Just moments before he was set to be executed, his eight-year-old daughter leaned in and whispered something that froze the guards in place… and within 24 hours, the entire state was brought to a standstill.

At 6:00 a.m., guards unlocked Daniel’s cell. Warden Robert Mitchell watched from a distance. He had overseen many executions, but Daniel never fit the profile in his mind. There was a steadiness to him — not defiance, not hysteria, just a quiet insistence on innocence.

With only hours left, Daniel asked to see his eight-year-old daughter, Emily — the child he hadn’t held in three years. After brief hesitation, the warden approved the visit.