Michael Tanzi
| The US state of Florida murdered our pen
pal Michael Tanzi on April 8, 2025, around 6 p.m. (local time)  We mourn for you Michael... Michael's last words were after he had apologized to the victim's family: "Heavenly Father, please do not blame those who do not know what they're doing." The prayer was certainly based on Luke 23:34 in the Bible: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Source: www.unilad.com) |
| Sometimes we read comments like: “Even if I
am against the death penalty, I cannot mourn a murderer.” We respond as follows: “Who knows, maybe if you were to write with such a person. If you got to know him and experienced that he was more than just this one act that put him on death row... If you could see how he has changed... who knows, maybe you could grieve for him too...” |
| My farewell song now also for
you, Michael... Peter K. - Fly like a bird, fly... |
|
Michael Tanzi about himself: My Name is Michael Tanzi. I'm 47 years old of Italian/Irish descent, I like movies and TV shows, travels and food shows, I like some sports, I travelled a lot when I was young and was able to get to taste some of the finer foods of the world. I made a few mistakes in life which has ended me on death row where I now reside in Florida. I've been on the row since 2003. I become acclimated to the environment around me and believe that a life sentence would be befitting to me if the state would allow it. I'm Catholic but not overly Catholic. I say I'm Catholic and I'm proud to be. I am 6 ft. 3 inches tall and I weigh about 335 pounds. I'm a big guy. I was a alright kid growing up with a gap in my life with no siblings to fill it. I didn't know how to fit in with other kids and that led me to explore other dangerous paths. Which has led me to my current address, Death Row. When I look back on my life my regrets are endless. My choices are what I have to live with and I'm okay with that. As my life continues to move forward I'm no longer living in the past and blaming others for my behavior. I've taken full responsibility for my actions and I'm feeling content. Prison saved my life. I would have never made it to 30 years old. I thank God for reentering my life and giving me the opportunity to find balance and change through His word. I am grateful to those people whom I've found over the years who have stayed in touch and helped me grow into a better person. Without them I don't know what kind of person I'd be today. So as you read this you may see that you can relate to what I've been through or know of someone who is struggling to find their path in life, I just hope I can help you as you help me. God Bless. Michael Tanzi, 2024 - death row Florida |
| Execution warrant |
 |
 Richard
Rhodes (Muggy) was, until they put Michael
Tanzi on death watch, a direct neighbor of his. The
two of them had a wonderful relationship. Richard adopted
Michael and it was a horrible experience for him to see him
taken away to murder his beloved friend.Inbox RICHARD RHODES To: Peter K. Richard Rhodes writes: Tonight at 6:pm my friend Michael will be put to death. * Michael's last performance * Tonight, our government puts on a grand production of which, I am the unwilling star. It's of tragedy, travesty, and lastly corruption. The stage decor is glass and steel bars, a cold cement room. Governor Ron DeSantis is the executive producer. Ricky Dixon's the director. An actress in scrubs plays executioner. I suppose the guards are the extras? Our audience ushers in takes their seats in this tomb like enclosure. I'm escorted in, then promptly restrained. I look into the faces or the audience, one has come to give solace the others to get closure. They shall ALL be entertained ! I can't help myself, I tremble with stage fright. Cry my lines, "Bloody murder !" and " Legal !" Bla... Bla... Bla... Thus, a performance of my life. The nurse inserts the needle and I am poisoned I Convulse, then take a bow to a tune of silent score The curtain's now descending. Our villain is no more. In these minutes after six - there is no happy ending. Only DEAD silence... Did I fail to mention that my mother died tonight. I hope you enjoyed yourselves, must run now, my hearse is waiting. MICHAEL TANZI Peter, I know this sounds a bit morbid, but then most murders are. Your friend Muggy... Richard Rhodes, 04/08/2025 --- Richard Rhodes writes: This is what Michael's words sound like: 'Although I stand convicted of a crime against society, I like most others on death row that I associate with, still seek to improve my lot in life. The unalienable rights of life, Library, and the Pursuit of Happiness are ingrained in the fabric of my being. No law or conviction will ever be able to eradicate the yearning desire to do better, to be better, and to want better not just for myself, but for my family, my friends, and my community. Even in hell, people still look for exists, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.' I ask you… what type of world do we live in that knows no forgiveness, wants no change, only the status quo. Greed, power, and personal gain rule the day. A tooth for a tooth, a eye for a eye. People have come to expect a life full of violence and revenge. Everyone has the answers for everyone else. People see and judge without knowledge or compassion. We in this country, are suppose to receive fairness by being judge by a jury of our own peers, and claiming to value the personal opinion of the jurors, but the truth is, the powers that be don't want you to have a personal opinion. They want heard only their version of the facts while doing their best to hide and or corrupt the truth . Higher courts are constantly telling lower courts in Florida and elsewhere, " You can't do this, you can't do that, you've violated this persons rights or that persons right. It's illegal, immortal, and unconstitutional, and yet the powers that be continue to do the same things they've been told not to do over and over again, and this is what passes for justice. They claim that no man is above the law. I have two words for that claim " Donald Trump ". The meaning of insanity is to keep doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different resolute. Contrary to popular belief, persons on death row aren't afraid of the executioner, they are afraid of what comes before the executioner. The mental and physical abuse, the beatings, the suicide and murder of friends, the injustice of what passes for justice, the violation of every human right we claim to hold dear When you walk through the prison doors of death row one thing becomes perfectly clear. You are no longer viewed as human, you're nothing more them a piece of meat, a number. By law you are disenfranchised. Young and old and disabled