:10:41
Speaker 2: Message, he certainly did, and it packed a punch in terms of the impact it had on the family. We'll get into that because that is perhaps the beautiful part of this story. But here's his final words were this to his family, I sincerely apologize for what I've done. There is no way I can repay that. With this death, it will never repay that. And in turn, I pray my father give me strength to ask their forgiveness so I can go on my journey. All I can do is ask for their forgiveness, to give you peace and resolve.
00:11:16
Speaker 3: Thank you.
00:11:17
Speaker 1: Look reading on paper that comes off a certain way. We weren't in there. Don't know how it came across in Robes. If he could, why now don't know. Because he had plenty of opportunities rose because after he was convicted, after he was sentenced to death, that was appealed and he won and had a resentencing hearing, he had opportunities to pour his heart out in this way that maybe could have saved him from the death penalty. There were other times to possibly do this, possibly do it now you think, oh, be dismissive and whatever. He's just saying it. Why say it now? That was really actually, at this point, Robes no incentive other than his own piece, in the family's piece. This wasn't going to get him out.
00:11:58
Speaker 2: Of anything exactly, and that made it all the more sincere because especially when you think about what had happened over those three decades behind bars.
00:12:07
Speaker 3: Because at that sentencing hearing you were talking about.
00:12:10
Speaker 2: Mirtha Busband, who is the widow of Danny Parrish, said when the judge offered him a moment to speak before he sentenced him, he turned around.
00:12:19
Speaker 3: According to Mirtha Busband.
00:12:21
Speaker 2: Smiled at her and winked, and she said that was the moment where she said, I will fight every day to make sure that his sentence is carried through and I will be there at his execution so to have the final words be what they were, what an absolute one point eighty from where he was sentencing to where he was last night before his death.
00:12:42
Speaker 1: And everybody listening right now, I'm trying to pusse it together. Where were you in nineteen ninety one and what were you doing? Folks? Think about that really, as we're talking here, think about where you were in nineteen ninety one. Who was president of the United States? This Clinton was running at that time. Right, he was elected in ninety two. Right, I was in junior high school or something that I have to.
00:13:03
Speaker 3: Say that I graduated from high school. That was my year of graduation, nineteen ninety one.
00:13:08
Speaker 1: But we've lived a whole lifetime. And folks, from the time Robes you were in high school, the time I was in junior high school to today, a family has been fighting for justice for this moment that is, that's the family is being let down and by more than just this criminal. That you should not have to wait thirty five years to understand the legal process and what has to happen. Bah blah blah. I want to get righted. But man, that is a lot for a family to go through. But folks, we're talking about his final words here, and you might roll your eyes. Okay, he's saying it now, but don't take it from us, Take it from the widow of curse's victim, the officer his shot. Yes, his wife was in the room. We'll tell you what she had to say and how she reacted. To the fun words from this killer. We continue on this Wednesday, March firtha for March fourth, not first March fourth. Waking up here the morning after last night, Florida executed its third inmate of the year, third and three weeks. Curse is the name Javon Billy Leon Curse. Why so many of these guys have three names? Billy Leon Curse. We talk about it. Well, we'll get into that at some point, but it's just an odd thing. The death row in maates off and that three names, Billy Ray.
00:14:40
Speaker 2: This to the point where if I hear someone introduce themselves with three names, I think, are you a serial killer?
00:14:46
Speaker 3: Because that is what ends up happening.
00:14:47
Speaker 1: Why is that John Wayne Gacy?
00:14:49
Speaker 2: Why do we have I believe they do it to make sure that no one else who might have that first and last name are associated with a killer, a convicted killer. So I do I I do believe that they deliberately put up the three names to specify who that person is in case someone else might have their.
00:15:08
Speaker 3: Name as well.
00:15:09
Speaker 1: And I thought it was a timing thing that so many of the guys who are on death row, it takes them thirty forty years that they are from a generation where guys did have three names. They're older guys. Theres anybody naming their kid that stuff these days? You know anybody under twenty with three names?
