Nat Cosenza Reflects on his First Innocence Network Conference after 16 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment

In August of 2000, at 4 in the morning, a Worcester woman awoke in her dark bedroom to find an unknown man sitting at the foot of her bed. The man proceeded to beat the woman repeatedly on the head with a hard object; in response, she covered her head with her arms to protect herself. After she began to fight back, the attacker fled her apartment. The whole encounter lasted only seconds in a room suspended in darkness - and was marked by the victim's shock, stress, and fear. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these conditions led to the victim's misidentification of Natale "Nat" Cosenza as the perpetrator. Nat was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years.

He was released in October of 2016, and, while he awaits a new trial in Worcester Superior Court, has been making the most of his newfound freedom. He, along with his daughter Alicia, was one of five Massachusetts men who accompanied us to the 2017 Innocence Network Conference in San Diego. Ronjon Cameron spent 14 years in prison and was exonerated in 2015; Victor Rosario spent 32 years in prison and was freed in 2014; Angel Echavarria spent 21 years in prison and was exonerated in 2015, and Sean Ellis spent 22 years in prison and was freed in 2015. Since this was Nat’s first conference – and his first time meeting so many other wrongfully convicted men and women – we asked him to reflect on what the conference meant to him.

“Even after everything I’ve gone through, it was still such an eye-opening experience,” Nat told us. “Hearing all of these stories, and talking to these men and women — especially the ones who were on death-row — was just amazing.” What surprised Nat the most was the sheer number of people involved in the innocence movement.

“Honestly, the number of people involved — advocates, family members, lawyers — was kind of shocking to me. I just didn’t know that there were that many people who cared about us.”

Nat with exoneree Amanda Knox.

Nat with exoneree Amanda Knox.

Nat also took part in The Moth workshop, which offers the wrongfully convicted (and their advocates) a chance to craft and hone a 5-minute story which they then present to the conference attendees (who numbered nearly 1,000.)  Nat presented his story, as did Ronjon and Sean.

“When I did The Moth, it was the first time that I’ve really spoken about what I’ve been through,” Nat said. “It was gratifying, and also kind of a relief to talk about. I’ve had so many emotions locked inside, and it was really good for me to get some of them out there.”

Despite the conference being just a whirlwind 2 days, Nat met people with whom he formed a strong and lasting bond: “I became very close with three individuals, students from Texas and Canada. It was amazing how close we became in such a short time. That’s really, really rare for me.” 

Returning to the outside world after being released from years of incarceration isn't an easy process, to say the very least. Having the opportunity to be welcomed into a community of individuals who can understand what you've endured in a way that the rest of us simply can't is incredibly important, and we're so grateful to the donors who enabled us to bring all five of these incredible Massachusetts men to the conference. 

Scrutinizing America's Guilty Plea Problem

When Johnny Vargas was pulled over for an incomplete stop in Massachusetts, police noticed a strange package on the passenger seat. Upon opening it, they found a brick of cocaine. Vargas vehemently insisted that he had never seen the package before, but when faced with a possible 15 years in prison for cocaine trafficking, he pled guilty, and in exchange received a sentence of just 7 years. He was exonerated after it came to light that the drugs had in fact been planted in his car.

For most of us, the concept of pleading guilty to a crime you didn’t commit seems impossible to comprehend. We assume that the innocent always have a chance to argue their case before a jury of their peers, when in fact our system is predicated on plea deals, making trials a relative rarity. Roughly ninety-seven percent of federal convictions and ninety-four percent of state convictions are the results of guilty pleas.

The Innocence Network, in collaboration with the Innocence Project, are launching the Guilty Plea Problem campaign today in an attempt to address the phenomenon of innocent people being forced to plead guilty. In New England, there have been 4 documented cases of innocent people pleading guilty. The phenomenon is almost certainly worst at the less serious end of the sentencing spectrum, in misdemeanor courts where almost every defendant pleads guilty.

"There are powerful incentives for people to plead guilty, even if they are, in fact, innocent," says NEIP Senior Staff Attorney Radha Natarajan. "When faced with charges, told there is enough evidence to convict, and warned of all the potential consequences -- including immigration, housing, family, and freedom -- the pressure is often too much for people to choose a trial.  This is true even when the evidence the prosecution is relying on is tainted, such as in the over 20,000 cases touched by notorious Massachusetts chemist, Annie Dookhan."

The New England exonerees who had taken guilty pleas (detailed below) are, sadly, the lucky minority.

Cheryl Adams was working as a cashier at a Cumberland Farms in Massachusetts when a loss-prevention worker accused her of stealing from the register. Confused, Adams denied all of the charges — until her interrogator, knowing that Adams was embroiled in a contentious divorce, warned her that she could lose custody of her son if she refused to sign a confession. After hours of interrogation, she eventually signed a confession stating that she had stolen over $10,000.

