Post by CCADP on Sept 22, 2005 7:55:02 GMT -5
By Tonya Sneed
Hi, Family, Friends and Supporters of Jimmy,
JIMMY LOST THE APPEAL
It is with profound sadness and a broken heart that I share the following: Jimmy lost the appeal last Thursday. The commonwealth judge denied Jimmy a new trial. Jimmy has been before this judge since at least 2000 when I first got involved, so it has been a long, grueling wait -- only to discover in the end that the judge wasn't going to take seriously the overwhelming evidence of Jimmy's innocence. In recent hearings the judge repeatedly stated that he wasn't going to rule based on guilt or innocence, that the appeal had nothing to do with Jimmy's guilt or innocence. But as I understand that one of Jimmy's attorneys stated, it has EVERYTHING to do with guilt or innocence because Jimmy is an innocent man on death row.
So what happens next? Similar to the last time Jimmy lost an appeal, he may very well be assigned a new date of execution. A warrant for his execution will likely be signed by the governor of Pennsylvania. And, Jimmy may be transferred again to "Phase 2" which means that he'll be moved to a cell away from other inmates. He currently spends about 22-23 hours a day in a cell by himself, but there are inmates in adjacent cells that he can interact with, and he has some opportunities to go to the yard or to the law library. In "Phase 2" death row inmates are placed in solitary confinement where they are literally being prepped for execution.
Jimmy technically has more appeals so much of this may seem kind of perfunctory -- but it all must be taken very, very seriously. If Jimmy's attorneys make a single mistake, there is the potential of Jimmy being executed prematurely. Indeed, in the case of Roger Coleman, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a decision to execute him before his appeals had been exhausted because his original appeal attorneys filed some paperwork ONE day late. Or, in another death row case, Joseph O'Dell was unable to go before the Virginia Supreme Court because his attorneys titled one of their filings "Notice of Appeal" instead of "Petition for Appeal". These two men had strong claims of innocence. Indeed, O'Dell's case is a focus in Helen Prejean's recently-released book "The Death of Innocents".
Thus, we need to be very diligent in our efforts to assist Jimmy in any way that we can.
PETITION - PLEASE SIGN!
I have added a very-simply worded petition to the website www.jimmydennis.org/pages/869732/index.htm If you would like to sign on, PLEASE EMAIL ME with your name, city and state (or city and country if you live outside the U.S.). The petition simply states "Jimmy Dennis is innocent and should be immediately released". We will be working on a more formal petition for Petition Online (which will be addressed, among others, to the Governor of Pennsylvania) and hope to have that up and running in the next few weeks.
BRACELETS
Blue and white swirled bracelets that say "Free Jimmy" are now available through Pam Deghand, one of Jimmy's supporters. If you would like to purchase one, please contact Pam at ifunlvg2@aol.com
PHONE CALLS
It is expensive for Jimmy to make phone calls to family members and friends, but it is one of the few things he has to look forward to each week. Letters and calls are his primary avenues for contacting his loved ones as visits are much more rare. (The prison is on the western side of Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, far from Philadelphia where Jimmy grew up.) If you would like to help Jimmy with this expense, you can send him a money order with a note that you'd like the money to be used in this way. I know that he would appreciate it immensely! The address is Jimmy Dennis BY7796, SCI at Greene, 175 Progress Drive, Waynesburg, PA, 15370-8089. (I don't know if it's necessary or not, but when I send Jimmy a money order, I always include the "BY7796" next to his name.)
BENEFIT CD
If you have musical talent or know someone who does and would like to donate a song to a Benefit CD for Jimmy, please contact us. Thanks! rememberhaiti@yahoo.com
POETRY BOOKLETS
If you would like to order a poetry booklet with poems written by Jimmy, his family and supporters, please let us know: rememberhaiti@yahoo.com
BUMPER STICKERS, BUTTONS & CASE SUMMARIES
These items are free upon request.
I mailed the last bit of requests for bumper stickers, buttons and case summaries by various individuals on Sunday night. If you made a request and don't receive your items soon, please let me know.
PEOPLE'S MAGAZINE - AUGUST 15 ISSUE
Does anyone have this issue? I read that CCADP (Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty) is mentioned in an article about Scott Peterson. CCADP founders, Dave Parkinson and Tracy Lamourie, began the Justice for Jimmy Dennis campaign. In fact, Jimmy Dennis' website was the first one they ever built. Anyway, I'd love to see a copy of the article.
