The Great Read: He Was Supposed to Die in Prison, but the Prosecutor Felt Guilty
Jessie Askew Jr. was sentenced to life without parole for a clumsy armed robbery with an unloaded gun. The man who sent him away was determined to bring him back home.
The New York Times
The Great Read
April 28, 2026, 2:01 p.m. Eastern time

On weekdays and Sundays, we recommend one piece of exceptional writing from The Times — a narrative or essay that takes you someplace you might not expect to go.

A man in an orange prison jumpsuit, his hands shackled, entering a courtroom as a law enforcement officer follows. The man smiles at spectators in the gallery.

Audra Melton for The New York Times

He Was Supposed to Die in Prison, but the Prosecutor Felt Guilty

Jessie Askew Jr. was sentenced to life without parole for a clumsy armed robbery with an unloaded gun. The man who sent him away was determined to bring him back home.

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