Quick 5 questions for Dennis Fritz

1- Give us some background about what happened to you. I was living Ada, Okla., raising my young daughter. I was a science teacher. A murder happened in Ada. Debbie Sue Carter was viciously murdered and raped. A year before, I met an individual named Ronnie Williamson. Ronnie had bipolar disorder and the police didn’t like him. He would do bizarre things. They(police) zeroed in on Ronnie and me. They had no evidence yet they wanted to solve this crime.

2- So how you did get out of prison? I started working on my own case and learned criminal law inside and out. I contacted the Innocence Project for help. I was released on the strength of DNA evidence testing. When we were released, the actual murderer of the crime escaped from minimum security prison in Oklahoma. He was serving time for another crime. They had tested his DNA against the crime scene DNA and they matched. Anyway, he escaped from prison after knowing we had been exonerated. They caught him.

3- What inspired you to write “Journey Toward Justice?” Five years after we were released, I read an Associated Press article that said John Grisham was going to write a book about our case. I told myself that if John Grisham can write a book about my case, well so can I. I collaborated with John for about nine months on his writing of “The Innocent Man.” John gave me his one and only endorsement on my book.

4 -When you read or hear criminal accusations against suspects in the news media, do you believe them or are you deeply skeptical? I’m very deeply skeptical. There could possibly 10 to 20 percent people who are actually innocent who have been found guilty. After 10 years and they’re still screaming their innocence, then they’re innocent. I can tell by being around people who have been incarcerated for something they didn’t do by how they act. They lose that con job after a year or two in prison.

5- In ways did the ghosts of your ordeal haunt you as you penned the book? Five years had passed from the time I was released to when I started writing. I had feelings of alienation and paranoia. When I would hear a car door slam outside, I’d start thinking in my mind the fear of seeing the cops in my driveway. If I saw a police car drive by my house, I would kind of freeze. I tried to talk myself out in so many ways of not writing the book, but I had a good and strict editor.
By Michael Glover - michael.glover@examiner.net
The Examiner Independence, MO —
http://www.examiner.net/news/x1769696353/Quick-5-questions-for-Dennis-Fritz

Dennis Fritz Story Listen Here An Amazing Interview

Oklahoma Voices: Dennis Fritz Author of “Journey Toward Justice" -
Dennis Fritz's case was recounted by novelist John Grisham in the non-fiction book "The Innocent Man." Dennis Fritz goes into great detail about case in this amazing interview.
- Monday, December 8, 2008
LISTEN HERE MP3
In September, a federal judge dismissed a libel lawsuit filed by former Pontotoc County District Attorney Bill Peterson, a former Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent and a state criminologist. The men claimed their reputations had been damaged by best-selling author John Grisham and two other writers who had authored books about the wrongful convictions and subsequent exonerations of two Ada men for a 1982 murder. In his ruling, Judge Ronald White wrote, “Where the justice system so manifestly failed, and innocent people were imprisoned for eleven years (and one almost put to death), it is necessary to analyze and criticize our judicial system (and the actors involved) so that past mistakes do not become future ones.” The plaintiffs are now asking a federal appeals court to reinstate their suit.
NPR SOURCE KGOU NEWS

THE INNOCENT MAN SPEAKS AT LASALLE UNIVERSITY

Dennis Fritz, one of the two main characters in John Grisham’s, The Innocent Man, was invited by Professor David Culp, to speak at Lasalle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 22, 2008
After landing at the airport, Mr. Fritz headed for the historic, Chestnut Hill Hotel, located in Chesthill, Pa. on Germantown Avenue—which is noted for it’s cobblestone brick streets and giant, historical mansions.

The age of the hotel itself, dates back to 1684; radiating its alluring charm and wealth of age-less secrets.
With the smell of late fall permeating through the crisp, afternoon air, Dennis exited the cab and checked into the hotel—with a surge of tingling excitement budding within. This was yet another opportunity for Dennis to tell his electrifying story to the gathered group of law professors and students at the Lasalle University. Mr. Fritz has continuously traveled throughout the country— at many different Law Universities—to bring about the much- needed greater awareness of wrongful convictions.

