Jim Brown Justice Denied

My post on Justice Denied June 22th: What I learned since June 22th, is there is a Justice Denied Magazine and Justice Denied Book. You sure learn things fast with a blog. On June 22th I posted a story from Justice Denied Magazine. Readers were asking me if they were affiliated. I never heard of the book Justice Denied, so I did research on it. I did remember I read a story about Kathleen Norman from a Jim Brown website. I left a comment and left the site. Little did I know who Jim Brown was. I was really just interested in Kathleen Norman's amazing story. This is what I read on Jim Brown's radio website about Kathleen:

The Innocence Project of New Orleans was discussed on Wednesday’s show, and my guest was the Chairman of the Board, Kathleen Norman. Kathleen was actually the foreperson of a jury that convicted and sentenced an innocent man to death. Later, when confronted with evidence of his innocence that had been in possession of the FBI and withheld form the defense, she became an outspoken advocate for his release.

I did find out Justice Denied magazine and Justice Denied book are not affiliated. I also found out who Jim Brown was. Jim Brown is the author of the book "Justice Denied" and Radio Host. His radio show "Telling It Like Is" is heard weekday from New Orleans. 995 fm.com. The radio show was where I heard about Kathleen Norman. Jim has an amazing story about Justice Denied , read more about him on his Blog HERE.

Jim Brown's book is now available to order here and on his site. The book covers the entire Cascade controversy from beginning to end. Jim gives his insights as to the real reason he was charged, a detailed review of the trial, and a full analysis of why the jury was kept in the dark and made their wrong decision.
In addition, Jim gives his perspective on some of the major political events that took place during his 30 years in public life.
Jim is also writing a new book about his six month stay at Oakdale Federal Prison. Readers will find insights about prison life, and Jim will discuss events that took take place in prison he was reluctant to write about while he was still there. Jim Brown if you read this, Great Show and Great Book. Now I have to read more about Kathleen Norman.

Here is another true story about Justice Denied. Place Pontotoc County, Ada, Oklahoma. It is because of this story I started my blog, Barbara's Journey Toward Justice :

Dennis Fritz The Other Innocent Man in John Grisham's Book "The Innocent Man".
Dennis Fritz writes his own story. His book "Journey Toward Justice" is endorsed on jacket by John Grisham and he states on Jacket Compelling and Fascinating.

A Companion book to "The Innocent Man". "Journey Toward Justice" is a testimony to the triumph of the human Spirit, Dennis Fritz was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder after a swift trail. Dennis Fritz's Story is of unwarranted prosecution and wrongful conviction.

The only thing that saved Dennis Fritz from the Death Penalty was a lone vote from a juror. Dennis Fritz is the other innocent man mentioned in John Grisham's Book. which mainly is about Ronnie Williamson, Dennis Fritz's co-defendant.

Both were exonerated after spending 12 years in prison.

The real killer was one of the Prosecution's Key Witness. Read about why he went on a special diet of his while in prison, amazing and shocking.
He wrote hundreds of letters and appellate briefs in his own defense and immersed himself in an intense study of law. He was a school teacher and a ordinary man whose wife was brutally murdered in 1975 by a deranged 17 year old neighbor.

On May 8th 1987, Five years after Debbie Sue Carter's rape and murder he was home with his young daughter and put under arrest, handcuffed and on his way to jail on charges of rape and murder.

After 10 years in prison he discovered The Innocence Project, a non-profit legal organization.

With the aid of Barry Scheck and DNA evidence Dennis Fritz was exonerated on April 15,1999 Since then, it has been a long hard road filled with twist and turns and now on his Journey Toward Justice.

He never blamed the Lord and solely relied on his faith in God to make it through. He waited for God's time and never gave up.


Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz click here 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

Justice Denied Prosecutors Are Master Framers Cases of Wrongful Conviction

I just read an interesting story from Justice Denied,
The magazine for the Wrongful Convicted and thought it was a story worth sharing with my readers.
Justice:Denied magazine publicizes cases of wrongful conviction, and exposes how and why they occur. Justice:Denied is produced by a team of volunteer writers, editors and other staff persons located throughout the United States.
See below for contact information. Here is the story:

Prosecutors Are Master Framers By Hans Sherrer

Watching movies and television shows for decades has conditioned us to have the Pavlovian response of thinking that police are the culprits when people are framed.So it was that instead of presenting us with a new idea, the internationally televised O. J. Simpson trial was a real-life affirmation that police plant evidence, falsify reports and commit perjury in court.
The opinion of many people that in O. J.'s case the police worked hard to frame a guilty man doesn't change what they did. It just emphasizes that fame and wealth doesn't protect someone from being vulnerable to such tactics. However, as reprehensible as the unethical behavior by police can be, focusing on it tends to deflect attention from the bigger picture of how people are successfully framed. Police misbehavior alone is not enough to convict a person.
This is because police investigations are typically conducted under the watchful eye of a prosecuting attorney, and even when they aren't, a prosecutor must give his stamp of approval to a case before criminal charges can be pursued against someone.
This means that no police wrongdoing can ever see the light of a courtroom without the complicity of a willing prosecutor. To one degree or another, all frame-ups of people are orchestrated by prosecutors acting behind the scenes. This is as true of the highpercentage of plea bargains compelled by the threat of a false conviction, as it is by the actual presentation of phony evidence, deceptive arguments, and perjured testimony during a trial.
One of the most effective ways prosecutors contribute to framing people is by manipulating their access to evidence in the government's possession that may tend to cast doubt on their guilt.

