Letter-to-the-Editor:
A Mother Fighting For Her Son
Crime-Safety-Security.com Newsletter
[ML – I’ve reformatted the email sequence to read from oldest to newest, deleted names and e-mail addresses to protect their privacy, and condensed it all for the sake of brevity in this newsletter.
ATTENTION – Law School Students in Innocence Projects: please look into this possible wrongful conviction. Contact me at Contact Us for Janet’s e-mail address.]
On Thu Jun 26 13:34:46 2008, the following was submitted to crime-safety-security.com:
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First Name: janet
E-mail Address: [deleted]
Country: United States
Comments: My son did not commit the crime of attempted rape. [Deleted] is my son and he had incompetent counsel at his trial.
(1) His attorney did not bring out the fact that the Torrance police dog
led the police to the apt.bldg where the prepetrator lived/frequented.
Police did no follow up whatsoever.
(2) [My son]'s DNA was no where at scene because he was not there. There
was DNA on a beer bottle the perpetrator left at the scene, but it was
not [my son]'s and the police refuse to confirm whose DNA it is.
(3) There are surveillance tapes from HOW's market which show [my son]
casually shopping for groceries half an hour before the crime occurred
-- and the distance from HOW's to the girl's apt would take 40 minutes
to drive.
(4) I was not allowed to testify and I KNOW [my son] is innocent because
he was watching the Academy Award show at the Best Western motel with
me at the time the crime occurred.
(5) Torrance police saw [my son] 4 miles from the crime scene about 5
hours after it happened and decided to pin the crime on him.
(6) [My son] passed a lie detector test which the prominent examiner said left no doubt about [my son]'s innocence.
(7) The girl identified [my son] even though the perpetrator was wearing
a ski mask and she only saw his eyes and a very small corner of his
face. The girl said the perpetrator was about 20, and [my son] was 46 at
the time of this crime. He was not wearing and did not own any of the
apparel the girl described the perpetrator was wearing. This was a frame
- and [my son] is innocent!!!!
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From: michaelloftus @ crime-safety-security.com
To: "Janet" [email address deleted]
Subject: RE: [deleted]
Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:20:36 -0400
Hello, Janet,
Not included in the excerpt:
[QUOTE] “As an agitated parolee continued to proclaim his innocence [in
court]. . . . [the victim] testified she got a good look at his eyes and
part of his face when his mask came off during the struggle. . . .
The woman identified [deleted] four times, and a worker at an OSH store identified him as the man he helped the day before the attack buy the paint thinner found in the woman's apartment. . . .
“The totality of the evidence against [deleted] - night-vision goggles and burglary tools found in [his car near] the crime scene - was overwhelming,” [the prosecutor] said. . . .
Defense attorney Ted Thompson said, "There is absolutely no DNA evidence connected to [deleted].". . . . The victim's description of her attacker as a "very thin" 20- to 25-year-old man with light or blue eyes does not match [deleted], who is nearly 20 years older and has green eyes,” he said.
Juror Craig Erlick said the evidence convinced him of [deleted]'s
guilt, "I didn't want to believe he was guilty." . . . . [END QUOTE]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Janet, the article says he was a “parolee.” Could you please tell me the nature of his prior conviction?
Two things trouble me. First, as his mother, your beliefs may well be unconsciously biased in favor of your son since you might unknowingly be in a state of denial.
Second, why wasn’t his conviction overturned on appeal to a higher court? Many law school student Innocence Projects fight against wrongful convictions. Have any of them looked into your son’s case? If so, what were their conclusions?
Thank you,
Michael
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From: "Janet" [email address deleted]
To: michaelloftus @ crime-safety-security.com
Subject: RE: [deleted]
Date: June 27, 2008 12:54:46 PM
Dear Michael,
I am 72 and not in good health. I spent all of my retirement money on his defense and can get no help now.
First, the "parolee" description is a total lie. [My son] had NEVER been in prison. [My son] was arrested for drugs possession and was in jail for two months. Most of the day [crime day] he spent at the storage unit where I had moved his belongings. [My son]'s attorney did not present the records that showed [my son]'s entry and departure times. His entire whereabouts could have been accounted for but his attorney put on no defense for [my son].
I’ve listed my house for sale [so I can] hire an attorney. [My son] filed appeals from prison, but the federal appeal was denied.
Janet
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From: michaelloftus @ crime-safety-security.com
To: "Janet" [email address deleted]
Subject: RE: [deleted]
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2008 03:20:36 -0400
With your permission, I’ll publish our e-mail thread in my newsletter and appeal to my readers from law school student Innocence Projects to look into your son’s case and send your e-mail address only to legitimate inquiries. I can’t promise anything and don’t want to give you false hope.
In the meantime, I suggest that you contact law schools to find student Innocence Projects. Hopefully you won’t have to sell your home and jeopardize your economic security.
Michael
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From: "Janet" [email address deleted]
To: michaelloftus @ crime-safety-security.com
Subject: RE: [deleted]
Date: June 30, 2008 1:38:55 PM
We are hoping to get help from the real Innocence Project which was set up by Barry Scheck. We sent the entire file to the Innocence project in San Diego. The students kept the material for two years and did nothing except lose most of the material.
I still do not understand why [my son]'s name has to be in your report on rape prevention. A description of the crime without his name would be just as effective. The [real criminal] must be gloating every time he learns that [my son] is still serving his time. I am going to find that guy if it is the last thing I do before I die.
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From: michaelloftus @ crime-safety-security.com
To: Janet [email address deleted]
Subject: RE: [deleted]
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:39:01 -0400
You’re right, Janet. Your son’s name indeed does not NEED to be included in my website – the lesson in the excerpt will still deliver the intended beneficial lesson for all women. Thus, I will delete his name from that excerpt.
That will also necessitate my deleting all names, etc. identifying this case throughout this newsletter email thread. As a result, this Letter-to-the-Editor might seem somewhat eviscerated to my readers. Perhaps your undying efforts on behalf of your son will someday bring truth – in one way or another – to this tragic case.
I hope you find peace someday,
Michael
Crime-Safety-Security > Newsletter Archive > newsletter-12-Aug-08