Following Mr. Fritz’s wrongful conviction of First Degree Capital Murder ( in which he had spent 12 painful years on a life sentence, before being released upon the strength of DNA evidence ), Dennis had the strength and courage to write his own book, entitled Journey Toward Justice. Dennis’ co-companion book— to that of Grisham’s, The Innocent Man— literally rocked the legal world as to their unfolding descriptions, of the devastating injustices that occurred in the murder cases against himself and his co-defendant, Ronald Williamson.

All ears and eyes hinged upon every word that Mr. Fritz described, about his horrifying case circumstances, at the Lasalle speaking engagement.
At the close of Mr. Fritz’s talk, everyone was emotionally moved—as to the out-right, grave details that had been painfully expressed by Mr. Fritz. Upon departing, everyone left with a much greater awareness, of the extreme legal injustices that had occurred in Mr. Fritz’s wrongful conviction.
In all, Dennis was so thankful that he had gotten another opportunity to tell his whole story—in bringing about the truth, in attempting to prevent, yet another false conviction.

Photos of Event HERE

Federal Judge Dismisses Libel Lawsuit Against John Grisham

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a libel lawsuit against best-selling author John Grisham over a nonfiction book he wrote about the 1982 killing of an Ada cocktail waitress, calling the petition's claims "not plausible.”

The lawsuit was filed last year by former Pontotoc County District Attorney William Peterson, former Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation investigator Gary Rogers and Melvin Hett, an OSBI criminologist.

The lawsuit named Grisham, his publishing company and the authors and publishing companies of two other books critical of Peterson and his prosecution of murder cases.

Also named as a defendant was Barry Scheck, founder of the New York-based Innocence Project and an attorney for one of the men falsely accused in the killing of Debbie Sue Carter.

U.S. District Judge Ronald White on Wednesday dismissed the lawsuit saying, "What two words best describe a claim for money damages by government officials against authors and publishers of books describing purported prosecutorial misconduct? Answer: Not plausible.”


Pair cleared by DNA
Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson were prosecuted by Peterson and convicted of killing Carter. They were later cleared by DNA evidence and freed after 12 years in prison. Williamson, who was sentenced to death, was just five days away from his execution when he was granted a stay.
Grisham's book, "The Innocent Man,” and Fritz's "Journey Toward Justice” both documented the killing and subsequent trials. A third book, "The Dreams of Ada” by Robert Mayer, explored the investigation and prosecution of two other men for the 1984 killing of Denice Haraway in Ada.


Judge says analysis, criticism are needed
The plaintiffs alleged in their lawsuit that the defendants conspired to commit libel, generated publicity for themselves by placing the plaintiffs in a false light and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.
White rejected those claims in his ruling Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

"Where the justice system so manifestly failed and innocent people were imprisoned for 11 years (one almost put to death), it is necessary to analyze and criticize our judicial system (and the actors involved) so that past mistakes do not become future ones,” White wrote in his ruling. "The wrongful convictions of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz must be discussed openly and with great vigor.”

The original lawsuit had alleged that attorneys for Fritz and Williamson participated in the wrongful treatment. At one point in the ruling, White quoted the movie "Casablanca,” and he included a footnote with a YouTube link in his ruling as a parody of how attorneys met with experts and discussed the facts of the case, using the opinions that are most favorable to their side.

Gary Richardson, the attorney for Peterson, Rogers and Hett, said he was still reading the judge's order to determine whether he would file an appeal.

"Of course, I'm quite disappointed and a bit surprised at the ruling,” Richardson said. "I felt that we had a solid case.”

Scheck, who worked to help free Fritz and Williamson, said he was pleased with the ruling.

"This is a victory for free speech and for holding officials publicly accountable for their role in wrongful convictions,” Scheck said in statement. "The court noted that we can learn from wrongful convictions to improve the system, and we can't do that unless these cases are fully examined, even when the facts are embarrassing for public officials who were involved in these miscarriages of justice.”
Source newsok.com

My first post on story - Tuesday, October 2, 2007

DA Bill Peterson Suing The Innocent Man Dennis Fritz For Emotional Distress
Dennis Fritz, who wrote the book, "Journey Toward Justice", is named as a defendant in a libel lawsuit along with , John Grisham, author of "The Innocent Man", Robert Mayer, author of "The Dreams of Ada", and all their publishers, and New York City attorney Barry Scheck, Fritz's former lawyer who once represented Fritz and is co-director of The Innocence Project.

