Women Gain When Men Wrongly Accused of Rape Are Freed
Run Date: 07/27/06
By Maddy deLone
WeNews commentator
The Innocence Project often opens the prison gates for men falsely accused of sex assault. Its staff is often asked whether its work serves the interests of rape survivors and women generally. Commentator Maddy deLone says the answers are yes and yes.
Editor's Note: The following is a commentary. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily the views of Women's eNews.
(WOMENSENEWS)--Earlier this month, Alan Newton walked out of a Bronx courtroom a free man. Twenty-two years after he was convicted for a brutal rape that he didn't commit, he was finally exonerated. For the first time since 1984, he decided what he would wear and what he would do.
One of the first things he did was approach several dozen reporters to talk about the rape survivor who mistakenly identified him as the perpetrator, leading to his conviction. Before addressing his own wrongful conviction and his new freedom, he said his thoughts were with the rape survivor. His voice chocked with emotion, he expressed compassion and sympathy for her.
To date, 182 people nationwide have been exonerated with DNA testing. The Innocence Project represented many of them, just as we represented Alan Newton. Because we only take cases where DNA can yield conclusive proof of innocence, many of our clients are men who were wrongly convicted of sexual assault. Ninety percent of the 182 exonerations involved sexual assault (sometimes in combination with murder and other crimes). While the criminal justice system began using DNA testing two decades ago to help identify the guilty and exonerate the innocent, it has become more prevalent and more sophisticated in recent years.
Since our clients are primarily men convicted of heinous crimes against women, some people wonder whether our work serves the interests of rape survivors and women generally. I strongly believe that it does in very specific, individual ways, and also more broadly and profoundly.
When No Justice Is Served
When the wrong man is convicted of assaulting a woman, nobody sees justice. The true perpetrator can remain at large, unpunished for a horrible crime and able to rape again. In one-third of the 182 DNA exonerations, we haven't just proved someone's innocence; the DNA has been used to help identify the true perpetrator.
As Alan Newton recognized earlier this month, wrongful convictions--once they're finally overturned--reopen crime victims' wounds and prevent them from moving forward, often decades after a crime. Once DNA proves that the wrong man was convicted, rape survivors are often brought right back to the night of the crime. Many are left questioning how they identified the wrong man, and wondering whether they will have to endure another trial, years later. The pain survivors experience at such times could be avoided if wrongful convictions were prevented in the first place.
Beyond the substantial consequences for the wrongly accused and individual rape survivors, wrongful convictions concern many of us because people of color and poor people are disproportionately targeted by our criminal justice system. That's troubling enough, but when it's done in the name of protecting the public and punishing violence against women, we cannot stand by.
More Men of Color Convicted
Among the 182 exoneration cases, where the race of wrongly convicted people is known, nearly 75 percent are men of color. No two cases are alike, but in many of them, police focused on an African American man immediately and ignored information that might have led to other suspects. In some of them, police coerced confessions, prosecutors concealed evidence and defense attorneys for poor defendants failed to challenge faulty evidence and law enforcement tactics.
The leading cause of wrongful convictions--playing a factor in about 75 percent of the exoneration cases--is eyewitness misidentification. The day after Alan Newton was exonerated in the Bronx, a member of a "men's advocacy" group called our office. He wasn't calling to help Newton find a job or offering other support to him, as many others have. He wanted to know why the Innocence Project doesn't pursue perjury charges against rape survivors who identify the wrong man.
Aside from the patently offensive notion of putting rape survivors on trial, the truth is that eyewitness misidentification is often the result of flawed law enforcement techniques that lead crime victims to identify a suspect who police already presume is guilty. The Innocence Project pursues policy reforms to improve identification techniques nationwide so crime victims aren't led to misidentify innocent people. These include specific changes to police lineup procedures, which have already been adopted by a number of cities, states and counties.
Women Who Help Our Work
A number of rape survivors and crime victims work with the Innocence Project to remedy the deeply embedded problems in our criminal justice system that cause wrongful convictions in the first place. They are all incredibly strong, powerful and amazing women. A particularly inspiring partner in our work is Christy Sheppard of Oklahoma.
Her cousin, Debra Sue Carter, was brutally raped and murdered in 1982. Six years later, Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson were convicted; Fritz was sentenced to life in prison, while Williamson received the death penalty and came within five days of being executed. In 1999, both men were exonerated with DNA testing, which indicated that the state's main witness against them was actually the perpetrator.
In the years since, Christy Sheppard has pressed for state legislation to create an Innocence Commission that would study wrongful convictions in the state and identify steps to avoid future wrongful convictions. She says this advocacy is her way of fighting for real justice for her cousin, and for countless other women.
In very different ways, Christy Sheppard and Alan Newton remind us why working to free the wrongly convicted and prevent wrongful convictions is critical for everyone involved. They show us not just what's at stake, but that all of us can--and must--do our part to correct injustice.
Let me preface this by saying that I have an enormous amount of respect for the efforts of The Innocence Project. Those involved devote their time to freeing individuals who have been wrongly convicted and it is through their efforts that many men who have been falsely accused of rape and other crimes have been freed.
For this, I applaud them.
That said....the premise of this article is to convince people that it is beneficial to women if innocent men who are wrongly convicted of rape are freed from jail.
WHO CARES?
What bearing should it have upon the righting of a heinous wrong if it serves the interests of women? It is done because it is right; it is done because anything less should be unthinkable.
Unquestionably, we all benefit and the greater good is served when right and justice prevail but even if this were not the case; even if it could be indisputably proven that women were negatively effected by innocent men being released from jail....WHO CARES?
It's a telling commentary that this issue is even addressed....that even for one minute, when discussing the wrongful imprisonment of innocent men, there should be a need to expound upon it's mutual benefits to women.
Is this how we now define justice? Is right now determined by whether or not something benefits women? Do we need to convince the masses that something will ultimately serve the best interest of women in order for it to be deemed worthy of action?
An innocent man should not have to sit one day behind bars. An innocent man should not have to have his life destroyed for something he never did. An innocent man should be set free from jail because he is innocent. Whether or not such an action is beneficial to women is immaterial. It is an offense to justice, truth and right that this question was ever asked. Above all, it is an offense to the innocent men whose lives have been wasted behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit.
From A Great Blog - Equal but Different: It's Only Right When It Benefits Women
Showing posts with label Innocence Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Innocence Project. Show all posts
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
JOHN GRISHAM AND DENNIS FRITZ TEAM UP IN THE NAME OF INNOCENCE
On March 22, 2009, John Grisham and Dennis Fritz ( who is one of the two innocent men featured in Mr. Grisham’s first non-fiction book, The Innocent Man ) met in St. Louis at the legendary Renaissance Hotel, and brought the house down of around 500 people in the name of Innocence. The fundraiser was hosted by the Midwestern Innocence Project from Kansas City, Missouri. It’s Director, Tiffany Murphy, and Co-Director, Jay Swearingen, were among the excited crowd, who packed the spacious ballroom in anticipation of meeting John Grisham—the world’s greatest legal-thriller writer and advocate for justice.
The evening’s event started off with a bang, as Jay Swearingen introduced the Midwestern Innocence Project, and its related goals and objectives of freeing innocent men— from the tortures of being falsely convicted. Daryl Burton and Josh Kezer, who were recently released from long terms in prison, ( 24 and 16 years respectively ), were among the honored, exonerated people attending the featured fundraiser. Also included was Ellen Reasonover— who had spent 16 wrongful years for a murder she knew nothing about—who now resides in St. Louis, and, Johnny Briscoe, who had spent 24 years for a bogus rape charge he knew nothing about.
Master of Ceremonies, Ida Goodwin Woolfolk, started the evening’s event off by introducing Dennis Fritz, author of Journey Toward Justice—the co-companion book to John Grisham’s, The Innocent Man. Dennis took the podium and began to tell a shortened version of the terrible nightmare he had went through—of spending 12 years in prison after having been falsely convicted of 1st Degree Capital Murder. The crowd became very silent as Dennis spoke of the tremendous hurdles and obstacles he and his family had to overcome.
Dennis then blended his very painful circumstances to begin his introduction of John Grisham, and how his writing of The Innocent Man, has had a tremendous, positive impact upon our justice system. As Dennis shared his story of how he had met John, and worked with him during his writing of The Innocent Man, one could feel a stirring in the crowd—that was filled with anticipation and eagerness— to see and hear Mr. Grisham speak. Since John and Dennis had done several fundraisers before, it was easy to sense the already-developed friendship between the two.
Upon being introduced, the crowd roared with delight and exhilaration as John walked up to the podium. After Dennis and John hugged while passing the microphone, Dennis was called back to the podium and a celebration cake was brought out in his honor for his 10th year of freedom. A thunderous round of ovation filled the ballroom as Dennis finished blowing out the candles. What a wonderful touch for a perfect evening. As always, John displayed his eloquent demeanor and speaking ability, as he began describing, in detail, his writing of The Innocent Man. The crowd was entranced from the very beginning, as John conveyed to the audience how he had first gotten the idea, to write his first non-fiction book—after having read an obituary in New York City about the death of Ronnie Williamson.
As John continued to speak about his overall experiences in writing, The Innocent Man (and the reasons why), the crowd drifted into a noticeable, relaxed state due to John’s easy-going and down-to-earth manner. The audience’s pedestal perceptions had now faded. Now, the greatest legal-thriller writer in the world—whom everyone idolized—had also become in everyone’s mind and spirit, a real-to life person who shoots straight from the hip, without any pretense, whatsoever!
More than anything else, everyone in the audience became aware of what John was really all about:
He not only was able to talk the talk, but also, there was no doubt that he could walk the walk— by being a true, blue advocate of overall, by-the-book justice.
Next, the special awards ceremony began by commemorating the following attorney’s:
Cheryl Pilate, who was responsible for the exoneration for Ellen Reasonover and Darryl Burton ( in conjunction with The Centurion Ministries-Jim McCloskey ), Shawn O’brian, who pulled Joe Amrine out of prison after having served 25 years, and Attorney Charlie Weiss, who was directly responsible for helping to exonerate Josh Keezer.
