US Convict cleared of rape and finds joy in Britain
WHEN barmaid Jessica Stubley brought her new boyfriend
home to meet the family, she had more reason than most to worry.
The man with
close-cropped hair and chiselled features was not only old enough to be her
father but also had a dark past. Nick Yarris had spent more than 21 years
waiting to be executed on America’s notorious Death Row, accused of rape and
murder.
Eventually DNA
evidence proved he had not killed a young mother in 1981 and he was freed in January
2004.
“It’s all
turned out perfectly now but when I first fell in love with Nick I was so
scared to tell my parents it was easier to just run away,” said Jessica.
“Obviously Nick
is innocent but I knew mum and dad would still not want me dating a guy that
much older [he is 50 and she is 22] who’d spent more than my age on death row.
“When they
finally got to know him, they fell in love with him, too. People wonder what on
earth we have in common but we’ve never been happier.
“We just have
fun and it doesn’t really matter about age or past.”
Jessica first
heard of Nick when the landlord of her pub in Spalding, Lincolnshire, gave her
a copy of Nick’s book Seven Days To Live. In it Nick, who was born in
Philadelphia, explains how he went off the rails after being abused as a
youngster.
In 1981, he had
been arrested in a stolen car. There was a scuffle with the police officer and
the officer’s gun went off. Nick was charged with attempted murder.
In a desperate
bid for freedom he pretended to have inside knowledge of the murder of
32-year-old Linda Craig hoping to plea bargain his way out. Instead he was accused
of the crime.
He was tried
and convicted on flimsy evidence and sentenced to death.
Having spent
much of his sentence in solitary, Nick had even begged at one point to be
executed but in 1988 he became the first prisoner in Pennsylvania to demand DNA
testing. It took another 15 years to prove his innocence. Jessica was
enthralled by his sad story and sent him a message of support via his fan
club. She was astonished when Nick, who had moved to Britain, replied
personally and told her he was now divorced and living alone with his dogs.
Jessica said: “I
was sorry to hear that after all he had been through things had gone wrong for
him. It seemed so unfair.”
When Nick sent
his number and Jessica called him she began to fall for him. “He was nearly 30
years older than me and he’d been on Death Row for 22 years. On paper we had
nothing in common but when we started talking we didn’t stop. I had
butterflies in my tummy and I knew what was happening.
“A few weeks
after we started talking Nick visited the bar where I worked.
“I was worried
my boss would know him from the book but thankfully he was not recognised. I
thought Nick was really good looking and the age thing didn’t bother me at all.”
The following
week they shared their first kiss in his car after work. Then eight weeks after
meeting Jessica moved in with Nick and they have been together ever since.
Nick, now a
delivery driver for B&Q, opened up to Jessica about his time in prison. “He
told me the guards sometimes put him on a lead like a dog. I couldn’t believe
that he could be so kind and funny after suffering so much.”
Convincing her
parents of her choice proved difficult.
They agreed to
meet Nick only after the couple got engaged and to Jessica’s delight, after
their initial concerns about the relationship, they now get along very well.
Sitting
cuddling up to the woman he loves, Nick said: “It seems crazy to me how we met
but we’ve shown it’s the real thing. She is an amazing girl and we make each
other happy.
“For me now
thanks to Jess it’s all about the future and not the past.”
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