This is known as discovery evidence, and as a guard against false convictions the U. S. Supreme Court recognized a defendant's right to this information in Brady v. Maryland (1963).
The investigative resources of the government exceed those available to any private person. This includes the world's richest man, Bill Gates. Therefore, if there is physical or testimonial evidence that someone isn't guilty, it is often in the possession of the prosecution, yet revealing exculpatory evidence to a defendant can undermine the government's case.
This situation creates an irresistable temptation for prosecutors across America to thumb their noses at the Supreme Court and at the rights of all Americans by hiding the existence of evidence that may interfere with convicting an accused person. Ironically, this means that innocent people are rarely helped by the pre-trial discovery process because it is in the personal and professional interest of prosecutors to conceal potentially exonerating information from them.

There are numerous cases of wrongful conviction known to have been orchestrated by the concealment of evidence by prosecutors. These cases span the length and breadth of the country and include state and federal courts. A representative example is Ellen Reasonover's case, reported in the September 1999, issue of Justice Denied. A federal judge in Missouri ordered Ms. Reasonover released in August of this year after she had spent 16 years in prison for a murder she didn't commit. She was framed by prosecutors who concealed the existence of two exonerating audio tapes and who bought the perjured testimony of two "jailhouse" witnesses for the state.
Irrespective of the possible merits of the government's case, thegovernment creates the appearance that it knows a defendant is falsely accused when it conceals evidence.

An example of this is the recent revelations that for six years the U. S. Department of Justice concealed testimony and physical evidence related to the siege and destruction of the Branch Davidians' compound in Waco, Texas in 1993.
[1] The Branch Davidian survivors convicted of criminal charges were partly framed by this concealed evidence, and some of the jurors misled by federal prosecutors into convicting them are now advocating their release from prison.In addition to withholding evidence, some of the popular techniques prosecutors use to frame defendants are:

• They permit, encourage, compel, or purchase perjurious testimony in Court by prosecution witnesses. In Ellen Reasonover's case, for example, the prosecution paid cash for the testimony of one witness and rewarded another witness by dropping felony charges against her.
• They permit or encourage the introduction of tainted or phony evidence in Court. This can be done by introducing tests conducted on contaminated physical evidence, introducing fake evidence, or introducing planted objects as authentic.
• They overcharge or pile on charges to compel an innocent person to plead guilty to avoid a devastatingly long or harsh sentence if they go to trial and lose.
The effectiveness of this tactic is indicated by a study published in the Harvard Law Review that concluded that over one-third of everyone who pleads guilty in a federal court would have been acquitted after a trial.
[2] This finding is confirmed by the known cases of innocent people who pleaded guilty to murder to avoid a possible false conviction and death sentence.
[3] They make unsupported, disparaging and inflammatory remarks about a defendant and the motives of the defense lawyer so that jurors will have an emotional, rather than rational response, and want to convict a defendant the prosecution hasn't proved to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. It is abhorrent to the very concept of justice, but it is becoming increasingly common knowledge that state and federal prosecutors are participating in framing defendants with monotonous regularity. This isn't surprising considering that prosecutors are given a green light to do so by a lack of negative consequences when their wrongdoing is uncovered.Although prosecutorial tactics are regularly recognized by courts as deplorable, it doesn't stop defendants from being framed by prosecutors. This is due in large part to the narrow interpretation by courts of what is known as the "harmless error" rule.

If a prosecutorial tactic isn't considered sufficient in and of itself to have altered the outcome of a trial, it is dismissed by courts as a "harmless error." Therefore, prosecutors know that as long as they use tactics to frame a defendant that aren't excessively obvious or prejudicial of their rights, these won't be deemed a sufficient reason to reverse a conviction or even prompt a judicial reprimand. A dramatic example of this was the recent denial of Terry Nichols'motion for a new trial. He sought a new trial on the grounds that the government deliberately concealed the existence of 43,000 documents he had the right to review prior to his 1997 trial in Denver, Colorado, for his alleged role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
[4] The prosecution was given a helping hand by the illegal concealment of these tens of thousands of documents and the FBI admitted hiding them from Nichols. However, U. S. District judge Richard Matsch ruled that their concealment wasn't enough of an error to have deprived Terry Nichols of a fair trial, so it was ruled a "harmless error."
[5] Since prosecutors suffer no personal or professional penalty for participating in framing people, there is no downside for them.
The U.S. Supreme Court, for example, granted prosecutors absolute immunity from civil liability when exercising their prosecutorial functions in Imbler v. Pachtman (424 U. S. 409, 1976). Likewise, they face no criminal responsibility for their actions because history has shown that with very rare exceptions, prosecutors don't prosecute fellow prosecutors. This means a prosecutor can withhold evidence tending to show that someone accused of murder is innocent, and if it is brought to light after the person is convicted, sentenced and executed, that the information was withheld, the prosecutor doesn't have to worry about being criminally charged.
Prosecutors are even protected from prosecution when they leak secret grand jury testimony to the news media.
[6] One small ray of light in this otherwise bleak scenario is the Citizen's Protection Act of 1998 (28 USC 530B) which went into effect in April of this year. Although severely watered down from the version first introduced for consideration by Congress, it makes federal attorneys subject to the state bar ethics rules and disciplinary proceedings that apply to all other lawyers in the state where they are located. However, since bar associations are loathe to discipline private attorneys who lack the political pull of a U. S. Attorney, the protection provided Americans by the Citizen's Protection Act is more symbolic than real.