Chris Koster, Missouri’s 41st elected Attorney General, then took the stage and acted as the auctioneer for the evening’s event. What a smashing success! An entire collection of Grisham’s originally-printed books, were sold to the highest bidder for a substantial sum of money.
Also, Steve Stolze who owned a condo in Hawaii, allowed it to be auctioned off for a substantial amount of money. Next, a dinner for six (6) with Robin Carnahan—Missouri’s Secretary of State—was sold to the highest bidder.
All of this auction money went to the Midwestern Innocence Project for their costly work of freeing wrongfully-convicted people. .
The finale of the evening’s event was an announced invitation for the 5 falsely convicted people ( including, Dennis Fritz ) to come to the stage— carrying a piece of paper with their prison numbers written on it— and after giving a brief, verbal description of what they had been charged with, and how much time they had wrongfully spent in prison, they raised their arms and ripped their prison numbers into. The crowd clapped loudly as each inmate delivered his ceremonial announcement of freedom. Wow!
What a powerful evening it was—for the cause of justice and freedom!
CLICK HERE for great photos of the event
The evening’s event started off with a bang, as Jay Swearingen introduced the Midwestern Innocence Project, and its related goals and objectives of freeing innocent men— from the tortures of being falsely convicted. Daryl Burton and Josh Kezer, who were recently released from long terms in prison, ( 24 and 16 years respectively ), were among the honored, exonerated people attending the featured fundraiser. Also included was Ellen Reasonover— who had spent 16 wrongful years for a murder she knew nothing about—who now resides in St. Louis, and, Johnny Briscoe, who had spent 24 years for a bogus rape charge he knew nothing about.
Master of Ceremonies, Ida Goodwin Woolfolk, started the evening’s event off by introducing Dennis Fritz, author of Journey Toward Justice—the co-companion book to John Grisham’s, The Innocent Man. Dennis took the podium and began to tell a shortened version of the terrible nightmare he had went through—of spending 12 years in prison after having been falsely convicted of 1st Degree Capital Murder. The crowd became very silent as Dennis spoke of the tremendous hurdles and obstacles he and his family had to overcome.
Dennis then blended his very painful circumstances to begin his introduction of John Grisham, and how his writing of The Innocent Man, has had a tremendous, positive impact upon our justice system. As Dennis shared his story of how he had met John, and worked with him during his writing of The Innocent Man, one could feel a stirring in the crowd—that was filled with anticipation and eagerness— to see and hear Mr. Grisham speak. Since John and Dennis had done several fundraisers before, it was easy to sense the already-developed friendship between the two.
Upon being introduced, the crowd roared with delight and exhilaration as John walked up to the podium. After Dennis and John hugged while passing the microphone, Dennis was called back to the podium and a celebration cake was brought out in his honor for his 10th year of freedom. A thunderous round of ovation filled the ballroom as Dennis finished blowing out the candles. What a wonderful touch for a perfect evening. As always, John displayed his eloquent demeanor and speaking ability, as he began describing, in detail, his writing of The Innocent Man. The crowd was entranced from the very beginning, as John conveyed to the audience how he had first gotten the idea, to write his first non-fiction book—after having read an obituary in New York City about the death of Ronnie Williamson.
As John continued to speak about his overall experiences in writing, The Innocent Man (and the reasons why), the crowd drifted into a noticeable, relaxed state due to John’s easy-going and down-to-earth manner. The audience’s pedestal perceptions had now faded. Now, the greatest legal-thriller writer in the world—whom everyone idolized—had also become in everyone’s mind and spirit, a real-to life person who shoots straight from the hip, without any pretense, whatsoever!
More than anything else, everyone in the audience became aware of what John was really all about:
He not only was able to talk the talk, but also, there was no doubt that he could walk the walk— by being a true, blue advocate of overall, by-the-book justice.
Next, the special awards ceremony began by commemorating the following attorney’s:
Cheryl Pilate, who was responsible for the exoneration for Ellen Reasonover and Darryl Burton ( in conjunction with The Centurion Ministries-Jim McCloskey ), Shawn O’brian, who pulled Joe Amrine out of prison after having served 25 years, and Attorney Charlie Weiss, who was directly responsible for helping to exonerate Josh Keezer.
Chris Koster, Missouri’s 41st elected Attorney General, then took the stage and acted as the auctioneer for the evening’s event. What a smashing success! An entire collection of Grisham’s originally-printed books, were sold to the highest bidder for a substantial sum of money.
Also, Steve Stolze who owned a condo in Hawaii, allowed it to be auctioned off for a substantial amount of money. Next, a dinner for six (6) with Robin Carnahan—Missouri’s Secretary of State—was sold to the highest bidder.
All of this auction money went to the Midwestern Innocence Project for their costly work of freeing wrongfully-convicted people. .
The finale of the evening’s event was an announced invitation for the 5 falsely convicted people ( including, Dennis Fritz ) to come to the stage— carrying a piece of paper with their prison numbers written on it— and after giving a brief, verbal description of what they had been charged with, and how much time they had wrongfully spent in prison, they raised their arms and ripped their prison numbers into. The crowd clapped loudly as each inmate delivered his ceremonial announcement of freedom. Wow!
What a powerful evening it was—for the cause of justice and freedom!
CLICK HERE for great photos of the event
Sunday, April 26, 2009
DENNIS FRITZ RON WILLIAMSON STORY WITH PHOTO
It took more than 11 years for Kansas City’s Dennis Fritz to be proven innocent of a murder he didn’t commit and released from an Oklahoma prison.
Dennis Fritz (left) and Ron Williamson upon their release from an Oklahoma prison in 1999.
Dennis Fritz author of "Journey Toward Justice"Dennis Fritz (left) and Ron Williamson upon their release from an Oklahoma prison in 1999.
It took three more years and the help of Kansas City attorney and MIP Board member Cheryl Pilate to obtain the compensation which Fritz and fellow exoneree Ron Williamson deserved for their wrongful convictions and years of incarceration. Fritz and Williamson were arrested, tried and convicted in the sexual assault and murder of 21-year old Debra Sue Carter, who was found strangled in December 1982 in Ada, Oklahoma.
In 1988, Fritz and Williamson were convicted in separate trials based partially on microscopic hair comparisons, done as part of a scientific testing method which has since been largely discredited. Fritz and Williamson were also convicted based on testimony of witness Glen Gore, an informant who was later proved through DNA testing to be the real killer. Gore has since been convicted of the rape and murder of Carter.
In 1988, Fritz and Williamson were convicted in separate trials based partially on microscopic hair comparisons, done as part of a scientific testing method which has since been largely discredited. Fritz and Williamson were also convicted based on testimony of witness Glen Gore, an informant who was later proved through DNA testing to be the real killer. Gore has since been convicted of the rape and murder of Carter.
Fritz received a sentence of life in prison, while Williamson was given the death penalty.
At one point, Williamson came within five days of execution before a court intervened.
If not for DNA evidence saved from the scene and later tested, Fritz might still be incarcerated for the rape and murder. Both he and Williamson were exonerated and released from an Oklahoma prison in 1999 based on the results of DNA testing. Fritz was incarcerated from 1988 to 1999, during a large part of his daughter’s childhood — time he can never get back. “That makes his story even more tragic,” said Pilate, who helped Fritz seek financial compensation for his wrongful incarceration.
“Dennis not only had to live through the horror of prison, but he also missed out on watching his daughter grow up.”
If not for DNA evidence saved from the scene and later tested, Fritz might still be incarcerated for the rape and murder. Both he and Williamson were exonerated and released from an Oklahoma prison in 1999 based on the results of DNA testing. Fritz was incarcerated from 1988 to 1999, during a large part of his daughter’s childhood — time he can never get back. “That makes his story even more tragic,” said Pilate, who helped Fritz seek financial compensation for his wrongful incarceration.
“Dennis not only had to live through the horror of prison, but he also missed out on watching his daughter grow up.”
For his part, Fritz is philosophical about his time in prison and the subsequent legal fight to gain his freedom and compensation. The publicity generated by the case helped focus attention on the wrongful incarceration issue.
“It made me feel like that if I had to go through this, there was some purpose,” said Fritz. In 2002, the City of Ada and the State of Oklahoma settled the lawsuits brought by Fritz and Williamson for significant amount, which cannot be disclosed because of a confidentiality agreement.
Fritz has remained active with the Innocence Movement in Kansas City, helping the Midwestern Innocence Project with fund-raising projects and keeping in touch with other local exonerees who are readjusting to society.
“It made me feel like that if I had to go through this, there was some purpose,” said Fritz. In 2002, the City of Ada and the State of Oklahoma settled the lawsuits brought by Fritz and Williamson for significant amount, which cannot be disclosed because of a confidentiality agreement.
Fritz has remained active with the Innocence Movement in Kansas City, helping the Midwestern Innocence Project with fund-raising projects and keeping in touch with other local exonerees who are readjusting to society.
Williamson has not fared as well, however. Upon his release in 1999, he continued to experience mental health problems.
Once an aspiring baseball player, Williamson deteriorated dramatically in prison and was moved to an Oklahoma psychiatric hospital. Sadly, in 2004, Williamson passed away. “I cannot think of two better examples of why it is important to allow inmates with provable, justifiable claims of innocence to have their day in court,” said Pilate. “Science has progressed to a point where if physical evidence still exists in cases that are five, ten, 15 years old, the key to proving actual innocence is likely at the justice system’s fingertips.
We need to make the appeals process easier for those inmates who can legitimately claim innocence through previously unavailable scientific evidence or testimony from witnesses who may not have been brought to the attention of the court during trial.”
Source Midwestern Innocence Project
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Supreme Court Hears DNA Case - Innocence Project Co-Director Peter Neufeld argued before the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court Hears DNA Case
On March 2, Innocence Project Co-Director Peter Neufeld argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that the constitution allows prisoners access to DNA testing that can prove their innocence. The Innocence Project represents William Osborne, who has been seeking DNA testing in Alaska for years. Click here for resources on the case, media coverage, videos and more.
