Opinion Today: He has nine days left to live

A plea to Gov. Abbott of Texas.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story May 10, 2021 By Jonah M. Kessel Deputy Director, Opinion Video We made a video for an audience of one: Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas. Quintin Phillipe Jones is scheduled to be executed on May 19 for murdering his great-aunt in 1999. Jones's family has long forgiven him. He is asking Abbott to do the same. Last week, I visited Jones on death row with the author Suleika Jaouad. My colleague Lindsay Crouse had introduced me to Jaouad, who has been exchanging letters with Jones for a decade. Jaouad and I talked to him through a phone, while separated from him by a piece of glass. Jones presents American society with a difficult question: Should a convicted killer who has repented and appears reformed be executed? "I'm nothing like that person," Jones said of his younger, drug-addicted self. The state would be "killing a different person." Jonah M. Kessel/The New York Times I didn't know Jones 20 years ago. But last week I got a small window into who he is today. Jones is thoughtful. He waxes poetically on subjects of justice, regret and redemption. He is not asking for forgiveness or freedom. He believes he should spend the rest of his life in prison. But he does not want to die. We asked Jones about the stress of counting down the days to the end of his own life. "I don't want to be the source of anybody else's pain and sadness, so I deal with it by myself," he said. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Quintin Jones Is Not Innocent. But He Doesn't Deserve to Die. Quintin Phillippe Jones is scheduled to be executed on May 19. Today I tell the story of our friendship in the hope that it will save his life. By Suleika Jaouad Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks Guest Essay Mother and Daughter Do the Same Job. Why Does One Make $9 More an Hour? A tale of two home care workers. 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