Prosecutors are well aware of their privileged position and they are opposed to being constrained from exercising their power in any way. The Justice Department, for example, vigorously lobbied against the minimal restraints imposed on its behavior by the Citizen's Protection Act. A congressional aide explained this by remarking that U. S. Attorneys "get hysterical about being subjected to external ethical standards. They don't want to have to live by rules."
[7] When he was the Attorney General of the U. S., Robert Jackson recognized the power he and his colleagues possessed when he noted in a speech, "The prosecutor has more control over life, liberty, and reputation than any other person in America."
[8] Considering what is known about human nature and the way absolute power tends to corrupt people, it isn't surprising that working in an environment of non-accountability brings out the worst behavior imaginable in prosecutors.
Framing people is one way prosecutors express the corrupting influence of power. The illicit behavior of prosecutors is compounded by the powerful incentives they have to engage in wrongdoing. One of these is that the performance rating of a prosecutor can be based on his or her conviction rate in the same way a batting average is used to judge a baseball player.
Their ability to obtain a high conviction rate is often used as a promotional tool for gaining a political or judicial office or appointment. Janet Reno parlayed a tough reputation as Miami's state attorney into her appointment as U. S. Attorney General.
As contrary as it is to the American notion of justice, prosecutors have nearly free reign to manipulate the judicial process for their own benefit. The tactics they use to get convictions have caused various commentators to call them our modern version of medieval torturers and lawless gunmen.
[9] With this freedom to be unaccountable, it is no wonder that prosecutors can accumulate the experience necessary to acquire the dubious honor of being recognized as master framers. The End

1] See e.g., FBI's 'Waco boys' had role at Ruby Ridge: Same discredited officials ran both cases," Thomas Shapley, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 19, 1999, p. G2; and "Storm Clouds Gather Above Waco, Texas," Thomas Shapley, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 29, 1999, p. E2.[back to story] [2] "A Statistical Analysis of Guilty Plea Practices in the Federal Courts," Michael O. Finkelstein, Harvard Law Review, Volume 89, Number 2, pp. 293-315 (December 1975). [back to story] [3] See e.g., "In Spite of Innocence: Erroneous Convictions inCapital Cases," Michael L Radelet, Hugo Adam Bedau, and Constance E. Putnam, Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1996, Inventory of Cases at pp. 282-356.[back to story] [4] "Nichols: FBI withheld key data," Howard Pankratz (staff writer), Denver Post, July 8, 1999.[back to story] [5] "Terry Nichols denied new trial," Mike McPhee (staff writer),Denver Post, September 14, 1999. In October of 1999, the U. S. Supreme Court let Terry Nichols' conviction stand by refusing to review his appeal (see:http://news.findlaw.com/News/s/19991012/courtnichols.html).[back to story] [6] "Court Order to Prosecute Starr Overturned," Pete Yost (AP),Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 14, 1999, p. A4. [back to story] [7] Quoted in "Games Prosecutors Play," Wendy Kaminer, TheAmerican Prospect, Sept./Oct. 1999, Number 46, p. 26.[back to story] [8] "The Federal Prosecutor," Robert H. Jackson, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Vol. XXXI, 1940-1941, p. 3, text of speech given April 1, 1940, in Washington D. C.. [back to story] [9] For a comparison of prosecutors to highwaymen who get what they want by holding people at gunpoint, see "Criminal Justice and the Negotiated Plea," Kenneth Kipnis, 86 Ethics 93 (1976). For a comparison of prosecutors to medieval torturers, see: "Torture and Plea Bargaining," John H. Langbein, The Public Interest, Number 58, Winter 1980, pp. 43-61. [back to story]Sources:"Prosecutorial Misconduct," Bennett l. Gershman, Clark, Boardman, Callaghan, a division of Thomson Legal Publishing, Inc., Sept., 1997, 12th release, esp. chapter 13: "Sanctions for Misconduct," pp. 13-1 to 13-29."Prosecutorial Misconduct: The Limitations Upon the Prosecutor's Role As An Advocate," John H. King, Jr., Suffolk University Law Review, Vol. XIV, No. 4, Summer, 1980, pp. 1095-1135."Forensic Misconduct by Federal Prosecutors -- and How It Grew," Singer, 20 Alabama Law Review 227 (1968)."Good Samaritan Freed 16 Years After One Juror Saved Her From A Death Sentence," Hans Sherrer, Justice Denied, September, 1999, Vol. 1, No.8.

If you want to submit a story of wrongful conviction to Justice:Denied, the guidelines are at, http://justicedenied.org/submita.htm. After reading the guidelines, you can either send a completed story by email, or by regular mail to: Justice Denied, PO Box 68911, Seattle, WA 98168.
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700 Club and Dennis Fritz Author of Journey Toward Justice at Book Expo

With the attendees of 36,000, almost 2,000 publishers, 1,262 authors and 3,400 librarians the convention floor of the Javits Center was extremely crowed! Who would believe you would bump into old friends.
On Sat. June 2, while Dennis Fritz and I were walking down the isles to get some lunch, we heard "Dennis Fritz is that you?". He heard that called a dozen of times since his appearance on Dateline last May 22, while at the book expo. Many people started a conversation with Dennis which ended with him giving them a signed copy of his book. This time was different. He heard the voice and did not know where it was coming from. This one isle we were walking down had over 100 people going in both directions, carrying loads of books. The crowd was very friendly, and there were people from all over the world. I heard the word excuse me in many languages, (at least to my limited , basic knowledge of languages) I believe, were excuse me. The mystery ended when 2 arms reached out from the crowd and hugged Dennis with a friendly hello. It was Molly Young, Senior Guest Coordinator from Pat Roberson The 700 Club. Along with Molly Young were Stacy Fincher, Segment Producer and Ivorie Anthony, Talent Coordinator. Years back they did a show on Dennis Fritz called, "Dennis Fritz - Vindicated".

