From up above that ok, an inspectors coming, they would use code words, and then you would basically clean up your area to make it look right . Stewart uh huh, yeah. Cooper Upper Big Branch was a nonunion mine. Inspectors were the only people miners could turn to for help. Shouldnt be seen talking to inspectors. Was there fear about speaking up . Pauley if you wanted a job you kept your mouth shut. Me, like a lot of other miners, mining is about the only industry its the biggest industry in the state of west virginia. You have children, you want them to have. You want to provide for them. I was a single mom, you know . Cooper you needed that job . Pauley i did the best i could. crying we did the best we could for our families. The guys did as well. Ruby some of the stories that they have to tell are horrifying. Enough fresh air, being forced to work in water up to their necks, miles underground. Being forced to work in areas of the where the roof and the walls of the mine were falling in around them. Cooper prosecutors say blankenship was aware of all these safety problems because he was a micromanager who had oversight over every aspect of massey mines, personally approving every hire, hourly raise, and capital expenditure. Ruby he wanted everybody in that company to know he was in charge. Goodwin do it dons way. I expect you to do exactly what i tell you to do, when i tell you to do it. Cooper that was his message to his managers . Goodwin absolutely, time and again. Ruby and thats on tape. Don blankenship this game is about money. Cooper that message was repeatedly emphasized by Don Blankenship in phone conversations with mine managers he secretly recorded on these machines he installed in his office. Blankenship i want you to take a deep breath and i want you to listen carefully. You ready . Blanchard yes, sir. President and or someday being a v. P. At massey or president of massey requires that you be focused on dollars. Cooper he sent terse handwritten notes and memos to managers criticizing them for high costs and low coal production. You have a kid to feed he wrote, do your job. Pitiful. I could kruschev you and in my opinion, children could run these mines better than you all do. The bosses were under pressure . Stewart they were under tremendous pressure. Cooper to keep mining, keep getting coal . Stewart keep mining, right. And they carried out his orders to the t. They treated the people under them as he treated them. I mean, he talked to them like they were dogs, they in turn talked to the superintendents or the section foremen, whatever, like they were dogs and kept that pressure applied to force these people to do his will. Cooper blankenships attorneys called no witnesses at trial and pointed to safety place at Upper Big Branch. Ruby miner after miner after miner who worked at Upper Big Branch took the stand and said that the socalled Safety Initiatives were a joke. That the Safety Program stops at the entrance to the mine. And once youre underground, your job is to run coal. Cooper after two weeks of deliberations, a federal jury came to a landmark decision, finding Don Blankenship guilty of conspiring to willfully violate mine safety laws. Bill taylor there was never enough evidence to justify convicting mr. Blankenship. Cooper but they didnt find him guilty of conspiring to defraud the mine safety and Health Administration or of lying to investors and regulators about safety violations, felony counts which could have sent blankenship to prison for 30 years. Under the law, jurors arent allowed to know whether the counts theyre considering are misdemeanors or felonies. And jurors told us, they were unaware the count they convicted him of was only a misdemeanor, which carries a maximum sentence pam i actually thought they were all felony charges. Cooper when you realized when you heard ok, maybe hell serve a year in prison, what was your gut . Pam i was surprised. Cooper you were surprised, pam . In what way . Surprised it was so low . Pam yes. Kevin none of us actually knew. In terms of what the time was for the charges. I was i was pretty pissed. Cooper family members of the dead miners, who attended the trial every day, were also disappointed. Do you think was justice done in this verdict . Sherry no, no. There was no justice. Cooper Judy Peterson lost her brother, miner dean jones. Judy peterson as a result of the explosion, 29 people are gone. And thats a misdemeanor. Thats a perversion of justice. Ruby do we think that a one year sentence for what Don Blankenship has been convicted of is enough . No. We dont. The law gives us to work with. Cooper Don Blankenship and his attorneys issued a statement to 60 minutes denying he was involved in any conspiracy. They claim the explosion was caused and fueled by a sudden and unexpected surge of natural gas, though three state and federal investigations found the deaths of the 29 miners were preventable, and the result of a failure of basic mine safety standards. Don blankenship has said this was just an act of god. That these kinds of things happen in coal mining. Stewart well, you know, Don Blankenship, id like to take those words and stuff them right back down his throat because that was not an act of god. That was manmade 100 . These men you know, they werent just 29 people that got killed. They were a lot of good men. Cooper and they deserved better than what they got . Stewart they deserved much better than they got. Be sentenced in april. Prosecutors say theyll ask for the maximum one Year Prison Sentence and a fine in the tens of millions of dollars. This sex sports update is brought to you by the lincoln motor company. Im greg gumbel. Austin, yale, Northern Iowa and uncasheville are in the tournament. Peyton manning has informed the Denver Broncos of his plans to retire after an 18year playing career. A press conference is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. For more sports news and information, go to cbssports. Com. We could do some thai. Ooo. How bout sushi, eh . [weird dog moan squeak] why not . [dog yawning squeaking] no, were not, were