From The Innocence Project website
On March 2, Innocence Project Co-Director Peter Neufeld argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that the constitution allows prisoners access to DNA testing that can prove their innocence. The Innocence Project represents William Osborne, who has been seeking DNA testing in Alaska for years. Click here for resources on the case, media coverage, videos and more.
From The Innocence Project website
Innocence Project client William Osborne was convicted in Alaska in 1993 for a crime that DNA testing could prove he didn't commit. Alaska has arbitrarily refused Osborne’s requests for DNA testing for years – even though the testing would be performed at no cost to the state, and the state now concedes that DNA testing could prove his innocence.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Dennis Fritz Guest Speaker At Thomson Reuters West Headquarters
West and The Innocence Project
Published October 17, 2008 on West Website:
West supports The Innocence Project of Minnesota, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the national efforts of
The Innocence Project, well-known for its work to exonerate wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system.
As part of West’s connection to The Innocence Project, the Thomson Reuters Legal division hosted a presentation on Wed. Oct. 15 to employees at our Eagan, Minn. headquarters by Dennis Fritz, one of two men convicted in 1988 of murdering a woman in Oklahoma. Fritz and the other man, Ron Williamson, served 11 years in prison until DNA evidence proved their innocence.
You may know the case because it also is featured in “The Innocent Man,” a book by bestselling author John Grisham. Fritz also wrote a book about his ordeal, titled “Journey Toward Justice.”
Fritz presented his story to Thomson Reuters employees, answered questions and autographed copies of his book. Afterward, we asked him about his story in this video interview:
After his visit to Thomson Reuters, Fritz joined Grisham at a West-sponsored “Benefit for Innocence” event in Minneapolis, to raise money for The Innocence Project of Minnesota.
To view and download photos from the event, click here.
Source West
Headquartered in Eagan, Minn., West is the foremost provider of integrated information solutions to the U.S. legal market. West is a business within Thomson Reuters (www.thomsonreuters.com). For more information, please visit the West Web site at www.west.thomson.com.
Published October 17, 2008 on West Website:
West supports The Innocence Project of Minnesota, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the national efforts of
The Innocence Project, well-known for its work to exonerate wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system.
As part of West’s connection to The Innocence Project, the Thomson Reuters Legal division hosted a presentation on Wed. Oct. 15 to employees at our Eagan, Minn. headquarters by Dennis Fritz, one of two men convicted in 1988 of murdering a woman in Oklahoma. Fritz and the other man, Ron Williamson, served 11 years in prison until DNA evidence proved their innocence.
You may know the case because it also is featured in “The Innocent Man,” a book by bestselling author John Grisham. Fritz also wrote a book about his ordeal, titled “Journey Toward Justice.”
Fritz presented his story to Thomson Reuters employees, answered questions and autographed copies of his book. Afterward, we asked him about his story in this video interview:
After his visit to Thomson Reuters, Fritz joined Grisham at a West-sponsored “Benefit for Innocence” event in Minneapolis, to raise money for The Innocence Project of Minnesota.
To view and download photos from the event, click here.
Source West
Headquartered in Eagan, Minn., West is the foremost provider of integrated information solutions to the U.S. legal market. West is a business within Thomson Reuters (www.thomsonreuters.com). For more information, please visit the West Web site at www.west.thomson.com.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Jeff Deskovic - An Emotional Night At The Innocence Project's Gala
My friend Jeff Deskovic wrote a great article about his attendance at The Innocence Project's Second Annual Gala Dinner. The evening was billed as a “Celebration of Justice and Freedom.”. With his permission I would like to share it with my readers.
I will be adding many great photos of the event on my blog soon.
An Emotional Night At The Innocence Project’s Second
by Jeff Deskovic
On May 7, 2008, The Innocence Project held its second annual fundraising Gala Dinner. The Innocence Project is a not-for-profit organization that works to exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners in those Annual Gala Dinner
cases in which DNA testing can prove innocence. They also work towards bringing about legislative changes to prevent wrongful convictions in the first place. There have been 215 people across the country who have been exonerated through DNA evidence. Over 150 of those cases were personally worked on by The Innocence Project.
Such work, of course, requires money. The attorneys and other staff members must be paid a salary in order to focus full-time on the cases, as do the people who work on policy. Beyond that, there is other overhead, and other costs of litigation. Additionally, as a tactic that has sometimes worked in overcoming prosecutorial objections to the testing based on cost, The Innocence Project also offers to pay for the testing.
The focus of the evening was to show previous donors the result of their work, with the purpose of encouraging them to continue making contributions, while at the same time raising money to cover the event. Celebrated author John Grisham, who is also an attorney, was the guest of honor. The evening was billed as a “Celebration of Justice and Freedom.”
Grisham had written a book entitled “The Innocent Man”, which was the story of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, who had been wrongfully convicted of murder in Oklahoma. The book has been responsible for raising the awareness of countless people across the country about wrongful convictions. In addition, Grisham serves on the board of directors of The Innocence Project, and has helped raised funds for the Mississippi Innocence Project. He has also lectured about wrongful convictions around the country.
Grisham was invited to speak. He spoke of how he came to write the book, and mentioned that he had read the following obituary in The New York Times, written by Jim Dwyer:
Ronald Williamson, Freed From Death Row, Dies at 51
Published: December 9, 2004
Ronald Keith Williamson, who left his small town in Oklahoma as a high school baseball star with hopes of a Major League career but was later sent to death row and came within five days of execution for a murder he did not commit, died on Saturday at a nursing home near Tulsa.He was 51. The cause was cirrhosis of the liver, which he learned he had six weeks ago, his sister Annette Hudson said. Mr. Williamson’s early life appeared charmed. As a pitcher and catcher in Ada, he twice led his high school teams to the championship of a state where another native son, Mickey Mantle, enjoyed the status of near deity.
The Oakland Athletics picked Mr. Williamson in the second round of the 1971 amateur draft. After six years in the minor leagues, Mr. Williamson saw his career end because of arm injuries. He returned to Oklahoma and worked at a sales job, but began to show signs of a mental illness that was eventually diagnosed as bipolar disorder. His marriage, to a former Miss Ada, broke up. He returned to his mother’s home and slept 20 hours a day on the couch, Ms. Hudson said, afraid of his old bedroom. In late 1982, a waitress, Debbie Sue Carter, 21, was found raped and killed in her apartment in Ada. The case remained open until 1987, when a woman who had been arrested for passing bad checks told the police that she had heard another prisoner discussing the killing. The man, she said, was Mr. Williamson, who had been in the jail for kiting checks.
Mr. Williamson was charged with the killing. So was a second man, Dennis Fritz, a high school science teacher who had been one of Mr. Williamson’s few friends when he returned to town a er his baseball career. The evidence, the authorities said, consisted of 17 hairs that matched those of Mr. Williamson and Mr. Fritz, and the account provided by the woman who said she had heard Mr. Williamson confess.
A second jailhouse informer later stepped forward to buttress the case against Mr. Fritz. Mr. Williamson and Mr. Fritz were tried separately and found guilty. Mr. Fritz was sentenced to life in prison, and Mr. Williamson - who had not received his psychiatric medicines for months before the trial and shouted angrily at the prosecution witnesses - was sentenced to die. Mr. Williamson later said the prison guards taunted him over an intercom about Ms. Carter’s murder. In September 1994, when all of his state appeals had been exhausted, he was taken to the warden’s office and told that he would be executed on Sept. 24. He recalled filling out a form that directed his body to be returned to his sister for burial. A team of appellate lawyers, however, sought a writ of habeas corpus from Judge Frank H. Seay of Federal District Court, arguing that Mr. Williamson had not been competent to stand trial and that his lawyer had not effectively challenged the hair evidence or sought other suspects.
Judge Seay granted a stay five days before Mr. Williamson was scheduled to die. In 1998, lawyers from the Innocence Project at the Benjamin C. Cardozo School of Law in New York arranged DNA tests for Mr. Williamson and Mr. Fritz. They showed that neither man had been the source of the semen or hair collected from the victim’s body. Another man, Glen D. Gore, has since been convicted of the killing and sentenced to die for it. Mr. Williamson and Mr. Fritz were freed in April 1999. On a visit that spring to New York, they took a tour of Yankee Stadium, and Mr. Williamson wandered along the sparkling outfield grass. “I just got a taste of how much fun they were having up here,” he said. Besides Ms. Hudson, another sister, Renee Simmons of Allen, Tex., survives.
The two men later won settlements for their convictions. But Mr. Williamson continued to be troubled by his psychiatric problems, Ms. Hudson said. Last year, however, he participated in a one-mile march, making an appeal to the governor of Illinois to commute the sentences of death row prisoners in that state. That obituary led Grisham to learn more and more about Williamson and Fritz’s case, and eventually he decided to write the book.
Grisham recounted how Williamson had suffered on death row: struggling with mental illness and being given improper medication, pulling his own hair out as well as his teeth. He mentioned how the guards had tortured him as well, speaking to him through an intercom, pretending to be the victim and how he would pay for the crime. Further, the author stated that Williamson, who died from cirrhosis of the liver, which went untreated in prison.
He then spoke a little bit about the death penalty, and how it poses the danger of executing innocent people, and why that was a reason to do away with it. He said that one day DNA testing would prove that an innocent person had been executed; though he was unsure of the ultimate impact of that on the whole death penalty debate, however he seemed to be saying that that element was probably the best shot attending the death penalty, and that he would want to write a book on that case if and when it occurred.
Of course, the late Ron Williamson, and his surviving co-defendant Dennis Fritz, who was, in fact, in attendance at the Gala, were not the only people horrifically impacted by their wrongful convictions. I cannot imagine what Renee Simmons and Annette Hudson, Ron Williamson’s sisters, went through. Grisham mentioned that when Williamson was within days of being executed, the family was called by the prison and asked what they wanted to do with the body. Both Simmons and Hudson were in attendance.