700 Club Highlights
Over the years The 700 Club has become well known for its fresh and insightful interviews, hard-hitting special reports, and dramatic features. Some recent highlights include:
International news coverage on the persecution of Christians around the world including Sudan, Pakistan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Egypt, China, Burma and Indonesia; Israeli election; and the nuclear proliferation in Iraq, Iran, and North Korea were covered. Extensive political coverage of the 2000 election and post-election legal battle. Breaking news coverage of the September 2001 terrorist attacks against America. As well as up-to-date facts and forecasts on the stock market and the economy.


Dennis Fritz, with his warm Midwestern accent, invited them to his booth so we all could chat. I lived in New York all my life and visited many states, even drove cross country 2 times. I like the Midwestern accent. People like David Letterman, Johnny Carson, Tom Brokaw and "ya know" Casey Kasem are all from the Midwest and enjoyed their shows. "ya Know" were the words Kasem used many times after a commercial break or song. I know, I was a big fan of his and miss his shows very much. Kerri Kasem, the daughter of Casey Kasem and first wife, Linda Myers Kasem, has a radio talk show. I listen to it and think she has an American Standard English Accent. She was born in London June 6,1978 and grew up in Hollywood, Ca. Great Show. Listen to her on the internet. The Alan Stock and Kerri Kasem Talk Show. KXNT am 840 weekdays 5 am to 9 am. Las Vegas. I cannot believe Kerri Kasem auditioned for Host on American Idol and did not get it. Kerri if you read this," Let's Do Lunch". Have your people get in touch with my people. "lol" Back to my story..
When we got back to Dennis's Booth, there he introduced me to his friends. They shared many stories, some happy, some sad. The meeting lasted an hour and we all promised to keep in touch. Stacey Fincher has a great spot on "My Space", with a great story, a story I may add here soon. Stay tuned

Here is the 700 Guest Bio of Dennis Fritz
Dennis Fritz: Vindicated
By The 700 Club
CBN.com - FIGHT FOR FREEDOM Dennis Fritz was an ordinary man living an ordinary life in Ada, Oklahoma. A school teacher, whose wife was brutally murdered in 1975, Dennis was raising his young daughter on his own. On one night in 1987, when a young woman named Debra Carter was raped and murdered, Fritz's ordinary life came crashing down. Though he had never met Carter, Fritz was questioned, and then arrested for the crime. Fritz was wrongfully convicted after a swift trial. The vote of a lone juror saved him from the death penalty and he was sentenced to a life behind bars. His codefendant, Ronnie Williamson, was sentenced to death.

Fritz served 12 years in prison before he was exonerated and released. During his time in prison, Fritz immersed himself in an intense study of the law and wrote hundreds of letters and appellate briefs in his own defense, hoping someone would take an interest in his case. After ten desperate years, he discovered an organization called, Innocence Project, which was helpful in getting the DNA testing needed that proved Fritz was innocent. On April 15, 1999, after twelve years in prison, both Fritz an his codefendant were free men.

Though a free man, much of his life had been taken from him. He realized just how much he had missed when he walked out of his jail cell and met his daughter, whom he barely recognized. "As I turned to enter, I saw a beautiful young woman standing in front of me. In a split second, I realized that this radiant woman with the beautiful smile was Elizabeth. My blessed mother was standing by her side. An uncontrollable feeling welled up in my chest and I began to cry. In that very same visiting room years earlier I had last seen Elizabeth as a young girl."

USING GOD'S STRENGTH IN SUFFERING
Though he spent 12 years in prison, Fritz says he never once was bitter to or blamed the Lord. "I always looked at it, if anything, as it was Satan that had put me in this situation," he says. Fritz, who had accepted the Lord and was baptized at age eight, journeyed with Christ through his life, but says it was his time in prison that brought him closer to God. It was during that time that Fritz had to rely solely on faith in God to make it through. He says he didn't allow himself to ask God "why" too many times. Instead he trusted the Lord. He says he witnessed miracles in prison, and actually heard God's voice telling him, "Trust me." So that is what he did. He was patient, and worked diligently seeking his freedom, but waited for God's time and never gave up. "If it was up to man, I would still be in there," Fritz says. Fortunately for him, it was God who was in control.

TAKING BACK HIS LIFE
Now in his book, Journey Toward Justice, Fritz tells his horrifying story. The book is a chilling illustration of how one prosecutor's reckless pursuit of justice shattered a man's life. Journey Toward Justice is a testimony to the triumph of the human spirit and how one man's faith and resolve, along with the wonder of technology, helped transform his life again.

Fritz said in an article for The Tulsa World, "I gave the Lord all the credit for this. That was my mission from the start with this book-to let everyone know that it was the Lord who pulled me through this. He helped keep me more or less emotionally stable during my time in prison, even those times when I felt like I was hanging on the last thread of a rope." Fritz says he wants to use his book to glorify God as well as bring greater awareness about false convictions.


