Albert Marques News Today

Home of the Gilroy Dispatch

Keith LaMar was supposed to die on Thursday -- the day prison wardens were to take him to the execution chamber -- but an unusual circumstance led to a reprieve, and the convict is honoring his additional time with the release of a song, "The Journey," composed with the help of a Spanish musician publicizing his story.He's been granted, he says, "additional time... to put together a formidable legal team... a viable campaign... to bring my story to a wider audience."

For three decades Keith has maintained his innocence, all while being held in solitary confinement, with the fear of execution looming.

Music has helped Keith LaMar survive the mind-numbing sameness of nearly 30 years on death row in a maximum-security prison in the US state of Ohio.