not having barbecue. Again. [quiet dog groan] why . Because youre on four legs, and thats why. [dog whine] sushi it is. See me. See me. Dont stare at me. See me. See me. See me to know that psoriasis is just something that i have. Im not contagious. See me to know that i wont stop. Until i find what works. Discover cosentyx, a different kind of medicine for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Proven to help the majority of people find clear or almost clear skin. 8 out of 10 people saw 75 skin clearance at 3 months. While the majority saw 90 clearance. Do not use if you are allergic to cosentyx. Before starting, you should be tested for tuberculosis. An increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms. Such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. Or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. If you have crohns disease, tell your doctor as reactions may occur. See me. See me on my way. Find clear skin and a clearer path forward. For a different kind of medicine, ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. You wanna touch and some you just dont. The Kohler Touchless toilet. The no touch flush for your home. bear growls r we know a thing or two because we are farmers. Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum ive been claritin when your allergy symptoms start. Taking one claritin every day of your allergy season. For continuous relief. With powerful, 24 hour. Nondrowsy claritin, live claritin clear. Bill whitaker texas executes more prisoners than any other state. At a rate of more than one a month, texas kills almost as many inmates as all the other states combined. All the condemned men in texas, about 250 of them, are held in one place death row in them will be told the exact day the exact hourof their demise. And that has an impact on their and where they find themselves. Once inmates get to death row, they are rarely seen again. But the prison let us inside to speak with several condemned killers, just weeks before their executions. What theyre thinking in their final days may surprise you. Lopez, who told us he welcomes his execution. Daniel lopez i just turned in my 14day notice for my, my death papers. Whitaker you know that in 14 days you are going to die. Lopez yes. Whitaker what was it like to sign those papers . Lopez i felt really relieved to finally get this over with. Whitaker daniel lopez, unlike almost all the other inmates here on death row, did not fight his sentence. Instead he asked to be executed know what im saying . Therestherethere it doesnt matter to me. You know, dignity does not matter to me. Its just, you know, im im worried about myself my family and the victims family. And i want everybody to move on, thats it. Whitaker is embracing the Death Penalty for you, is that the easy way out . Lopez that, i see it as a yes and no. You know, yes to finally get this over with. No, because i dont want to die. Nobody wants to die. Whitaker lopez was a crack dealer when he killed Police LieutenantStuart Alexander during a high speed chase seven years ago. It began as a traffic stop, when another officer pulled him over for driving through a stop sign. After a scuffle, lopez drove off. Police put spike strips down on the road to puncture his tires. When lopez veered to the right to get around the spikes he hit lieutenant alexander. Lopez said he didnt see the officer in time to avoid him. Whitaker did you know that you had hit him . Lopez yes, i did. Whitaker you didnt stop . Whitaker why not . Lopez why would i . Whitaker you hit somebody. Lopez okay, and im running from the police, right . Im trying to get away, right . Whitaker but youre compounding it. Youre making a bad situation worse. Lopez i was trying to escape for this little incident. And now that it got bigger, i was even more inclined to escape. Whitaker after police finally caught him, he was charged with intentionally driving into lieutenant alexander, a highly respected 20year police veteran. Whitaker you say this was an accident . Lopez yes. Whitaker jury didnt think so. Took them less than an hour to convict you. Lopez does that make them right . Because the jury didnt think so, does that make that right . Whitaker you think that was an accident. Lopez no, no. I know its an accident, theres no thinking. I didnt mean to kill him. He didnt mean to kill himself. And so this was beyond our powers, right. And thats why i believe theres a greater power out there. Whitaker do you blame god for the accident . Lopez no no no no no. Whitaker so whos responsible . Lopez i find myself responsible for fleeing in the for it. But it was never intentional. And i wish i could have done things different. And i guess the only way for me to do that now is, you know to finally pass over to the next world and you know, be forgiven by jesus and god. Whitaker you have said that no amount of pain will be punishment enough for killing that fine officer. Lopez yes. Not only did i end his life, i affected his whole familys life. And and and they become they become the victims too, right . And so its just its just theres just no amount of pain that i could suffer to make up for that. And i think the best way for it to end is for them to go ahead and execute me and the family gets to have their closure, and my family gets to, you know, finally get that relief this is finally over with. And we could all move on in life. Perry williams lock them up for the rest of their life. Whitaker but another livingston death row inmate, perry williams, said he wants to keep on living. Williams killed a medical student, shot him in the head, after taking his wallet which williams was just weeks away from his execution date when he got a temporary stay. He told us the countdown had been terrifying. Williams its one thing to know exactly the hour and the time that youre gonna die. It does a lot to you. Shakes. Its like waking up in cold sweats, having dreams about being executed. Whitaker you actually had shakes and cold sweats. Williams yes sir. Whitaker why do you think you were reacting that way . Williams fear, fear