For first time visitors to my blog.
Jan., 2007, I read Dennis Fritz's book "Journey Toward Justice" . I was so influenced by this book, I started my first blog , http://barbarasblogspot.blogspot.com/ titled, "Barbara's Journey Toward Justice". I decided to join Dennis Fritz's Journey to bring public awareness to issues such as:Wrongful Convictions - Death Penalty - The Exonerated - Faith - The Criminal Justice System and The Innocence Project.In the past 6 months I have received hundreds of emails from people all over the world. Last month I received an email from James Riordan - Seven Locks Press the Publisher of Dennis Fritz's Book. Mr. Riordan invited me to the Book Expo 2007 NYC Jacob Javits Center. I answered his email saying, yes, in a few days he sent me tickets. I must say, I was very excited to get to meet and talk with Dennis Fritz. I will post more about the show and my meeting Dennis Fritz at a later date. I had a wonderful time, Dennis Fritz is an amazing gentleman with some great stories. There is just so much to write about. I will be posting some stories and more photos.


Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz click here 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

Barbara's Journey Toward Justice Dennis Fritz and Edward Winterhalder Book Expo America NYC 2007

Jan., 2007, I read Dennis Fritz's book "Journey Toward Justice" . I was so influenced by this book, I started my first blog, barbarasblogspot.blogspot.com - titled, "Barbara's Journey Toward Justice". I decided to join Dennis Fritz's Journey to bring public awareness to issues such as:
Wrongful Convictions - Death Penalty - The Exonerated - Faith - The Criminal Justice System and The Innocence Project.

In the past 6 months I have received hundreds of emails from people all over the world. Last month I received an email from James Riordan - Seven Locks Press the Publisher of Dennis Fritz's Book. Mr. Riordan invited me to the Book Expo 2007 NYC Jacob Javits Center. I answered his email saying, yes, in a few days he sent me tickets. I must say, I was very excited to get to meet and talk with Dennis Fritz. I will post more about the show and my meeting Dennis Fritz at a later date. I had a wonderful time, Dennis Fritz is an amazing gentleman with some great stories. There is just so much to write about. I will be posting some stories and more photos.

Photo - Left Jim Riordan, Seven Locks Press, Middle is Author Edward Winterhalder and Right Author Dennis Fritz. Book Expo NYC June 2, 2007.
I want to take this time to tell you about Edward Winterhalder and his book, "Out In Bad Standings"

Edward Winterhalder, author of the current best selling biker book ,"Out In Bad Standings" (distributed by American Publisher Seven Locks Press and published by Blockhead City Press) and co-executive producer of a new, nonfiction TV reality series about motorcycle clubs called "Living On The Edge". Edward Winterhalder is now represented by APA, which is one of the largest, and oldest, talent agencies in the country

"Out In Bad Standings" is distributed by Seven Locks Press, the same Publisher as Dennis Fritz's Book ,"Journey Toward Justice". Ed and Dennis were at the same booth signing books. I really don't know who's line was the longest. I do know people from all walks of life found both men interesting and fascinating, including myself. I am amazed with the hard stories they have to tell. They are both gentleman - intelligent, great authors and are now contributing to the world in an extremely positive way.


"OUT IN BAD STANDING"
From the Publisher
An expose of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club and the memoirs of Edward "Connecticut Ed" Winterhalder. This 448 page 6' x 9" hard cover book contains more than 150 color photographs and sports a dynamic dust cover jacket. Detailing the establishment and growth of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club in Canada, Europe and Oklahoma, this historical look into the outlaw motorcycle club world is a must read for every Harley rider on the planet.

From The Critics
International Journal of Motorcycle Studies As a source of information about outlaw clubs, Out in Bad Standings also provides a wealth of knowledge about the organization and its dealings and politics with the outlaw world through the eyes of a well-placed ex-member. Winterhalder does not write in the traditional manner that is associated with subjects of this importance, but if one can get through the intricate first-person accounts, Out in Bad Standings is a good primary source. The book will contribute to our knowledge of the Bandidos and help fill in gaps in our knowledge of outlaw culture in general.

More About Edward Winterhalder
In the spring of 2008, Toronto publisher ECW Press will release a new book Edward Winterhalder has co-authored with famed Canadian motorcycle journalist Wil DeClercq, called "The Assimilation", which is about the assimilation of the Rock Machine into the Bandidos which he was responsible for.

"The Mammoth Book of Bikers" (September 2007) The worldwide advertising campaign for Australian motorcycle club expert Arthur Veno's "The Mammoth Book Of Bikers" has started, and the book is available all over the world. Edward Winterhalder is featured, for "The Mammoth Book of Bikers" contains 19 pages from "Out In Bad Standings" reprinted with his permission, as well as an overview of his situation since he left the Bandidos. "The Mammoth Book of Bikers" is the 150th book in the Mammoth series, and will be carried, in stock, in every Walmart store in the world.

Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz click here 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

Dennis Fritz and Alan Gershwin New York Book Expo

Author Dennis Fritz and Alan Gershwin

Book Expo 2007 New York City

Jacob Javits Convention Center New York

Alan Gershwin, son of the late great jazz composer and pianist, George Gershwin and Dennis Fritz Author of "Journey Toward Justice" meet. Alan Gershwin stopped by to visit Dennis Fritz at his booth at the New York Book Expo. June 2, 2007. They sat down together and had a small lunch and I am sure, a great conversation.

Karl Fontenot and Tommy Ward Deserve Attention and Need Help - Contact Their Attorney Here With Information or Tips

After reading a Statement from John Grisham below, I felt a need to help Karl and Tommy. Authors of blogs and websites, please pass this information along.
"Never doubt that a small group of bloggers, the internet and concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it has." Quote Barbara Owens - Barbara's Journey Toward Justice

Statement of John Grisham
"It is an intriguing and horrifying story: the story of the dream that got Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot convicted.

