Saturday, June 11, 2016

Bulletin: Rodricus Crawford; Corey Williams: Louisiana; (The Corey Williams case is another disturbing Louisiana case, which like the Rodricus Crawford case (subject of a series of posts on this Blog) puts the state's criminal justice system under intense scrutiny -and cries out for remedy. The Williams case is particularly disturbing because it involves "newly uncovered evidence" found in the prosecutor's possession relating to a mentally handicapped 16-year-old, Corey Williams, who was arrested and convicted of a murder, and has since spent half of his life incarcerated for the crime.).."In an application for supervisory writ filed Friday, Williams' attorney say prosecutors hid evidence known as Brady material, information that could have impeached the testimony of other suspects and cast reasonable doubt as to Williams' involvement. That evidence, attorney Blythe Taplin writes, comes in the form of "a series of recorded interviews between witnesses and law enforcement that supported the defense case that two other men committed the murder." "Between midnight and 8:30 a.m., detectives conducted a series of interviews with witnesses that were never disclosed," Taplin wrote. "Although the older men originally tried to place the blame on Corey, the police detectives immediately realized this was a ruse to place the blame on the most compromised, and least threatening, of those nearby the shooting." In one audio tape an investigator is recorded telling a witness, "It sounds like to me y'all all decided y'all going to blame it on Corey," while another tape has a witness placing his suspicions on another man known as "Rapist." The Shreveport Times;


"A Shreveport man filed paperwork Friday to take his 1998 murder conviction to the Louisiana Supreme Court, citing newly uncovered evidence of his innocence. Jarvis Griffin was shot and killed Jan. 4, 1998 after the pizza delivery man pulled away from a drop off at a house on Virginia Street. A mentally handicapped 16-year-old, Corey Williams, was arrested and convicted of that murder, and Williams has since spent half of his life incarcerated for the crime. In an application for supervisory writ filed Friday, Williams' attorney say prosecutors hid evidence known as Brady material, information that could have impeached the testimony of other suspects and cast reasonable doubt as to Williams' involvement. That evidence, attorney Blythe Taplin writes, comes in the form of "a series of recorded interviews between witnesses and law enforcement that supported the defense case that two other men committed the murder." "Between midnight and 8:30 a.m., detectives conducted a series of interviews with witnesses that were never disclosed," Taplin wrote. "Although the older men originally tried to place the blame on Corey, the police detectives immediately realized this was a ruse to place the blame on the most compromised, and least threatening, of those nearby the shooting." In one audio tape an investigator is recorded telling a witness, "It sounds like to me y'all all decided y'all going to blame it on Corey," while another tape has a witness placing his suspicions on another man known as "Rapist." While U.S. Supreme Court attention is rare, it wouldn't be the first time the justices' decisions have benefited Williams' defense team. Originally sentenced to death for Jarvis' murder, in 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that executing people with intellectual disabilities violates the 8th Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishments. With an IQ of 68, Williams fit the criteria, and his sentence was changed to life in prison..."For an intellectually disabled, innocent, teenager to be removed from death row and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, it isn’t a victory — it’s a tragedy every day that Corey remains in prison," Taplin said via email. "This state was supposed to protect kids like Corey. Given what we know now, it’s clear that we failed him." The evidence was only uncovered in 2015, when interim district Attorney Dale Cox found the recordings in old files and turned them over. The DA's office has previously opposed any defense motions for a lesser sentence but could not be reached before publication Friday. Williams' attorneys expect to hear back from the Supreme Court in 8-12 weeks."
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/crime/2016/06/10/shreveport-man-appeals-life-sentence-highest-court/85720106/