With the aid of Barry Scheck and irrefutable DNA evidence, Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson were exonerated in 1999. Pontotoc County District Attorney Bill Peterson and Gary Rogers, a former agent for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation filed the libel lawsuit. The lawsuit, seeks at least $75,000 compensation and demands a jury trial. Peterson and Rogers were instrumental in the conviction of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz in the murder of Debbie Sue Carter in Ada, Oklahoma in 1982.

The conviction was later overturned on DNA evidence pursued by the Innocence Project, which Scheck heads, Dennis Fritz was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit and spent 12 years in prison. Part of the lawsuit claims the defendants conspired to commit libel against the plaintiffs, generate publicity for self interest by placing them in a false light and intentionally inflicting emotional distress upon them.

So... Prosecutor with the help of Gary Rogers sent 2 innocent men, Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson to prison for 12 years. Both Innocent men freed by DNA evaluation of crime scene evidence. Innocent man, Dennis Fritz writes book about his experiences. Prosecutor and Gary Rogers sue the innocent man they wrongfully sent to prison and Prosecutor and Rogers sue for intentionally inflicting emotional distress upon them. Only in America Folks...
Posted by Barbara's Journey Toward Justice

UPDATE OCT. 2008
Dennis Fritz, "The Innocent Man" and John Grisham's Real Life, "Appeal"
This story is just unbelievable. A libel lawsuit against Dennis Fritz, author of Journey Toward Justice and author, John Grisham headed to court of appeals. Read More HERE

Dennis Fritz Dances with Debra Sue Carter's Mother Fritz was exonerated for Carter's murder

At an Innocence Project dinner, Peggy Sanders danced with Dennis Fritz, who was sent to prison for her daughter’s murder.


In the Face of Great Loss, Embracing Innocence


By JIM DWYER
Published:New York Times May 10, 2008
The woman was seated just two chairs away at the table, but the man had to speak over music that filled the room.

At an Innocence Project dinner, Peggy Sanders danced with Dennis Fritz, who was sent to prison for her daughter’s murder.
“Peggy,” he said.

For a minute, Peggy Sanders did not hear her name being called. She is 65 and was visiting New York this week for the first time from a small town in Oklahoma to attend a big benefit dinner.

As a young virtuoso played piano, Ms. Sanders swayed slightly in her chair.

“Peggy,” the man said.

She glanced up.

“Want to dance?” he asked.

She giggled, the way an aunt might at a rambunctious nephew who tries to coax her onto the dance floor at a wedding. But she did not take his question seriously. Of the 600 people at the dinner, no one else made a move to dance: The chair backs had just inches of clearance.

Even so, the man who asked the question, Dennis Fritz, needed no more encouragement. He edged around the table and took her hand. The floor may have been crowded, but the stage was wide open. He led her to the stairs. She climbed up, a crown of white hair over her smile. Mr. Fritz wore jeans and a sport coat.

She lifted her hands and put them on his back and shoulder. They drifted together and gently twirled, a dance salvaged from a trail of wreckage that stretches back to 1982.

Peggy Sanders first saw Dennis Fritz 21 years ago, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit as he was brought into the courthouse in Ada, Okla., to face charges that he had murdered Ms. Sanders’s daughter Debbie Carter. She was 21, a waitress who had just gotten her own apartment, when she was killed in December 1982.

“I hated him so bad,” Ms. Sanders said. “Why did they do that to my little girl?”

Mr. Fritz, a high school science teacher, was spared the death penalty by one vote and got life without parole. A co-defendant, Ron Williamson, once a star pitching prospect, was sentenced to die. He came within five days of execution.

Neither man had anything to do with the crime: They were convicted on the word of jailhouse snitches who bartered their stories for sweetheart plea deals and by pseudoscientific testimony that falsely linked them to 17 hairs found at the crime scene. In 1999, lawyers in Oklahoma and with the Innocence Project in New York arranged DNA tests that cleared Mr. Fritz and Mr. Williamson. The tests implicated another man, whose DNA was matched to the hair and semen found on the victim’s body.

“They were railroaded,” Ms. Sanders said. The other man is now serving a life sentence for the murder.

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.

The elders of Mr. Williamson’s family church refused to let the two men use the hall for a press conference after their release. The Williamson family received threatening calls. Their pastor pointedly did not acknowledge Mr. Williamson from the pulpit when he came for his first church service after leaving prison.

Then Mr. Williamson, a high school baseball star drafted in the second round in 1971 by the Oakland Athletics, made a call to Ms. Sanders.