Karl and Tommy deserve attention and help.

I encourage anyone with any information about this case to send it to their attorney.

It is important to learn from this nightmare. It is also important that this nightmare somehow be unraveled."

Contact The Attorney for Ward and Fontenot
End of Statement

This is from Ward and Fontenot website;

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Persons with information about the Denice Haraway homicide may send e-mail to:
barrettlawoffice at gmail.com
Or write to:

Mark Barrett, Attorney
P.O. Box 896
Norman, Oklahoma 73070

We are looking for anything that could help prove who is responsible for the death.
Assume that whatever you know or have heard is important. In particular, we are hoping to hear from people who, in 1984, lived near the place where the body was found. END
Haraway’s body was found in Hughes County, far from anyplace that was searched. A remote area twenty-five miles east of Ada. Oklahoma

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot were convicted of murdering Denise Haraway. Haraway, 24, worked part-time at McAnally’s convenience store in Ada, Oklahoma. She was last seen leaving the store on April 28, 1984, with a man who had his arm around her waist. The two appeared to be a pair of lovers. The store was found deserted with the cash register drawer opened and emptied. Haraway’s purse and driver’s license were found inside, and her car nearby.

Months later, after Haraway still remained missing, police questioned Tommy Ward, who resembled the man accompanying Haraway from the store. After days of interrogation, Ward confessed to the crime. He also implicated his friend, Karl Fontenot, and Odell Titsworth, a man he never met. During the videotaped confession, Ward frequently forgot Titsworth’s name and called him “Titsdale.” Ward said the three gang-raped Haraway, murdered her with Titsworth’s knife, and dumped her body near Sandy Creek.

Fontenot was soon arrested and confessed after only two hours of interrogation. His confession was similar to Ward’s but contradicted it many details, like the order in which the three raped Haraway, or the location and number of stab wounds on her. Fontenot said the three brought Haraway into an abandoned house, where Titsworth poured gasoline over her body and burned down the house. Ward had mentioned a burned down house in an earlier unrecorded confession, and police knew it existed.

Titsworth was arrested, but he had broken his arm two days before the murder in a fight with police. Medical and police records made him an unlikely suspect, and he was never charged with murder. While police were sifting through the remains of the burned down house, the owner appeared. After police told him of Fontenot’s confession, the owner said Fontenot’s story was impossible, as he himself had burned down the house 10 months before the murder.

At trial, the prosecutor presented the confessions and was forced into the position of telling the jury the defendants were lying about details while asking the jury to believe them anyway. Two jailhouse informants supplemented the confessions. One said Ward confessed, while the other said he overheard Fontenot talking to himself, saying, “I knew we’d get caught. I knew we’d get caught.” The jurors returned with guilty verdicts and death penalties.

Haraway’s body was found four month’s later in Hughes County, far from anyplace that was searched. She had not been stabbed or burned, but died from a single gunshot to the head. END

Some Interesting Facts;
District Attorney William Peterson had another jailhouse informant whose testimony would cement the Ward and Fontenot case Terri Holland.
Terri Holland claimed she overheard Karl Fontenot confessing, just as she heard Ron Williamson confess. John Grisham wrote about Ron Williamson's story in "The Innocent
Man". You can also read about her in Dennis Fritz's Book "Journey Toward Justice". Terri Holland jailhouse informant provided testimony in 2 Ada Oklamhoma murder cases. Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson Murder Case and Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot Murder Case.

Besides her testimony in 2 murder cases, District Attorney Peterson had to ask a jury to believe two confessions that contradicted one another in almost every way, and both indicated the involvement of a third man that the police department never saw fit to file charges against.Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot received death sentences.
Ward and Fontenot were retried, they both received life sentences.

William Peterson still serves as District Attorney for the City of Ada.

Persons with information about the Denice Haraway homicide may send e-mail to:
____________________________
barrettlawoffice@gmail.com

Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson were exonerated and released in April 1999

From The Innocence Project

DENNIS FRITZ
Incident Year: 1982

Jurisdiction: OK

Charge: Murder

Conviction: 1st Degree Murder

Sentence: Life
Year of Conviction: 1988

Exoneration Year: 1999

Sentence Served: 11 Years

Real perpetrator found? Yes

Contributing Causes: Unreliable/Limited Science, False Confessions, Informants/Snitches

Compensation? Yes


Dennis Fritz, along with co-defendant Ron Williamson, was convicted in 1988, in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, of the murder of Debra Sue Carter. Her body had been found six years earlier. Fritz was sentenced to life in prison. Williamson was sent to death row.

The twenty-one year old victim had left her waitressing job and was found raped and murdered in her apartment the following day. Fritz and Williamson were known to frequent the establishment where the victim worked. The prosecution presented evidence that the victim had previously complained to a friend that they "made her nervous." Williamson had been seen at the restaurant the night of the murder without Fritz.

Fritz was not charged until five years later after the murder (delayed by state exhumation of victim after an incorrect analysis of finger prints at the scene was noted). An inmate that Fritz was paired with eventually came forward and stated that Fritz had confessed to the murder. This jailhouse snitch gave a two hour taped interview revealing what Fritz had allegedly confessed to him. This confession came one day before the prosecution would have been forced to drop the charges against Fritz. Another informant testified that she had heard Williamson threaten to harm his mother as he had the victim. Williamson was also seen at the bar the night of the murder, according to a witness named Glenn Gore. Additionally, police had statements from Williamson regarding a dream he had about the crime.