00:15:24
Speaker 2: Right?
00:15:25
Speaker 3: No, I don't know most people's middle names. In fact, you don't even have one.
00:15:28
Speaker 1: I don't have that one.
00:15:28
Speaker 2: That's how I knew you would never be okay, Yeah.
00:15:32
Speaker 1: But it was just that's just an odd thing, right, Billy Leon Curse is the name. Last night, we talked about his final words, and you read them and it sounds maybe come off as sincere to some well deserved or maybe even sounds like the authentic in terms of him coming around. Others will hear others will hear it roll their eyes. This is a cop killer, a cop killer who got what he deserved last night. So we're on the outside and we can have our debate about his final words. But ropes. I'll listen to his widow. I will listen to the widow of the officer.
00:16:08
Speaker 3: Kip Mirtha Buzman is her name.
00:16:11
Speaker 2: And they were, you know, like childhood sweethearts, had this beautiful relationship. We're ten years into their marriage, about to try to have a baby before he went off to war, and she gave a press conference last night, or she spoke in front of reporters after the execution.
00:16:29
Speaker 3: It was an emotional press conference. I actually got choked.
00:16:31
Speaker 2: Up listening to her, and I got choked up, not necessarily because of the tragedy, which of course is horrific, but to hear her peace, and it was palpable. She said, we didn't win anything tonight. We basically lost another life. But she went on to say, I do find peace and that mister Kirs did apologize this evening prior to his departure, and that.
00:16:59
Speaker 3: Made me feel at peace that I can forgive him and move on.
00:17:04
Speaker 2: And that makes me emotional because in all the articles leading up to last night, you could hear her anger jumping off of the screen as I was reading all of her comments over the years, her frustrations, her fight to see this day where he was actually executed for murdering her husband, and the fight daily. She's a victim's advocate at the same sheriff's department where her husband worked. This has been such a part of her life, so to see her find peace through his words was remarkable.
00:17:41
Speaker 1: You know, we gave her a gift at the end that he will never know that she appreciated. And this is I can't remember the particular case at the end of last year, but this is one of those things where there was another young man out there right now who he's not a young man, grown man, who's he was a child when his mother was killed. I think it was at the convenience store. We're not gonna remember the whole case, but Robes, he was fighting to keep that man from being executed. He was fighting to keep him alive. He was fighting to go meet with him because Robes he didn't have answers. He had started up a conversation via letters, you know, they had gone back and forth, but he never got to meet him. He never got to get answers from him and a conversation from him. He is missing a piece that he begged for, he begged the state for that this woman seems to have gotten. And it tells the juxtapos those there's a guy who will forever have this hole in his heart of these questions that he wanted from that person. And now this woman has something at the Endbes that's a gift.
00:18:47
Speaker 2: And look, I'm not advocating one way or another here in this but it might have taken mister Kears those thirty five years to be able to give her that.
00:19:00
Speaker 1: That Okay, it came when it came, is I think it came in the exact moment. Could he have done that a week ago, a day ago, a month ago, a year ago. Did it not come to him into this exact final moment? Who knows? Who knows? Maybe that's what it took. But yeah, there's always something And again I'm just I'm kind of dragging on this. Just it's just heavy robes when we go through this exercise of executions. But yes, maybe something beautiful came out of this one. There will be more executions, of course, and roges. It's boringt to know we started the year with what seventeen eighteen planned executions. That list will get Oh yes, and because Desanta's you put any death warton in front of him, he'll sign it.
00:19:44
Speaker 2: You know, he's trying to chip away. I know that sounds awful to put it that way.
00:19:48
Speaker 3: At the I.
