PBS gives a wonderful discussion on the death penalty:
http://youtu.be/uhxVajsW5sc
Eating on a Cruise to the Bahamas
11 years ago
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Troy Davis execution set for Sept. 21st
Troy Davis to be executed Sept. 21
Posted: Sep 06, 2011 7:49 PM Updated: Sep 07, 2011 10:18 AM
Posted by Cal Callaway
ATLANTA (AP) -
Georgia corrections officials have set a Sept. 21 execution date for a high-profile death row inmate who claims he's innocent of murdering a Savannah police officer.
The Department of Corrections said Wednesday that Troy Anthony Davis will be executed at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21 for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail.
A Chatham County judge signed the death warrant for Davis on Tuesday, marking the fourth time since 2007 that the state has a scheduled an execution for Davis. The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution in March by rejecting an appeal by Davis.
Davis has exhausted his appeals, but his attorney Jason Ewart has said they plan to ask the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles for clemency. The five-member panel has the power to commute or postpone executions, but rarely does so.
Davis has long said he could prove he was wrongly convicted of the killing of MacPhail. The officer was working off-duty at a Savannah bus station when he was shot twice while rushing to help a homeless man who had been attacked. Eyewitnesses identified Davis as the shooter at his trial, but no physical evidence tied him to the slaying. Davis was convicted of the murder in 1991 and sentenced.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2009 agreed he should have the rare chance to argue he was innocent before a federal judge. It was the first time in at least 50 years that the court had granted an American death row inmate such an innocence hearing.
During two days of testimony in June 2010, U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. heard from two witnesses who said they falsely incriminated Davis and two others who said another man had confessed to being MacPhail's killer in the years since Davis' trial.
But Moore concluded in August that several of the witnesses had already backed off their incriminating statements during the 1991 trial -- so it wasn't new evidence -- and that others simply couldn't be believed. He ruled that while the evidence casts some additional
doubt on the conviction, "it is largely smoke and mirrors" and not nearly strong enough to prove Davis' innocence.
Davis appealed, but the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to hear the challenge in November. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected it in March.
Martina Correia, Davis' sister, said she plans to help organize rallies and events to urge Georgia's pardons board to block the execution.
"It's devastating, but we've been in this place before -- three times before," she said. "And now there are more and more people coming on board. We haven't forgotten Troy and we're working hard to step up. I'm sorry that we have to go through this, but we're going to fight like we always do."
The victim's mother, Anneliese MacPhail, said the judge's order is one more step toward bringing her family closure.
"I'd like to get it over with," she said. "For 22 years we've been going back and forth and forth and back," she said. "I don't believe it until it's done, but I sure would like to have some
peace."
Davis' case has become a focal point for the international anti-death penalty movement. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Amnesty International and
dignitaries such as former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI have all urged Georgia officials to spare Davis.
Laura Moye of Amnesty International USA, which has helped stage dozens of rallies in support of Davis, said her group will ask supporters to send letters and petitions to the state's pardons
board.
"We certainly hope the board will recognize the problems that still haven't been resolved in this case," she said. "We expect they are taking this case very seriously, and we want them to err
on the side of caution, the side of life."
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Story originally posted here
Posted: Sep 06, 2011 7:49 PM Updated: Sep 07, 2011 10:18 AM
Posted by Cal Callaway
ATLANTA (AP) -
Georgia corrections officials have set a Sept. 21 execution date for a high-profile death row inmate who claims he's innocent of murdering a Savannah police officer.
The Department of Corrections said Wednesday that Troy Anthony Davis will be executed at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21 for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail.
A Chatham County judge signed the death warrant for Davis on Tuesday, marking the fourth time since 2007 that the state has a scheduled an execution for Davis. The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution in March by rejecting an appeal by Davis.
Davis has exhausted his appeals, but his attorney Jason Ewart has said they plan to ask the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles for clemency. The five-member panel has the power to commute or postpone executions, but rarely does so.
