Post by CCADP on Dec 14, 2005 6:00:26 GMT -5
To Jimmy's Family, Friends & Supporters,
JIMMY'S CASE
It has been a long while since I sent an update -- the last update was written at the end of September. Unfortunately, the courts move so slowly that there has been little to tell. We were waiting for the commonwealth judge to write his opinion, and now that he has written it, Jimmy's attorneys can proceed.
I haven't yet seen it, but I understand that the judge failed to address key legal issues and key testimony from the evidentiary hearing in his opinion. It is so frustrating, discouraging, and, really, downright depressing that the judge didn't pay attention to critical components of Jimmy's case -- despite Jimmy's case being before him for 7 long years (7 years just for this appeal; Jimmy has been incarcerated for 14 years now). If he had paid attention, Jimmy would not have lost this second appeal. I am fully persuaded that anyone with even an ounce of objectivity who takes a serious look at this case would conclude that Jimmy had nothing to do with the murder of Chedell Williams.
I'm just a lay person, not an attorney or anything, but it seems to me that the appeals process is not at all about innocence or guilt, but about politics, about legal strategy and maneuvering -- as one friend pointed out, it's like a chess game, and you have to be lucky enough to have brilliant attorneys who can play their pieces well. Jimmy is fortunate to have excellent attorneys. Still, it is an uphill battle. The next stop is the State Supreme Court, where, frankly, we supporters of Jimmy don't hold out a lot of hope. Jimmy has been before this court in the past and has lost.
As just a reminder, Jimmy doesn't want any of us writing judges or prosecutors on his behalf. However, if you would like to write a governor, senator, or representative, that would be perfectly fine.
BENEFIT CD PROJECT
We are very fortunate to be in contact with James Bryant (better known as King Jaymze), who has offered to help us produce a quality CD to benefit Jimmy. He will record and master the CD pro bono. What we need now are musicians! If you would be willing to donate a song for the CD, let us know! Proceeds from the CD Project will be donated to Jimmy's defense fund.
PETITION
Please visit this link if you would like to sign a petition for Jimmy:
www.jimmydennis.org/pages/869732/index.htm
Please note that because of time constraints, I only update the site once monthly, and usually toward the beginning of the month.
GIFTS
If you would like to remember Jimmy for the holidays, please note that he is allowed to receive greeting cards, photographs, and money orders. Please do not send stamps, books or magazines. Books or magazines must come directly from the publisher or distributor.
Money orders of any amount can be very helpful to Jimmy, who relies a great deal on outside support to call his family on a regular basis. Like most prisons, long distance phone calls are very expensive.
The prison address is
Jimmy Dennis #BY7796
SCI at Greene
175 Progress Dr.
Waynesburg, PA 15370-8090
If you would like to donate to Jimmy's defense fund, the address is
The James A. Dennis Legal Expense Trust, c/o Sun Trust Bank, Dept. 28, Washington, DC 20042-0028
Please make checks payable to "The James A. Dennis Legal Expense Trust."
"FREE JIMMY DENNIS" BUMPER STICKERS, BRACELETS, BUTTONS & POETRY BOOKLETS (WITH POEMS WRITTEN BY JIMMY & HIS SUPPORTERS)
Let us know if you would be interested in purchasing or receiving any of these items! Also, I have case summaries (which are more detailed than the website) which I would be happy to snail mail to anyone who requests them.
MESSAGE FROM ADELE DAVID, ONE OF JIMMY'S SUPPORTERS
Message from Adele:
"For quite a long time now, I have had the idea of writing a play inspired by Jimmy's unfair trial, but did not really have the time or the opportunity to do so. Given the current circumstances, I would like to begin it seriously. I intend to do a satyre of the trial, an ironical parody (using fictive names for the characters) but to do so I must first learn about the real unfolding of a trial in the USA. Could somebody explain me in details how it works (I understood that basically it was divided into two parts), or give me the link to a website, or a report of Jimmy's first trial ? Thanks in advance!"
WEBSITE COMING! WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE PART OF IT?
One of Jimmy's German supporters, Sarah Gau, is working on a website for Jimmy that should be up in the next couple of months.
