Looking forward – July 25, 2017.
« If you talk about it, it’s a dream, if you envision it, it’s possible but if you schedule it, it’s real. » — Anthony Robbins.
[Charles Don Flores is an innocent man of Mexican-American descent on Texas death row for a murder that Rick Childs, a white man, confessed and pled guilty to and received 35 years for. After serving 17 yrs, Childs was released on parole and is a free man today.]
In 1999, I was convicted and sentenced to die for a crime another individual confessed and pled guilty to. After being sentenced, I was taken to Texas death row to be held until my sentence could be carried out and I’ve spent the next 18 yrs living in a 9×12 foot cell for a crime I did not commit. I think of that initial period in my life nearly 20 yrs ago and of the men I met who counseled me to pick up the pieces of my life and make the most of it. It was at that point that the dream began to form in my mind and I started to talk about it. I didn’t know how I would accomplish it – but from that point forward I was determined to reach my dream.
It amazes me how in spite of the fact that I had just been railroaded all the way to the death house God did not abandon me. No, not by a long shot and instead I began to meet amazing people who would become the best friends I’ve ever had in my life. The first of these was Christophe Naud, who lived in Thonon-les-Bains. In the early 2000’s I had a handful of friends and Christophe came into my life and with him all my friends with ACAT. Through Christophe I met Blanche, Julienne, Anne-Marie, Agnes, Sergine and André – the list goes on forever and these amazing friends and members of ACAT began to talk about my hopes and dreams with me and together we began to envision it.
We began to envision the dream together even thinking we had turned the corner with my situation and with the new U.S. Supreme Court rulings of Martinez and Trevino we could see the dream begin to come true. Then, in 2014, the worst possible thing happened, the federal appeal court denied my federal appeal which triggered a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denial. Then, the big one – the U.S. Supreme Court denied my appeal. Shortly thereafter I was given an execution date for June 2nd 2016.
Thus began the most intense, harrowing and stressful period of my life that I’ve ever experienced. It was during this point of this saga that all my friends in France and across the world gathered around me and continually rained their love, strength and compassion down upon me. To the point that when the enemy might have thought I’d be at my weakest, I was my strongest – with the power of 100 bears within me! For the next 5 months, I did not know if I would live or die – but on an intuitive level I knew! I knew I had countless friends and supporters helping me, standing with me and most importantly we had God with us. I think back to that time in my life and how when I would feel overwhelmed and unable to continue I would think of all those who stood with me and it was from that well of love and compassion that I’d draw the strength to keep going. To be clear, the 5 months I was on death watch and saw 6 of my brothers be taken away and be murdered in the name of justice, where my father passed away 14 days before my scheduled execution was extremely traumatic for me. Coming within 6 days of my own revenge-murder left me with post-traumatic stress disorder of which I’m just now overcoming. I think about what kept me from breaking, what gave me the strength to continue the fight for my life and it was you never let me down or forget that I was not alone. That all my friends and supporters who were dreaming with me and who still envisioned me one day walking out of this death camp had not left me.
Any you know what? God was listening too and what happened next was nothing short of a miracle – I went from being less than a week away from my execution to winning a once in a lifetime opportunity to prove that I was wrongfully convicted and that I am innocent in an evidentiary hearing now set for October 11, 2017 (1)! This miracle was manifested by every one of us dreaming together, envisioning together and centering our thoughts and prayers on this amazing outcome.
As I’ve said before and will continue to say – this would not have been possible alone. I would have been executed on June 2nd 2016, when the State of Texas had decided I must die for a crime another confessed to. If we did not have each every one of you holding me in your thoughts and prayers, doing everything you continue to do to support me, I would only be a memory now. For this I again thank you and will always be eternally grateful!
Recently, I came across the above quote and knew it to be an absolute truth, one which I would take and live my life by.
Together we’ve dreamed of our goals, we’ve then envisioned them making them possible and now to complete the manifestation of the miracle of us winning justice and freedom we will schedule it. Let us all schedule the beginning of my release celebration to begin on September 5th 2018! With your continued thoughts, prayers and support now focused on this specific date, the outcome of the evidentiary hearing is a foregone conclusion. In about a year, I’ll be living part II of my life we’ve now scheduled to begin September 5, 2018. The 20 years spent on Texas death row will be a distant memory and my next 40 years will be lived in freedom! I live this, breathe this, believe this and have absolute faith in this outcome. And with you and God by my side, who has any hope of stopping us? No one!
LOVE PEACE HOPE AND FREEDOM!!!
Charles D. Flores
Flores’ evidentiary hearing date was originally scheduled to begin September 5, 2017. It was moved to October 11, 2017 to accommodate the schedule of an expert witness who will be testifying in the hearing.