00:19:48
Speaker 2: Believe more than two hundred and fifty inmates on death row, and these recent executions that we've seen coming out of Florida, we're talking thirty forty years in the making, so it's understandable that he is trying to get and I use this word justice because that is what the families use, that is what our government used for these families. But he's already signed two more executions to happen later this month, and I saw somewhere this puts it into perspective. We talked about how there were nineteen executions last year, with if you actually just keep accumulating them, Florida is on track for twenty five executions in just thirteen months.
00:20:23
Speaker 3: That's where we are. That is fairly significant.
00:20:26
Speaker 2: And this, by the way, was the fifth execution for the year for this country already, and more.
00:20:32
Speaker 1: To come next week. I believe two next week scheduled, one in Texas, one in Alabama, and then after that Florida has got two more on the books for this month alone. Folks will keep an eye on these. Every single one is different robes, every single one of these cases. Some cases where there's evidence that needs to be reconsidered, there's mental capacity of some of them need to be considered, and then you have some like this where there is no question of the crime, there's no question of guilt or innocence and we just go through the exercise, but something positive came out of it. Who knows if he was on in jail the rest of his life, would that have ever come. I don't know.
00:21:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, we won't ever know.
00:21:13
Speaker 2: But I do find that there are lessons in all of these executions, either in the stories that preceded them, the families that have had to live with the grief. I always find something to take away from these stories about life and about what matters and what's important and without everyone, thank you for listening to us.
00:21:32
Speaker 3: We always appreciate you. I'm Amy Roeback alongside TJ. Holmes.
00:21:36
Speaker 2: We will have Morning Run coming up in just a few so look for that as well as many more updates throughout the day. Thank you for all always for listening to us.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Wednesday, March fourth, and at six twenty four pm last night, a man was declared dead thirty five years after he was convicted of killing a police officer. And after thirty five years, the family of that officer heard something from him they had not heard in the past thirty five years. I'm sorry, and with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Robes. Words matter. This came late, This came at the last possible moment. But we don't see this often in the final words of death row inmates, and it seems to have had an impact.
00:00:51
Speaker 2: This one brought tears to my eyes to hear the suffering of a widow for more than three decades and to be fighting for justice in her husband's honor. To finally find peace through those words I'm sorry. It's remarkable and it's a lesson for everybody. I was so moved hearing this exchange and seeing the result of it. Yes, a lot of people have differing opinions on the death penalty and on executions, and this is beyond that, because this is about not only apologizing, but about forgiveness.
00:01:31
Speaker 1: You know, this is also about quite frankly, Rob it's just more death. I understand, what does justice look like for this family, for anybody else, I don't know. Well, Robes, it's it's tough to have a moment where there's celebration or a celebration of justice even or even seeing a penalty actually gone through with by the state of Florida. Here but Robes, you just sink once again to where and this and we'll get into her exact words. But this suggestion question that anybody is celebrating when we went through the ceremony, is what it feels like sometimes of formally executing somebody, this is never a night or a moment worth celebrating.
00:02:12
Speaker 3: It feels yeah. I had a thought, Yes, I agree with that certainly.
00:02:16
Speaker 2: And there were both sides, people who were probe death penalty saying it's about time Billy Leon Curse was executed. And then there's always the other side that is fighting for life, the right to live.
00:02:29
Speaker 3: And you know what we complain about.
00:02:31
Speaker 2: And I understand not as a victim of crime or as somebody who has lost someone to crime or to a criminal act.
00:02:39
Speaker 3: But maybe it.
00:02:40
Speaker 2: Took those thirty five years on death row in prison for him to come to the realization to be able to give.
00:02:48
Speaker 3: This widow some peace. Maybe he needed all of that time of reflection.
00:02:53
Speaker 2: My point being a lot of folks who advocate against the death penalty say, if you give the life in prison without possible building a parole, as that being the ultimate punishment, you do give the opportunity for people to come around to recognize the cruelty of their past actions and to give perhaps families peace through written word, through at least some way to.
00:03:16
Speaker 3: Say I'm sorry.
00:03:17
Speaker 2: It might take these folks that long, and it was a gift to give that to this family.