Tonya
Hi, Family, Friends and Supporters of Jimmy,
JIMMY LOST THE APPEAL
It is with profound sadness and a broken heart that I share the following: Jimmy lost the appeal last Thursday. The commonwealth judge denied Jimmy a new trial. Jimmy has been before this judge since at least 2000 when I first got involved, so it has been a long, grueling wait -- only to discover in the end that the judge wasn't going to take seriously the overwhelming evidence of Jimmy's innocence. In recent hearings the judge repeatedly stated that he wasn't going to rule based on guilt or innocence, that the appeal had nothing to do with Jimmy's guilt or innocence. But as I understand that one of Jimmy's attorneys stated, it has EVERYTHING to do with guilt or innocence because Jimmy is an innocent man on death row.
So what happens next? Similar to the last time Jimmy lost an appeal, he may very well be assigned a new date of execution. A warrant for his execution will likely be signed by the governor of Pennsylvania. And, Jimmy may be transferred again to "Phase 2" which means that he'll be moved to a cell away from other inmates. He currently spends about 22-23 hours a day in a cell by himself, but there are inmates in adjacent cells that he can interact with, and he has some opportunities to go to the yard or to the law library. In "Phase 2" death row inmates are placed in solitary confinement where they are literally being prepped for execution.
Jimmy technically has more appeals so much of this may seem kind of perfunctory -- but it all must be taken very, very seriously. If Jimmy's attorneys make a single mistake, there is the potential of Jimmy being executed prematurely. Indeed, in the case of Roger Coleman, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a decision to execute him before his appeals had been exhausted because his original appeal attorneys filed some paperwork ONE day late. Or, in another death row case, Joseph O'Dell was unable to go before the Virginia Supreme Court because his attorneys titled one of their filings "Notice of Appeal" instead of "Petition for Appeal". These two men had strong claims of innocence. Indeed, O'Dell's case is a focus in Helen Prejean's recently-released book "The Death of Innocents".
Thus, we need to be very diligent in our efforts to assist Jimmy in any way that we can.
PETITION - PLEASE SIGN!
I have added a very-simply worded petition to the website www.jimmydennis.org/pages/869732/index.htm If you would like to sign on, PLEASE EMAIL ME with your name, city and state (or city and country if you live outside the U.S.). The petition simply states "Jimmy Dennis is innocent and should be immediately released". We will be working on a more formal petition for Petition Online (which will be addressed, among others, to the Governor of Pennsylvania) and hope to have that up and running in the next few weeks.
BRACELETS
Blue and white swirled bracelets that say "Free Jimmy" are now available through Pam Deghand, one of Jimmy's supporters. If you would like to purchase one, please contact Pam at ifunlvg2@aol.com
PHONE CALLS
It is expensive for Jimmy to make phone calls to family members and friends, but it is one of the few things he has to look forward to each week. Letters and calls are his primary avenues for contacting his loved ones as visits are much more rare. (The prison is on the western side of Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, far from Philadelphia where Jimmy grew up.) If you would like to help Jimmy with this expense, you can send him a money order with a note that you'd like the money to be used in this way. I know that he would appreciate it immensely! The address is Jimmy Dennis BY7796, SCI at Greene, 175 Progress Drive, Waynesburg, PA, 15370-8089. (I don't know if it's necessary or not, but when I send Jimmy a money order, I always include the "BY7796" next to his name.)
BENEFIT CD
If you have musical talent or know someone who does and would like to donate a song to a Benefit CD for Jimmy, please contact us. Thanks! rememberhaiti@yahoo.com
POETRY BOOKLETS
If you would like to order a poetry booklet with poems written by Jimmy, his family and supporters, please let us know: rememberhaiti@yahoo.com
BUMPER STICKERS, BUTTONS & CASE SUMMARIES
These items are free upon request.
I mailed the last bit of requests for bumper stickers, buttons and case summaries by various individuals on Sunday night. If you made a request and don't receive your items soon, please let me know.
PEOPLE'S MAGAZINE - AUGUST 15 ISSUE
Does anyone have this issue? I read that CCADP (Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty) is mentioned in an article about Scott Peterson. CCADP founders, Dave Parkinson and Tracy Lamourie, began the Justice for Jimmy Dennis campaign. In fact, Jimmy Dennis' website was the first one they ever built. Anyway, I'd love to see a copy of the article.
Tonya