Davis has long said he could prove he was wrongly convicted of the killing of MacPhail. The officer was working off-duty at a Savannah bus station when he was shot twice while rushing to help a homeless man who had been attacked. Eyewitnesses identified Davis as the shooter at his trial, but no physical evidence tied him to the slaying. Davis was convicted of the murder in 1991 and sentenced.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2009 agreed he should have the rare chance to argue he was innocent before a federal judge. It was the first time in at least 50 years that the court had granted an American death row inmate such an innocence hearing.
During two days of testimony in June 2010, U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. heard from two witnesses who said they falsely incriminated Davis and two others who said another man had confessed to being MacPhail's killer in the years since Davis' trial.
But Moore concluded in August that several of the witnesses had already backed off their incriminating statements during the 1991 trial -- so it wasn't new evidence -- and that others simply couldn't be believed. He ruled that while the evidence casts some additional
doubt on the conviction, "it is largely smoke and mirrors" and not nearly strong enough to prove Davis' innocence.
Davis appealed, but the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to hear the challenge in November. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected it in March.
Martina Correia, Davis' sister, said she plans to help organize rallies and events to urge Georgia's pardons board to block the execution.
"It's devastating, but we've been in this place before -- three times before," she said. "And now there are more and more people coming on board. We haven't forgotten Troy and we're working hard to step up. I'm sorry that we have to go through this, but we're going to fight like we always do."
The victim's mother, Anneliese MacPhail, said the judge's order is one more step toward bringing her family closure.
"I'd like to get it over with," she said. "For 22 years we've been going back and forth and forth and back," she said. "I don't believe it until it's done, but I sure would like to have some
peace."
Davis' case has become a focal point for the international anti-death penalty movement. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Amnesty International and
dignitaries such as former President Jimmy Carter and Pope Benedict XVI have all urged Georgia officials to spare Davis.
Laura Moye of Amnesty International USA, which has helped stage dozens of rallies in support of Davis, said her group will ask supporters to send letters and petitions to the state's pardons
board.
"We certainly hope the board will recognize the problems that still haven't been resolved in this case," she said. "We expect they are taking this case very seriously, and we want them to err
on the side of caution, the side of life."
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Story originally posted here
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Meet William Michael Dillon on Sept. 7th
Meet William Michael Dillon on Sept. 7th
DNA Exoneree, Songwriter & Recording Artist William Michael Dillon will be performing on Wednesday, September 7th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Moon (1105 E. Lafayette Street) in Tallahassee.
William spent 27.5 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit. He was released in November 2008 after DNA testing proved his innocence.
Through his music, William tells his story of the pain, sorrow and injustice of a lifetime lost. He wrote the title track to his new CD, Black Robes & Lawyers, while in prison. We hope you’ll join us for an intimate gathering where you will meet William and have the opportunity to learn more about how music helped him through the horrific journey.
Admission is free. Of course, donations will be accepted and will enable IPF to continue to find and free people just like William Dillon who are wrongfully incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. CDs will be available for purchase; these proceeds will benefit William.
Learn more about William Michael Dillon's case.
Many thanks to The Moon for making this evening possible.
More information: http://floridainnocence.org/
DNA Exoneree, Songwriter & Recording Artist William Michael Dillon will be performing on Wednesday, September 7th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Moon (1105 E. Lafayette Street) in Tallahassee.
William spent 27.5 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit. He was released in November 2008 after DNA testing proved his innocence.
Through his music, William tells his story of the pain, sorrow and injustice of a lifetime lost. He wrote the title track to his new CD, Black Robes & Lawyers, while in prison. We hope you’ll join us for an intimate gathering where you will meet William and have the opportunity to learn more about how music helped him through the horrific journey.
Admission is free. Of course, donations will be accepted and will enable IPF to continue to find and free people just like William Dillon who are wrongfully incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. CDs will be available for purchase; these proceeds will benefit William.
Learn more about William Michael Dillon's case.
Many thanks to The Moon for making this evening possible.
