29 October 1998 
San Quentin State Prison, CA 

Dear friends, I hope my letter finds you doing well, and keeping warm. I'm doing okay, considering. 
I have some good news to tell you about my case. The decision from my last hearing has finally been sent out by the three judges. My lawyers tell me that I have received a favorable decision!!! :-)  I have been granted an "evidentiary hearing". 

That means that my appeal will be presented in front of another court where a judge will receive testimony and evidence on my behalf. In this next hearing, we will try to prove that I did not receive a fair trial. 

Prove that much evidence was omitted by fault of my public defender who defended me in my trial in 1981. 
My appeal lawyers will now work to put together a convincing case, whereby they will bring in all the evidence, and expert witnesses, to convince the district court judge to give me a new trial. 
Of course, this next hearing will not occur for another year or 1\ years. It will take time to find witnesses again. 

The favorable decision has made me happy. It has been many years since I have received good news. So, you can imagine how relieved I feel. That decision was my last chance to avoid an execution. But, I must emphasize that the decision only gives me a _chance_ to win a new trial. It is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

First, we must convince the next judge that I did not receive a fair trial back in 1981. 
Only two of the three judges voted to give me a favorable decision. The judge who voted against me is a conservative republican, who would not give me anything favorable, no matter how much strength was in my appeal. 
The appeal process in this country is long, and slow. I know it is not justice, but it is the way that the law works in this country. 

So, I will continue to use my patience, and keep smiling every day. Only, this time, I have more to smile about! :-) 
As we say, "One bridge at a time"! 

I do have some sad news to convey to you. Next month, we have an execution scheduled for a man here. 
It is on November 17.I do pray that the execution will be stopped. But then, it is not up to me. I try not to think about the execution so I can avoid as much tension and stress as possible. I guess it is my way of protecting myself from falling into a sadness that is as heavy as a weight around my neck.