Christy Sheppard, the sister of Debra Sue Carter, the murder victim that Williamson and Fritz were wrongfully convicted for killing, also had her life changed forever. She was only eight years old when the crime happened, and she grew up believing that Williamson and Fritz were guilty. Grisham mentioned that it had shattered their family. Carter’s family believed they could finally move forward knowing that the perpetrators were brought to justice.
Trying to triumph over the tragedy, Sheppard became part of a growing and critical component of the innocence movement: crime victims and their families who want to address and prevent wrongful convictions. Working with the Innocence Project and local advocates for the past two years, Sheppard has campaigned for an Oklahoma innocence commission, an independent entity with members from all areas of the criminal justice system that investigates previous wrongful convictions and suggests reforms to prevent them. Sheppard has talked with legislators and the public about wrongful convictions and the need for a state commission. “When I learned about this innocence commission, all the stars aligned, and I knew that’s what needed to be done,” Sheppard said. When Curtis McCarty of Oklahoma was exonerated in May, Sheppard’s family joined McCarty’s parents and others at a press conference to renew the call for an innocence commission.
The gala dinner was a very emotional experience for me. As I watched each exoneree mention their name along with the amount of time that they served, I understood, as no one, other than an exoneree, could, the suffering that wrongful incarceration wreaks on a person. I realized that in some ways each person’s traumatic time in prison was different, and that the particular horrors may differ, along with the types of mistreatment. Yet there are a lot of similarities that are true across the spectrum, and certainly the experience of being wrongfully imprisoned puts people in a much better vantage point from which to understand the havoc that it wreaks.
With each mention of a name, along with the amount of time served, thoughts raced through my mind of just what that incarceration and all of its effects entailed. Then, I tried to imagine going through it with that length of time. I kept in mind as well that many had experiences worse than mine. Some had been on death row, while others were housed in prisons in other states that were much worse than the horrible ones in New York.
I heard the names of Alan Newton, who served 21 years in New York for rape; Barry Gibbs, who served 19 years for murder in New York; Scott Fappiano, who served 21 years in New York for rape, sodomy, burglary, and sexual abuse; Roy Brown, who served 15 years for murder in New York; David Shephard, who served 9 ½ years in New Jersey for rape, robbery, weapons violations, and terrorist threats; Chris Conover, who served 18 years in North Carolina; Kennedy Brewer, who had been sentenced to death and served 15 years in Mississippi; Dennis Fritz, who served 12 years for murder in Oklahoma; Jerry Miller, who served 24 ½ years in Illinois for kidnapping, rape, and robbery; James Tillman, who served 16 ½ years for sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery, assault, and larceny in Connecticut; Calvin Johnson, who served 15 ½ years for rape, aggravated sodomy, and burglary in Georgia.
The sight of Fritz on stage, with Williamson’s sisters, along with Sheppard, all in solidarity, was so powerful that I teared up a bit. When it was my turn to speak, I quickly mentioned that from 17-years of age, I served 16 years in New York for a murder and rape which DNA cleared me of. I also mentioned obtaining my B.A. in Behavioral Science, and of my dream of becoming an attorney and working to exonerate others who have been wrongfully convicted. The exonerees had all been allotted 30 seconds in which to speak, yet I felt that this was an opportunity to try to bring awareness to a problem that is very often overlooked amidst all of the justifiable attention paid to wrongful convictions and exonerations: the financial difficulties in being able to reintegrate.
Much as I had done in prior interviews with the media, I decided to sacrifice personal privacy by using myself as an example of a problem, in order to call attention to it, with the hope that there would be changes, or at the very least that I would get the conversation started. I mentioned that The Innocence Project has a program by which they collect donations, and spend them on the exonerees on an emergency basis. These funds had been paying the costs of my phone, mental health services, my car insurance, as well as my internet connection, but that these funds would be cut off in a few months, due to my reaching the cap of what they will allocate to each wrongfully convicted person.
Despite making money by speaking and writing articles, I would be unable to absorb these additional costs, yet I would need these services just as much as before. Elaborating further, I mentioned that when I had tried to get consistent work in addition to these, not having the work experience, I have been unable to compete with others my age group, due to what happened to me, and thus financial offers have been dead end jobs paying next to nothing. I also referenced other exonerees who would be facing similar issues. Many came up to me afterwards and said that they had been moved. Whether or not that translates into donors making more contributions to the emergency fund or not, remains to be seen. But despite feeling inadequate and somewhat embarrassed at not being able to thus far be on an even par with others my age who had never been wrongfully convicted, I felt that I had to at least try.
Article Reprinted With The Permission Of The Westchester Guardian
Click HERE - For the video that opens with Exoneree Dennis Fritz dancing with the mother of the murder victim in the case for which he was wrongfully convicted.
The Video - Author John Grisham discusses his book "The Innocent Man" at the Innocence Project's Annual Benefit.
Please also visit Jeff Deskovic wonderful website at www.jeffreydeskovicspeaks.org
I will be adding many great photos of the event on my blog soon.
An Emotional Night At The Innocence Project’s Second
by Jeff Deskovic
On May 7, 2008, The Innocence Project held its second annual fundraising Gala Dinner. The Innocence Project is a not-for-profit organization that works to exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners in those Annual Gala Dinner
cases in which DNA testing can prove innocence. They also work towards bringing about legislative changes to prevent wrongful convictions in the first place. There have been 215 people across the country who have been exonerated through DNA evidence. Over 150 of those cases were personally worked on by The Innocence Project.
Such work, of course, requires money. The attorneys and other staff members must be paid a salary in order to focus full-time on the cases, as do the people who work on policy. Beyond that, there is other overhead, and other costs of litigation. Additionally, as a tactic that has sometimes worked in overcoming prosecutorial objections to the testing based on cost, The Innocence Project also offers to pay for the testing.
The focus of the evening was to show previous donors the result of their work, with the purpose of encouraging them to continue making contributions, while at the same time raising money to cover the event. Celebrated author John Grisham, who is also an attorney, was the guest of honor. The evening was billed as a “Celebration of Justice and Freedom.”
Grisham had written a book entitled “The Innocent Man”, which was the story of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, who had been wrongfully convicted of murder in Oklahoma. The book has been responsible for raising the awareness of countless people across the country about wrongful convictions. In addition, Grisham serves on the board of directors of The Innocence Project, and has helped raised funds for the Mississippi Innocence Project. He has also lectured about wrongful convictions around the country.
Grisham was invited to speak. He spoke of how he came to write the book, and mentioned that he had read the following obituary in The New York Times, written by Jim Dwyer:
Ronald Williamson, Freed From Death Row, Dies at 51
Published: December 9, 2004
Ronald Keith Williamson, who left his small town in Oklahoma as a high school baseball star with hopes of a Major League career but was later sent to death row and came within five days of execution for a murder he did not commit, died on Saturday at a nursing home near Tulsa.He was 51. The cause was cirrhosis of the liver, which he learned he had six weeks ago, his sister Annette Hudson said. Mr. Williamson’s early life appeared charmed. As a pitcher and catcher in Ada, he twice led his high school teams to the championship of a state where another native son, Mickey Mantle, enjoyed the status of near deity.
The Oakland Athletics picked Mr. Williamson in the second round of the 1971 amateur draft. After six years in the minor leagues, Mr. Williamson saw his career end because of arm injuries. He returned to Oklahoma and worked at a sales job, but began to show signs of a mental illness that was eventually diagnosed as bipolar disorder. His marriage, to a former Miss Ada, broke up. He returned to his mother’s home and slept 20 hours a day on the couch, Ms. Hudson said, afraid of his old bedroom. In late 1982, a waitress, Debbie Sue Carter, 21, was found raped and killed in her apartment in Ada. The case remained open until 1987, when a woman who had been arrested for passing bad checks told the police that she had heard another prisoner discussing the killing. The man, she said, was Mr. Williamson, who had been in the jail for kiting checks.
Mr. Williamson was charged with the killing. So was a second man, Dennis Fritz, a high school science teacher who had been one of Mr. Williamson’s few friends when he returned to town a er his baseball career. The evidence, the authorities said, consisted of 17 hairs that matched those of Mr. Williamson and Mr. Fritz, and the account provided by the woman who said she had heard Mr. Williamson confess.
A second jailhouse informer later stepped forward to buttress the case against Mr. Fritz. Mr. Williamson and Mr. Fritz were tried separately and found guilty. Mr. Fritz was sentenced to life in prison, and Mr. Williamson - who had not received his psychiatric medicines for months before the trial and shouted angrily at the prosecution witnesses - was sentenced to die. Mr. Williamson later said the prison guards taunted him over an intercom about Ms. Carter’s murder. In September 1994, when all of his state appeals had been exhausted, he was taken to the warden’s office and told that he would be executed on Sept. 24. He recalled filling out a form that directed his body to be returned to his sister for burial. A team of appellate lawyers, however, sought a writ of habeas corpus from Judge Frank H. Seay of Federal District Court, arguing that Mr. Williamson had not been competent to stand trial and that his lawyer had not effectively challenged the hair evidence or sought other suspects.
Judge Seay granted a stay five days before Mr. Williamson was scheduled to die. In 1998, lawyers from the Innocence Project at the Benjamin C. Cardozo School of Law in New York arranged DNA tests for Mr. Williamson and Mr. Fritz. They showed that neither man had been the source of the semen or hair collected from the victim’s body. Another man, Glen D. Gore, has since been convicted of the killing and sentenced to die for it. Mr. Williamson and Mr. Fritz were freed in April 1999. On a visit that spring to New York, they took a tour of Yankee Stadium, and Mr. Williamson wandered along the sparkling outfield grass. “I just got a taste of how much fun they were having up here,” he said. Besides Ms. Hudson, another sister, Renee Simmons of Allen, Tex., survives.
The two men later won settlements for their convictions. But Mr. Williamson continued to be troubled by his psychiatric problems, Ms. Hudson said. Last year, however, he participated in a one-mile march, making an appeal to the governor of Illinois to commute the sentences of death row prisoners in that state. That obituary led Grisham to learn more and more about Williamson and Fritz’s case, and eventually he decided to write the book.