Sarah is requesting writings from people for her section "Jimmy's friends and supporters". Anyone who has been writing to Jimmy for a while now or who knows him is welcome to send her a little writing on how they met him, why they believe in his innocence, how they would describe him as a person, etc. Pictures are welcome as well.
Writings can be sent to Sarah at info-jimmydennis@web.de
Incidentally, the other day I googled using the key words "jimmy dennis" and "death row". I was surprised to see 777 entries!
OTHER CASES
Jimmy recently asked me to build a link from his site to a site for Ralph Stokes, a fellow inmate on death row with Jimmy who was also prosecuted by Roger King:
ccadp.org/ralphstokes.htm
Harold Wilson, who was on death row in Pennsylvania with Jimmy, was exonerated and released recently. He is the 122nd death row exoneree since the mid-1970s, when the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court:
www.ccadp.org/haroldwilson.htm
Another case of stranger identification, Robert Clark was exonerated after being in prison in Georgia for 24 years:
www.innocenceproject.org/case/display_profile.php?id=167
Still another stranger identification case, Luis Diaz was charged with raping 8 different women who selected his photo and/or identified him in a line-up. He served 26 years in prison in Florida before DNA evidence exonerated him:
www.innocenceproject.org/case/display_profile.php?id=164
As most of you know, Jimmy's case is built on stranger ID, which is one of the weakest forms of evidence because it is so terribly unreliable. In fact, mistaken eyewitness identification has been a significant component in a majority of cases overturned by DNA evidence.
Please note: The sites for Ralph Stokes and Harold Wilson are maintained by CCADP (Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty). Dave Parkinson and Tracy Lamourie, who direct CCADP, were the first to build a website for Jimmy Dennis. It was Jimmy's case that inspired them to form their organization, which now has hundreds of websites for death row inmates. They run their organization on a shoestring budget. You might consider CCADP for your holiday gift list. The address is
CCADP
80 Lillington Ave.
Toronto, ON
M1N 3K7
Canada
IF YOU ARE ON THIS LIST BY ERROR
If you received this update on Jimmy's case, but you didn't intend to be on this list, please let me know and I will remove your name and email address. Or, if you received this email twice, let me know.
Tonya
Tonya & Jim Sneed
808 S. Greenlawn Ave.
Peoria, IL 61605
309-673-4353
JIMMY'S CASE
It has been a long while since I sent an update -- the last update was written at the end of September. Unfortunately, the courts move so slowly that there has been little to tell. We were waiting for the commonwealth judge to write his opinion, and now that he has written it, Jimmy's attorneys can proceed.
I haven't yet seen it, but I understand that the judge failed to address key legal issues and key testimony from the evidentiary hearing in his opinion. It is so frustrating, discouraging, and, really, downright depressing that the judge didn't pay attention to critical components of Jimmy's case -- despite Jimmy's case being before him for 7 long years (7 years just for this appeal; Jimmy has been incarcerated for 14 years now). If he had paid attention, Jimmy would not have lost this second appeal. I am fully persuaded that anyone with even an ounce of objectivity who takes a serious look at this case would conclude that Jimmy had nothing to do with the murder of Chedell Williams.
I'm just a lay person, not an attorney or anything, but it seems to me that the appeals process is not at all about innocence or guilt, but about politics, about legal strategy and maneuvering -- as one friend pointed out, it's like a chess game, and you have to be lucky enough to have brilliant attorneys who can play their pieces well. Jimmy is fortunate to have excellent attorneys. Still, it is an uphill battle. The next stop is the State Supreme Court, where, frankly, we supporters of Jimmy don't hold out a lot of hope. Jimmy has been before this court in the past and has lost.
As just a reminder, Jimmy doesn't want any of us writing judges or prosecutors on his behalf. However, if you would like to write a governor, senator, or representative, that would be perfectly fine.
BENEFIT CD PROJECT
We are very fortunate to be in contact with James Bryant (better known as King Jaymze), who has offered to help us produce a quality CD to benefit Jimmy. He will record and master the CD pro bono. What we need now are musicians! If you would be willing to donate a song for the CD, let us know! Proceeds from the CD Project will be donated to Jimmy's defense fund.
PETITION
Please visit this link if you would like to sign a petition for Jimmy:
www.jimmydennis.org/pages/869732/index.htm
Please note that because of time constraints, I only update the site once monthly, and usually toward the beginning of the month.
