Tuesday, July 08, 2008

 

At Home with Paul House

I cannot express in words my gratitude to all of you who have followed the Paul House case over the years--who have written letters, made phone calls, sent financial support, attended events, and prayed for justice to be done in this case. All of us received a wonderful gift for our July 4th this year, when on Wednesday of last week, House was finally released.

As I stated to many reporters who were at the prison that day, this ordeal provided justice for no one--certainly not for Paul House but not for Carolyn Muncey either. For 23 years her family has lived with the reality that the wrong man might be paying for a crime he didn't commit while the real perpetrator continued to be at large. Sadly, the state of Tennessee has demonstrated in this case, particularly since the 1990's when DNA testing confirmed Paul House did not rape Carolyn Muncey, that seeking justice was secondary to maintaining a conviction, and thus 23 years later, here we are.

I keep going back to Dr. Martin Luther Kings' words that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." We are finally seeing that bend after 23 long years as Paul House is one step closer to freedom. Our sincere hope is that Paul House is on his way to becoming the 130th person nationwide to be exonerated and released from death row.

I have talked to Joyce House several times since Paul's release, and she is practically giddy every time I speak to her. Paul has enjoyed her home cooking and as a real movie buff, has been watching movies constantly. The family had a wonderful July 4 with ribs, fireworks, and time together.

Joyce told me today that Paul asked for pizza the other night for dinner. She gave him a plate with two pieces on it. When he finished the pizza, his brother asked him if he wanted more. Paul replied, "I can't. We only get one serving." His brother said, "No, you used to only get one serving. Now you get as much as you want." So Paul had another slice!

Now that Paul is home, Joyce faces a new challenge: health care. Between now and the end of the trial, Joyce must shoulder the expense of Paul's care. Currently, he has no medical insurance, and the costs of his care are extremely high.

TCASK is still planning to hold a fundraiser sometime in the next couple of months to raise money to help Joyce out. If anyone would like to contribute to his care now, please send checks to TCASK, P.O. Box 120552, Nashville, TN 37212 with "Paul House" in the memo line. We will keep you updated as plans are made for the fundraiser.

To see Paul at home, click here.
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