Grisham recounted how Williamson had suffered on death row: struggling with mental illness and being given improper medication, pulling his own hair out as well as his teeth. He mentioned how the guards had tortured him as well, speaking to him through an intercom, pretending to be the victim and how he would pay for the crime. Further, the author stated that Williamson, who died from cirrhosis of the liver, which went untreated in prison.
He then spoke a little bit about the death penalty, and how it poses the danger of executing innocent people, and why that was a reason to do away with it. He said that one day DNA testing would prove that an innocent person had been executed; though he was unsure of the ultimate impact of that on the whole death penalty debate, however he seemed to be saying that that element was probably the best shot attending the death penalty, and that he would want to write a book on that case if and when it occurred.
Of course, the late Ron Williamson, and his surviving co-defendant Dennis Fritz, who was, in fact, in attendance at the Gala, were not the only people horrifically impacted by their wrongful convictions. I cannot imagine what Renee Simmons and Annette Hudson, Ron Williamson’s sisters, went through. Grisham mentioned that when Williamson was within days of being executed, the family was called by the prison and asked what they wanted to do with the body. Both Simmons and Hudson were in attendance.
Christy Sheppard, the sister of Debra Sue Carter, the murder victim that Williamson and Fritz were wrongfully convicted for killing, also had her life changed forever. She was only eight years old when the crime happened, and she grew up believing that Williamson and Fritz were guilty. Grisham mentioned that it had shattered their family. Carter’s family believed they could finally move forward knowing that the perpetrators were brought to justice.
Trying to triumph over the tragedy, Sheppard became part of a growing and critical component of the innocence movement: crime victims and their families who want to address and prevent wrongful convictions. Working with the Innocence Project and local advocates for the past two years, Sheppard has campaigned for an Oklahoma innocence commission, an independent entity with members from all areas of the criminal justice system that investigates previous wrongful convictions and suggests reforms to prevent them. Sheppard has talked with legislators and the public about wrongful convictions and the need for a state commission. “When I learned about this innocence commission, all the stars aligned, and I knew that’s what needed to be done,” Sheppard said. When Curtis McCarty of Oklahoma was exonerated in May, Sheppard’s family joined McCarty’s parents and others at a press conference to renew the call for an innocence commission.
The gala dinner was a very emotional experience for me. As I watched each exoneree mention their name along with the amount of time that they served, I understood, as no one, other than an exoneree, could, the suffering that wrongful incarceration wreaks on a person. I realized that in some ways each person’s traumatic time in prison was different, and that the particular horrors may differ, along with the types of mistreatment. Yet there are a lot of similarities that are true across the spectrum, and certainly the experience of being wrongfully imprisoned puts people in a much better vantage point from which to understand the havoc that it wreaks.
With each mention of a name, along with the amount of time served, thoughts raced through my mind of just what that incarceration and all of its effects entailed. Then, I tried to imagine going through it with that length of time. I kept in mind as well that many had experiences worse than mine. Some had been on death row, while others were housed in prisons in other states that were much worse than the horrible ones in New York.
I heard the names of Alan Newton, who served 21 years in New York for rape; Barry Gibbs, who served 19 years for murder in New York; Scott Fappiano, who served 21 years in New York for rape, sodomy, burglary, and sexual abuse; Roy Brown, who served 15 years for murder in New York; David Shephard, who served 9 ½ years in New Jersey for rape, robbery, weapons violations, and terrorist threats; Chris Conover, who served 18 years in North Carolina; Kennedy Brewer, who had been sentenced to death and served 15 years in Mississippi; Dennis Fritz, who served 12 years for murder in Oklahoma; Jerry Miller, who served 24 ½ years in Illinois for kidnapping, rape, and robbery; James Tillman, who served 16 ½ years for sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery, assault, and larceny in Connecticut; Calvin Johnson, who served 15 ½ years for rape, aggravated sodomy, and burglary in Georgia.
The sight of Fritz on stage, with Williamson’s sisters, along with Sheppard, all in solidarity, was so powerful that I teared up a bit. When it was my turn to speak, I quickly mentioned that from 17-years of age, I served 16 years in New York for a murder and rape which DNA cleared me of. I also mentioned obtaining my B.A. in Behavioral Science, and of my dream of becoming an attorney and working to exonerate others who have been wrongfully convicted. The exonerees had all been allotted 30 seconds in which to speak, yet I felt that this was an opportunity to try to bring awareness to a problem that is very often overlooked amidst all of the justifiable attention paid to wrongful convictions and exonerations: the financial difficulties in being able to reintegrate.
Much as I had done in prior interviews with the media, I decided to sacrifice personal privacy by using myself as an example of a problem, in order to call attention to it, with the hope that there would be changes, or at the very least that I would get the conversation started. I mentioned that The Innocence Project has a program by which they collect donations, and spend them on the exonerees on an emergency basis. These funds had been paying the costs of my phone, mental health services, my car insurance, as well as my internet connection, but that these funds would be cut off in a few months, due to my reaching the cap of what they will allocate to each wrongfully convicted person.
Despite making money by speaking and writing articles, I would be unable to absorb these additional costs, yet I would need these services just as much as before. Elaborating further, I mentioned that when I had tried to get consistent work in addition to these, not having the work experience, I have been unable to compete with others my age group, due to what happened to me, and thus financial offers have been dead end jobs paying next to nothing. I also referenced other exonerees who would be facing similar issues. Many came up to me afterwards and said that they had been moved. Whether or not that translates into donors making more contributions to the emergency fund or not, remains to be seen. But despite feeling inadequate and somewhat embarrassed at not being able to thus far be on an even par with others my age who had never been wrongfully convicted, I felt that I had to at least try.
Article Reprinted With The Permission Of The Westchester Guardian
Click HERE - For the video that opens with Exoneree Dennis Fritz dancing with the mother of the murder victim in the case for which he was wrongfully convicted.
The Video - Author John Grisham discusses his book "The Innocent Man" at the Innocence Project's Annual Benefit.
Please also visit Jeff Deskovic wonderful website at www.jeffreydeskovicspeaks.org
Friday, May 16, 2008
Innocence Project Benefit, A Celebration of Freedom and Justice
Photo left to right: Dennis Fritz - John Grisham - Barry Scheck - Janet Difiore - Peter NeufeldExonerated man and victim’s family are reunited at the Innocence Project second annual benefit.
Here is a great story from the Innocence Project about the event:
PHOTOS AND SLIDESHOW CLICK HERE
While jazz pianist Jonathan Batiste played “What a Wonderful World,” at the Innocence Project benefit, “A Celebration of Freedom and Justice,” on May 7 in New York City, exoneree Dennis Fritz asked 65-year-old Peggy Carter Sanders to take the stage with him and dance. Fritz was sentenced to life in prison and was wrongfully incarcerated for 11 years for the murder of Sanders’ daughter, Debra Sue Carter of Ada, Oklahoma. Fritz and his co-defendant Ron Williamson developed a relationship with Carter’s family after their exoneration in 1999. Both men were exonerated through DNA testing and with the help of the Innocence Project.
Williamson passed away in 2004, but his sisters Renee Simmons and Annette Hudson also attended the benefit. Williamson’s family, Carter’s family, and Fritz came to New York from all around the country to join the Innocence Project in honoring John Grisham for his best selling book, The Innocent Man, which tells the story of Williamson’s wrongful conviction. Fritz shared a table at the benefit with two of Carter’s relatives—her cousin, Christy Sheppard, and he mother Peggy Carter Sanders.
A recent New York Times column by Jim Dwyer looks at the poignant moment last week when Fritz and Sanders danced as 600 Innocence Project supporters looked on. The column discusses the friendship forged between the two wrongfully convicted men and the mother of the victim—despite some people’s unwillingness to accept that a mistake had been made in the case:
“Ms. Sanders saw it plain. All around her, though, people refused to rewrite the ending to her daughter’s murder, clinging to the belief that Mr. Fritz and Mr. Williamson somehow had been part of the killing, a spurning of reality so common that it has practically become an epidemic as DNA tests, year in and out, clear the wrongfully convicted.”
Read the full story here.
Fritz was one of a dozen exonerees who attended the benefit. Also honored was the law firm Mayer Brown, for its collaboration with the Innocence Project in reforming eyewitness identification procedures.
Learn more about Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson's . cases.
Learn more about how the Innocence Project is working with victims and their families, including Christy Sheppard and Peggy Carter Sanders, to improve the criminal justice system. (See page 10 of this PDF for “Common Interests.”)
PHOTOS AND SLIDESHOW CLICK HERE
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Youth and Wrongful Convictions - Start a School Group or Community Organization
News From The Innocence Project
Youth are affected by wrongful convictions – and also have unique power to spark change in our criminal justice system. By organizing at your high school, college or university, or in your community, you can raise awareness about wrongful convictions and engage more people in pursuing reforms to prevent injustice.
If your campus or community already has an organization dedicated to preventing wrongful convictions, the tools and ideas in this section can help expand your reach and impact. If you are interested in forming a group, this section can help you get started.
There’s no right or wrong way to start an organization. Every high school, college, university and community is different, and you should gauge the local culture to get a sense of what will attract other students to your organization and how you can make sure the group has a lasting presence on campus or in the community.
Here are
some general tips: Innocence Project.org - Start A Group
Youth are affected by wrongful convictions – and also have unique power to spark change in our criminal justice system. By organizing at your high school, college or university, or in your community, you can raise awareness about wrongful convictions and engage more people in pursuing reforms to prevent injustice.
If your campus or community already has an organization dedicated to preventing wrongful convictions, the tools and ideas in this section can help expand your reach and impact. If you are interested in forming a group, this section can help you get started.
There’s no right or wrong way to start an organization. Every high school, college, university and community is different, and you should gauge the local culture to get a sense of what will attract other students to your organization and how you can make sure the group has a lasting presence on campus or in the community.