In 1990, a Boston man stopped a young girl at knifepoint, dragged her behind a dumpster, and fondled her. Minutes after the crime, police stopped Guy Randolph, a diagnosed schizophrenic, and asked the victim if Randolph was her attacker. She initially denied that he was, but later in the day identified him. She testified in court that Randolph was her attacker (despite much contradictory evidence) and Randolph’s lawyer convinced him to plead no-contest.

Bobby Johnson, a then-16 year old with limited intellectual capacity, was arrested for involvement in a fatal shooting in New Haven, Connecticut. The detective interrogating Johnson falsely informed him that they had found physical evidence linking Johnson to the murder, and, after hours of interrogation without either parent present, Johnson finally broke down and falsely confessed to his involvement in the murder.

People take plea deals for a variety of reasons, and plenty of those who plead guilty are, in fact, guilty. The problem is that the promise of reduced charges in exchange for a plea is presented to both the guilty and the innocent, setting the goal to the illusion of justice, instead of the actual realization of it.

 “The lack of available resources in the system incentivizes a culture of innocent people pleading out. In order to address wrongful convictions we need to work towards changing this culture, which would undoubtedly require increasing resources or decreasing arrests," says New England Innocence Project Executive Director Denise McWilliams.

Join us in working to end innocent people being forced to plead guilty to crimes they didn’t commit — a phenomenon which leaves the real perpetrators free to commit more crimes, and serves to enforce a mere illusion of justice in the United States.

Midweek News Roundup

Midweek Roundup

Landmark Victory for Open Government

In a landmark victory for open government, a court in Ohio ruled that police investigation records must become public documents after a suspect’s criminal trial concludes. The ruling meant that the records being sought by the Ohio Innocence Project from Columbus Police dating back to 2013 must be handed over to them. Ohio Innocence Project Director Mark Godsey called it a “huge win for justice.” So far, OIP has helped to free 23 wrongfully convicted prisoners.

John Grisham’s Advice to Incoming Attorney General Sessions

Celebrated author John Grisham has been a longtime supporter of the innocence movement. In a recent interview with the Marshall Project, he offered these words of advice for incoming AG Sessions: “I would never advise Mr. Sessions on how to handle his job, but I hope he understands that there are thousands of innocent people in prison serving long sentences for crimes committed by others; that their convictions could have been avoided and the real perpetrators brought to justice; that many segments of our criminal justice system are broken and must be fixed; that untold millions of dollars could be saved by criminal justice reforms, not to mention the avoidance of human suffering…”

Another Wrongful Conviction in Lake County, Illinois

25 years ago, William Carini was wrongfully convicted of rape. His conviction was cleared by Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim, who announced in December that, after a lengthy review of the case, his office would dismiss William’s conviction after forensic testing done last fall revealed none of the physical evidence collected in the rape case matched William. He will be the 7th person cleared of rape or murder in Lake County in the past six years.

An Illinois Editorial Argues for Better Treatment of Exonerees

Due to a budget impasse in the capital of Springfield, Illinois exonerees haven't been able to receive any of their compensation funds. There hasn’t been a state budget for nearly 18 months, and during that time attorneys say that roughly 14 people have been exonerated. 

This Year, More Than Ever, The Wrongfully Convicted Need Your Help

At The New England Innocence Project, we know that a conviction doesn’t necessarily mean that a person is guilty. The number of innocent men and women released from prison climbs steadily each year, proving that the system does, in fact, make mistakes. But this year, despite the enormous progress that has been made, we’re fearful that the incoming administration’s views on innocence issues will drag us back decades, to a time when the notion of thousands of innocent Americans languishing behind bars was thought to be an absurdity, not a reality.

In October, President-elect Trump doubled down on his long-held belief that the Central Park Five were guilty of a horrendous 1989 rape, despite the fact that their convictions were vacated when the actual perpetrator gave a confession that was corroborated by DNA evidence. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, calls this “law and order” and thinks that it shows strength.  We think it shows an alarming disregard for the lessons of the innocence movement and a callous indifference to the experience of the nearly two thousand wrongly convicted persons and their loved ones.

More than 14 million people live in New England. On any given day, roughly 32,000 of them are in prison. Some of them are innocent. The New England Innocence Project is the only independent organization working to exonerate them. We have our work cut out for us.

It’s not easy to prove someone’s innocence, and it takes a long time – justice is a marathon, not a sprint. Victor Rosario knows that. During the 32 years he spent in prison for an arson murder he did not commit, Victor became a runner – if you’re wondering how many laps around a prison yard it takes to complete a 26.2 mile marathon, Victor can tell you. He ran around the yard 76 times.

Victor was released from prison 2 years ago when the Court granted his Motion for a New Trial, but his freedom remains tentative; in November, the Commonwealth urged the Supreme Judicial Court to reinstate his conviction. Victor was at the Court to hear that argument, 2 days after he ran the New York City Marathon in 4 hours, 35 minutes, and 36 seconds (pictured above post-marathon).  Victor lives with the knowledge that he may be returned to prison for a crime he did not commit. But he’s not dwelling on that – he told the Boston Globe that he is “enjoying every second” of his freedom.