of the unknown, fear of the death. Whitaker should texas have the Death Penalty . Williams i dont think they should. Because i dont think nobody should have the power to take another persons life. Whitaker but yet you did. Williams yes, i understand that. And im sorry for the pain i caused. Whitaker who do you blame for your being on death row . Williams cant blame nobody else. I blame myself. Whitaker many death row inmates blame themselves, but not elvis wesbrook. So who do you blame for your being here on death row . Whitaker he said his exwife invited him to a small party. But at the party, he felt threatened. And his exwife was having sex with another man. He grabbed his hunting rifle and killed all five people there. Wesbrook im a victim in this as well as everybody else. Whitaker it sounds like you dont quite get the gravity of your crime, when you call yourself a victim as well. Youre still here. They are not. Wesbrook well, im not going to be here much longer now, am i . Come march 9th, i wont be here. Whitaker is there any chance that date will be postponed . Wesbrook no. Nothing else is going to be filed in my case. Whitaker do you want that time to pass slowly or quickly . Wesbrook ill tell you what. If you got a pill, ill take it right here in front of you, and well get it over with right now. Whitaker you would take a lethal pill . Wesbrook yes i would. Whitaker you dont think texas should have the Death Penalty . 6 wesbrook no. Execute me, they have to meet the man upstairs too. Whitaker you have a 28year old daughter . Wesbrook yes. Whitaker will she be at your execution . Wesbrook no. Whitaker do you want her there . Would you . Wesbrook no, not really. Dont you think thats pretty horrifying to sit there and look at . To watch somebody die . Whitaker former warden, tom oreilly, who we interviewed in front of the states old electric chair, told us he presided over about 140 executions. What sort of impact do you think thats had on you . Tom oreilly none. I dont feel bad about it or anything. If you commit those kinds of crimes, i can execute you and i dont have a problem at all. Whitaker he told us, by the end, the inmates are resigned to their fate and almost all of them agree to walk into the Death Chamber and lie down on their deathbed. Do they ever resist being strapped down . Oreilly a couple did, but its a futile gesture. Whitaker its going to happen. Happen. Whitaker i read one description that its like a horizontal crucifixion, the way hes laid out on the on the gurney. Oreilly thats a good way to describe it. Its he lays on the gurney on his back with his arms out in either way. We put an i. V. In the left arm and the right arm. Whitaker sounds almost businesslike. Oreilly it is. It is. After hes tied down and everybody else is cleared the execution chamber, then ill open the curtains. To where the witnesses can see him. Michael graczyk we watch through a glass. Whitaker Associated Press reporter Michael Graczyk has probably witnessed more executions than anyone in the country, more than 350. Graczyk you hear the description of it as being routine. I hope it never becomes routine when the state decides to take someones life. I think its significant. Whitaker unlike other states, texas says all executions have gone smoothly and it has no shortage of lethal also, in texas condemned inmates can no longer choose their last meal. Why is that . Graczyk people on the other side would say, well, you know, my loved one didnt get an opportunity to pick their last meal before they were killed. So why should he have that sort of opportunity . Whitaker inmates make a brief final statement. Then, on the wardens signal, the deadly drugs begin flowing. Graczyk theres a reaction of breath, take a few deep breaths or a cough and they start snoring. The snores get progressively less and then theres no movement at all. Whitaker but it generally looks like theyre just falling asleep . Graczyk yes. Whitaker most inmates, he said, die within 10 to 20 minutes. When we spoke to daniel lopez, it was just 14 days before his death. He told us something you dont often hear on death row about the Death Penalty. Lopez im kind of for it and 6 whitaker i would think someone on death row would be opposed to the Death Penalty. Lopez you know, certain people will still go out there, rape people and kill people. And they enjoy doing that. And so, im for it for some people. But its just the people that refuse to change. Whitaker are you a better person now for having been on death row . Lopez of course, of course. Ive changed. I matured back here. Im not no bible thumper or anything like that. But i have learned to accept jesus in my life. Whitaker so when our viewers see this, you will be dead. What would you want them to remember of you . Lopez i just trying to bring light to the situation back here. Were people. Were people. And we are people. We do have hearts. We do love. We do change. We do care. And they need to know that, you know . Thats what i want them to understand that, you know, youre not executing the same person that you convicted ten, 20 years ago. You know, youre executing a changed man, most of us. Oreilly change in prison is inevitable. But that does not forgive the there in the first place. Whitaker six Oclock Church bells mark the hour as daniel lopez relatives walk to the death house to watch him die. Behind these walls, strapped to a gurney, daniel lopez made his final statement. He told his relatives and the family of the victim that he was sorry. Then he said, i am ready. About a minute later, the lethal drugs began flow into his veins. After about 30 seconds, he lost consciousness. At the same time, in dueling demonstrations, offduty police revved their motorcycles to show support for the fallen officer. Death penalty opponents responded with a wailing siren. These were the last sounds lopez heard. Lieutenant alexanders widow, vicky, watched lopez execution. Vicky alexander our eyes met and i felt Something Different i think he was genuinely trying to connect with me and let me know its ok. This has nothing t