Brandon Bernard was executed by lethal injection yesterday, December 10th, at a federal prison in Terra Haute, Indiana.

He was forty years old. He died after spending 21 years on death row. If you want to read about the details of his crime, Google him. It's all over the internet. If you want to stew on his death as a product of the Trump administration's rush to execute as many inmates as possible before his term ends, you can open essentially any reputable news website.

I want to focus on the life of Brandon Bernard, not as a symbol or a case study, but as an actual human.

Brandon as a child https://www.helpsavebrandon.com/photos-of-brandon

Brandon was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1980. His mother, Thelma Bernard, was a US army nurse. His childhood best friend was a dog named Peabody after the brainy dog on the "Rocky and Bulwinkle" cartoon. Brandon's father was largely out of the picture and, when he was present, was frequently violent and abusive towards Brandon, his mother, and his two younger siblings until he was arrested for domestic violence in 1992.

His father's arrest and parents' subsequent divorce sent Brandon into a deep depression and left him with a lot of responsibility at home from a young age.

Young Brandon drinking Dr. Pepperhttps://www.helpsavebrandon.com/photos-of-brandon

When he was 12, he cared for his mother after her open heart surgery. Every day after school, he took care of his two younger siblings until his mother got home from work in the evening. Brandon's grades suffered as he struggled to transition from his small, seventh day adventist elementary school to the large public high school, all while suffering from mental illness and constantly caring for his siblings. After his cousin, who had an alpha-male personality and a tendency towards mischief, moved in with his family, the two of them were arrested for petty theft and Brandon was sent to a juvenile correctional facility.

The court-appointed psychologist concluded that Brandon could be rehabilitated with some therapuetic help and recommended that he recieve intensive counseling. Unsurprisingly, this did not happen at the correctional facility.

Teenaged Brandon with his familyhttps://www.helpsavebrandon.com/photos-of-brandon

Brandon attempted to return to high school after leaving the juvenile care facility in 1997, but ultimately left and passed the GED that same year. He wanted to go to college, so he ended up re-enrolling in high school after passing the GED, but continued to struggle with attendance and grades. He met a group of "wannabe gang members" from his neighborhood around this time, with whom he would eventually commit the crimes that led to his arrest. He continued to attend his local Seventh Day Adventist church each sunday and care for his siblings every day after school. In the summer of 1998, Brandon attempted to enlist in the US army, but was turned down because of his juvenile record.

The next year, months before he was arrested, Brandon was working at a grocery store and taking adult education classes in Michigan.

He ended up rushing back to Texas when his girlfriend became pregnant with his daughter. Without his grocery job, he had no source of income. Then, his car broke down and his grandmother passed away. Thus was the state his former group of friends found him in when they reunited, leading to the 1999 crimes.

In the nearly 22 years that he has spent on death row, Brandon has accomplished about as much as any human could whilst totally isolated in a 6x8 foot cell.

Brandon with his mother and siblingshttps://www.helpsavebrandon.com/religious-support-...

He learned to play guitar and crochet, making many blankets, hats, and scarves. In 2006, he shared his story with David and Michael Boyd for their Enlightenment Tour, a Seventh Day Adventist outreach program focused on at-risk kids. Brandon continuously looked for opportunities to help others and grow as a person.

Brandon with his daughter, Kiarahttps://www.helpsavebrandon.com/religious-support-...

Brandon wearing a hat he crochetedhttps://www.helpsavebrandon.com/religious-support-...

"I have learned to entertain myself and keep myself motivated... I read a lot and I crotchet blankets and scarves and hats, all kinds of things. It feels good to do something. I practice the guitar. I feel like I'm getting better but... that's up for debate. I also write. I've taken a couple college courses.... just to motivate myself to change, you know? I don't have to be stagnant because I'm in here. I can always improve myself. Not as much as people in the world can, but still, there's an opportunity to improve. I have to try for those who believe in me out in the world and for myself... One thing I have learned is that I have to do things for myself. When you try to do things for others, try to appease others, it's just... it's not natural. And I feel like I've learned that.... these improvements I need to do for myself... So that they hold and so that they stand the test of time."

- Brandon Bernard

Note: Most of my information came from a website set up by Brandon's lawyers, who started a national conversation about his case, and his official clemency petition.

Brandon with his lawyershttps://www.helpsavebrandon.com/religious-support-...