Victor’s not giving up, and neither are we. But this year, more than ever, we need your help.

Annually, we receive more than 600 applications from throughout New England. Each application is thoroughly vetted, and less than 3% are accepted for further action. By the time the case is ready to go to court, the scientific, technical and investigative costs will exceed $60,000. This work is critically important on a micro level – innocent people should never be in prison – and on a macro level: wrongful convictions undermine the legitimacy and trust placed in the criminal justice system as a whole.       

Vindicating innocence is incredibly important work, but it’s expensive. I ask that you support our work as generously as you can. You can donate here.

Many of our clients wait more than a decade for the chance to prove their innocence. With your help, some of them will get that chance this year. 

Thank you for your continued commitment to justice,

Sincerely,

Denise McWilliams

Executive Director

For Victor Rosario, Justice is a Marathon, not a Sprint

By Denise McWilliams

Victor Rosario challenged himself yesterday.  He ran the New York City Marathon.  His friends worried that he hadn’t trained enough. “The problem is he never says no to anyone,” they said. “I’ve never seen anyone like him.”  Turns out they needn’t have worried: he finished in 4:35:36.  Not a bad time for a 58 year old man who didn’t do enough training.

Victor is used to challenges.  Arguably his greatest was his wrongful conviction of homicide by arson in 1983.   The evidence against him?   Flawed fire science that mischaracterized the vestiges of an intense fire as evidence of arson.  A false confession extracted while Victor was undergoing delirium tremens due to alcohol withdrawal.  And, finally, an eyewitness identification that correctly identified him as being at the scene, but was then used to support a series of erroneous conclusions that supported the prosecutor’s theory.

The remains of the Lowell, Massachusetts home, destroyed by fire. (Property of the Lowell Sun)

The remains of the Lowell, Massachusetts home, destroyed by fire. (Property of the Lowell Sun)

Victor spent 32 years in prison, steadfastly maintaining his innocence and fighting for his freedom until, in July 2014, Judge Kathe Tuttman overturned the convictions and granted Victor a new trial. He was released on bail, no longer imprisoned but left in the uncomfortable position of waiting to see what further action the Commonwealth was going to take. The Commonwealth appealed Judge Tuttman’s decision and the Supreme Judicial Court will hear that appeal tomorrow, November 8, 2016.  In the meantime, however, Victor hasn’t been waiting on the courts to act.

Victor had been ordained as a minister while in prison, and once released on bail he began active ministry, preaching at local churches.  He and Beverly, his wife of 22 years, founded an organization to help people in prison maintain contact with their families and to support re-entry upon their release. As demonstrated by his successful completion of the marathon yesterday, Victor is also a runner.  He became one while in prison, routinely running 76 laps around the prison yard. Once, to celebrate his birthday, he ran the length of a marathon around the yard. Victor is the inspiration for and active member of the Running for Innocence team, a group of runners who ask their communities to sponsor them in races and use the funds generated to pay for the scientific and technical expenses of innocence cases. 

So: Victor has met many challenges, and has done so with courage and grace.  But tomorrow’s challenge is different. This time, Victor is issuing the challenge to the Massachusetts criminal justice system.  The challenge, simply put, is this: can Massachusetts find a way to acknowledge the error of this man’s conviction and finally put the record to right? Or, will the criminal justice system’s historic refusal to set aside wrongful convictions hold sway over justice yet again? NEIP, along with the Boston College Innocence Program and the Innocence Project, recently filed an amicus brief on Victor’s behalf.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Victor Rosario.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Victor Rosario.

In the last several years, Massachusetts courts (particularly the Supreme Judicial Court) have shown a willingness to rely upon science to rectify earlier wrongs. NEIP hopes that the trend will be sustained tomorrow, and that the arc will continue to bend towards justice.

Striking for Justice

By Hannah Riley 

On September 9th – which marked the 45th anniversary of the infamous Attica Prison uprising—prisoners across the country launched a new kind of protest: by the tens of thousands, they refused to show up for work. Since then, the strike has spread to at least 24 different states. Though there is not one unified list of demands, from state to state prisoners are calling for fair pay for their labor, humane living conditions, and increased access to educational programs. 

The strike began in Alabama, a state whose prisons consistently rank among the most overcrowded and understaffed in the nation, according to a recent lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Essentially powerless and voiceless behind bars, perhaps the only leverage possessed by inmates is the cheap (and sometimes free) labor they provide. According to Bureau of Justice statistics, roughly 600,000 inmates have daily jobs which help prisons to function smoothly (food preparation, custodial work, landscaping, library work, etc.) while an additional 60,000 inmates generated $472 million in sales last year through their participation in the Federal Prison’s Unicor program, where they manufacture items ranging from eyeglasses to furniture. 

