“Myself” – A novel
Duis ornare risus urna neque quis lupus metus molestie curabitur eu risus nulla ante in platea justo
“Valley hills” – Mystery
Duis ornare risus urna neque quis lupus metus molestie curabitur eu risus nulla ante in platea justo
“Honey” – A short story
Duis ornare risus urna neque quis lupus metus molestie curabitur eu risus nulla ante in platea justo
The Beginning
It was July of 2016 when I received my first letter from Siaosi. It was enthusiastic and written on bright yellow paper. I think he would be happy for me to share it with you: Thur
Istarted writing to Siaosi Vanisi in 2016 through a charity called Human Writes. He had been charged with first-degree murder, car theft, and two store robberies in 1998, for which he had received a death sentence in 1999. Since then, he had been incarcerated in Ely State Prison, Nevada, with no planned date of execution.
I continued to write to Siaosi until he died as a result of ill health in 2023, during which time I learned about him, his life in prison, and his appeal against execution on the grounds of severe mental ill health. Two separate mental health professionals had diagnosed him with Schizoaffective Disorder, a condition that can significantly impair emotional, behavioural, and cognitive control. If he had won, it’s likely that this would have had a positive impact on convicts in a similar situation, but the case was dismissed as moot after his death.
Siaosi enjoyed sharing his writing with me and expressed a desire for it to one day be published. My goal with this project is to allow his voice, a voice that was rarely heard in the last 25 years of his life, to reach new ears, and to raise awareness of the case he was fighting. Ultimately, my goal is to write a book that blends his letters with my research to investigate the impact and purpose of the death sentence.
On this site, I’ll be exploring my relationship with Siaosi and the insights he gave me into his life both before and after his sentence, as well as providing a platform for some of his own words and creating work that will later inform the book.
No one will ever condone what Siaosi did to, as he put it, “catch his case,” including Siaosi himself. He was, however, a complex human being, capable of growth and learning, and deserving of proper treatment for both his mental and physical health. I wish no disrespect to the family of George Sullivan, the man Siaosi killed in 1998, and I extend my sympathy and well wishes to his family. This project is about human rights and the human behind the prisoner number.
