JFT at Freedom March for the Wrongfully Convicted

Members of the Justice for Mike Deloe and Justice for Terrell Johnson organizing campaigns rallied with family members and supporters on October 3^rd, as part of a national day to bring attention to wrongful convictions in the nation’s criminal legal system.

Mary Ann Lubas, Director of the Pennsylvania arm of the National Freedom March for the Wrongfully Convicted, began organizing the event in Pittsburgh three years ago, when her son Michael DeLoe was convicted of a crime that never occurred, while jurors slept through the trial.

The rally brought together formerly incarcerated people and family members of the wrongfully convicted to speak about their experiences trying to navigate the system and prove their innocence after they or their loved ones have been wrongfully accused. Lubas spoke about the execution of Troy Davis and cited statistics of wrongful convictions and why the death penalty should be abolished: “In the past 30 years, 273 people have been exonerated from prison sentences based on DNA evidence. Those that have been exonerated spent an average of 13 years in prison. 130 people have been exonerated from death row, and an estimated 10% of all people in prison are wrongfully convicted."

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JFT Fundraiser! Big Party Event! September 8, 2011

Terrell Johnson has been in prison for 17 years for a crime he didn't commit. He and his loved ones have fought for and succeeded in getting a new trial. But Terrell still needs a legal team who will fight for what is right: FREEING AN INNOCENT MAN!

Join HRC and the Justice for Terrell Campaign at the Shadow Lounge on September 8, 2011 for a night of fun to raise $$$$$ for a legal team. There will be phenomenal performances by:

Vanessa German

Jasiri X

Krunk Jazz Band

Raisaunya Jones

Andre King

Also there will be a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, DJ and more!

Come out and dance, laugh, listen and celebrate the hope and spirit of justice because 17 years of imprisonment is the REAL CRIME.

$7-15 dollar suggested donation (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)

Show starts at 8 pM

Trial Postponed: Defense Files Motions

Terrell Johnson's trial scheduled to begin the end of February has been postponed, perhaps until May. On February 28th, the court held hearings on defense motions to suppress certain evidence the prosecution is attempting to admit. The judge has ordered briefs, and will set a trial date after ruling on the suppression motions.

Come out to the Rally: Trial Begins January 28, 2011

On Monday February 28th, 2011 the Justice for Terrell Campaign, the Human Rights Coalition, community members and human rights defenders will gather outside the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh to support Terrell Johnson, a resident of Hazlewood who was framed and convicted on a murder charge in 1995. We need everyone! Terrell Johnson successfully won a new trial last year that is scheduled to begin this week.

Supporters will gather at 8AM for a press conference at 8:30. After the press conference, we will head up to Judge Machen's courtroom 326 to witness and support Terrell's fight for justice.

Jury selection is scheduled for Friday February 25th, and the trial will begin February 28th. It is scheduled to last for up to five days. So clear your schedule, come out, and let's FREE TERRELL.

Wrongful Convictions at the East Liberty Library

The Justice for Terrell Campaign is having a discussion on wrongful convictions and Terrell Johnson's upcoming trial at 5:00PM on February 22, 2011 at the East Liberty Library. The address is 130 S.Whitfield St Pittsburgh PA 15206. Call for directions 412-363-8232. The discussion will last about an hour and will include interactive discussion and participation, along with facts and information sharing.

Trial Date Changed

Terrell Johnson's trial has been postponed so the judge can go on vacation. Ugh! The jury selection is now scheduled for February 25 and the trial is scheduled to start the following week, probably Monday February 28, 2011.

Wrongful Convictions at the Black & White Reunion

The Justice for Terrell Campaign organized a workshop on wrongful convictions at the Black & White Reunion in East Liberty this weekend. People talked about their experience with the justice system and police in Pittsburgh and got the low down on Terrell Johnson's case. Below is some info from the workshop publications.

Statistics on wrongful convictions:

With 2.5 million people incarcerated in the U.S. if only .01% of those inside are wrongfully convicted, that makes 25,000 people.

According to a study conducted by the Innocence Project, of 70 cases overturned based upon post-conviction evidence…
• Over 30 of them involved prosecutorial misconduct;
• Over 30 of them involved police misconduct which led to wrongful convictions;
• About 15 of them involved false witness testimony;

Terrell Johnson's case involves prosecutorial misconduct, police misconduct and false witness testimony. Also...

Government Misconduct
In far too many cases, the very people who are responsible
for ensuring truth and justice – law enforcement officials and
prosecutors – lose sight of these obligations and instead focus
solely on securing convictions.

Informants/Snitches
In more than 15% of cases of wrongful conviction
overturned by DNA testing, an informant or jailhouse
snitch testified against the defendant. Often,
statements from people with incentives to testify –
particularly incentives that are not disclosed to the
jury – are the central evidence in convicting an
innocent person.
People have been wrongfully convicted in cases in
which snitches:
• Have been paid to testify
• Have testified in exchange for their release
from prison
• Have testified in multiple distinct cases that they
have evidence of guilt, through overhearing a
confession or witnessing the crime.

Bad Lawyering
The resources of the justice system are often stacked against poor defendants. Matters only become worse when a person
is represented by an ineffective, incompetent or overburdened defense lawyer. The failure of overworked lawyers to
investigate, call witnesses or prepare for trial has led to the conviction of innocent people. When a defense lawyer doesn’t
do his or her job, the defendant suffers. Shrinking funding and access to resources for public defenders and courtappointed
attorneys is only making the problem worse.