New England Innocence Project Board Member Dennis Maher knows more than he’d like to about prison labor. During the 19 years he spent wrongfully imprisoned, Dennis had a number of jobs. “My first job in the prison was making eyeglasses – I put in for it, and because I was a lifer, I got it,” he told me. “They prefer someone with a long sentence. I made 50 cents an hour, working about 6 hours a day, 5 days a week.” $15 a week, for 30 hours of labor. Working nearly full time for an entire year would net him only $720. 

It’s perfectly legal for prisoners to be forced to work for no pay: the United States Constitution’s 13th Amendment still permits involuntary servitude, provided that it’s used as punishment for a crime. Mandatory work programs in federal prisons can pay up to a maximum of $1.15 per hour; state prisons average roughly 20 cents an hour. In Texas, Georgia, and Arkansas, prisoners are not paid at all. 

To the extent that he was able, Dennis worked his way up the ladder, finally landing a job cooking for the prison staff. “When I finally ended up in a leadership position, working in the staff kitchen, my pay went up to $2 an hour. Then the DOC took over and it was reduced to $8 per day, then to just $5 a day. The DOC paid you what they paid you – doesn’t matter if you’re guilty or innocent. They don’t care what the inmates think. The prison system is a warehouse. Period.” 

The most conservative estimate is that 2.5% of the prison population is wrongfully convicted – which means that up to 16,500 of the 660,000 inmates providing cheap or free labor are innocent of the crimes for which they are serving time. 

Read more about the strike here. Learn more about Dennis’ story here. 

Midweek News Roundup

A Former Detective Speaks Out About False Confessions

For the vast majority of us who have never experienced a police interrogation, it’s difficult to imagine confessing to a crime you didn’t commit.

However, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, 12% of the 1,900 wrongful convictions in their database were caused, at least in part, by a false confession. Jim Trainum, a former Washington D.C. homicide detective, authored “How the Police Generate False Confessions” after recognizing that he unintentionally elicited a false confession from a suspect. Among other things, Trainum's new book discusses how false confessions start in the interrogation room and continue, unchecked and unchanged, to the courtroom. 

Read the full story here. 

 

Adnan Syed, Subject of 'Serial,' Asks to be Released on Bail

Adnan Syed, who has been incarcerated for seventeen years for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, has asked a judge to release him on bail. Syed’s case was explored extensively in the first season of the wildly popular podcast, Serial (which became the most downloaded podcast of all time). Syed is currently waiting to go to trial — again. This summer, a judge agreed that Syed's defense attorney had mishandled his case during his initial murder trial in 2000, and granted a new trial.

Read the full story here. 

 

In a New Twist in the Rosenberg Spy Drama, Sons Seek Mother's Exoneration

In 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed on charges of being Soviet spies. Now, their sons are asking President Obama to fully exonerate their mother after decades of work towards proving her innocence, citing recently disclosed 'proof' that she was framed. Attention surrounding Ethel’s case heightened when a segment aired on 60 Minutes all but proving that she was not, in fact, a spy. So far, 13,000 people have signed a petition calling for her exoneration.

Read the full story here. 

$6 Million Settlement for Wrongfully Convicted North Carolina Man

The Greensboro, North Carolina City Council voted to settle Lamonte Armstrong’s civil lawsuit against the city for $6.42 million. Thanks to evidence contrived by Greensboro Police, Lamonte was wrongfully convicted of murder and spent 17 years in prison. The City Council worked to protect taxpayers, to the extent possible, from financial liability, and to offer fair compensation for wrongs done to Lamonte in the city’s name.

Read more here. 

Federal Judge Exonerates Two (More) of the Norfolk Four

On Monday, a federal judge vacated the convictions of Danial Williams and Joseph Dick, two of the four Navy sailors known as the Norfolk Four, who were wrongfully convicted of a 1997 rape and murder. The two other members of the Norfolk Four are Derek Tice and Eric Wilson. Tice had his conviction overturned in 2009, but Wilson, who was convicted only of the rape, has been unable to persuade courts to do the same, since he has already completed his sentence.

Read more here. 

Victor Rosario Keeps Fighting

Our client Victor Rosario was featured in the Boston Globe last week, speaking about his continued fight for full exoneration. Victor spent 32 years in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of intentionally setting a 1982 house fire in Lowell, Massachusetts. Two years after a judge freed Victor, now 59, he's leading a new life as a pastor and a dedicated long-distance runner. Victor’s fight for freedom is not over yet-- on November 8th, just two days after he runs the New York Marathon, he'll be back in court.

Read the Globe story here. 

 

Midweek News Roundup

This is the first of our new, bi-weekly news roundup where we will highlight stories currently in the media relating to wrongful convictions and criminal justice reform, particularly in the New England area. We hope you read and share these stories- and feel free to comment and keep the conversation going!
 

