Keith LaMar + The Lucasville Prison Riot Part 3

Keith LaMar once admitted to murder. But when prosecutors accused him of ordering deaths in the Lucasville prison riot, he drew a line: this time, he said, he was innocent. In this episode, we return to the crime that put Keith behind bars, and follow the trial that would decide his fate.

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Please be aware that today’s episode contains descriptions of gun violence. Please take care while listening.

A full transcript of this episode is available here.

“Keith sits at his typewriter to write his book, Condemned, from solitary confinement, where he has been held since 1995 even while maintaining his innocence.”

A still from Keith Lamar’s 1995 statement to the court prior to receiving his death sentence.

Action Items Related to Today’s Episode:
I’ll be back next week with the fourth and final episode about Keith LaMar and the Lucasville Riot. But in the meantime, if you’re looking to dig deeper into Keith’s story, there’s a book you need to check out.

It’s called Condemned: The Whole Story, and it’s Keith’s memoir—written entirely from death row. In it, he offers a raw, unfiltered account of the 1993 Lucasville uprising, his trial, and the time he’s spent in confinement. Keith lays out his version of events and the evidence he says the State of Ohio suppressed, building a case for why he believes he’s innocent, and how the system failed him.

It’s a powerful, urgent read and I don’t say that lightly. Because this wasn’t an easy book to write. With no access to a computer and only limited 15-minute phone calls, Keith handwrote the manuscript and dictated it piece by piece to a friend on the outside. The amount of determination it took just to get this story down on paper is a reminder of how many barriers incarcerated people face in getting their stories heard.

You can order Condemned: The Whole Story here.

Audio Used:

YouTube: The Great Incarcerator, part 2: The Shadow of Lucasville uploaded by djones.

YouTube: Bloody history: 1993 Lucasville prison riots uploaded by Hearst Television.

YouTube: From the Vault: Lucasville prison riot killed nine inmates, one guard in 1993. Uploaded by WCPO 9.

Sound Cloud: Lucasville 1992 prison riot in Ohio from WTVN coverage uploaded by Dean6oh.

libcom.org: Black and White and Dead All Over: The Lucasville Insurrection by Staughton Lynd.

Sources Used:

The New York Times: Jazz Freed Keith LaMar’s Soul. Can It Help Him Get Off Death Row? By Laura Zornosa.

FindLaw: STATE v. LaMAR Supreme Court of Ohio. The STATE of Ohio, Appellee, v. LaMAR, Appellant. No. 1998-1983. Decided: May 15, 2002.

Statement of Stacey Gordon, 8 September 1994.

Interview #1264 (PART 1) with Aaron Jefferson.