alike, are for the most part forced to worked without pay, and for the profit of the state and companies under contract to the state or government. If you refuse to work, you are punished until you agree to conform. You are given nothing of value, your dignity, pride, faith, and will to exist is taken from you. In Florida your family and friends are victimized for your sake, everything you are allowed, your family provides for you at the instructions, and whim of the state policy makers. Your family has to buy it from the state and pay their asking price. When you're family comes to visit, they are treated with high levels of humiliation and disrespect, and their rights as human beings are openly violated. Worse of all, I've seen inmates beat unconscious in front of me for doing little more then looking or saying something that some guard viewed as incorrect. I've seen inmates beat, raped, and victimized by those who are empowered with their safekeeping, all in the name of justice while everyone from law makers to lawyer, to the courts turn blinded eyes. This... is Michael's world my world, and to add insult to this injury, they now in the name of God and state justice, want to execute Michael by pumping him full of poison to effectively ending his life... Richard Rhodes, 03/16/2025 --- Richard Rhodes writes: "Let's talk about the another victim, Michael's mother, this is going to kill her she's old and has health issues among these are a bad heart, and the loss of her only son will be her undoing. But people like DeSantis don't care about those victims, the mothers, fathers, son, daughters, grandchildren, wives, husbands, friends . All that people like governor Ron DeSantis cares about is himself, his ego, his personal endeavors and political aspirations. Men like this have no problem washing their hands in blood of both the innocent as well as the guilty. Worst of all, he like so many others have the unmitigated gall to do so in the name of God Almighty. Governor Ron DeSantis openly advertises that he is a devoted Catholic /Christian. DeSantis even went so far as to appoint himself the Sword of God's justice for the state of Florida. What a lot of people don't realizes is that DeSantis made a promise to the leaders of the Catholic church that if they supported his run for governor, in accordance with the laws and beliefs held by the Catholic church, he wouldn't sign death warrant and would not execute capital collateral inmates . What can you say of a man who has no problem lying to God to further his political ambitions. Not only did he brake his word to the church and God, he is now openly prompting the execution of a minimum of one inmate per month, as well as expanding death watch from two holding cells to four holding cells. That begs the question, what does he have in mind for the future of Florida's justice system. DeSantis is a supercilious supporter of president Trump . DeSantis has even attempt to pass a bill in to law that would allow the state to not only prosecute a women who had an abortion in Florida, but in some cases charge the women and Doctor, with a capital collateral crime and seek life in prison without release for both and or the death penalty. Of course , this was early on in his political ambitions, and he didn't really have the power he has now, so the Senate shut him down claiming it would cause to many legal issues that could lead to massive civil actions against the state. But then I digress. A lot of us who were sentenced to death have been on the row for a life time, myself, I'm going on 41years and I'm still appealing my case. Decades in this hell hole will change people. I assure you, the man Michael was isn't there any more. He's older, tired, wiser he has gone out of his way to change and become more then the label they've placed on him. Michel has worked to become a better person, and closer to God , not because he was looking for away off of death row. He did so too better himself as a person and to help other younger inmates walk an easier sentence, to become more then some want - a- bes. He helped educate inmates who couldn't even read or write. He used his knowledge of religion to help young and old alike to learn to become more then just a number. He helped people become human beings rather then animals the state proclaimed them to be. Michael gave of himself unselfishly because he knew that a lot of people who come to death row will go back to court and be resentenced to life or even exonerated. He want to help make people better versions of themselves. He did so knowing that there was little hope for himself. Michael unselfishly committed himself to helping others. Michael is my adopted son, and my friend. A huge person with a huge heart, a person who has shed many a tear for his past life and sins of his youth. If God can forgive him, why can't the state of Florida. There are new case laws handed down by the US Supreme court which are on the books that would allow Michael and others on death row be resentenced to life, but the state of Florida and people like DeSantis don't care about laws or Federal cases handed down to correct unjust laws. People like DeSantis go out of their way to get around these legal rulings, because places like Florida are politically built on a type of justice call " STATE SANCTIONED REVENGE. " The state is notorious for promoting state sanctioned murder. Because of this dark physiological point of view, Florida has been forced to release a huge number of wrongfully convicted person's on death row, and enjoys the high rate of wrongfully convicted and exonerated death row and non death row prisoners in the entire United States. It would seem to me that any Governor would be so alarmed by this he would declare a moratorium and have this problem investigated, but not Florida, they actually take pride in these numbers.The state has even gone so far as to change their justice system which of late no longer allows for exonerated inmates to seek monetary compensation.And if you are lucky enough to get exonerated, they have no problem letting you know that if your smart you better run like hell. This is a state that practices amoral and unconstitutional justice and is quite proud of this. Now they have a good man sitting in a cold stripped down death watch cell he has very little access to anything including mail, there is a guard that sits in front of his cell and watches everything he does, he can't even go to the bathroom with any privacy . God forbid he should cheat them out of exciting him by taking his own life. They will treat him poorly, feed him poorly because he has nothing who is willing to help him. Richard Rhodes, 03/14/2025 (Richard Rhodes also has a website with us, see <<<here>>>) |