Progress on Criminal Justice Reform in MA
Top state officials from all three branches of government convened in Governor Charlie Baker’s office yesterday to hear the latest research by an outside non-profit that could help reduce incarceration and recidivism rates in Massachusetts. This Justice Center review is on track to produce recommendations by January, which could put criminal justice reforms at the forefront of the Beacon Hill agenda for the next legislative session. The research will be further discussed at a public meeting on Thursday.

The South Coast Today has the story here:
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20161018/baker-legislative-leaders-huddle-on-criminal-justice-reform

Mourning the loss of Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson
Kenneth P. Thompson, Brooklyn’s first black district attorney, died of cancer on Sunday, October 9th, at the age of 50. His death is a tremendous loss not only to his family and friends, but to the broader causes of prosecutorial and criminal justice reform nationwide. Thompson devoted his life to public service, balancing his respect for the criminal justice system with his desire to fix it from the inside out. Since taking office in 2014, Thompson had put into place a myriad of reforms, including creating a Conviction Integrity Unit to look into past convictions, leading to reversed convictions for 21 people who collectively had spent hundreds of years in prison. It is a loss to us all that his remarkable life and work were cut short.
Ken Thompson’s passing has been covered extensively, here are a few articles:

NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/12/opinion/the-death-of-a-visionary-prosecutor.html
Innocence Project:
 http://www.innocenceproject.org/mourning-ken-thompson-death/
Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/new-york-prosecutor-was-trailblazer-on-reviewing-convictions/2016/10/10/6e62dcc6-8f4b-11e6-bc00-1a9756d4111b_story.html

Trump and the Central Park Five
In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers were accused of assaulting and raping a white woman in Central Park: they became known as the Central Park Five. Young and under duress, they falsely confessed, leading to wrongful convictions and prison time for all of them. In 2002, DNA evidence and the confession of the true criminal led to their exoneration, and the city of New York has subsequently given them monetary compensation for their false imprisonment- so why can’t Donald Trump let it go? In 1989, Trump spent nearly $100,000 placing full page ads in the four New York City daily papers calling for the return of the death penalty (in clear reference to this case), and to this day maintains that the Central Park Five are guilty of a crime they have been exonerated of.

The New York Times has the story here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/opinion/why-trump-doubled-down-on-the-central-park-five.html

And here, Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park Five, discusses how Trump’s assertions have affected his life:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/10/12/im-one-of-the-central-park-five-donald-trump-wont-leave-me-alone/?utm_term=.adc30eb0c601

Recommended Reading
"An Ex-Cop's Remorse:" An investigator who probes wrongful convictions now doubts a case of his own"
By Stephanie Clifford

A thoughtful and substantive look at the many causes that can lead to wrongful convictions in our criminal justice system, examined through the lens of one particular case in which an investigator, who has spent his life fighting for the wrongfully convicted, comes face to face with his own involvement in a case that sent an innocent man to prison.

Read it here:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/24/an-ex-cops-remorse

 

 

"Night Out with NEIP"- an inspiring evening!

September 30th, 2016

Guests listen to speakers at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center

Guests listen to speakers at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center

 “Night Out with NEIP” was a great success! The evening, held last Friday night at the beautiful Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, was a wonderful celebration of NEIP’s work on behalf of wrongfully convicted prisoners. The reception was held in the large ballroom where guests, staff and recent exonerees and their families mingled and spoke about what NEIP and its work means to them. Guests enjoyed delicious hors d’oeuvres from Above and Beyond catering, and wine donated by Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod. In the Center’s art gallery, we held a successful silent auction with items donated from local artists, restaurants and professional Boston sports teams (see complete list below). Live music was provided by Kurt Reynolds on the harp, and later on in the evening guests enjoyed vocals by Emma Zack, accompanied by Joe Reid on the piano.

 The program began with a welcome address from board member Stephanie Hartung, Professor of Law at Suffolk University, who acknowledged the exonerees and their families present at the event, which included: Ronjon Cameron, Dennis Maher, George Perrot, Victor Rosario, the family of Raymond Tempest and Crystal Squire, niece of Barnard Barron. Next, NEIP board chair David Siegel highlighted NEIP’s accomplishments of 2016, and discussed some promising legal developments of the past year; particularly, the fourth consecutive unanimous decision by the SJC interpreting MA post conviction access and testing statues in an expansive way, which facilitates more access for persons who claim to be wrongfully convicted.

 Sharon Beckman, board member and Professor at Boston College Law School, presented the Joe Savage award to Lisa Kavanaugh, the CPCS Innocence program director. The award is named for Joe Savage, a highly respected criminal defense attorney and founder of NEIP. Beckman described Lisa as a brilliant lawyer, a visionary, and a genius collaborator, and noted that over the past five years, under Lisa’s leadership, the CPCS Innocence Unit has had a role in bringing about the release, new trial, or exoneration of nine men, who together spent a total of over 161 years in prison for crimes that they did not commit.

