Michael Allen Gottlieb posted the following over on dKos and I wanted to share this with you all here.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/13/11568/0097
Her name is Frances Newton. She is poor, black and living on death row in a Texas State Prison. She is scheduled to die tomorrow, September 14, 2005.
She is likely innocent of the crimes of which she was convicted and sentenced to die for.
Does innocence matter to the Texas Killing Machine? We can only pray it does.
Find out more across the divide –
Frances Newton was accused, tried, convicted and sentenced for the murder of her husband and children. It is the sort of crime that many people believe justify a death penalty. Maybe it does.
But, the problem arises when there is a miscarriage of justice and an innocent person is put to death by the state. That’s just not cool.
Texas Governor Perry gave Ms. Newton a stay back in December 2004, but he seems ready to move forward now, when the evidence of her innocence has grown.
Frances Newton was accused of killing her husband and children for the “insurance money” back in 1987. But Frances’ new lawyer, David Dow, the head of the Innocence Network at the University of Houston Law Center, has discovered evidence that proves otherwise.
Frances believes her husband was killed by a drug dealer, who he owed $1,500. Frances’ brother thought this as well, and told police that he could lead them to the drug dealer’s home. But the police never investigated that lead. And even though Frances passed a lie detector test, even though she had no blood on her clothes or car (in what was a very bloody crime), and no gunpowder residue was found on her hands, the police arrested her. According to prosecutors, Frances was supposed to have killed her family, cleaned up all of the evidence, and then returned to the crime scene, all in 30 minutes.
Her first attorney, ironically named, Mock, made a mockery of her defense. Actually there was no defense. On the day of her trial he could not name one witness he had interviewed and called no witnesses at the trial. The parents of the Newton’s murdered husband asked to testify at the trial in Frances’s behalf, but were not called.
According to a recent article in the Austin Chronicle, “Ron Mock has since been brought before the state bar’s disciplinary board at least five times on various charges of professional misconduct, for which he has been fined and sometimes suspended; he is currently suspended from practicing law until late 2007.”
Activists are activating in Texas against the unwarranted murder of Frances Newton. It is State issue. We have one day to make it a national issue.
With the noise surrounding Roberts, Katrina, Iraq and Rove, don’t let Frances Newton die without a word.
The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty needs your help. They have called for Texas officials to commute her sentence because of the doubts over guilt.
Lend your voice to worthy cause. We couldn’t save thousands of innocent victims in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, but we can save one in Texas.
You can write, phone or email Governor Perry HERE http://www.governor.state.tx.us/
PLEASE – Recommend this diary so it stays front & center. It’s at the top of the list at dKos – it’s important that as many people hear about this – and take action. Call or write to the governor – ask him to commute the death sentence so Frances has time to prove her innocence.
Others have suggested the following:
If you consider yourself a Christian, mention that in your email or during your call
Don’t challenge the validity of the death penalty – that won’t fly in a state that so luuuuuuvs to kill folks.
Focus on her lack of representation during her trial. The guy was a hack and didn’t do his job and now she’s schedule to pay for his mistakes with her life.
to perry, using his own culture of life meme. I can only hope that this will actually keep the State of Texas from Murdering another of its citizens.
I am forwarding it to everyone I know to help get some emails cascading into the Governors office.
I saw it over there this morning too and rec’d it there as well.
I have an “evil” phone tip to share. Lately we’ve all been writing and calling people… I love to call as it’s a great “ventage” for me.
One thing I’ve learned…
If I start the call, answered by some assistant/intern/schmuck… with a nice, calm (ie sexy) voice and I comment that the poor thing must be getting all sorts of “negative” calls lately due to “blah blah” and I would like to make sure the “insert Politician’s name” gets my comment as well.
Then I let loose and really nail the comment line or in some cases I’ve been put through to the actual office. BAM between the eyes!
Thank you Alegre.
I just front paged this Action Alert on MyLeftWing and was coming here to post a diary – glad you beat me to it.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I just emailed Perry, told him how much I know he values every persons life, evident from his caring of the evacuees from Katrini. Told him Frances deserves to be heard and given a proper trial with due process and legal representation. Hope it helps ave this poor woman.
8400 Kirby Dr.
Houston, TX 7704
Of course the governor will only pay attention to Texans
For this chance to try to have some impact, though I am almost perpetually pessimistic for such just causes.
I’ve written the following letter to the Governor.
Dear Governor,
I am writing to ask that you spare the life of death row inmate Frances Newton. As a former public defender, I am well aware that trials are far from perfect vehicles from determining guilt or innocence. I understand that they are, perhaps, the best system we have. But, in a case like this, where Ms. Newton will be executed based on evidence that has been called into question, it is unconscionable, in human terms, for you not to act to spare her life, at least until all questions of her factual guilt or innocence are fully resolved. I am also mindful that this may be an issue where political considerations could impact a policy maker, but I would urge you, as a fellow human being, to put all politics aside and act to spare Ms. Newton.
Sincerely,
Terry J. Olson
As a Texan, I have been aware of Frances’ story for many a year now — when she got her reprieve last year, I thought for sure that with what came to light, at the very least her life would be spared, and hoped a new trial would be offered. I cannot imagine what this woman must have been through these past 15 years, innocent or not.
I have not written to Perry this time, I will put a call in to his office tomorrow morning though. If this execution goes forward, I think it will hurt more than all the many that have gone before since 1994 when I moved to Texas….
I can only hope Perry is not too busy signing laws in churches or telling veterans to go live somewhere else or some other wingnuttery of historic proportions. We must elect Kiny to the governorship — I think Chris Bell is doing himself and the rest of us a disservice by not running for LT. GOV. (the position that actually holds all of the power in Texas).