More information: http://floridainnocence.org/
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Derek Tice of the Norfolk Four finally cleared
Charges were finally dropped against Derek Tice in the 1997 rape and murder of Michelle Moore-Bosko. Wrongly convicting innocent persons does no justice for the victims of crimes.
Tice was one of four men who confessed to Michelle's rape and murder after hour upon hour of psychologically grueling interrogation at the hand of Detective Robert Glenn Ford. Ford was convicted of federal corruption charges last year, unrelated to this case.
Eventually, a fifth man confessed to Michelle's murder. DNA evidence proved that the fifth confessor, Omar Ballard, was the sole assailant.
Read more here.
Tice was one of four men who confessed to Michelle's rape and murder after hour upon hour of psychologically grueling interrogation at the hand of Detective Robert Glenn Ford. Ford was convicted of federal corruption charges last year, unrelated to this case.
Eventually, a fifth man confessed to Michelle's murder. DNA evidence proved that the fifth confessor, Omar Ballard, was the sole assailant.
Read more here.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
CA passes law limiting testimony of snitches
Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed a bill that aims to prevent wrongful convictions by barring judges and juries from relying solely on the testimony of jailhouse informants.
The new law requires prosecutors to present forensic evidence or uncompromised testimony that corroborates information provided by in-custody witnesses who claim to have been told or overheard incriminating statements by the defendant.
Dozens of Los Angeles County criminal convictions based on the testimony of jailhouse snitches have been overturned over the last quarter-century because appeals courts found the key witnesses to be unreliable or self-serving.
The district attorney’s office years ago curtailed reliance on such sources.
The bill signed by Brown now makes those safeguards statewide policy.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/08/jerry-brown-jailhouses-snitches-new-law-.html
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
I apologize for the absence. I have been very busy researching wrongful convictions and establishing screamingforsunshine as a non profit company. I am pleased to announce that we are official! screamingforsunshine is now incorporated as a non profit!
I will hopefully be posting here soon. For the time being, please visit our website.
http://screamingforsunshine.info
I will hopefully be posting here soon. For the time being, please visit our website.
http://screamingforsunshine.info
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Ronald Kitchen and Marvin Reeves to be freed in IL
Ronald Kitchen, 50, and Marvin Reeves, 43, will be freed in Illinois after prosecutors decided not to pursue a new trial. Cook County Circuit Judge Stanley Sacks granted them retrials on their convictions. Kitchen and Reeves had allegedly been erroneously convicted more than 18 years ago for the 1988 slayings of two women and three children in a Southwest Side home.
Both of their convictions involved alleged torture by discredited former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge. Kitchen, who has been in prison since 1990, long has contended that he confessed only because he was tortured. Kitchen originally was sentenced to death but was granted clemency along with other Death Row inmates by former Gov. George Ryan in 2003. Reeves was sentenced to five life terms in prison without parole.
Today, Illinois Assistant Atty. Gen. Richard Schwind told Judge Paul Biebel that after reviewing both cases, his office had decided that it could not prove burden of proof and the state was dropping charges against both men.
Burge, who had served as commander of detectives in what is now the Calumet Area headquarters, is awaiting trial in federal court in Chicago on charges that he lied in a civil lawsuit to cover up alleged torture. He is now living in Florida.
Both of their convictions involved alleged torture by discredited former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge. Kitchen, who has been in prison since 1990, long has contended that he confessed only because he was tortured. Kitchen originally was sentenced to death but was granted clemency along with other Death Row inmates by former Gov. George Ryan in 2003. Reeves was sentenced to five life terms in prison without parole.
Today, Illinois Assistant Atty. Gen. Richard Schwind told Judge Paul Biebel that after reviewing both cases, his office had decided that it could not prove burden of proof and the state was dropping charges against both men.
Burge, who had served as commander of detectives in what is now the Calumet Area headquarters, is awaiting trial in federal court in Chicago on charges that he lied in a civil lawsuit to cover up alleged torture. He is now living in Florida.
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