 Lisa Kavanaugh discussed her journey as a public defender, and how NEIP and the innocence movement are changing the conversation around wrongful convictions. She thanked the exonerees present, some of whom are her clients, for teaching her that “the lesson that I have to keep learning, again and again, is that I can’t stop fighting for the impossible.” She also discussed attorney Bryan Stevenson’s idea of brokenness, and the challenges and opportunities of living in a broken world: “If we have any hope of making a difference in fighting wrongful convictions, we have to recognize that not only are we all broken- not just our clients or the system, but every single one of us; but we also have to manage to find some strength in those places of brokenness, and then we have to have the daring to advocate for the impossible.”

 Next, Dennis Maher presented his namesake award to Ronjon Cameron. Dennis served over 19 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, and since his release has had a tremendous impact on Massachusetts law and the innocence movement by sharing his story and working to help exonerees in a multitude of capacities. Dennis noted that same spirit of giving back in Ronjon: “I had nothing when I was in prison,” Dennis said, “when I got out, I decided to leave everything behind, and chose to embrace life- Ronjon has made that same choice.”

Ronjon spoke about the struggles he faces to clear his name (he has still not been officially exonerated) and receive compensation, the challenges his family faced during his incarceration, and his gratitude to NEIP for taking on cases of innocence. He also noted the strange irony that on the very same day that Dennis finally walked out of prison, he himself was taken to prison- a poignant reminder that for every wrongfully convicted person who is freed, there remain many more caught in the snares of the criminal justice system. Ronjon finished with an important message to those in the field: “You attorneys, well-seasoned attorneys, please, you know what’s going on. You new attorneys- change it.”

 We at NEIP hugely enjoyed connecting with our guests, honoring our exonerees, and hearing the words of our inspiring speakers. We are truly grateful to all of those who joined us last Friday night, and to all of our staff, board members, and volunteers who helped make the evening possible. We hope you will join us again next year, and in the meantime, keep supporting NEIP and join us at future events!

We would like to particularly thank the following organizations and individuals for their generous silent auction donations:

  • The Boston Red Sox
  • Eliana Dunlap and Esh Circus Arts
  • The Fireplace Restaurant
  • J.P. Licks
  • The Paint Bar
  • Anna Meyer & Dancers/ Beheard.World
  • New Repertory Theatre
  • Cape Air
  • Whole Foods
  • Blackfish
  • Dave Roberts
  • Truro Vineyards
  • The New England Patriots
  • Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
  • Hilary Price (Rhymes with Orange)
  • Omni Parker House
  • The Celtics
  • Thomas Dunlap
  • Dennis Maher

2016 Freedom Run Was a Success!

It was a grey and cloudy early Saturday morning, but the rain didn’t stop them- on Saturday, August 6th, Victor Rosario and his team ran all the way from Brighton to Lowell, a remarkable 25.13 miles. Congratulations to Victor and the team!!

At 7am, Victor, joined by Lisa Kavanaugh, one of the creators of Running for Innocence, and a small team of dedicated runners, set off from Brighton. They passed through Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, Bedford, Billerica, and Chelmsford, before ending in Lowell. Many other supporters joined at various points along the route to run alongside them, or cheer them on from the sidelines. They finished at the Lowell North commons around noon, where they were met by an enthusiastic crowd ready to celebrate their accomplishment and Victor’s birthday!

Victor Rosario was wrongfully convicted in 1982 and spent 32 years incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. This Freedom Run was a celebration of his freedom and birthday, and has so far raised $1,341! NEIP thanks all of those who supported this run- these donations form an essential part of our funding the expenses associated with post-conviction litigation. We are so grateful for this incredible support. It’s not too late contribute!: https://www.crowdrise.com/running-for-innocence-the-2016-freedom-run

Congratulations to Victor and everyone who participated, donated, and cheered them on! The Freedom Run was a remarkable expression of the very best qualities of the innocence movement: determination, positivity, and team spirit in overcoming adversity. We hope to see you at future events- check out the Running for Innocence website to learn more! https://runningforinnocence.com/

Victor Rosario, photo by Denise McWilliams

Victor Rosario, photo by Denise McWilliams

2016 Award Recipients Announced!

The New England Innocence Project is delighted to honor two champions of innocence at its September 23rd, 2016 “Night Out with NEIP” event at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center.

Ronjon Cameron (left) and Lisa Kavanaugh (right)

Ronjon Cameron (left) and Lisa Kavanaugh (right)

Lisa Kavanaugh will be awarded the 2016 Savage Award, named for NEIP founder and supporter Joseph F. Savage, Jr., given annually to someone who has made significant contributions to ending wrongful convictions.  Ms. Kavanaugh is the director of the Innocence Program at the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS). In addition to litigating numerous post conviction cases herself, many resulting in exonerations, she has also developed statewide training programs in the proper use of forensic evidence, convened a working group of criminal justice leaders composed of prosecutors, law enforcement, forensics scientists and defense counsel addressing the causes of wrongful convictions, and is a board member of the Innocence Network, a coalition of projects from the USA and abroad that address wrongful convictions.  Ms. Kavanaugh is also the driving force behind the Running for Innocence campaign that NEIP uses to pay the expenses associated with post-conviction litigation.  “It is impossible to overstate Lisa’s contribution to innocence work,” said Denise McWilliams, NEIP’s Executive Director.  “Her efforts have not only contributed to the release of innocent, yet incarcerated people, but have also resulted in the reforms of the conditions that led to their conviction in the first place.”
 