 Can new District Attorney James Stewart bring justice back to Caddo Parrish, Louisiana  for convicted men such as Rodricus Crawford and Corey Williams, and who knows how many other that have been convicted by the state's malevolent criminal justice system which has finally come under intense scrutiny? See the Shreveport Times story at the link below: "It’s too early to say what Stewart’s legacy will be. The office has been stained by allegations of racial bias and politics. It’s facing a federal class action lawsuit for allegedly violating the rights of black residents wanting to serve on Caddo juries. Anti-death penalty groups and activists are quick to point out the parish’s role as outlier in Louisiana, which has temporarily halted executions. Trust in the office among some in the public is stretched thin while others guard it with suspicion. Ben Cohen, Capital Appeals Project counsel, said he’s waiting to see if Stewart will bring justice back to Caddo Parish. Cohen is one of the attorneys representing Corey Williams, an intellectually disabled man serving life for the murder of a pizza delivery man. Williams was convicted as a teen and sentenced to die. His sentence was overturned after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled minors could not receive the death penalty. “I hope Judge Stewart develops a system for looking at these cases that were handled in the past (and a process to ensure it doesn’t happen again),” he said. via email.
 http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/watchdog/2016/01/08/setting-up-house-james-stewart-move/78503030/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  Many people are asking how they can help  free and exonerate Rodricus Crawford.  Crawford himself,  his family, and Marlene Belliveau, who is advocating for Crawford,   believe that personal pleas directly  to District Attorney James Stewart or  Governor of the State of Louisiana John Bel Edwards to review the case before it is too late could help make a difference -  and would be most appreciated. The pleas can be sent as follows:

DA James Stewart
501Texas St, 5th Floor
Shreveport, LA  71101

(or) 

Governor John Bel Edwards
Office of the Governor
PO Box 94004
Baton Rouge, LA 70804

For more information with respect to this case, you may also contact Marlene Belliveau at : MarleneABelliveau@gmail.com ( for the Crawford family);
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: THE EIGHT POST  CHARLES SMITH BLOG SERIES:

Part One: 'TakePart'  tells the compelling  story of a sister's (Vicki Crawford-Sharp) efforts to save her brother from Louisiana's death row  - with the  fervent  support of a Canadian woman (Marlene Belliveau)  drawn to the case  by a horrific personal experience of her own.
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2016/05/rodricus-crawford-louisiana-death-row.html 

Part Two: Marlene Belliveau's compelling   plea to Caddo Parrish's new  District Attorney James Stewart to spare an innocent father's  life and proclaim his innocence.
 http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2016/05/rodricus-crawford-louisiana-death-row_28.html

Part Three: The Innocence Network files an Amicus Brief urging the US Supreme Court to reverse his conviction - asserting that the victim’s death resulted not from suffocation, but from a fatal illness.
 http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2016/05/rodricus-crawford-louisiana-death-row_29.html

Part Four:  In his own words Rodricus Crawford - through an open letter - tells anyone who will listen that all he asks is for the new DA (James Stewart) "to do the right thing and re-examine the case...There's only one reasonable conclusion."
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2016/05/rodricus-crawford-louisiana-death-row_30.html

Part Five: Catholics lead calls for court to spare life of death-row inmate; Catholic News Service.
 http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2016_05_01_archive.html

Part Six: More on the perverse criminal justice culture in which Rodicrus Crawford - and many others - have been trapped: A recent study conducted by the 'Southern University Law Center’s Journal of Race, Gender and Poverty' which shows that "few Louisiana death row inmates are actually executed, since the majority have their verdicts reversed upon appeal, or are exonerated due to innocence findings".
 http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2016/06/rodricus-crawford-death-row-louisiana.html

Part Seven: Good news for Rodricus Crawford and the rest of the more than 80 people on death row in Louisiana; It just got more difficult for the state to push forward on executions.
 http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2016/06/rodricus-crawford-death-row-louisiana_1.html

Part Eight: Publisher's view; (Editorial);  "Apart from the factual component of the case which cries out Rodricus Crawford's innocence - after he had been trapped  in Louisiana's  perverse criminal justice culture - we still have to view Rodricus in the context of a father wrongfully convicted of the  murder of his son,  charged with the most horrific offence in the criminal law, and  awaiting a meeting with the state's executioner."
 https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=120008354894645705#editor/target=post;postID=3030613652084038518;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=8;src=link

See also  a  recent previous post on this Blog at the link below..."Louisiana's criminal Justice system under intense scrutiny: "Also real are the two additional problems tainting Louisiana's justice system as borne out by the following stories..."

 http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2016/06/louisianas-criminal-justice-system.html

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