Hello, my name is Jeff Motts and I’d like to share a few things with you. Some of the things I’m going to share are very difficult for me to admit but I feel like it’s necessary in order for you to truly understand my story.
I am writing this from my tiny cell on South Carolina’s death row. In three weeks I will be executed. Now let me tell you how I got to this point.
First let me start by telling you about my childhood. I was a good kid with a huge heart. I made real good grades in school and I always respected my elders. I gave my life to God at a young age and attended church weekly up until my teenage years.
Around the age of 13 I experimented with marijuana. I became addicted to it and I eventually quit going to church, and started skipping school so I could go smoke marijuana. I turned my back on my true friends, and on God.
By the age of 15 I was searching for something a little stronger than marijuana, so I tried crack cocaine. I became instantly addicted. It wasn’t long until I started stealing from family members to support my habit. The addiction has such a strong hold on me that all I cared about was getting that next fix. I dropped out of school and started isolating myself from everyone except those who could help me get more drugs.
I progressed to breaking into homes and other crimes to support my habit. By the age of 18, I had been to jail 7 or 8 times. Many people warned me about the direction my life was heading, but I felt like I had it under control and that nothing bad would happen to me.
One night in March of 1995 I was high and in search of money or something I could trade for drugs. I knew my great Aunt and Uncle kept a pistol, so I thought I could get it and trade it for drugs. They could tell I was high and didn’t want to give me the pistol. There was a struggle, and I ended up shooting 2 people I really loved.
I was sentenced to 2 life sentences for their murders. In 2005, while serving my time, I got in a fight with the guy in the cell with me. During the fight a bone in his throat was crushed and he died. For that I was sentenced to death.
Now I live my life in a very small cell. I’m told what time to get up, what time to go to bed, and what time to eat. I can’t stand in the grass, or look at the sky without looking through fences and bars. I’ll never get to pet a dog or cat again. Pacing back and forth in a small cell all day isn’t a life you would want to live, but if you take the path of drugs, it’s a life you can count on.
Remember I told you earlier that I turned my back on God? Well, He didn’t turn His back on me. I’ve completely surrendered my life to God. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, I will be in Heaven in 3 weeks.
Jesus is the only way! Keep your eyes on Him.
During the years of my addiction I had many people warning me of the path I was heading down, but I chose not to listen. I am now learning the hard way. I am haunted almost daily by the terrible things I’ve done. I never thought this would happen to me.
I pray this story has touched your life. If you have friends that you see are heading down the wrong path, please share this story with them, tell them about God and how much He loves them, and pray for them.
May God bless each one of you.
Proverbs 3:5,6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
Love in Christ, Jeff Motts
Jeffrey Brian Motts had a 6:01pm appointment with God on Friday, May 6, 2011. He was executed in the state of South Carolina for the crime of murder.
He is now in Heaven and finally free. His chains are gone!