Artist Pays Tribute To Death Row Pen Pal

Brit Forges Friendship With Georgia Convict Scheduled To Be Executed This Week

(CBS)  Simone Sandelson was a portrait artist until one day almost two and a half years ago she answered a magazine ad seeking pen pals for death row inmates, reports CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer.

"The first letter was incredibly difficult," said Sandelson. "I think in the end I just described the garden I was sitting in."

By chance, her correspondent turned out to be Jack Alderman, the longest serving inmate on death row.

And his letters transformed her art.

"It just gradually started to inspire me, comments that he made," said Sandelson. "There was one that he made, a butterfly arrived through the barbed wire and settled on his hand."

She began to paint Jack's world, of isolation and regret, haunting images of his dead wife's clothing.

Alderman was convicted of murdering his wife Barbara in 1974. For 33 years he has claimed his innocence. He has been a model prisoner.

Innocent or guilty, Sandelson believes justice will not be served by executing him.

"Anybody who's spent 33 years on death row has surely done their time," said Sandelson.

Her paintings, as a traveling exhibit and on a Web site, became the core of a campaign to save Alderman's life.

Finally, this summer, Sandelson traveled to the Jackson penitentiary where, behind closed doors, she met her pen pal.

"I'm just so impressed at his courage and integrity, actually, because he knows he probably will be executed," said Sandelson.

Alderman's father was there too, grateful to meet the artists who had painted a portrait of him holding a picture of his condemned son.

"Well I told her that I think angels sent her," said the elder Alderman. "I just think its something, its just unbelievable."

But then, on Oct. 5, a great blow.

Alderman's death warrant by lethal injection was issued.

The Supreme Court will soon consider whether lethal injection is a humane method of execution. In the meantime, some state have halted executions.

Georgia has not.

Alderman is to die on Oct. 19.

The news hit Sandelson hard. Her source of comfort? Alderman himself.

"He is completely ready to die," said Sandelson. "He'd prefer to live, but he's accepted the situation as it is. So he's actually very calm."

And the paintings she hoped might save him remain, a tribute to a most unlikely and enriching friendship.

[oct192007]

How dare you sit in judgment of the family. Barbara''s mother use to tell me stories about her and would cry as to how much she missed her daughter and feared Alderman might be released because of all his appeals. Barbara''s sisters now that all these memories have been brought back after years sit very sad and wonder what Barbara would have been like today if she were still alive. They to miss her very much. How dare you sit and try and turn this onto the family as if they are the wrong doers here. You getting involved in other people''s family busiess is as crazy, as the way religious cults try to manipulate and tell other people what they think is right and wrong when they are nothing but a bunch of hypocrits themselves. You who have certainly gained a wealth of fame off of this man''s case. I don''t care where your stupid spot light shines. Nor does the rest of the family who knows Alderman''s character far better than some emotional pen pal. If the man were innocent then the family would have dropped all of it the way they dropped issues with Brown. Alderman is not innocent you are just blind, indifferent, and could care less.

[oct192007]

Barbara''s sister went with her mother to pick up the insurance check from the city not some insurance company. Brown was a sad drug addicted lacky who was manipulated by Alderman completely. The plot to kill Barbara was all Alderman''s idea. Brown hit her in the head but Alderman drowned her in the bath tub. Brown had no motive to kill Barbara and fake a death, Alderman did insurance money which he planned to share with Brown. Brown showed remorse and was a sad person till the day he killed himself. Alderman tried to kill her before by burning down a house while Barbara slept. Alderman never once showed remorse for act of murder he plotted. The whole family saw and knew Alderman''s character right down to his stealing things and trying push stolen goods off onto other family members. The man is good at manipulation and has had alot of time to sit and create a whole other fantasy world right from prison.

[sverre5-2009]

This is a truly sad story that blurs the lines, like many other things in today''s news. A convicted killer and an artist being able to work together to create paintings with such artistic beauty is a very fascinating thing to read about. Innocent or not, perhaps we need to review our system of capital punishment. Can we every truly prove beyond any doubt that someone is guilty? And does presumption of innocence still apply? I''ll be sure to look into the website mentioned in the article.

