The Bloody Truth (Pt. 2)

Ted Calvin Cole was born on July 27, 1956 to an alcoholic mother, Nancy, and a father, Charles, who was enlisted in the Air Force. His childhood was a tough one, with his father eventually finding himself in prison after attempting to rob a liquor store. His mother took him, his younger brother, Keith, and baby sister, Kathy, to live with her parents after his father left the family completely when Ted was just five years old. His grandparents lived in Sunray Village, just south of Duncan, Oklahoma. Because the home was in the middle of the oil fields and eight miles out of town, there were no bus routes to take Ted to school. His grandparents refused to allow Nancy to use their car to take him to school. Instead of going to kindergarten with the rest of the children his age, Ted was taken to a children's home at the tender age of five. Left to fend for himself and raised for the next five years in a stifling, affectionless environment, Ted developed his view of the world. of. Nancy visited him a total of twice during that time, and Charles never showed. Ted eventually rejoined his mother with her new husband, Paul, and baby sister, Kathy, when he was 10. A stepbrother, Michael, would join the family 22 years later.

In 1973, at the age of just 16, Ted began the first sentence of what would turn out to be a life spent in prison for killing his "best friend." Ted shot Gary Don Dedecker in the throat, killing him. Ted then stole Don's car, but not before he buried him in a field south of San Angelo State University. He was quickly convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Ted was paroled after five years and six months. He was released on parole for killing Gary in 1978.

In Dallas, Texas, just three years after his release from prison, Ted was back inside a courtroom. This time the charge was aggravated sexual battery of two children. Cole was convicted and sentenced to two 15-year periods of incarceration, to run concurrently. He again served just five years and six months before his release in June 1987.

Six short months after his second release from prison, Ted had taken residence in an abandoned motel with stepbrother Michael and Michael's wife, Kelly. Sitting around and talking one night, Ted mentioned to Michael and Kelly that he would kill someone for some money. The trio agreed it would be a good idea and set about to pick a victim. It was decided that the victim would be Raymond Richardson. Raymond was 66 years old, disabled, and very near blind. The trio agreed that he would make the perfect target. The fact that Richardson was Kelly's grandfather made him easily accessible. Two days later, on December 13, 1987, Ted, Michael, and Kelly made their way to the home of Raymond Richardson where they spent several hours with him in the living room of his home. As the evening progressed, the four of them migrated to the kitchen for a little while longer. As they left the kitchen to return to the living room, Ted saw his opportunity and pushed Raymond to the ground. Once Ted was seated on Raymond's back, he took the nylon dog leash that he and Michael brought with them for just that purpose, and wrapped it around the throat of the old man. Once dead, the murderous trio stuffed Raymond Richardson under his bed and set out to search his house for valuables. Michael found 20 dollars in the old man's wallet and immediately gave it to Ted, who went to the grocery store and purchased beer and bacon for the trio. The next morning, Kelly and Michael turned themselves in at the local police station and gave statements as to what happened and their roles in the murder. Police found Ted sleeping at the home of Raymond Richardson and placed him under arrest. Investigators took a statement from Ted, wherein he stated they had decided to strangle Richardson because "it was quieter than shooting him, and not as messy as cutting his throat, and it just seemed like the easiest way to do it."

Ted was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Michael, 19 years of age, and Kelly, age 18, were sentenced to 60 and 40 years, respectively, after turning over evidence and testifying against Ted at trial.

Immediately after sentencing, Ted Calvin Cole began his appeals process and filed post-conviction relief that was immediately denied. Several more appeals followed, all denied, and then came the appeal that would shake the Texas Department of Corrections to its very foundation, with the aftershocks still being felt these many years later. He filed, through a few different organizations, the habeas corpus, alleging ineffective counsel, destructive family background, and organic neurological defect (lack of impulse control) as all constitutionally relevant to the outcome of his case and should have been considered. The Supreme Court agreed. In a five to four decision, Cole and two other death row inmates had their death sentences converted to life in the Texas Department of Corrections. During the fight for his appeals, Ted seemed to be aligned, spiritually, with whatever group was benefitting him at the time. The wait saw Ted through religions such as Catholic and Buddhist, before settling on his current professed religion, Islam. With the new religion came a new name. Jalil Abdul-Kabir, formerly known as Ted, will continue to serve the remainder of his natural life behind bars in the Stiles unit in Beaumont, Texas.