00:03:23
Speaker 1: At those moments are few and far between as we know. But if it worked out in this case, that is fine. But folks, this is Florida carrying out what is his third execution of the year. It's his third in three weeks actually, and we mentioned Florida of course, always relevant because of what happened last year. They set a new record for themselves, double their previous record. They had nineteen executions last year, leading the way in this country. But last night executing Billy Leon Curse. He got a three drug cocktail which was the lethal injection and declared dead at six twenty four pm again, the crime was back in nineteen ninety one, but roads was interesting. I thought this was great. The person he killed was a police officer, and here we are thirty five years later. Some of those officers who served with him showed up, along with family members, along with the ex wife. Yes, they excuse me, I say, ex wife, she's not what they were married at the time.
00:04:15
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, but no, they said.
00:04:17
Speaker 2: More than a dozen people filled that witness chamber to witness this execution, and it was filled with people who knew and loved the victim in this case, Danny Parrish. He was twenty nine years old at the time of his killing. And to see, yes, those fellow officers and family members of his gather around to witness this final act of justice.
00:04:42
Speaker 1: And justice we that look, we're not we'll tell you what happened, not going to get into what justice looks like. And again what we always say, ropes defer to the family members if they I always I would advocate for that that our legal system should ask the family do you want them to be executed? To not let them make the call. But in this particular case, the family stayed with this case and kept an eye on it all these years and still showed up. We'll tell you that yesterday and this struck me as well. And your heart is not my heart goes out and you robes. I will always feel bad about death. Right, This is not necessarily sympathy necessary for this man who created, who did this heinous crime, Billy Leon Curse Ropes on his final day, his final moment at the end of his life. It's a fifty five year old man. I think I have the age right, fifty five to fifty three.
00:05:34
Speaker 3: I think he's, yes, fifty three years old. I believe, yes, fifty.
00:05:37
Speaker 1: Three years old. His last day on earth, he got one visitor, Robes and it wasn't a family member even something about that, and this whole ceremony just feels just feels icky, the death family in this country.
00:05:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was eighteen years old at the time of this crime. Again not excusing what he did, but he was eighteen and he is right on the borderline for IQ.
00:05:59
Speaker 3: So that was part of the argument as he I believe.
00:06:02
Speaker 2: Seventeen appeals throughout the years trying to vacate this death penalty sentence. But there were arguments that yes he was eighteen, and yes he was mentally challenged. But he had his spiritual advisor come visit him on the day of his execution on yesterday, and yes, that was his only visitor.
00:06:25
Speaker 1: It's lonely, that's wrong, that's I mean, just life. We always talk about life and whose life life life. There was a life that was lost last night. There was a life that he took. Yes, all of that. It's actually all horrible. It's actually all horrible. I am not making any defense for this guy and what he went through in his background and some people. That's not the argument. It's just it's something very heavy about us going through this ceremony of executing somebody, and this man on his last day didn't have a family member, didn't didn't have anybody show up that cared about him, essentially outside of his spiritual advisor. But again, all these people that showed up and they did care about this officer, this officer who I mean, I can't remember right now the death toll from Operation Desert's dorm. But this officer was an Army sergeant who was months away from being deployed to a war zone. But he gets killed here mean that it's just this whole thing.
00:07:17
Speaker 2: I don't now and when you hear about the crime that he pulled over Kres who was driving, I believe the opposite way. So he pulls him over, a danger to himself and to anyone else who was on the road at that time. And when he didn't provide a driver's license, he said, you need to get out of the car, you know, put your hands.
00:07:35
Speaker 3: He is going to arrest him.
00:07:37
Speaker 2: And according to the police documents, apparently Kers claims that the handcuffs that he was using accidentally hit him in the eye and he.
00:07:47
Speaker 3: Turned around and said, what's going on man? And then when he did.