“He said, ‘This is Ron Williamson; I did not kill your daughter,’ ” Ms. Sanders recalled. “I said, ‘I know, hon.’ ”

Ms. Sanders, who married as a teenager and quickly had three children, struggled for years after the murder of Debbie. Yet she embraced Mr. Williamson, Mr. Fritz and their families after the men were exonerated.

“I had to do it for my daughter,” she said. “They had become victims of this, too. People still don’t believe they’re innocent. I was just at a funeral, and a woman come up to me and said, ‘I know them two done it.’ I said, ‘No, they didn’t.’ ”

Mr. Williamson, who suffered from psychiatric problems, died in 2004. He is the subject of John Grisham’s book “The Innocent Man.” Mr. Fritz, 58, now lives in Missouri, and has also written a book, “Journey Toward Justice.” Christy Sheppard, a cousin of the murder victim, has become an advocate for the establishment of commissions to look into wrongful convictions.

All of them — the family of Debbie Carter, the family of Mr. Williamson, Mr. Grisham and Mr. Fritz — sat at one table Thursday evening for a dinner benefiting the Innocence Project.

Until an impulse hit Dennis Fritz, and he led his friend Peggy Sanders onto the stage, and they danced where everyone could see them.

Dennis Fritz Being Sued By The Prosecutor Who Put Him Behind Bars Video Of Story Here

Dennis Fritz Video The Kansas City News Channel Video click here KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A local man who spent 11 years in an Oklahoma prison for a murder he did not commit is now being sued by the prosecutor who put him behind bars.
Dennis Fritz was exonerated in 1999. Last year, Fritz published a book called "Journey Toward Justice" about his experience. The book pulled no punches about the prosecutor in his case, KMBC's Martin Augustine reported.
But the prosecutor said Fritz got it wrong, and is taking him to court again for libel. Watch Dennis Fritz tell his story
HERE
Dennis Fritz's Book "Journey Toward Justice" 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

The State Calls Glen Gore : Journey Toward Justice Book Excerpt

"The state calls Glen Gore," Peterson declared in his calm
and bold manner.
Gore was short and stocky with a plump face and black
wavy hair. He was sworn in and sat nervously in the witness chair
as he waited for Peterson to speak.
The district attorney asked Gore to name his past felonies
for which he had received convictions.
"Objections, Your Honor. The state doesn't have the right to
impeach its own witnesses," Barney argued.
"Overruled, Mr Ward. There's an evidence code, and if he's
a hostile witness, I think it's for your own behalf. I will allow him
to proceed.
"Gore had recently been brought back from penitentiary
after he had been convicted of kidnapping, first-degree burglary,
and shooting with the intent to kill. He had a string of other felonies
but he only named the convictions he received time on. He was a
smooth talker once he got started. His answers were straightforward
and without hesitation. His dark, ominous eyes shifted from side
to side as he purported the events of December 7, 1982, the eve
of Debbie's murder.
"I went out to the Coach Light nightclub...............
page 105
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.

I did one book excerpt on my blog, Barbara's Journey Toward Justice and received many emails from readers ... they wanted more. I decided to start another blog just for Dennis Fritz's, Journey Toward Justice Book Excerpts. I will be adding more as time goes by.

GLEN GORE

Hello,My name is Glen D. Gore. My DOB is on 27th of April 1960.I am 5'7 feet tall and weight 195 lbs.
I have brown hair and brown eyes.
I love all kinds of music and I love to work out and run.
I am half Indian half White.
Glen Gore # 153663 H-Unit
P.O. Box 97
McAlester, OK
74502
US
Taken From : ALIVE e.V.Voices From Inside
Alast Update: 07.05.05(c) ALIVE e.V.Glen Gore# 153663H-UnitP.O. Box 97 McAlester, OK 74502 USA

O.K. now that I have your attention I will tell you what this is about. I have been getting a lot of questions about Glen Gore. The comments are also very interesting. I thought I would post Glen Gores' address so my many readers, say about 13,000, can personally ask and make their comments to him directly. I am sure most woman would not like to communicate with him because he raped and murdered Debbie Sue Carter in a heinous way....
I'm sure he would be happy to hear from all of you!

You can also read more about the case in 2 bestsellers," Journey Toward Justice", author Dennis Fritz 2006 and "The Innocent Man", author John Grisham 2006.