Here are
some general tips: Innocence Project.org - Start A Group
The Innocence Project launched a new campaign this week -- "947 Years: In their prime. In prison. Innocent." -- to educate and engage youth in preventing wrongful convictions.
This new campaign focuses on people who were wrongfully imprisoned when they were just kids. As a campaign announcement tells us, "One-third of the people exonerated by DNA testing nationwide were arrested between the ages of 14 and 22. They served a combined total of 947 years in prison for crimes they didn't commit. "That's 947 wasted years that these people will never get back.
Friday, April 4, 2008
DENNIS FRITZ SHARES HIS ELECTRIFYING STORY AT THE MIDWESTERN INNOCENCE PROJECT KICKOFF AND VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION
February 15, 2008, the Midwestern Innocence Project in Kansas City, Missouri, launched the beginning of it’s celebrative kickoff, to establish their directives and goals to exonerate falsely-convicted people out of prison.
Lawyers, media, Paralegals, Investigators, and Volunteers, took their seats—following the “free lunch”—anxiously awaiting, as Executive Director, Jay Swearingen, introduced Dennis Fritz as the keynote speaker for the day’s event.
Dennis, through his positive attitude, and precise speaking abilities, conveyed the torturous account of his very painful and exhausting journey— of the 12 year nightmare that he underwent—of being falsely convicted for 1st Degree Capitol Murder. At times, during his talk, his voice would sometimes quiver as partial tears would form in his eyes.
He described the tremendous amounts of suffering that he endured throughout his horrible experience. All eyes were glued upon him, as he vividly described what prison life was really like. “Every day was filled with tremendous amounts of unbelievable stress and fear for my life.
You could never relax in prison, due to the fact that, at any time, other predatory inmates would often put sacks over their heads—with shanks (homemade knives) in hand—and steal everything you owned! If you reported the assault, then you would be labeled a “snitch” and would surely be murdered for your wrongful communication with the prison officials.”
Dennis captured everyone’s attention, when he most graciously introduced family members and their falsely convicted relatives.
To wit: Dale and Donna Horner, whose nephew Steve Allen has been falsely convicted for 17 years of allegedly murdering his wife—and, Evelyn Case, whose son Byron Case, has been claiming his innocence for the past 6 years.
The audience roared with laughter as Dennis told the story of an account that happened after he had been released from prison:
“When I was released from prison, after having spent several days with my daughter, Elizabeth, my mother and I returned to Kansas City—where I now reside. My Mom owned a 1966 Malibu Chevy, that at very first sight, I was itching to get behind the wheel.
Although I did not have a driver’s license, I got behind the wheel and put the key in the ignition.
There I was, driving down the road as a free man with zeal in my pounding heart, that was sending cold chills rushing down my spine. I realized that I had NOT forgotten how to drive a car after 12 long years.
It was GREAT!! That is, until I noticed that the gas gauge was on empty. I headed straight for the nearby convenience store with $5 in my wallet. I pulled up to the gas pumps, got out, and then realized that I didn’t know how to pump gas. It was a very strange feeling. I didn’t want to go inside the store and ask the attendant how to pump gas? Surely, he would have called the looney wagon to pick me up, and take me away to the funny farm.
I stood there pondering what to do? Then, from out of nowhere, the gas pump started talking to me!!!! I froze. The words, ‘What did I do wrong’ blurted out in my mind!!! I quickly jumped into the car and sped away, with the thought that the police would be right behind me at any time.” Later, I learned that things had definitely changed—and that gas pumps CAN TALK!!!
After Dennis’ presentation, Jay Swearingen, then proceeded to outline the parameters of the 2008 kick-start program. In an eloquent speaking style, Jay brought to light the financial aspects and barriers that would be involved in successfully moving forward to bring about the much-needed support and success for the Midwestern Innocence Project. In a free-style speaking manner, Jay brush painted his many objectives to the all-attentive audience, speaking as he slowly walked up and down the center isle that divided the seated guests.
His brilliant articulation and wholesome, honest personality penetrated throughout the congregated attendees. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind, that Jay was the MAN for the job—to help take the Innocence Project to the utmost heights of success!!!!!
Jay then introduced the new Director, Tiffany Murphy. With a huge smile upon her face, Tiffany wasted no time, as she started educating everyone—in her down-to-earth approach— as to the complicated phases of the judicial processes that an attorney must go through for their clients. Her composure was extra-ordinary!
Although the judicial guidelines seemed at first, very difficult for everyone to apprehend, Tiffany’s layman way of communicating, brought about an in-depth understanding to everyone there. Of course, by that time, everyone had finished their pizza and were whole-heartedly focused on her broad judicial explanations.
The audience asked many questions that had always perplexed them in the past. By the time that Tiffany had finished her power-point presentation, the people in the audience seemed very satisfied, relaxed, and knowledgeable as to their own particular circumstances. Tiffany Murphy!— such a wonderful, skilled, professional person and attorney, that is nothing short of a bulldog fighting for the rights of the wrongfully convicted.
The final event of the day was a book signing by Dennis Fritz. His book entitled, Journey Toward Justice, will live forever. Being the co-companion book of John Grisham’s, The Innocent Man, Dennis masterfully interwove his 1st perspective, in-depth accounts of his nightmare out of hell.
The book signing was also a success. Everyone was so interested in meeting Dennis, and found him to be such a inspirational person, as to his strength and determination, that was pivotal in helping him endure those unmerciful, 12 years of being wrongfully incarcerated.
Click on Photo Below To View More Photos
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| DENNIS FRITZ SHARES HIS ELECTRIFYI |
You can find Dennis Fritz's book here Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz click here On Amazon Here or Borders Books.
International Orders Order Here Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz From Around The World click on here Amazon International Just type in Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Ken Middleton Proven Innocent Remains In Prison For Life
Billboard located on the outskirts of Kansas City, MO.
Barbara's Journey Toward Justice Mailbag
Barbara,
I am writing you about the death of my step-mother and wrongful conviction of my father. My father married my step-mother when I was just 5 years old. They had a wonderful marriage and I had great role models in both of them. I love and miss her very much !
It is unfortunate that the injustice that followed left my father and I unable to properly grieve.
I was just 20 years old in 1990 when my step-mother died after mishandling a gun. Little did I know but the nightmare would not ever end. Not yet anyway.
I was just 20 years old in 1990 when my step-mother died after mishandling a gun. Little did I know but the nightmare would not ever end. Not yet anyway.
My father was convicted on circumstantial evidence. Based on police and prosecutor corruption the skilled prosecutor's were able to convince a jury to convict. I know many people will take that the wrong way. " I was framed". What many fail to understand is that this happens more than you might think it does !
Please don't take my word for it visit my website at free-kenmiddleton.com here. You will see all the documentation of destroyed crime scene photo's, altered gunshot residue test and expert witness testimony 100% exonerating my father !
My father's case was reversed in May of 2005. After the trial judge was presented with 2 experts witness's testimony that my father could not have shot my step-mother.
My father's case was reversed in May of 2005. After the trial judge was presented with 2 experts witness's testimony that my father could not have shot my step-mother.
Mathematically and physically impossible !
She overturned her own case. 14 years later !
You might be asking yourself then why is he still in prison ?
That is were this case should shock and disturb everybody that reads my website.
After the trial judge overturned her own case and wrote that my father would have never been convicted with a proper trial the prosecutors had it thrown by the appeals court saying that she did not have the authority to re-open his case so her findings that an innocent man is in prison are moot !
What's more unbelievable is that these same prosecutor's offered my dad an Alford plea and his freedom if he would plead guilty.
After 14 years in prison and before the judge overturned the conviction my dad absolutely refused to consider the plea. I ask you what guilty man would turn down his freedom ? None. Most innocent men with less courage would have taken that offer !
As of January of 2008 a proven innocent man remains in a Missouri prison. Please take the time to click on my website Here and see the proof for yourself. The Kansas City Star articles about my father and I can be read there. As well as the billboard that I purchased in downtown Kansas City in my attempt to bring awareness to this injustice.
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Cliff Middleton
Friday, November 9, 2007
Photos John Grisham, Author, Dennis Fritz, Author Scott Turow and Cedric Willis at Mississippi Innocence Project Dinner Fundraiser
Photos of John Grisham, Author, Dennis Fritz, Author Scott Turow and Cedric Willis at Mississippi Innocence Project Dinner Fundraiser Photos provided by Dennis Fritz with his permission.Authors John Grisham, Dennis Fritz and Scott Turow and exonerated Cedric Willis attended a dinner together in order to raise money for the Mississippi Innocence Project at the Ole Miss law school. John Grisham, Dennis Fritz and Scott Turow have supported similar projects in law schools across the country.
Photos of John Grisham, Author, Dennis Fritz, Author Scott Turow and Cedric Willis at Mississippi Innocence Project Dinner Fundraiser Photos provided by Dennis Fritz with his permission.Authors John Grisham, Dennis Fritz and Scott Turow and exonerated Cedric Willis attended a dinner together in order to raise money for the Mississippi Innocence Project at the Ole Miss law school. John Grisham, Dennis Fritz and Scott Turow have supported similar projects in law schools across the country.
John Grisham author, "The Innocent Man," profiling a man wrongfully convicted and freed years later with the help of several attorneys and the Innocence Project.
Dennis Fritz author of "Journey Toward Justice". Thanks to help from the Innocence Project of New York, Fritz was granted a new trial, found innocent and freed from prison in 1999.
Scott Turow is the author of "Presumed Innocent".
All three books are a Bestseller here Amazon.com .
For more exclusive photos from The Mississippi Innocence Project Dinner Fundraiser provided by Dennis Fritz with his permission, please visit my other blog called "Photos Mississippi Innocence Project"
Here.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Photo Dennis Fritz John Grisham Scott Turow Event Benefit Mississippi Innocence Project
Photo Barbara Gauntt/The Clarion-LedgerExoneree Dennis Fritz (from left), joins authors John Grisham and Scott Turow to speak with media before a benefit for the Mississippi Innocence Project at the Hilton Hotel in Jackson Monday evening.