Ronjon Cameron will receive the Dennis Maher award, named for NEIP board member and exoneree Dennis Maher, an outspoken advocate for post-conviction DNA access and improving the lives of exonerees, given to an exoneree who has done extraordinary work to help the lives of exonerees.   Since his release in June of 2015, after wrongful conviction and incarceration for 14 years, Ronjon Cameron has been a warm, gracious and inspiring presence in the New England Innocence community. “Ronjon was released just over a year ago, but his humor and positivity have already had a remarkable impact on the wrongful conviction community,” said law professor Stephanie Hartung, who worked on Ronjon’s case. “Like Dennis, his generous spirit belies the horrific tragedy he has suffered.” Within months of his release, he volunteered to speak to Boston law students studying wrongful convictions as part of a seminar course at Suffolk Law School. Since then, he has repeatedly spoken about his wrongful conviction and the flaws in the criminal justice system to gatherings of lawyers, law students, and journalists, and worked devotedly towards advancing the cause of innocence. Although his case is a disturbing reminder of how our system can go astray, Mr. Cameron’s strength and honesty in telling his story are an extraordinary testament to the human spirit, and a ray of hope that together, we can work towards bettering our justice system.

More information and tickets to the event are available at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/night-out-with-neip-tickets-26951554826

 

 

 

 

 

A Win for Innocence!

February 15th, 2015

The New England Innocence Project is pleased to announce that, with the help of the attorneys at Goodwin Procter, the Suffolk County Supreme Judicial Court has ordered a new trial for our client, Michael Cowels.

Cowels was convicted in the 1993 stabbing of a young woman in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The prosecution’s case was circumstantial, and largely based on two bloody towels found in the home of a friend of the defendant. New DNA testing revealed that Cowels’ DNA was not present on the towels.

Mr. Cowels’ attorneys, David Apfel, Nicholas Mitrokostas and Joshua Daniels, successfully appealed the lower court’s denial of the Motion for a New Trial, arguing that the DNA testing of a blood soaked towel excluding Mr.Cowels constituted newly discovered evidence and warranted a new trial.

The towel was the only “physical evidence corroborating a key element of an important prosecution witness’s testimony”. (Commonwealth v Michael Cowels) That witness’ testimony, changed from his original statement which was consistent with Mr. Cowel’s account, “enabled him to avoid prosecution as an accessory after the fact, but it also allowed him to avoid jail time on an unrelated motor vehicle offense.” (Id.) Finding that the DNA was of an unknown male and not Mr. Cowels’ significantly undercut the Commonwealth’s case.

This is an incredible victory; congratulations to attorneys Apfel, Mitrokostas, and Daniels of Goodwin Proctor. And a very special congratulations to Michael Cowels!

Read more about the decision here

Update: Running For Innocence!

November 5th, 2014

She did it!!!

NEIP friend and colleague Lisa Kavanaugh braved the harsh winds and elements this weekend as she ran the New York City Marathon! Lisa had been training around the clock in the months leading up to her big run, and her hard work paid off as she finished her very first marathon with an outstanding time of 4:25:57!

Lisa’s effort has also helped the New England Innocence Project raise nearly $8000 in our Running for Innocence campaign! These donations will go a long way towards helping NEIP to prove the innocence of those who have been wrongfully convicted in the New England area. We at NEIP would like to thank all of you who have donated, and shared our story. Without your generosity, we could not accomplish our mission, and could not give hope to the innocent men and women who are currently serving time for crimes they have not committed.

It is not too late to contribute to our campaign! We are still accepting donations and contributions of all kinds to help towards our goal. Please visit our campaign at www.indiegogo.com/projects/running-for-innocence and email us at rfi@newenglandinnocence.org if you are interested in joining us for future Running for Innocence events!

NEIP Presents: Running For Innocence!

October 10th, 2014

The New England Innocence Project is proud to sponsor our friend and colleague, Lisa Kavanaugh, as she runs the 2014 New York City Marathon in our first ever Running for Innocence campaign!

