Gary Tyler served over 40 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murdering a 13-year-old boy in 1974. After being on death row twice during his sentence, Tyler was finally released this past spring. Prior to his release, Tyler directed a passion play cast only with prisoners from Angola penitentiary in Louisiana, where he was incarcerated. This experience was made into the documentary Cast the First Stone. In their conversation, Tyler tells Robert Scheer how he and the prisoners cast in the play were forever changed by the experience. Tyler discusses how he maintained hope over the years that he would eventually be released. And, Tyler talks about a group of seasoned inmates who protected him when he went to prison as a teenager and helped him survive.
KCRW