Forensic testing was performed on various items of evidence. Seventeen hairs were recovered and were "matched" to both Fritz and Williamson. The semen evidence suggested that the perpetrator(s) were non-secretors, as Fritz and Williamson are. Fritz could not remember his exact whereabouts during the day of the crime due to the amount of time, five years, that had passed.

Fritz's appeals were denied. He later contacted the Innocence Project for help. It was learned that the physical evidence was going to be tested due to appeals filed by Ron Williamson's lawyers. Fritz filed an injunction to make sure that the evidence would not be totally consumed until the cases were joined with regard to DNA testing.

DNA testing revealed that neither Fritz nor Williamson deposited the spermatozoa found in the victim. Further testing proved that none of the many hairs that were labeled "matches" belonged to them. The profile obtained from the semen evidence matched Glenn Gore, one of the state's witnesses at trial. Gore escaped from work release shortly after testing was concluded and was later apprehended.

Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson were exonerated and released in April 1999. Williamson had, at one point, come within five days of execution. The two had been wrongfully incarcerated, respectively, for eleven years.

Dennis Fritz wrote a Book called "Journey Toward Justice" click here 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

Margaret Mead and Barbara's Journey Toward Justice Quote

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

My Related Quote;

"Never doubt that a small group of bloggers, the internet and concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it has." Barbara Owens - Barbara's Journey Toward Justice Blog

NBC Dateline The Accused and John Grisham Comments Here Ada Oklamhoma Murders

Please post your comments about the NBC Dateline Show The Accused aired May 22 here. To post comment click on the word comments below

Truth In Justice Radio Show Hosts Sheila Berry and Ira Robins

Truth In Justice Radio Show is Up and Coming

As part of its educational outreach, Truth in Justice offers a series of radio programs aimed at alerting listeners to problems in the legal system that lead to the conviction of innocent people for crimes they did not commit. Your hosts, Sheila Berry and Ira Robins, discuss issues that play significant roles in making, reversing and avoiding wrongful convictions. Use the mailto link at the website to contact them with questions and concerns you would like them to address in future broadcasts.
Here's the link for the radio show: http://truthinjustice.org/tjradio/radio.htm

NBC Dateline Tuesday May 22 The Ada Hour Injustice of Wrongful Convictions Featuring Dennis Fritz Author of Journey Toward Justice

NBC Dateline will air on Tuesday May 22 The Ada Hour.
The Ada Hour will chronicle the repeated injustice of wrongful convictions.
In addition to John Grisham, District Attorney Bill Peterson, Barry Scheck and Robert Mayer the piece will feature Dennis Fritz the author of Journey Toward Justice. Please feel free to post your comments about The Ada Hour here.

John Grisham and Dennis Fritz Unite On A Journey Toward Justice

John Grisham, author of "The Innocent Man", published by "Doubleday Random House" and Dennis Fritz author of "Journey Toward Justice", published by "Seven Locks Press" Santa Ana, CA have a long term commitment to making appearances related to "the innocence movement" nationwide.
Grisham's first nonfiction book, "The Innocent Man" is a bestseller on Amazon worldwide. Dennis Fritz has his first book "Journey Toward Justice" on Amazon and is a bestseller worldwide.

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, is a chronicle of the Oklahoma case that resulted in the wrongful conviction of former minor-league baseball player Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. Once asked whether his book is a kind of social activism, he says: "When I researched and wrote the book, it was impossible not to become indignant and infuriated. And that becomes an activism in itself."

Journey Toward Justice: Dennis Fritz tells his side of the story of his unwarranted prosecution and wrongful conviction, that changed his life and a small community forever. Dennis Fritz was tried and convicted on non-existent evidence, the false testimony of jailhouse snitches, faulty forensics work and suppressed evidence.

Together and Separately they attend many fundraising events and appear on Television and Radio Talk Shows. I heard May 22 both John Grisham and Dennis Fritz will be on Dateline.

Grisham spoke Thursday May 10th at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center, In Kansas City for an Innocence Project fundraiser. The Innocence Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing legal aid to prisoners "with persuasive actual innocence claims" in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska,Iowa, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Sponsors were the Midwestern Innocence Project, the McKellar Group and Rainy Day Books.

Grisham discussed his recent nonfiction book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town.This chronicled the Oklahoma case that resulted in the wrongful convictions of former minor-league baseball player Ron Williamson who was sentenced to die. Ron died of cirrhosis in December 2004, five years after being freed.

Thursday in an interview with The Kansas City Star, author John Grisham said the death penalty in the United States should be "abolished forever". He also said it is his personal view that the death penalty is immoral. Grisham realizes that the most powerful argument against the death penalty is that it kills the innocent as well as the guilty, a case that he makes simply by telling Williamson and Fritz's story. He also discussed Ron Williamson's friend Dennis Fritz. Dennis Fritz got life in prison. Both were exonerated after spending years in prison.

Dennis Fritz also works with the Innocence Project in Kansas City, Missouri. He makes appearances related to "the innocence movement" nationwide. He is using a book he recently published, "Journey Toward Justice", as a vehicle to bring awareness of the overall, devastating effects of how false convictions can destroy people's lives and how mistakes can be made in cases. He travels the United States speaking to law schools and also hopes to reach prosecutors and judges.