Fritz was exonerated in 1999 after he contacted The Innocence Project and DNA testing proved him innocent of the 1982 rape and murder of a woman.
John Grisham calls Dennis Fritz's story compelling and fascinating. From the photo it looks like Scott Turow also finds Dennis Fritz interesting. Three great authors I must add.
Gregory Wells Bowman thought Dennis was one of the most moving speakers at inaugural fundraising dinner for the newly-established Mississippi Innocence Project.
Gregory Wells Bowman
Associate Professor of Law
Director, International Law Center
Gregory Wells Bowman has a blog called "Law Career Blog"
I highly recommend Dennis Fritz's Book "Journey Toward Justice" to order click On Amazon Here
International Orders Order Here "Journey Toward Justice" by Dennis Fritz From Around The World click on here Amazon International Just type in Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Authors John Grisham, Dennis Fritz, Scott Turow to Speak at Miss. Innocence Project Dinner Fundraiser
Monday Oct. 22, Authors John Grisham, Dennis Fritz and Scott Turow will attend a dinner together in order to raise money for the Mississippi Innocence Project at the Ole Miss law school. The Fundraiser Dinner is to support the Mississippi Innocence Project for wrongly convicted.
John Grisham, Dennis Fritz and Scott Turow have supported similar projects in law schools across the country.
John Grisham author, "The Innocent Man," profiling a man wrongfully convicted and freed years later with the help of several attorneys and the Innocence Project.
Dennis Fritz author of "Journey Toward Justice". Thanks to help from the Innocence Project of New York, Fritz was granted a new trial, found innocent and freed from prison in 1999.
Scott Turow is the author of "Presumed Innocent". All three books are a Bestseller on Amazon.com
The Mississippi Innocence Project was established with initial funding by Grisham and Columbus attorney Wilbur Colom, a graduate of Antioch Law School. Tucker Carrington, director of the Mississippi Innocence Project, said he expects 300 to 350 guests to attend the dinner.
Cedric Willis of Jackson, Miss. is also scheduled to speak. Willis was convicted in 1997 of murder and robbery and sentenced to life in prison despite the fact that DNA evidence excluded him as the perpetrator. Thanks to help from the Innocence Project of New Orleans, Willis was granted a new trial, found innocent and freed from prison in 2006.
The Innocence Project is currently a network of law schools, journalism schools and public defender offices. To prevent future wrongful convictions, they work with legislators and law enforcement on local, state and national levels to conduct research and training and propose a vast range of solutions for them.
The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal clinic that was founded in 1992 at Yeshiva University. The project is dedicated to helping wrongfully convicted people by the means of DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
In the United States, 208 individuals have had their convictions overturned due to DNA testing, including 15 who served on death row.
Each inmate served an average of 12 years in prison before they were found not guilty.
John Grisham, Dennis Fritz and Scott Turow have supported similar projects in law schools across the country.
John Grisham author, "The Innocent Man," profiling a man wrongfully convicted and freed years later with the help of several attorneys and the Innocence Project.
Dennis Fritz author of "Journey Toward Justice". Thanks to help from the Innocence Project of New York, Fritz was granted a new trial, found innocent and freed from prison in 1999.
Scott Turow is the author of "Presumed Innocent". All three books are a Bestseller on Amazon.com
The Mississippi Innocence Project was established with initial funding by Grisham and Columbus attorney Wilbur Colom, a graduate of Antioch Law School. Tucker Carrington, director of the Mississippi Innocence Project, said he expects 300 to 350 guests to attend the dinner.
Cedric Willis of Jackson, Miss. is also scheduled to speak. Willis was convicted in 1997 of murder and robbery and sentenced to life in prison despite the fact that DNA evidence excluded him as the perpetrator. Thanks to help from the Innocence Project of New Orleans, Willis was granted a new trial, found innocent and freed from prison in 2006.
The Innocence Project is currently a network of law schools, journalism schools and public defender offices. To prevent future wrongful convictions, they work with legislators and law enforcement on local, state and national levels to conduct research and training and propose a vast range of solutions for them.
The Innocence Project is a non-profit legal clinic that was founded in 1992 at Yeshiva University. The project is dedicated to helping wrongfully convicted people by the means of DNA testing and reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
In the United States, 208 individuals have had their convictions overturned due to DNA testing, including 15 who served on death row.
Each inmate served an average of 12 years in prison before they were found not guilty.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Duke Law School New Wrongful Convictions Clinic and Innocence Project
Duke University will invest $1.25 million over the next five years for its law school to establish a center devoted to the promotion of justice in the criminal justice system and the training of lawyers to fight against wrongful convictions, President Richard H. Brodhead announced Wednesday.
Duke to Establish Justice Center
AP via SFGate ^ 9/19/7
Durham, N.C. (AP) -- In the wake of the now-debunked rape case against three lacrosse players, Duke University will establish a center devoted to justice and training lawyers to fight wrongful convictions, president Richard Brodhead said Wednesday.
Duke will invest $1.25 million over the next five years for the project at the law school, which will also expand its Wrongful Convictions Clinic and Innocence Project. The clinic and the Innocence Project investigate claims of innocence by the state's convicted felons and raise awareness of problems in the criminal justice system.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com
More From Campus News
Addressing problems in the North Carolina legal system highlighted by the Duke lacrosse case, the center will incorporate and expand the law school’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic and Innocence Project, which investigate credible claims of innocence made by convicted felons in North Carolina and work to raise public awareness of systemic problems in the criminal justice system that lead to wrongful convictions.
“The lacrosse case attracted a lot of publicity, but is not the only case in which innocent people have suffered harm through the state’s legal system,” said Duke Law Professor James Coleman, who led a university committee that examined the lacrosse team’s behavior apart from the case and later was prominent in criticizing the actions of former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong.
Coleman and Associate Dean Theresa Newman, who co-teach the Wrongful Convictions Clinic and serve as faculty advisors to the law school’s student-led Innocence Project, are expected to play key roles in the development of the new center. They are leaders in law reform efforts surrounding the issue and serve on the North Carolina Chief Justice’s Criminal Justice Study Commission (formerly named the North Carolina Actual Innocence Commission).
excerpt from Duke University News
Duke to Establish Justice Center
AP via SFGate ^ 9/19/7
Durham, N.C. (AP) -- In the wake of the now-debunked rape case against three lacrosse players, Duke University will establish a center devoted to justice and training lawyers to fight wrongful convictions, president Richard Brodhead said Wednesday.
Duke will invest $1.25 million over the next five years for the project at the law school, which will also expand its Wrongful Convictions Clinic and Innocence Project. The clinic and the Innocence Project investigate claims of innocence by the state's convicted felons and raise awareness of problems in the criminal justice system.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com
More From Campus News
Addressing problems in the North Carolina legal system highlighted by the Duke lacrosse case, the center will incorporate and expand the law school’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic and Innocence Project, which investigate credible claims of innocence made by convicted felons in North Carolina and work to raise public awareness of systemic problems in the criminal justice system that lead to wrongful convictions.
“The lacrosse case attracted a lot of publicity, but is not the only case in which innocent people have suffered harm through the state’s legal system,” said Duke Law Professor James Coleman, who led a university committee that examined the lacrosse team’s behavior apart from the case and later was prominent in criticizing the actions of former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong.
Coleman and Associate Dean Theresa Newman, who co-teach the Wrongful Convictions Clinic and serve as faculty advisors to the law school’s student-led Innocence Project, are expected to play key roles in the development of the new center. They are leaders in law reform efforts surrounding the issue and serve on the North Carolina Chief Justice’s Criminal Justice Study Commission (formerly named the North Carolina Actual Innocence Commission).
excerpt from Duke University News
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Book Excerpt From Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz
Book Excerpt From Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz
Book Foreword Barry Scheck The Innocence Project
When Dennis Fritz testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Innocence Protection Act - legislation that ultimately passed that supports efforts to get post-conviction DNA testing for those claiming innocence - I actually saw tears in the eyes of worldly politicians who for decades had heard an endless stream of moving stories from multitude of witnesses. Among them were Senator Patrick Leahy, Democrat from Vermont and the legislation's sponsor and great champion, and Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican from Utah. Indeed, Senator Hatch said with unmistakable sincerity that he was humbled by what Dennis had to say. I thought that phrase deftly captured what everyone was feeling - a sense of awe that this man could survive and recount his incredible, hair-raising life story passionately, modestly, and thoughtfully all at once. And what a life story it is - the literary equivalent to the wildest hardest-of-hard luck, happiest-of-happy-endings country-and-western song one could imagine. It is a yarn that Hank Williams at his darkest and brightest and on LSD could not have conjured. The wrongful conviction, as you shall see, is only part of the story.
Excerpted from Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz Copyright © 2006 by Seven Locks Press. Excerpted by permission of Seven Locks Press All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Book Foreword Barry Scheck The Innocence Project
When Dennis Fritz testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Innocence Protection Act - legislation that ultimately passed that supports efforts to get post-conviction DNA testing for those claiming innocence - I actually saw tears in the eyes of worldly politicians who for decades had heard an endless stream of moving stories from multitude of witnesses. Among them were Senator Patrick Leahy, Democrat from Vermont and the legislation's sponsor and great champion, and Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican from Utah. Indeed, Senator Hatch said with unmistakable sincerity that he was humbled by what Dennis had to say. I thought that phrase deftly captured what everyone was feeling - a sense of awe that this man could survive and recount his incredible, hair-raising life story passionately, modestly, and thoughtfully all at once. And what a life story it is - the literary equivalent to the wildest hardest-of-hard luck, happiest-of-happy-endings country-and-western song one could imagine. It is a yarn that Hank Williams at his darkest and brightest and on LSD could not have conjured. The wrongful conviction, as you shall see, is only part of the story.
Excerpted from Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz Copyright © 2006 by Seven Locks Press. Excerpted by permission of Seven Locks Press All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Alan Bock's Blog: Journey Toward Justice
Click here to Read - Alan Bock's Blog: Journey Toward Justice
Alan Bock's Blog, Writer for the Orange County Register, and author of Waiting to Inhale, and Ambush at Ruby Ridge. Please read his Great Blog. A Wonderful Writer with A Great Blog Roll. Contributors to Blog Alan Bock - Steve Bock
Check out his Blog Rolls and I am sure he won't mind reading his books also.