GIFTS
If you would like to remember Jimmy for the holidays, please note that he is allowed to receive greeting cards, photographs, and money orders. Please do not send stamps, books or magazines. Books or magazines must come directly from the publisher or distributor.
Money orders of any amount can be very helpful to Jimmy, who relies a great deal on outside support to call his family on a regular basis. Like most prisons, long distance phone calls are very expensive.
The prison address is
Jimmy Dennis #BY7796
SCI at Greene
175 Progress Dr.
Waynesburg, PA 15370-8090
If you would like to donate to Jimmy's defense fund, the address is
The James A. Dennis Legal Expense Trust, c/o Sun Trust Bank, Dept. 28, Washington, DC 20042-0028
Please make checks payable to "The James A. Dennis Legal Expense Trust."
"FREE JIMMY DENNIS" BUMPER STICKERS, BRACELETS, BUTTONS & POETRY BOOKLETS (WITH POEMS WRITTEN BY JIMMY & HIS SUPPORTERS)
Let us know if you would be interested in purchasing or receiving any of these items! Also, I have case summaries (which are more detailed than the website) which I would be happy to snail mail to anyone who requests them.
MESSAGE FROM ADELE DAVID, ONE OF JIMMY'S SUPPORTERS
Message from Adele:
"For quite a long time now, I have had the idea of writing a play inspired by Jimmy's unfair trial, but did not really have the time or the opportunity to do so. Given the current circumstances, I would like to begin it seriously. I intend to do a satyre of the trial, an ironical parody (using fictive names for the characters) but to do so I must first learn about the real unfolding of a trial in the USA. Could somebody explain me in details how it works (I understood that basically it was divided into two parts), or give me the link to a website, or a report of Jimmy's first trial ? Thanks in advance!"
WEBSITE COMING! WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE PART OF IT?
One of Jimmy's German supporters, Sarah Gau, is working on a website for Jimmy that should be up in the next couple of months.
Sarah is requesting writings from people for her section "Jimmy's friends and supporters". Anyone who has been writing to Jimmy for a while now or who knows him is welcome to send her a little writing on how they met him, why they believe in his innocence, how they would describe him as a person, etc. Pictures are welcome as well.
Writings can be sent to Sarah at info-jimmydennis@web.de
Incidentally, the other day I googled using the key words "jimmy dennis" and "death row". I was surprised to see 777 entries!
OTHER CASES
Jimmy recently asked me to build a link from his site to a site for Ralph Stokes, a fellow inmate on death row with Jimmy who was also prosecuted by Roger King:
ccadp.org/ralphstokes.htm
Harold Wilson, who was on death row in Pennsylvania with Jimmy, was exonerated and released recently. He is the 122nd death row exoneree since the mid-1970s, when the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court:
www.ccadp.org/haroldwilson.htm
Another case of stranger identification, Robert Clark was exonerated after being in prison in Georgia for 24 years:
www.innocenceproject.org/case/display_profile.php?id=167
Still another stranger identification case, Luis Diaz was charged with raping 8 different women who selected his photo and/or identified him in a line-up. He served 26 years in prison in Florida before DNA evidence exonerated him:
www.innocenceproject.org/case/display_profile.php?id=164
As most of you know, Jimmy's case is built on stranger ID, which is one of the weakest forms of evidence because it is so terribly unreliable. In fact, mistaken eyewitness identification has been a significant component in a majority of cases overturned by DNA evidence.
Please note: The sites for Ralph Stokes and Harold Wilson are maintained by CCADP (Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty). Dave Parkinson and Tracy Lamourie, who direct CCADP, were the first to build a website for Jimmy Dennis. It was Jimmy's case that inspired them to form their organization, which now has hundreds of websites for death row inmates. They run their organization on a shoestring budget. You might consider CCADP for your holiday gift list.
The address is CCADP
80 Lillington Ave.
Toronto, ON
M1N 3K7
Canada
IF YOU ARE ON THIS LIST BY ERROR
If you received this update on Jimmy's case, but you didn't intend to be on this list, please let me know and I will remove your name and email address. Or, if you received this email twice, let me know.
Tonya
Tonya & Jim Sneed
808 S. Greenlawn Ave.
Peoria, IL 61605
309-673-4353