Here is what Barry Scheck from The Innocence Project says about Dennis Fritz's book Journey Toward Justice:
There have been one hundred eighty-one post-conviction DNA exonerations in America. The exonerated and their families are the heart and soul of this movement. There is no more decent and dignified a man, nor a more gentle soul, than Dennis Fritz. He has had the fortitude to tell his whole story. As always, I am in awe of his courage and humbled by his efforts.- Barry C. Scheck The Innocence Project

They Falsely Accused E-Book By Matt Thompson

Today I receive an email from Matt Thompson telling me his story, his website and and his E-Book. I told him I would Add and Share it in a post.
This is from his website.

THEY FALSELY ACCUSED is a book about yet another man wrongly convicted in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma.

It's more of the same involving the legal system in Ada, as it reflects small-town America. Matt Thompson was convicted at trial of rape (yet acquitted of a second charge) and sent to prison with a fifteen-year sentence.

New evidence brought hope for a successful appeal, but that hope died more than five years later with the exhaustion of his appeals.

The lack of evidence, police trickery, and shifty stories are disturbingly similar to what happened to the men in THE INNOCENT MAN and THE DREAMS OF ADA.

Ninety-five percent of the book was written in the summer of 2000, before anyone knew where Ada was, but finding a publisher has been difficult because there has been no legal exoneration.

My goal this year is to self-publish if nothing else, and get the book into prison libraries and public libraries in America. Then almost everyone could have access to reading it through inter-library loan programs.

Please contact my friend (and literary agent) Jeff Schmidt of NY Creative Management with any publishing offers or requests.

In the meantime, the e-book tells the story just the same. The final chapter is a must read of what to do if falsely accused:
how to investigate, utilize your lawyer and handle the police and legal authorities.

We've known about the Pontotoc County injustices for a long time around here, and I'm sure glad others are learning of it too.

We can't wait for you to read THEY FALSELY ACCUSED. END

Another Case Pontotoc County, Oklahoma.
Dennis Fritz The Other Innocent Man in John Grisham's Book The Innocent Man.

Dennis Fritz writes his own story. Endorsed on Jacket by John Grisham and States on Jacket Compelling and Fascinating.

A Companion book to The Innocent Man, Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz. True Crime, Murder and Injustice in a Small Town. Journey Toward Justice is a testimony to the Triumph of the human Spirit and is a Memoir. Dennis Fritz was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder after a swift trail.

The only thing that saved him from the Death Penalty was a lone vote from a juror. Dennis Fritz was the other Innocent man mentioned in John Grisham's Book. which mainly is about Ronnie Williamson, Dennis Fritz's co-defendant.

Both were exonerated after spending 12 years in prison.
The real killer was one of the Prosecution's Key Witness. Read about why he went on a special diet of his while in prison, amazing and shocking. Dennis Fritz's Story of unwarranted prosecution and wrongful conviction needs to be
heard. Look for his book in book stores or at Amazon.com , Journey Toward Justice by Dennis Fritz, Publisher Seven Locks Press 2006. ..

Read about how he wrote hundreds of letters and appellate briefs in his own defense and immersed himself in an intense study of law. He was a school teacher and a ordinary man whose wife was brutally murdered in 1975 by a deranged 17 year old neighbor.

On May 8th 1987, Five years after Debbie Sue Carter's rape and murder he was home with his young daughter and put under arrest, handcuffed and on his way to jail on charges of rape and murder.
After 10 years in prison he discovered The Innocence Project, a non-profit legal organization.

With the aid of Barry Scheck and DNA evidence Dennis Fritz was exonerated on April 15,1999 Since then, it has been a long hard road filled with twist and turns and now on his Journey Toward Justice.

He never blamed the Lord and solely relied on his faith in God to make it through. He waited for God's time and never gave up.


Journey Toward Justice Author Dennis Fritz click here 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

Dennis Fritz Featured on The Law Business Insider Radio Show

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DENNIS FRITZ

This is from Lawyers and Business Executives in the News™ Website Steve Murphy Executive Producer

Exclusive interviews with some of America's preeminent lawyers and business executives. -

The Law Business Insider" Radio Show is privileged to present a conversion with Dennis Fritz who was freed for a murder he did not commit.


County, Oklahoma, of the murder of Debra Sue Carter. Her body had been found six years earlier. Fritz was sentenced to life in prison. Williamson was sent to death row. DNA testing revealed that neither Fritz nor Williamson was guilty. Further testing proved that none of the many hairs that were labeled "matches" belonged to them. The profile obtained from the DNA evidence matched Glenn Gore, one of the state's witnesses at trial. Gore escaped from work release shortly after testing was concluded and was later apprehended.

With the help of Barry Scheck, a Co-founder and Co-Director of The Innocence Project (www.innocenceproject.org) at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson were exonerated and released in April 1999. Williamson had, at one point, come within five days of execution. The two had been wrongfully incarcerated, respectively, for eleven years.


May 02, 2007 in Breaking Legal News
by Steve Farber

Barbara's Journey Toward Justice Recommends Justice For The Innocent JFTI

I am meeting so many Great people on my Journey from all over the world. Today I received an email from a friend in Germany. They read my Blog and told me about this Wonderful Group and their website. I just had to Add and Share:
JUSTICE FOR THE INNOCENT (JFTI) is a non-profit organization established in Germany in August 2005 to fight for the lives of innocent men and women sentenced to death. We are a close group of dedicated supporters from all over the world who share the same goal. Among our members are family and friends of death row prisoners, former death row prisoners, human rights activists and those committed to the abolishment of the death penalty. JUSTICE FOR THE INNOCENT now has a U.S contact based in NY