00:07:50
Speaker 2: That, he said he saw Officer Paris reach for his gun, and so he grabbed the gun and just started shooting more than a dozen times. I believe he shot him thirty ten times. And Danny Parrish was wearing a bulletproof vest, but he still managed. I read this chilling account, and this was from Kars saying that Danny Perrish begged for his life at the end. Please don't do it, man, please don't do it. And he did it anyway, and that was curious. Admitting that that is how it went down. That is chilling, that is heinous, that is horrific.
00:08:25
Speaker 1: And this is not a crime. But this is not a case where anyone's making an argument about guilt or innocence. This is not that We have seen some of those cases in the past, and even some sentences changed. We've seen people in historically in this country who've actually been taken off death row when new evidence came. This is not that case. So people who are arguing on his behalf, where essentially we're arguing against just the death penalty in general, not necessarily arguing for his innocence. Now, we always mention this robes that usually start right at six o'clock. Doctor comes in, shade goes back, audience sitting there watching audience seems like a weird thing to say, but yes, there are people there gathered to watch this. They come in, they give them the cocktail. It does take about twenty five minutes, so six twenty four is when he was declared dead. This robes, unlike some we've seen, he didn't seem to react that much after being given the drugs. From what we see, sometimes we see some adverse reactions, if you will, This one didn't seem like much happened after he was given the dosage.
00:09:24
Speaker 2: Yes, the reports from the journalists who were in the room just said he twitched a couple of times, which is fairly standard, and that he then just went to sleep. And so as in terms of executions, this was about as peaceful as they get.
00:09:39
Speaker 1: So, yes, that went to plan. It's always ropes fascinating. Two things with death row inmates. We ask about the final meal, and we ask about the final words and the final as you mentioned here, final meal. There's nothing to report there. They actually say he refused, declined to have a final meal. There was somewhere in the past two or three we did cover someone else did that stomach was just we said, how can you eat?
00:10:05
Speaker 2: Honestly, I'm fairly certain I think we all, maybe anecdotally talk about, oh what would your final meal be be? I've thought about it and thought to myself, I don't think I could eat because when I'm stressed, or I'm upset, or I'm nervous or any of the above.
00:10:18
Speaker 3: I cannot eat.
00:10:19
Speaker 2: So I can't imagine having a big old last meal, thinking whoo, this is it?
00:10:24
Speaker 3: So that actually makes perfect sense.
00:10:26
Speaker 1: And we know some do. We've seen some incredible meals before. But he refused a last meal. But then the last words Robes, several of them. There's some risks refuse, some say no, some say I'm on my way as quick. He had a.
00:10:41
Speaker 2: Message, he certainly did, and it packed a punch in terms of the impact it had on the family. We'll get into that because that is perhaps the beautiful part of this story. But here's his final words were this to his family, I sincerely apologize for what I've done. There is no way I can repay that. With this death, it will never repay that. And in turn, I pray my father give me strength to ask their forgiveness so I can go on my journey. All I can do is ask for their forgiveness, to give you peace and resolve.
00:11:16
Speaker 3: Thank you.
00:11:17
Speaker 1: Look reading on paper that comes off a certain way. We weren't in there. Don't know how it came across in Robes. If he could, why now don't know. Because he had plenty of opportunities rose because after he was convicted, after he was sentenced to death, that was appealed and he won and had a resentencing hearing, he had opportunities to pour his heart out in this way that maybe could have saved him from the death penalty. There were other times to possibly do this, possibly do it now you think, oh, be dismissive and whatever. He's just saying it. Why say it now? That was really actually, at this point, Robes no incentive other than his own piece, in the family's piece. This wasn't going to get him out.
00:11:58
Speaker 2: Of anything exactly, and that made it all the more sincere because especially when you think about what had happened over those three decades behind bars.
00:12:07
Speaker 3: Because at that sentencing hearing you were talking about.
00:12:10
Speaker 2: Mirtha Busband, who is the widow of Danny Parrish, said when the judge offered him a moment to speak before he sentenced him, he turned around.
