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Jermaine Herron: Always loved...
In my junior high to high school years there was one friend I could count on. He was someone I trusted, worked with, and laughed with. Our days, little did we know, were numbered. Eventually we went our own ways but it wasn’t a choice. Jermaine chose the street life and I stayed on the same narrow path I traveled before. We were still good friends but by our sophomore year in high school our lives were different.
At the onset of our friendship we were always at my parents land where we had a roping arena, about 3 or 4 horses, and a small herd of cattle (about 15 I guess). Our thing was the rodeo. We both roped at a young age (started around 10 or so) and were pretty good. Our joy came from doing crazy stuff like riding horses fast through the bushes (dodging tree branches and taking the pain of brush scrapes was pretty fun), riding the cattle (mini-bull riding; when my pops wasn’t around; lol…it was years ago Dad…can’t spank me now can you? lol), or kicking it with the older cowboys (always seemed to have a great time listening to stories and roping with the adults). That life was great. It wasn’t what other “urban” kids were doing at the time but we didn’t care.
Around 7th grade I finally got a girlfriend which seemed to be a lot more fun to spend time with than sweaty horses and cattle. She was also softer to the touch and nose. :-) This diverted me from the cowboy lifestyle a bit and eventually by 9th grade I was pretty much done with roping. Girls and sports consumed my life at this time. Jermaine stayed in the ranching arena off and on. His pops was a ranch hand at a local ranch.
June 1997 was a fatal time for Jermaine. He and a friend from Victoria, TX, Derrick Frazier, were involved in the shooting of Betsy and Cody Nutt (a student a grade or two below us) at their house on Ron Lucich’s ranch. They were there to rob the place but Betsy and Cody were there and were killed in the process. The big debate is who did it? Was it Jermaine or Derrick? The courts found both of them guilty of capital murder and sentenced them to death by lethal injection. This was 9 years ago.
Yesterday at 7:25 PM CST Jermaine took his last breath. It was a troubling night for me to accept this happened. Although we hadn’t talked in years I still held a bond with him. I was his friend to the end. Admittadly I failed over the last 9 years to contact him. My mom stayed in touch and I regret never taking the time to sit down and write him. That’s another story all in itself though.
This post isn’t here to say he was wrongly accused, etc. I don’t feel he murdered the two people for many reasons. My bias leads me to say not guilty by default but just knowing the fact he knew Cody and the type of person Jermaine was I feel it was the wrong decision by the courts.
Either way Jermaine went out being strong. He will always have a special place in my heart and some great memories in my mind. Jermaine…you are loved bro’! To Jerry Nut, my sincerest wishes go out to you and your family on healing your pains.
———————
For more information you can read the stories and watch videos on KRISTV.com.
http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4912685 (Jermaine talks)
http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4823477 (Derrick’s talks)
http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4918137 (appeal filed)
http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4919846 (execution story)
Posted by John C. Bland II on May 18, 2006 3:05 PM | Permalink
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Comments
Hi John
u don’t know me but I just found your blog about Jermaine. I was one of his very close friends during his worst time. I don’t wanna put too much stuff out here but in case you wanna contact me you can write me an email. Would be nice to hear from you. Nina
Posted by: Nina | May 23, 2006 12:53 AM
i hope you find closure in this area of your life. I’m sorry for the loss of your friend. Good friends and memories come a dime a dozen. I love you and I’m here for you in your time of need. love your wife and friend ……. tia
Posted by: tia bland | May 26, 2006 6:39 PM
Thanks babe!
Posted by: John C. Bland II | May 29, 2006 3:35 PM
A Person must take responsibility for their actions
When they Drink and Drive.
and kill someone
Why is it such a leap for someone to take responsibility….
When they enter someones house with a weapon with the intent of robbing it and someone ends up dead.
Does’nt matter If he was the trigger man or not.
He made the decision to rob those people he admitted that much. When you make desisions like that you play with fire.
someone is bound to get hurt.
Everyone is resposible for the consequences of their actions. It is a shame for two young men to throw their lives away on such a foolish act. and it’s also a shame that another young man of only 15 years of age had to pay for those foolish acts as well.
b
Posted by: twistedwolf | August 31, 2006 11:33 PM
You are right. It is a shame for 2 young men to throw their life away and it was def’ devastating that Cody lost his life. He was a nice young man.
You are also right regarding taking responsibility and partially right about the likelihood of something happening when you enter a house to rob it. I say partially because it isn’t necessarily true that someone is bound to get hurt. It is highly likely though.
Where I’m curious is why you seem to feel it is just punishment for someone to receive the death penalty for robbing someone and being at the scene of a murder, if that is indeed the case. He no doubt robbed the folks. That’s a few year sentence at best. If he did pull the trigger, he deserved the death penalty. If he didn’t, what did he deserve? Death? No way.
Jermaine was no saint. I 100% agree. I do, as said in the post, believe he did not pull the trigger but that is between the people at the scene and God. My belief is the death penalty wasn’t a fitting crime. Either way, I lost a friend over one night of dumb actions and Mr. Nutt lost his family (which is horrible).
Posted by: John C. Bland II | September 2, 2006 7:08 AM
I just found this site. I was doing a search under my husband Derrick Frazier. I dont care which one of them killed, I believe the death penalty is wrong. This is allowing the goverment to legally kill and were taught killing is wrong doesnt that include goverment as well?
This needs to stop.
D Frazier
Posted by: debbie frazier | April 11, 2007 10:23 PM
You’re right Mrs. Frazier. It doesn’t matter, at this point. There needs to be some consistency in the system. For people like Dalmer, etc, I think they should be punished severely. Death penalty? If they were in TX, no doubt. Other states, prob not. TX is brutal when it comes to penalties. It makes no since how quick trigger they are.
How’s Derrick’s case coming? Did he get the appeal he was working on? I haven’t heard anything since Jermaine’s fate was sealed.
Thanks for posting!
Posted by: John C. Bland II | April 23, 2007 9:44 AM
After I posted my comment I didnt come back to this page as I was preparing for my husband death. If people in Texas start watching executions they woudld be stopped. Its horrible and its not pain free. America needs to wake up.
Posted by: debbie frazier | August 6, 2007 10:17 AM
I can only imagine. :-(
My heart goes out to you and your family.
Posted by: John C. Bland II | August 6, 2007 11:17 AM