Zane Jack Fields

1958 - 2017

Zane Jack Fields
1958 - 2017
Zane Jack Fields passed away on March 27, 2017, alone, in a 12 by 7 foot prison cell in Boise, Idaho. He lived there in solitary confinement for more than 25 years. All that time, Zane maintained his innocence, ever hopeful of being freed from his conviction and death sentence. Zane never left his cell without being handcuffed, whether for a trip to the shower, a medical check-up, or an hour in the small empty, unheated, recreation cage outside the cellblock. He longed to leave the concrete and steel that surrounded him and touch a soft, green lawn again. He never did.
His attorneys believed in his innocence and fought to exonerate him these many years. His trial lawyers were convinced that an innocent man had been convicted. Zane's federal attorneys believed the same. Twenty years after conviction, at the funeral service for his trial attorney, one speaker stated that Zane's was "the one case" that haunted his lawyer.
Zane loved studying military history, especially World War II and the Civil War. He enjoyed discussing military trivia, drawing military flags and insignias, and studying uniforms of the Union, Confederacy, Allied and Axis powers. Zane also loved tales of westward expansion and memorized every Clint Eastwood movie. His favorite, by far, was "The Good, the Bad and The Ugly." He much preferred the Spaghetti Westerns, but allowed that "Unforgiven" was "pretty good." He enjoyed re-runs of the "Wild, Wild West," and said if his attorneys had investigated like James West and Artemus Gordon, "I would have been proven innocent by now."
Zane had a soft spot for animals and longed for a dog. Through his narrow cell window, he loved to watch the training of rescue dogs in the prison yard. One of his fondest prison memories was holding and petting a dog, once, while being treated for the illness that eventually killed him.
Zane stayed positive and upbeat, despite deteriorating health and countless legal setbacks as he tried to establish his innocence. When calling his legal team, he always asked about family and children. Even when he could barely breathe, he would always ask, "How are the kids?" and remind the listener to "love on them a lot."
Born June 13, 1958 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Zane was 58 when he died. He was the son of Fern Wanda Boam Fields and Jack Keith Fields, both of whom pre-deceased him. He had four half-siblings, and three pre-deceased him, Kevin McKinney, Lane Kendall Ellis and Stephanie Prettybird. Only Douglas Fields, location unknown, may survive him. Zane received support during his long incarceration from his cousin, Laddy Dale of Challis, Idaho, who survives him. The date for a memorial service has not been set.