The Free Pervis Payne petition can be accessed at:
https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/stop-execution-pervis-payne
(Number of signatures up to November 6, 5.44 OM (including one from me): 769,268.
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BACKGROUND: (From a previous post): "The principal issue: Whether a trial court has jurisdiction to reconsider the ruling of a defendant’s original sentences after a determination of intellectual disability." Background: Innocence Project: Mr. Payne has always maintained his innocence and said that he was waiting for his girlfriend to return to her apartment in Millington, Tennessee, one afternoon in June 1987, when he discovered that her neighbor, Charisse Christopher, and her children had been brutally attacked. Mr. Payne, who lives with an intellectual disability, was shocked by the bloody scene. Despite his panic, he tried to help, but as soon as he saw the police arriving, he had a sinking feeling that he would be mistaken for the attacker. His fear soon became reality. Mr. Payne was arrested later that day, and the following February was convicted of murder and sentenced to death . More than three decades later, he is still on death row. Here’s what you need to know about his case — including how the prosecution exploited Mr. Payne’s intellectual disability, hid evidence, and evoked racist stereotypes to convict him."
https://innocenceproject.org/pervis-payne-wrongful-conviction-what-to-know-innocent-tennessee/
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "In August 2023, a Tennessee appeals court upheld a judge's ruling that allows a former Tennessee death row inmate to be eligible for parole in four years after spending more than three decades in prison."
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STORY: TN (Tennessee) Supreme Court hears arguments in case of former death row inmate (sic) Pervis Payne, published by Fox13, on November 7, 2024.
GIST: Former death row inmate Pervis Payne could be eligible for parole in the next two years after being resentenced.
Payne got two life sentences due to his intellectual disability.
The case went in front of the Tennessee Supreme Court on Wednesday as the state tries to keep Payne behind bars. The state and defense agreed to Payne serving two life sentences but the Supreme Court needs to rule whether the sentences should be served concurrently or consecutively.
The state and defense presented oral arguments Wednesday to the justices at the Tennessee Supreme Court building in Jackson.
A lower court judge ruled Payne would serve his life sentences concurrently paving the way for Payne to eligible for parole in about two years.
Payne, 53, has maintained his innocence in the murders of Charisse Christopher, 28, and her two-year-old daughter, Lacie Jo, who were found stabbed to death inside their home in Millington in 1987.
Charisse Christopher had more than 80 knife wounds, according to investigators. Three-year-old Nicholas Christopher also suffered numerous stab wounds.
He survived after undergoing multiple surgeries.
He was sentenced to death but a Shelby County judge overturned that sentence in 2021 because Payne was an intellectual disability. The state Supreme Court is reviewing the case.
It's not clear when the court may return a decision.
In August 2023, a Tennessee appeals court upheld a judge's ruling that allows a former Tennessee death row inmate to be eligible for parole in four years after spending more than three decades in prison.
The entire story can be read at:
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;
