Friday, June 7, 2024

Petition: Ramiro Gonzales; (Psychiatrist Edward Gripon): To be executed on July 13 - even though the doctor who once called him a 'future danger' - paving the way for Ramiro's execution - now says he is wrong! From the petition: (Link below):…"At the time of the commission of this offense Mr. Gonzales was barely 18 years old. With the passage of time and significant maturity he is now a significantly different person both mentally and emotionally. This represents a very positive change for the better. Edward B. Gripon, MD ”



PETITION:   "Will you join Dr. Gripon and so many others in asking the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole to stop Ramiro’s execution on July 13?, published by The Texas Defence Service (Ashlee Wiggngton), on July 5, 2024.

GIST:  "Dear Friends: When Ramiro Gonzales was tried for a capital crime he committed when he was barely 18 years old, psychiatrist Edward B. Gripon testified for the prosecutor that Ramiro posed a future danger to society. Dr. Gripon now says he was wrong; Ramiro should live. After conducting another psychiatric evaluation of Ramiro this year, Dr. Gripon saw with his own eyes how Ramiro had transformed his life while in prison, and the immense work Ramiro has done to come to terms with the unspeakable childhood trauma he experienced. Dr. Gripon has now taken back his original testimony and concluded that Ramiro is not a threat to society and will not commit future violent acts. Will you join Dr. Gripon and so many others in asking the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole to stop Ramiro’s execution on July 13? “At the time of the commission of this offense Mr. Gonzales was barely 18 years old. With the passage of time and significant maturity he is now a significantly different person both mentally and emotionally. This represents a very positive change for the better. -Edward B. Gripon, MD ” If you also believe in the human capacity to change, please stand with Ramiro, his family, advocates at Texas Defender Service and the Capital Punishment Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin, and professionals who have spent time with Ramiro personally, like Dr. Gripon. Sign this petition and tell the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles that Ramiro deserves a chance to live.

With Gratitude, Burke Butler: Executive Director."

The entire petition can be read at: 

https://search.app/KpgF56mASnyodtmm7


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Read also the Marshall Projects note (July 11, 2022)  on "More proof there's no scientific way to predict a defendant's future dangerousness," at the link below:  The Texas justice system trusted psychiatrist Edward Gripon 16 years ago when he predicted that convicted murderer Ramiro Gonzales would pose a threat to others if he did not get the death penalty. Will the Texas justice system trust Gripon now that he says that Gonzales should not be executed this week because he has so transformed himself behind bars? The case highlights Texas's particularly harsh capital sentencing standard that requires an estimate of future dangerousness to dictate a defendant's fate. In collaboration with The Independent, TMP's Maurice Chammah and Keri Blakinger have our story."


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PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"  section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

SEE BREAKDOWN OF  SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG,  AT THE LINK BELOW:  HL:


https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985


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FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."

Lawyer Radha Natarajan:

Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;


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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!

Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;

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YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:


David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.


https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801


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