According to the National Registry of exonerations, there have been over 1,300 inmates exonerated in the past 25 years. In 2014 alone, over 80 inmates were exonerated of their crimes in the US. Even more shocking, is the estimation that over 4% of death row inmates are innocent of the crimes they are convicted of. The New England Innocence Project, and organizations across the country are working towards awareness on the issue, and helping to litigate the cases of those who have been wrongfully convicted. Conservative estimates are that 2.5% of all convictions are of people who are factually innocent – they did not commit the crime that has lead to their conviction, and yet they are incarcerated because of faulty evidence or a lack of modern scientific advancements. As director of the innocence program at the Committee for Public Counsel Services, Lisa has committed her career to finding justice for clients who could not afford legal representation, and clients who are not guilty of the crimes for which they have been convicted. But proving innocence is both time-intensive and costly. As of now, there are not funds available to pay for the initial investigation, evidence gathering and hiring of specialists and experts in scientific and technical fields necessary to get the nearly 50 cases we are litigating into court, and to fight to ensure that these innocent people are freed.

Lisa has chosen to run the New York City Marathon to help promote awareness of the issue of wrongful convictions. With her efforts, we hope to raise the money necessary to investigate these cases, pay for scientific testing and experts, and exonerate the nearly 50 men and women in New England that the New England Innocence Project is currently fighting for. You, together with Lisa and NEIP, can make a difference, by helping us gain access to the tools that will help us determine innocence and free the wrongfully convicted.

We sincerely appreciate donations and contributions of all types and sizes. We would like to thank our contributors who give over $25 by offering a NEIP wristband or a hand-written thank you note from Lisa and NEIP Executive Director Denise McWilliams on a card with artwork designed by an inmate. We will also offer a Running for Innocence athletic performance shirt as a thank you for donors who contribute $100 or more. Your contribution will be vital in assisting our mission that no one be left in prison for a crime they did not commit.

Please support Lisa in her efforts by raising awareness, and donating to our IndieGoGo campaign page at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/running-for-innocence You can also email us at rfi@newenglandinnocence.org to learn more about Running for Innocence and our mission!

Truro Event Was Amazing!

September 16th, 2014

Our Evening on the Cape with NEIP and Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod was an extraordinary success! This was the first of what we plan to make an annual fundraising event, and we could not have done it without help from our staff, board members, volunteers, and contributors! The weather was perfect, and the food from Terra Luna and local oyster farmers Jason, Elizabeth and Baby Leif was delightful. Guests sampled wines from Truro’s award-winning vineyard, including the Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Rosé, as well as cocktails featuring Truro’s own Twenty Boat Spiced Rum. Local harpist Kurt Reynolds provided lovely background music all evening, making it a night that truly exemplified the best of what Cape Cod has to offer. Not to be lost amid the simple enjoyment of the evening, was the recognition of NEIP’s mission – that no one person in New England should ever be in prison for a crime they did not commit.

The program began with an introduction by Stephanie Roberts-Hartung, a professor at Suffolk Law and trustee on NEIP’s board. Stephanie gave us the pleasure of recounting her personal experience as a public defender with an innocent client, and how the advances made by the Innocence Project gave her the tools to prevent his conviction. Rob Feldman, one of the founders of NEIP, presented fellow board member and colleague Joe Savage with the first ever Savage Award. The award, named for Joe himself, will be presented annually to a person who has significantly advanced the cause of the wrongfully convicted.

But the most striking example of the importance of our work came from the words of exoneree Dennis Maher. Dennis was convicted of rape in the early 1980s, when many of the factors that give rise to wrongful convictions, such as faulty eyewitness protocols, poor defense lawyering, and lack of DNA testing were still prevalent. In his own words he described the details of his arrest, prosecution, and nearly twenty years of wrongful imprisonment. His ability to forgive, and go on to restart his life was exemplified when his speech culminated in an embrace with his lovely wife Melissa, and their two children.

We at NEIP truly believe that the event was a success in all aspects. We enjoyed being able to connect with our guests, and promote our mission to fight for the freedom of those who have been wrongfully convicted using advancements in DNA testing and evidence retention. We sincerely hope you can join us next year for An Evening on the Cape with NEIP and Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod. And be on the look out for upcoming events with NEIP, including our Running for Innocence campaign in November!

NEIP’s Fourth Annual Innocence Training was a Success!

July 21st, 2014

The New England Innocence Project is grateful to everyone who participated in and attended our fourth annual innocence training. Each year, NEIP’s training offers the most current information about causes of wrongful convictions, related cases, and relevant litigation. This year’s event, which took place on Friday, July 11 at the Goodwin Procter Conference Center, was a huge success. Our expert speakers provided a range of interesting and interactive presentations attended by over 100 attorneys, prosecutors, law enforcers, and others. This year’s topics included CODIS 101, Canine Scent Detection in the Forensic Arena, FBI Hair Analysis, and State of the Science 5 Years after the NAS Report. We were lucky to welcome our key note speaker, Glenn Cunha, the Massachusetts Inspector General. We have received so much positive feedback about the presentations at the training. We’d like to give a special thank you to Sidney Collins, Terri Bright, Chris Fabricant, Lisa Kavanaugh, and Glenn Cunha for their outstanding and memorable work. We’d also like to thank Goodwin Procter for their continued support hosting us. We are so excited for next year’s training and can’t wait to see everyone there! Thanks again to everyone who participated in the event, it was a great success!