London artist battles saves U.S. death row inmate

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) A London portrait painter is fighting to save one of the longest-serving prisoners on death row in the United States but she fears time is running out.

Launching an exhibition of paintings inspired by letters from convicted wife killer Jack Alderman, artist Simone Sandelson said of her campaign to halt his execution in May ''My chances are tiny. But you never know.'' ''I am so convinced he is innocent. When I heard he was going to be executed, I felt it could not go unnoticed.'' Alderman was convicted of killing his wife Barbara in 1974 and had his final appeal denied late last year.

''All they can do is kill me, they cannot break me,'' Alderman wrote from his cell in a Georgia prison.

Sandelson first wrote to him after spotting an advertisement for Human Writes, an organisation that twins death row inmates with correspondents.

''The facts of his case came out very slowly in his letters to me. I have almost 200 of them now.'' Alderman's wife Barbara was found dead in a creek in September 1974. A former colleague of Alderman's, John Arthur Brown, testified that he helped Alderman kill Barbara. Brown committed suicide after serving 12 years for the crime.

Proceeds from Sandelson's show at London's Somerset House -- she has painted 12 paintings inspired by his letters -- will go towards hiring investigators to try and overturn the conviction.

''There is a great deal of missing evidence that was never brought to the trial,'' Sandelson said.

''The paintings have been inspired by the things he has written to me. He is very poetic and spiritual. There is one about this butterfly that came through the razor wire and sat on his hand and warmed his spirit.'' But Sandelson, who has also set up an exoneratejack.org website to further her campaign, insisted this was no transatlantic love affair conducted by post.

''No, not at all,'' she said. ''I really am a very happily married woman with four children. There is nothing remotely romantic about the letters. He is a southerner, incredibly respectful and formal in his style.'' With the clock now ticking towards his execution, Sandelson reflects on how a man she has never met changed her life.

''It has been fantastic as he is such an interesting person. If no one speaks up, he won't be saved. I had to act.'' REUTERS SY KN0844