Jermnine Demouchette: Using Family History of Crime and Tragedy to Offer Hope and Advice by Cyrus A. Webb
(NOTE: Jermnine Demouchette appeared as a guest on Conversations LIVE! Radio on Wednesday, September 16, 2009. You can hear the exclusive interview here: http://tobtr.com/s/699262 .) 
Jermnine Demouchette is a man who understands what it means to appreciate every day of his life. The 34 year old Houston, Texas resident spends much of his time today with his family and marketing his book JAMES DEMOUCHETTE VS. THE STATE OF TEXAS. Though he appreciates each day and looks forward to a promising future, he understands that this is a luxury that many in his family have not had the privilege to do.
His book is a perfect example of that. It chronicles the life of his brother, James Demouchette, and the life that he lived which resulted in his being convicted of murder and executed in 1992.
“I grew up in Houston, TX,” Jermnine says, “but there wasn’t a lot of violence around me at that time.” Being the baby of 14 children, though, he saw several members of his family fall victim to crime throughout his life. “I know my daddy used to drink, and when he did he could be abusive to the kids,” says Demouchette. “He also used to lash out at animals and abuse them as well. My oldest brother was a pimp years ago. He is now a family man who has learned from the mistakes and decisions of his past. Another brother was convicted of bank robbery in 1982. He is scheduled to be released in Oct. 2009. My oldest sister’s son (my nephew) has been sentenced to 50 years in jail for murder, and I have another brother that has a life sentence, too.”
Jermnine’s father passed away in 1983. His momma remarried in 1985.
When it comes to his brother James Demouchette, Jermnine seems at a loss as to how to explain the man he became. “I’m not sure why James turned out the way he did,” he says. “I do know that he got his first gun when he was seven years old, and it seemed as though he always had one after that. James’ life was a revolving door in and out of prison. Before the murders in 1976 that eventually were the cause of his being executed, he had gone to jail in 1970 for burglary and was out on parole in 1974.”
Unlike the reform that it offers many, James’ crime spree continued even behind bars. He was cited many times for fights and even committed rapes and murders while in prison. Taking on the name Doom, the young man was described in turn by prison officials as the meanest man on death row.
Jermnine said that in conversations with her son his Momma found out more about how James felt about his life while locked up. “When he returned to prison and was sentenced to die,” he says, “James told Ma that he had been raped. Explaining why he was abusing other inmates he told her ‘It’s either going to be them or me.’ Later he would say that the things he was doing was ‘not something I wanted to do but had to do.’” Jermnine pauses and then adds: “He also told ma that he felt as though he was Satan’s child.” She last saw her son James in 1988.
James Demouchette was executed on September 23, 1992 after the United States Supreme Court twice declined to intervene. The 37-year-old inmate had no final statement, but his lawyers had argued that psychological tests describing him as a sociopath should have been introduced at his trial.
His life of crime included stabbing a fellow prisoner to death and wounding three guards during his 15 years on death row. The loss of Jermnine's brother was compounded by the death of his mother just three weeks later after a long fight with cancer.
To date 20,000 copies of JAMES DEMOUCHETTE VS. THE STATE OF TEXAS have been sold online, in select bookstores and through person-to-person marketing. It is getting the attention of people in the streets, those in the public eye like international rapper Slim Thug (seen here) as well as individuals all over the country.
Why did Jermnine decide to write the book and release it now? “I was inspired by C-Murder’s book DEATH AROUND THE CORNER when it came out in 2006,” he says. “Cee wrote about things I could relate to, and I knew that if he could use his experiences to write something that powerful then so could I. In 2007 I got over 700 Disciplinary Records about my brother from the Attorney General, and after reading through them I knew that this was something I had to share with the world. I wanted them to see exactly how things can happen.”
In sharing the rocky background of his family, Jermnine Demouchette is not afraid to share details about his own life in the process. “I’m not perfect. Though I never killed anyone, I got into trouble and was locked up in 2005 for theft and credit card abuse and served nine months. That taught me a lot. I didn’t want to turn out like my brother. I don’t care how hard you are, how gangsta you are or how much of a man you think you are, jail is a place that no one wants to be. I am hoping to use my story to help influence kids in a positive way. A life of crime is not fun and games. That is not a life that anyone should want, or that I would want for anyone.”
To find out more about Jermnine Demouchette visit
http://www.myspace.com/jamesdemouchette. To schedule the authors for interviews or events, contact Cyrus A. Webb either at cawebb4@juno.com or 601.896.5616.
