JAMES ROBERTSON (“Chicken Head”) | Guilty by Choice: The Unusual Case of James Robertson | Convicted for the murder of his cellmate, Frank Hart | Autographed Letter, Signed

James Robertson. Autographed Letter, Signed. Handwritten, Commercial #10 (4.125 × 9.5 envelope). Raiford, FL. Pmk: April 29, 2024. Content unknown. SEALED.

James Robertson, a long-term prisoner, was sentenced to death in 2012 for murdering his cellmate while already in Florida jail for a string of robberies and assaults. The 54-year-old has yet to be executed, and is now appearing on the documentary series I Am A Killer, where he talks candidly about his fight to earn the death penalty.

Robertson, also known as death row prisoner #322534, has been behind bars for 37 years already, serving a sentence of over 100 years. He was found guilty of his first major crime at just 17 when he was caught trying to rob a local shop to fund his cannabis habit. He was arrested and given 10 years in jail for burglary, aggravated assault, and his attempt to resist arrest.

While he was inside Charlotte County prison, Robertson earned a greater reputation for violence, smuggling a knife into his cell and using it remorselessly in his many arguments with other inmates. He added years to his sentence with every stabbing, riot, and assault he carried out behind bars, ending up facing a century in prison. He was also transferred to "close management" – solitary confinement – where the most dangerous inmates are cooped up on their own for 23 hours a day, separated from the general population with fewer privileges and no company.

When he asked to be transferred back to the general population, Robertson's enormous rap sheet was held against him. He decided that the prospect of a life in solitary confinement was too much for Robertson to bear, and he decided he'd rather be dead. In 2008, he wanted a permanent change of scenery, and in 2008, he moved into a shared cell with Frank Hart, a middle-aged man jailed for committing lewd acts in the presence of a child.

In 2009, Robertson was charged with Hart's murder, but the death penalty wasn't on the table as a punishment and his attorney refused to ask for it. Outraged, the killer hired a new lawyer and demanded execution, starting a landmark, three-year legal battle which ended with him being sentenced to death in 2012.

In the years since Robertson was first jailed, grey hairs have started knotting in his beard, and deep lines have appeared beneath his eyes. He told his lawyers that he was so set on dying sooner rather than later because of this – he's getting on now and he doesn't want to grow old in prison.

A prison nurse also explains in the show that death row is widely considered to be cushier than close management, where Robertson had spent the past few miserable years. For a lonely, sun-starved man with no entertainment or company, the appeal of a ward with better food, TVs, and a greater sense of camaraderie was obvious.

James Robertson is not angry or bitter, but he accepts full responsibility for the way his life turned out. He's ready to go, but there's a long list on death row, so he doesn't know how long he'll be waiting.

VIDEO: Begging for Death Row: James Robertson | World’s Most Evil Prisoners | https://youtu.be/5799KloSD58

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