On February 16, 2012, I was awoke startled by a lot of commotion. As I rose, I quickly learned that my brother’s one-year-old BoBo was not moving in the bedroom, and my family was panicking -- calling 911 non-stop without much help. An ambulance arrived more than 25 minutes later, but it was too late.

Not only did we lose my nephew that day, we lost my 27-year-old brother Rodricus, who now sits in a state penitentiary cell on a death sentence for a crime he did not commit. He is one of the youngest people on death row in our home state of Louisiana after being convicted by a district attorney known to be dismissive of racism yet quick to punish people like my brother with death penalties.

It’s been four-plus years, but the one thing remains clear to me, medical professionals and legal experts is that a significant injustice has taken place.

My brother is not guilty of killing his son. What Rodricus is guilty of is being poor and black in one of the most racist places in the country according to recent research. You see here in Caddo Parish, the judicial system has sentenced more people to death than any other place in the US in recent years. My innocent brother is next in line.

The promising news is that a new district attorney has taken office and new medical evidence has recently come forward. I need your help to make sure that I don’t soon lose another loved one soon. Please plead Caddo Parish District Attorney James Stewart to free Rodricus from prison before it’s too late.

In addition to abject stereotypes, we know that Rodricus was convicted on inconsistent evidence. The prosecutor’s case for conviction and death rested on two unsupported pieces of evidence: brain swelling and a busted lip. It was known that BoBo had suffered from a fall after slipping on the bathroom floor the day before his death. He was also suffering from pneumonia, though we did not know that at the time.

New medical evidence proves that the brain swelling was inconsistent with smothering. Forensic pathologists tell us that my little nephew suffered from septic shock -- which can happen quickly and without warning -- caused by what is known as bronchopneumonia, a leading killer of small children. The prosecutor’s conviction was based on the testimony of a pathologist whose medical examination findings were faulty and incomplete.

My brother lives with the pain of the loss of his son BoBo every day -- an innocent man should not be further punished with death. District Attorney Stewart has the power to end this nightmare for our family and seek true justice for Rodricus. Please help us!