Joe was a diligent prosecutor, and he was tireless and adamant about doing what he believed was right for victims and the people he represented. He was involved in the Penry case from the initial crime scene investigation, and he led the prosecution through three capital murder trials, all resulting in death penalty verdicts for Johnny Paul Penry. A lot of people would have given up after 20 years of jury selection, prosecution, appeals, scrutiny and criticism by the world's armchair lawyers -- all for one case. But Joe never gave up, and he did all that in addition to a formidable workload facing his small office.

Whether you liked him or not, agreed with his opinions or not, he had the courage of his convictions. Trinity County and the criminal justice system has lost a strong advocate for the people.

Amen, he'll be sorely missed.... Just goes to show all of us that life is so uncertain... We need to stop and smell the roses and hug our loved ones and tell our friends how much they mean to us on a more regular basis...

A.P., I couldn't agree more with your kind thoughts regarding Joe Price. Words cannot begin to describe the deep sense of loss that I personally feel as a result of Joe's untimely death. I had the honor and privilege of serving as his co-counsel on the Penry case beginning in state habeas proceedings in 1996 and continuing through the 2002 comptency and punishment retrial in Montgomery County, as well as the post-trial matters that are presently underway. I could not have felt more priviliged to have shared counsel table with such a powerful personality and tremendously talented prosecutor. It was inspiring to see him in action in a courtroom.

In the opening segment of our closing argument in Penry, I recognized Joe and his passionate effort in the case by quoting the Texas Ranger Motto: "No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow who's in the right and keeps on a comin'." That saying applied to Joe so well. He was, in a word, "tenacious" in his pursuit of justice and what he believed was right. I know there have been many times that he felt he was fighting an uphill battle in Penry with respect to the Supreme Court and recent legislative attacks on the death penalty. Nonetheless, he never lost sight of his goal of obtaining justice for the memory of the victim, Pamela Moseley Carpenter. Nor did he ever lose the ability to feel empathy for the Moseley and Carpenter families. In fact, he loved them like they were his own family and I'm sure they felt the same way about him. As we continue on with Penry, I will miss him desperately, as will our office.

For those that didn't know him well, Joe was appointed District Attorney of the 258th Judicial District by Gov. Dolph Briscoe on September 1, 1977. The district at that time included Trinity, San Jacinto and Polk counties. He served for 25 years, until the time of his death, and was never opposed in a bid for reelection. His influence extended far beyond the borders of those three couties and the criminal justice system. He was an active member of TDCAA and was currently serving on our board of directors. Over the last two legislative sessions we made many trips to Austin together to testify before legislative committees on matters related to capital punishment and Joe was present in 2001 when Gov. Perry vetoed HB 236 concerning the death penalty and the mentally retarded. His legislative efforts and insight will be missed. He was also dedicated to the betterment of his community and county supporting numerous charities and scholarships.

In short, he was the sort of dynamic personality that touched many, many people in a profoundly positive way. He was a devoted son, father and grandfather and he was greatly respected by many. I feel so blessed and fortunate to have been his friend and I feel very sad and empty because he is gone.