Dennis Fritz and Ron Williamson were charged with the rape and murder.

Glen Gore was the key witness for the prosecutor, Bill Peterson. Gore testified that he saw Williamson with the victim the night she died. He was the only witness to connect them.

Fritz was wrongfully convicted of the rape and murder in Ada, Oklahoma, and sentenced to life. A vote from a single juror saved him from the death penalty. Dennis Fritz's co-defendant, Ronnie Williamson, subject of John Grisham's bestselling "The Innocent Man" was sentenced to death. In April of 1999, both men were exonerated with the help of Barry Scheck and irrefutable DNA evidence. Ronald Williamson was exonerated five days before his scheduled execution. Both Fritz and Williamsom spent 12 tortuous years behind bars. Mr. Williamson died five years after he was freed from prison.

Also from case law at Findlaw.com. Here is the part about Glen Gore>http://login.findlaw.com/scripts/case_login?dest=http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl
case law at Findlaw.com.

1 Appellant Dennis Leon Fritz was tried by jury and convicted of Murder in the First Degree (21 O.S. 1981 § 701.7 [21-701.7]) in Case No. CRF-87-90, in the District Court of Pontotoc County. The jury recommended life imprisonment and the trial court sentenced accordingly. From this judgment and sentence Appellant has perfected this appeal. We affirm. ¶2 On December 8, 1982, twenty-one (21) year old Debbie Carter was found dead in her garage apartment in Ada, Oklahoma. 1 She was discovered by her father who had come to check on her at her mother's request, fearing that something might be wrong. Walking up the stairs to the second floor apartment, Mr. Carter observed glass covering the landing and the screen door and front door standing wide open. Walking through to the bedroom, he found Debbie's body laying face down on the floor with a washcloth stuck in her mouth. The police were called and the investigation into the murder began.
¶3 Detective Dennis Smith, Ada Police Department, was among the first to arrive at the scene and found that the apartment showed signs of a struggle. Broken glass was found on both the inside and outside of the front door. In the living room, the sofa cushions and a nightgown were on the floor. On the wall, written in what was later determined to be fingernail polish, were the words "Jim Smith next will die". On top of the kitchen table was written "don't look force us or ealse" (sic). Approaching the bedroom, he saw the bed blocking the entry into the room. The room was in complete disarray with clothing, sheets, blankets and stuffed animals on the floor. Debbie Carter's body, nude except for a pair of white socks, was on the floor between the bed and the wall. Written on her back in catsup were the words "Duke Graham". Written on her chest in fingernail polish was the word "die". A blood soaked washcloth was stuffed into her mouth and down her throat. Underneath the body was an electric cord and a belt. The bathroom, connected to the bedroom, showed no signs of a disturbance.
¶4 The results of an autopsy, performed on December 9, 1982, by Fred Jordan of the Medical Examiner's Office showed numerous bruises on the decedent's face, arms and body, several of which were defensive wounds. Small puncture wounds were also discovered on her nose and cheeks. The inside of her lips and mouth were cut and a semi-circular ligature mark was found on her neck. An internal examination revealed internal bruising and a small metal bottle cap inside her rectum. The cause of death was found to be suffocation as a result of the washcloth in her mouth and the ligature tightened around her neck.

Dennis Fritz now works with the Innocence Project in Kansas City, Missouri
On the Board of Directors of Truth in Justice's and is a co-host for Truth in Justice Radio, broadcasted on WTKM Radio from Hartford, Wisconsin, 104.9 FM, 1540 AM, 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. You can find his book here

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

The Innocent Man and Journey Toward Justice Companion Books Buy Together on Amazon

The Innocent Man John Grisham's first non-fiction, tells about the struggle of Fritz's co-defendant, Ron Williamson., who spent 11 years on death-roe and even came within five days of execution, before DNA evidence proved he was innocent. The Innocent Man Tells the tragic story of the murder of Debbie Sue Carter in the small town of Ada, Oklahoma.
Journey Toward Justice, author Dennis Fritz was sentenced to life in prison and spent 11 horrific years behind bars before being exonerated by DNA evidence. Tells his tragic story in Journey Toward Justice of the murder of Debbie Sue Carter in the small town of Ada, Oklahoma, and his unwarranted prosecution and wrongful conviction.
John Grisham calls Dennis Fritz's Story Compelling and Fascinating.