[honisoit]

Barbara''s mother had her own $25''000 insurance policy on her daughter''s death. No one at the two trials said Alderman was mean and horrible, including Barbara''s mother and grandmother on the witness stand.
Now that the family has a forum, could they please explain why they supported the release of John Brown, who admitted he struck B. on the head with a 12" wrench, and drove her body to fake the auto accident in the creek.
Could they also explain this reference in US Supreme Court 2nd October 2007 Cert denied page 59a "Mr Jackson (defence) impeached Brown with his prior inconsistent testimony concerning his drug use around the victim''s parents".
When you turn on the spotlight, be careful where it shines.
May God forgive those who do nothing to defend an innocent man (before those who can''t wait for the 19th).
Honisoit

[murph19631]

JACK ALDERMAN SHOULD NOT BE EXECUTED.SURELY BEING ON D/ROW FOR 33 YEARS IS PUNISHMENT ENOUGH?HIS SO CALLED PARTNER IN CRIME NOW WALKS FREE,WHERE IS THE JUSTICE IN THAT?TO BARBARA JEANS NIECE I FEEL FOR YOUR LOSS BUT THIS MANS DEATH WILL NOT BRING HER BACK.I TO HAVE LOST SOMEONE CLOSE IN HORRIFIC CURCUMSTANCES AND NOW HAVE MENTAL PROBLEMS PARTIALLY BECAUSE OF THIS.I WOULD URGE YOU NOT TO GO TO THE EXECUTION IF SENTENCE IS CARRIED OUT AS I BELIEVE THIS WOULD DRIVE YOU INTO THE EVEN DARKER DEPTHS OF DEPPRESSION.DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES I HAVE MADE AS HOLDING ONTO THESE FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE.FINNALLY REMEMBER "THE WHEEL ALWAYS TURNS".WHATEVER WE WISH AND DESIRE IN LIFE CAN ALWAYS TURN AROUND AND BITE US ON THE ***. TREAD LIGHTLY MURPH PERTH W/AUSTRALIA.

[gaanchris]

I am the neice of Barbara Jean. I was 7 years old when she died. Her death was a very hard blow to a young child that worshiped her aunt barbara. To this day i miss her and think about her daily. Jackie(as we called him) was a very mean and horrible man. Even as a young child i was scared of him .
I agree with the person who posted earlier about Simone Sandelson, i really dont know are care what her reason is for believing in jackie but shame on her.
she has never met barbara''s family nor has she tried. i woke up this morning to see my uncle on the early show and this simone sandelson, with pictures she painted of my aunts clothes. That really hurt. My aunt barbara was a very sweet and loving person she nor does any one deserve to be killed like that. I have missed my aunt for 33 years.
God forgive me but i cant wait until oct. 19, 2007.
I just hate that his family has to endure the pain we have had to endure for 33 years now.

[oct192007]

Barbara''s mother was paid the insurance money. Her lawyer had Alderman sign the papers so she could go to a claim the check to pay all her funeral expenses and bills. It never lapsed. Her mother would have never been able to pay all of Barbara''s bills if it were not for the insurance.....

[honisoit]

US Court of Appeals 11th Circuit October 30 2006 No.04-14595, before Tjoflat, Anderson, Carnes, Circuit Judges re Alderman: page 23 footnote 17 quote Prior to her death, Mrs Alderman''s insurance with the City of Savannah had lapsed.(...) The State''s insurance motive for the murder therefore depended solely on the testimony of John Brown. Unquote

[oct192007]

Simone Sandleson is just using this man to boost her own fame. After all, the best way for an artist to become famous is to pick a controversial subject matter and then portray it in their art. It does not matter how the the family of Barbara have suffered because Jack Alderman murdered her for insurance money by drowning her in a bath tub after getting his friend Brown to hit her in the head with a wrench.He was manipulative back then and still doing a good job of it from his cell to.

This crazy artist never even took the time to consider the family''s pain or interview them, which would have been good investigation to learn what he was like. She does not care about that. Even after Alderman dies she will still be famous for trying to help save a man who was given the death penalty twice. Pretty gross, right up there with "The **** Christ" .

[honisoit]

Re Jack Alderman - all Americans in favour of capital punishment must demonstrate against this pending execution. THE MAN IS INNOCENT. Read the court transcripts. No one places Alderman at the murder scene except the murderer, John Brown.
The State prosecutor at Alderman''s trial said Alderman forced Brown to murder.
Brown, at his own subsequent trial, used as a defence, I was forced to murder by Alderman.
Same State prosecutor (now dead God rest his soul) says, that''s a ridiculous argument - who would believe you were scared of a little one-eyed Jack Alderman.
Same prosecutor, same players, same murder, opposite arguments. Drew, the successful prosecutor, went back to the first argument 10 years later at Alderman''s resentencing trial. And won again.
So you can fool all of the people all of the time.
Brown was sentenced to death - of course, his defence was ridiculous.
Except, Brown was released 20 years ago. Go figure.
PS Georgia''s Attorney General Baker has a press release running on this case. He uses Brown''s death sentence as proof there was no deal with the State.
Except, he omits to say Brown was released....