Blog Roll
Albert Jay Nock -- essential "superfluous" man
Anti War
BBC News
Capitol Hill Blue -- nicely cranky
Cato Institute -- sort of like the Mother Ship
Chronicles - cranky paleocons
Chronicles magazine -- crusty paleocons
Counterpunch -- Alex Cockburn et. al.
Declan McCullagh -- technoliberator
Declaration of Independence
Digg - use it
Drudge Report - good news links
Frank Chodorov - pioneer libertarian polemicist
G.K. Chesterton - Father Brown and more
Harmless as Doves - Christian pacifists/anarchists
History News Network -- perspective from GMU
Hoover Institution -- I'm a media fellow
http://www.anthonygregory.com/
Independent Institute -- hard core enough to make me a media fellow
Institute for Study of Capitalism and Morality
Joe Bob Briggs -- drive-in movies etc.
Journal of Libertarian Studies
Karen De Coster -- blogging for freedom
Lew Rockwell
Liberty Watch
Lysander Spooner
Minaret of Freedom -- calling Muslims to liberty
Mises
National Review
OC Register
Opinion Journal -- Wall St. Journal edit pg.
Randolph Bourne - "War is the health of the state"
Reason magazine
Richard Cobden (1804-1865)
Robert LeFevre -- pioneer and friend
Salon.com
Slate.com
The Independent Review
Walter Block -- controversialist economist
War is a Racket
Weekly Standard -- Neocon's Pravda
Whiskey & Gunpowder -- investing for freedom
Wikipedia
World Net Daily
Alan Bock's Blog, Writer for the Orange County Register, and author of Waiting to Inhale, and Ambush at Ruby Ridge. Please read his Great Blog. A Wonderful Writer with A Great Blog Roll. Contributors to Blog Alan Bock - Steve Bock
Check out his Blog Rolls and I am sure he won't mind reading his books also.
Blog Roll
Albert Jay Nock -- essential "superfluous" man
Anti War
BBC News
Capitol Hill Blue -- nicely cranky
Cato Institute -- sort of like the Mother Ship
Chronicles - cranky paleocons
Chronicles magazine -- crusty paleocons
Counterpunch -- Alex Cockburn et. al.
Declan McCullagh -- technoliberator
Declaration of Independence
Digg - use it
Drudge Report - good news links
Frank Chodorov - pioneer libertarian polemicist
G.K. Chesterton - Father Brown and more
Harmless as Doves - Christian pacifists/anarchists
History News Network -- perspective from GMU
Hoover Institution -- I'm a media fellow
http://www.anthonygregory.com/
Independent Institute -- hard core enough to make me a media fellow
Institute for Study of Capitalism and Morality
Joe Bob Briggs -- drive-in movies etc.
Journal of Libertarian Studies
Karen De Coster -- blogging for freedom
Lew Rockwell
Liberty Watch
Lysander Spooner
Minaret of Freedom -- calling Muslims to liberty
Mises
National Review
OC Register
Opinion Journal -- Wall St. Journal edit pg.
Randolph Bourne - "War is the health of the state"
Reason magazine
Richard Cobden (1804-1865)
Robert LeFevre -- pioneer and friend
Salon.com
Slate.com
The Independent Review
Walter Block -- controversialist economist
War is a Racket
Weekly Standard -- Neocon's Pravda
Whiskey & Gunpowder -- investing for freedom
Wikipedia
World Net Daily
Saturday, April 7, 2007
A Family Photo of Debra Sue Carter and Article On Exonerated Man Dennis Fritz
Exonerated man, victim's family push for reform By Jaclyn Houghton CNHI News Service
The Exonerated Man is Dennis Fritz and The Family is The Family of Debbie Sue Carter.
Great Article
( UPDATE 2008 story and photo was removed from site, I left my story here))and a photo of the Rape and murder victim Debra Sue Carter, 21, of Ada, Okla. The photo was taken a few days before her murder. Photo of Debra Sue Carter was provided by the family of Debra Sue Carter
Family members of Carter, as well as Fritz and representatives of the New York-based Innocence Project that helped free Williamson and Fritz, are pushing for state commissions that would look at what mistakes were made in cases where convicts later were exonerated. You can read about the case in Dennis Fritz's Book.
Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz click here On Amazon Here
Saturday, May 10, 2008 -
At an Innocence Project dinner, Peggy Sanders danced with Dennis Fritz, who was sent to prison for her daughter’s murder.
International Orders Order Here Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz From Around The World click on here Amazon International Just type in Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz
The Exonerated Man is Dennis Fritz and The Family is The Family of Debbie Sue Carter.
Great Article
( UPDATE 2008 story and photo was removed from site, I left my story here))and a photo of the Rape and murder victim Debra Sue Carter, 21, of Ada, Okla. The photo was taken a few days before her murder. Photo of Debra Sue Carter was provided by the family of Debra Sue Carter
Family members of Carter, as well as Fritz and representatives of the New York-based Innocence Project that helped free Williamson and Fritz, are pushing for state commissions that would look at what mistakes were made in cases where convicts later were exonerated. You can read about the case in Dennis Fritz's Book.
Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz click here On Amazon Here
Saturday, May 10, 2008 -
At an Innocence Project dinner, Peggy Sanders danced with Dennis Fritz, who was sent to prison for her daughter’s murder.
International Orders Order Here Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz From Around The World click on here Amazon International Just type in Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz
Friday, March 23, 2007
An Examination of Wrongful Convictions in America
This Information is from Friends of Peltier.
Event: An Examination of Wrongful Convictions in America
The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project is pleased to invite you to "Innocence Week: An Examination of Wrongful Convictions in America," to be held at American University’s Washington College of Law from March 26 through March 30.
The week will feature a series of engaging luncheon panels, which will include Dennis Fritz, whose case was featured in John Grisham’s most recent book, and Kirk Bloodsworth, who was sentenced to death in Maryland for a crime he did not commit.
Innocence Week will culminate in two performances of The Exonerated, a critically acclaimed play about the experiences of six individuals who were sentenced to death for crimes they did not commit.
To purchase tickets or to reserve space at the luncheons, please call (202) 274-4075 or email secle@wcl.american.edu.
.Peltier supporters in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area may wish to attend. This will be a friendly venue and an opportunity for you to educate people about the Peltier case.
More Information From The Mid Atlantic Innocence Project:
All lectures are free and open to the public. Monday's panel will consist of Washington College of Law criminal law professors in a discussion of how a truly innocent person can be wrongly convicted in the American system of justice. Tuesday's luncheon will feature Detective Jim Trainum of the DC Metropolitan Police Department, Tim O'Toole of the DC Public Defender Service, and MAIP Executive Director Shawn Armbrust discussing eyewitness misidentification and false confessions. On Wednesday, we will have a special presentation and book-signing by Kirk Bloodsworth, a Maryland man who was wrongly convicted of a brutal rape and murder and who spent several years on death row before his exoneration. He will be accompanied by Tim Junkin, who wrote a book about his case, and John Terzano, the Executive Director of The Justice Project. Finally, on Thursday, we will hear from two men, including Dennis Fritz, who were wrongly convicted and eventually exonerated after spending many years in prison. Mr. Fritz will sign copies of his new book following the luncheon.
More Information From The Mid Atlantic Innocence Project:
All lectures are free and open to the public. Monday's panel will consist of Washington College of Law criminal law professors in a discussion of how a truly innocent person can be wrongly convicted in the American system of justice. Tuesday's luncheon will feature Detective Jim Trainum of the DC Metropolitan Police Department, Tim O'Toole of the DC Public Defender Service, and MAIP Executive Director Shawn Armbrust discussing eyewitness misidentification and false confessions. On Wednesday, we will have a special presentation and book-signing by Kirk Bloodsworth, a Maryland man who was wrongly convicted of a brutal rape and murder and who spent several years on death row before his exoneration. He will be accompanied by Tim Junkin, who wrote a book about his case, and John Terzano, the Executive Director of The Justice Project. Finally, on Thursday, we will hear from two men, including Dennis Fritz, who were wrongly convicted and eventually exonerated after spending many years in prison. Mr. Fritz will sign copies of his new book following the luncheon.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Fight For Justice Where Is Help? Here At Innocence Denied
This is a Great website with lots of links and informationa>
This is from their site:
"Never give up in your fight for justice and know that truth of your innocence will see the light if you steadfastly maintain the vigil."
Dennis Fritz has an Amazing Story about his fight for Justice. John Grisham calls his story Compelling and Fascinating.
A Book Recommendation - Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz On Amazon Here
International Orders Order Here Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz From Around The World Amazon International Just type in Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz
This is from their site:
"Never give up in your fight for justice and know that truth of your innocence will see the light if you steadfastly maintain the vigil."
Dennis Fritz has an Amazing Story about his fight for Justice. John Grisham calls his story Compelling and Fascinating.
A Book Recommendation - Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz On Amazon Here
International Orders Order Here Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz From Around The World Amazon International Just type in Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz
Friday, February 2, 2007
The Innocence Project Contact List
Innocence Projects provide representation and/or investigative assistance to prison inmates who claim to be innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted. There is now at least one innocence project serving each state except Hawaii, North Dakota and South Dakota. Most of these innocence projects are new and overwhelmed with applications, so waiting time between application and acceptance is long. Wrongfully convicted persons should not be dissuaded from applying to Innocence Projects because of this, but should have realistic expectations regarding acceptance and time lags.
Innocence Projects Contact List USA - Canada - Australia
A Book Recommendation : The Companion Book To John Grisham's, The Innocent Man is Dennis Fritz's Book Called "Journey Toward Justice" now on Amazon Here.
Innocence Projects Contact List USA - Canada - Australia
A Book Recommendation : The Companion Book To John Grisham's, The Innocent Man is Dennis Fritz's Book Called "Journey Toward Justice" now on Amazon Here.
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