The Jew


31 May, 2017 by Charles D. Raby

Max Sofar was one of my best friends here on the row; no one could make me laugh like Max! He was a nut…but in a good, goofball way. I’m writing about Max because I recently heard from a wonderful and dear friend of mine, who knew Max was my all-time favorite Jew. I didn’t even know what a Jew was until I met Max…I was pretty stupid when I first came here to Death Row! 

But Max and I got pretty tight at Ellis One Unit; lived next to one another and was in the same recreation group…always playing basketball and handball.  Came pretty close to a couple of fights too! I admit he was a far better handball player than me, and I told him a number of times to stop doing that damn backhand kill-shot on me!  It would hit the wall and fall dead—now how do you defend that? But he kept doing it, so I’d get pissed at him; he’d laugh, and that would piss me off more. But luckily Max was Max.

I told Dianna of Max’s passing due to cancer, so I had him on my mind.  Max is one of the ones I truly believe was innocent. But you can read his case for yourself and make up your own mind. I truly believe the man who killed those young people, went to another state after he left Texas. Committed a very similar murder and ended up on Death Row in another state. But being a killer, he wasn’t about to help Max. So Max died on Death Row, an innocent man. 

I wonder if they are still trying to clear his name? I hope they never stop, but it will be hard. Max was one of the good ones. One I truly miss.  Like I said, he could make me laugh–but he could also piss me off 2 seconds after making me laugh!

Well, he is gone now and at peace. It was hard seeing him like that, so damn weak. I kept seeing the Max that I would chase around the ball court playing basketball ‘prison style’ and banging into one another.  Damn near like half football/half basketball!  He was older than me, but had more energy than me, so seeing him in a wheel chair nodding off due to the drugs they had him on…that was hard.  I miss you Jew.  I know I miss you because I feel it in my chest saying it. 

Rest in peace Max the Jew Sofar.  Your friend…The Heathen. 

Hell since I have friends on my mind, I may as well say something about Todd Willingham. This is another guy I truly believe was/is innocent, but he was executed.  You don’t have to take my word for it, read about him yourselves.  He was another good guy I considered a friend.  I have lost a lot of good friends since I have been here; Donny Miller, Bobby West, and a number of others.  Most were killers, but Max and Todd weren’t. 

But I have known personally, over 400 of the guys who have been murdered by the state of Texas.  Correct me if I am wrong, but when one gets a “cause of death” on their death records and it says “Homicide”.  That’s murder, right?  That’s what our death certificates say; homicide. Murder!  I met Todd at Ellis, we were in the same recreation group. I liked the hell out of old Todd. What a sad ending to a sad story.