00:12:19
Speaker 3: According to Mirtha Busband.
00:12:21
Speaker 2: Smiled at her and winked, and she said that was the moment where she said, I will fight every day to make sure that his sentence is carried through and I will be there at his execution so to have the final words be what they were, what an absolute one point eighty from where he was sentencing to where he was last night before his death.
00:12:42
Speaker 1: And everybody listening right now, I'm trying to pusse it together. Where were you in nineteen ninety one and what were you doing? Folks? Think about that really, as we're talking here, think about where you were in nineteen ninety one. Who was president of the United States? This Clinton was running at that time. Right, he was elected in ninety two. Right, I was in junior high school or something that I have to.
00:13:03
Speaker 3: Say that I graduated from high school. That was my year of graduation, nineteen ninety one.
00:13:08
Speaker 1: But we've lived a whole lifetime. And folks, from the time Robes you were in high school, the time I was in junior high school to today, a family has been fighting for justice for this moment that is, that's the family is being let down and by more than just this criminal. That you should not have to wait thirty five years to understand the legal process and what has to happen. Bah blah blah. I want to get righted. But man, that is a lot for a family to go through. But folks, we're talking about his final words here, and you might roll your eyes. Okay, he's saying it now, but don't take it from us, Take it from the widow of curse's victim, the officer his shot. Yes, his wife was in the room. We'll tell you what she had to say and how she reacted. To the fun words from this killer. We continue on this Wednesday, March firtha for March fourth, not first March fourth. Waking up here the morning after last night, Florida executed its third inmate of the year, third and three weeks. Curse is the name Javon Billy Leon Curse. Why so many of these guys have three names? Billy Leon Curse. We talk about it. Well, we'll get into that at some point, but it's just an odd thing. The death row in maates off and that three names, Billy Ray.
00:14:40
Speaker 2: This to the point where if I hear someone introduce themselves with three names, I think, are you a serial killer?
00:14:46
Speaker 3: Because that is what ends up happening.
00:14:47
Speaker 1: Why is that John Wayne Gacy?
00:14:49
Speaker 2: Why do we have I believe they do it to make sure that no one else who might have that first and last name are associated with a killer, a convicted killer. So I do I I do believe that they deliberately put up the three names to specify who that person is in case someone else might have their.
00:15:08
Speaker 3: Name as well.
00:15:09
Speaker 1: And I thought it was a timing thing that so many of the guys who are on death row, it takes them thirty forty years that they are from a generation where guys did have three names. They're older guys. Theres anybody naming their kid that stuff these days? You know anybody under twenty with three names?
00:15:24
Speaker 2: Right?
00:15:25
Speaker 3: No, I don't know most people's middle names. In fact, you don't even have one.
00:15:28
Speaker 1: I don't have that one.
00:15:28
Speaker 2: That's how I knew you would never be okay, Yeah.
00:15:32
Speaker 1: But it was just that's just an odd thing, right, Billy Leon Curse is the name. Last night, we talked about his final words, and you read them and it sounds maybe come off as sincere to some well deserved or maybe even sounds like the authentic in terms of him coming around. Others will hear others will hear it roll their eyes. This is a cop killer, a cop killer who got what he deserved last night. So we're on the outside and we can have our debate about his final words. But ropes. I'll listen to his widow. I will listen to the widow of the officer.
00:16:08
Speaker 3: Kip Mirtha Buzman is her name.
00:16:11
Speaker 2: And they were, you know, like childhood sweethearts, had this beautiful relationship. We're ten years into their marriage, about to try to have a baby before he went off to war, and she gave a press conference last night, or she spoke in front of reporters after the execution.
00:16:29
Speaker 3: It was an emotional press conference. I actually got choked.
00:16:31
Speaker 2: Up listening to her, and I got choked up, not necessarily because of the tragedy, which of course is horrific, but to hear her peace, and it was palpable. She said, we didn't win anything tonight. We basically lost another life. But she went on to say, I do find peace and that mister Kirs did apologize this evening prior to his departure, and that.
