THE STATE OF TEXAS

COUNTY OF HAYS

AFFIDAVIT 0F ARTHUR SNOW




BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, personally appeared Arthur Snow, who, being

duly sworn upon his oath according to law, said as follows:

1.

My name is Arthur J. Snow, Jr. date of birth is? My address is -
I am over the age of 21 and competent to

make this Af?davit. have personal knowledge of the facts set forth in this Af?davit, and
they are true and correct.

I have been in and out of jails and prisons for much of my life. From about December 2010
until about September 2011, I was an inmate at the Stevenson Unit in Cuero, Texas. At the
time, I was serving time for forgery. My TDCJ number is #01534438.

Prison can be a dangerous, chaotic, and violent place. It is common for inmates to join or
form allegiances with gangs for protection, or to feel like they belong to part of a group.
Often, prison gangs form along racial divides.

I was brought up to be prejudiced against black people. As a kid, I remember my
grandparents using the word ?nigger? to describe black people. They used the term so
casually. As a result of my upbringing, I adopted the same values and beliefs I was taught.
I didn?t know any other way to be, and so when I went to prison, I joined the Aryan
Brotherhood. The Aryan Brotherhood is a whites-only prison gang.

The Aryan Brotherhood has a hierarchical structure. Eventually, I became a respected
member of the gang, and was seen by other inmates as sort-of a leader. As a result, new
white inmates would sometimes approach me for services. For example, inmates could pay
the Aryan Brotherhood to offer them protection from people or groups within the prison.

In about 2010, a white man named Jimmy Fennell (?Jimmy?) approached me at the
Stevenson Unit wanting the protection of the Aryan Brotherhood. Jimmy said he needed
protection from the blacks and Mexicans at the prison. At the time, I didn?t know anything
about Jimmy. All I knew was that I had seen Jimmy around the prison and observed that
he seemed out of his element. So, I cut a deal with Jimmy that he would pay the Aryan
Brotherhood out of his commissary, and in exchange we would keep the blacks and
Mexicans off of him and protect him from violence.

7.

10.

11.

Jimmy and I were never really friends, but we occasionally made conversation. One
conversation stands out very clearly in my mind. Jimmy and I were in the rec yard at the
Stevenson Unit walking around the track and talking. He was talking about his ex-?anc?
with a lot of hatred and resentment. immy said his ?ance had been sleeping around with
a black man behind his back. By the way Jimmy spoke about this experience, I could tell
that it deeply angered him. Toward the end of the conversation immy said con?dently, 
had to kill my nigger-loving fiance.? My impression was that Jimmy felt safe, even proud,
sharing this information with me because I was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood. I
think Jimmy assumed that his confession would impress me and earn him credibility with
the Aryan Brotherhood.

As I recall, people didn?t really bother Jimmy anymore once they knew he was under our
protection. However, one day a new inmate came onto the unit who said he knew Jimmy
from time he spent in Williamson County. I do not recall this man?s name, but the new
inmate said that Jimmy was a former cop who had been convicted of raping a woman in
his custody. I wanted to verify this, so I asked a guard at the prison to look Jimmy up and
tell me who he was and what he was in for. After looking immy up, the guard con?rmed
Jimmy?s history.

After the news Spread around the prison that immy was a cop, and that he was a rapist, the
Aryan Brotherhood couldn?t protect Jimmy anymore. Then, Jimmy accused the Aryan
Brotherhood of extorting him. Because the guards saw me as one of the leaders of the gang,
immy?s accusations landed on me. As a result, I was ultimately moved to the Connally
Unit where they send a lot of gang members.

A few years ago, I was in the Hays County Jail. While there I saw Jimmy?s picture in the
newspaper. His picture was juxtaposed next to a picture of a black man named Rodney
Reed. This was the ?rst time I had heard about Rodney Reed or his case. The article said
that Rodney Reed had been convicted of murdering immy Fennell?s ?ance. That?s when
everything came together for me. I recalled my conversation in the rec yard with Jimmy. I
realized that Rodney Reed was sitting in prison for a murder that immy ennell had
confessed to me that he had committed. I had planned to come forward back then, but never
did. At the time, I still had a heavy gang-mentality and decided that it was none of my
business. On top of it all, I worried that even though Jimmy was a cop, I would be labeled
a snitch.

In the years since I saw that newspaper article, though I was not a young man then, I ?nally
started to grow up. I had grandkids. I started to look at the world differently. I let go of
some of my prejudices. I looked at the situation differently and tried to put myself in
Rodney Reed?s shoes. When I did, it weighed on my conscience. Recently, after having
again landed myself in the Hays County Jail, I saw another newspaper article about immy
Fennel] and Rodney Reed. I knew I couldn?t ignore this memory anymore. I decided that I
had to come forward and tell someone what I knew.

I have read and reviewed this 3-page af?davit. After reading each page, I initialed the bottom of 
each page.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Texas that the foregoing is true

and correct to the best of my knowledge and that this Wit wa ecute on the 10? day of

October, 2019 in San Marcos, Texas. 39%

Arkthur J. Snow Jr. (j 


Sworn to and subscribed before me on the day of October, 2019, by Arthur Snow.

Q??l RHIANNON HAMAM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

?um?
Notary Public. State of Texas
- 3.5 . - 9
Notary Public, State of Texas Comm. 391,95 12 15:21
Notary ID 1304839 
1