00:16:59
Speaker 3: Made me feel at peace that I can forgive him and move on.
00:17:04
Speaker 2: And that makes me emotional because in all the articles leading up to last night, you could hear her anger jumping off of the screen as I was reading all of her comments over the years, her frustrations, her fight to see this day where he was actually executed for murdering her husband, and the fight daily. She's a victim's advocate at the same sheriff's department where her husband worked. This has been such a part of her life, so to see her find peace through his words was remarkable.
00:17:41
Speaker 1: You know, we gave her a gift at the end that he will never know that she appreciated. And this is I can't remember the particular case at the end of last year, but this is one of those things where there was another young man out there right now who he's not a young man, grown man, who's he was a child when his mother was killed. I think it was at the convenience store. We're not gonna remember the whole case, but Robes, he was fighting to keep that man from being executed. He was fighting to keep him alive. He was fighting to go meet with him because Robes he didn't have answers. He had started up a conversation via letters, you know, they had gone back and forth, but he never got to meet him. He never got to get answers from him and a conversation from him. He is missing a piece that he begged for, he begged the state for that this woman seems to have gotten. And it tells the juxtapos those there's a guy who will forever have this hole in his heart of these questions that he wanted from that person. And now this woman has something at the Endbes that's a gift.
00:18:47
Speaker 2: And look, I'm not advocating one way or another here in this but it might have taken mister Kears those thirty five years to be able to give her that.
00:19:00
Speaker 1: That Okay, it came when it came, is I think it came in the exact moment. Could he have done that a week ago, a day ago, a month ago, a year ago. Did it not come to him into this exact final moment? Who knows? Who knows? Maybe that's what it took. But yeah, there's always something And again I'm just I'm kind of dragging on this. Just it's just heavy robes when we go through this exercise of executions. But yes, maybe something beautiful came out of this one. There will be more executions, of course, and roges. It's boringt to know we started the year with what seventeen eighteen planned executions. That list will get Oh yes, and because Desanta's you put any death warton in front of him, he'll sign it.
00:19:44
Speaker 2: You know, he's trying to chip away. I know that sounds awful to put it that way.
00:19:48
Speaker 3: At the I.
00:19:48
Speaker 2: Believe more than two hundred and fifty inmates on death row, and these recent executions that we've seen coming out of Florida, we're talking thirty forty years in the making, so it's understandable that he is trying to get and I use this word justice because that is what the families use, that is what our government used for these families. But he's already signed two more executions to happen later this month, and I saw somewhere this puts it into perspective. We talked about how there were nineteen executions last year, with if you actually just keep accumulating them, Florida is on track for twenty five executions in just thirteen months.
00:20:23
Speaker 3: That's where we are. That is fairly significant.
00:20:26
Speaker 2: And this, by the way, was the fifth execution for the year for this country already, and more.
00:20:32
Speaker 1: To come next week. I believe two next week scheduled, one in Texas, one in Alabama, and then after that Florida has got two more on the books for this month alone. Folks will keep an eye on these. Every single one is different robes, every single one of these cases. Some cases where there's evidence that needs to be reconsidered, there's mental capacity of some of them need to be considered, and then you have some like this where there is no question of the crime, there's no question of guilt or innocence and we just go through the exercise, but something positive came out of it. Who knows if he was on in jail the rest of his life, would that have ever come. I don't know.
00:21:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, we won't ever know.
00:21:13
Speaker 2: But I do find that there are lessons in all of these executions, either in the stories that preceded them, the families that have had to live with the grief. I always find something to take away from these stories about life and about what matters and what's important and without everyone, thank you for listening to us.
00:21:32
Speaker 3: We always appreciate you. I'm Amy Roeback alongside TJ. Holmes.
00:21:36
Speaker 2: We will have Morning Run coming up in just a few so look for that as well as many more updates throughout the day. Thank you for all always for listening to us.