WEBVTT - #441 Jason Flom with Jeremy Puckett 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:05.600 On March fourteenth, nineteen ninety eight, the body of nineteen 0:00:05.680 --> 0:00:09.120 year old Anthony Golotti was found alongside a desolate stretch 0:00:09.160 --> 0:00:14.120 of road outside of Sacramento, California. The case remained cold 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:17.079 for over a year until a young man named Israel 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:19.800 Sept went to prison on a gun charge and offered 0:00:19.840 --> 0:00:24.959 authorities information about the murder. According to Sept, he was 0:00:25.000 --> 0:00:30.440 at an apartment when two others, Angela Devorski and Jeremy Pucket, assaulted, robbed, 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:34.640 and abducted Anthony Golotti. Then, according to Sept, he got 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:36.680 into Anthony's car with them to keep him safe from 0:00:36.720 --> 0:00:39.840 further violence, but failed when they arrived at that stretch 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:43.600 of road where Golotti was fatally shot. In the weeks 0:00:43.640 --> 0:00:47.240 following the murder, Angelo Devorski also turned up dead, leaving 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:50.760 only Jeremy Pucket to stay a trial where Scept made 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:54.480 good on his plea deal and sent Jeremy away for life. 0:00:55.400 --> 0:01:06.120 But this is wrongful conviction. Wrongful conviction has always given 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:09.440 voice to innocent people in prison. Now we're expanding that 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:13.200 voice to you. Call us at eight three three, two 0:01:13.360 --> 0:01:16.440 oh seven, four six sixty six and leave us a message. 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:19.959 Tell us how these powerful, often tragic stories make you 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:25.200 feel outraged, inspired, motivated. We want to know. We may 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.200 even include your story in a future episode. Call us 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:31.280 A three three two oh seven, four six sixty six. 0:01:40.160 --> 0:01:42.919 Welcome back to Rafel Conviction. Today, we have a story 0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:46.840 out of Northern California in the years following legislation that 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:50.240 had been passed to stop ironically prosecutions just like this 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:54.040 one that use snitch testimony that is not corroborated by 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:57.720 independent evidence. Nevertheless, a path was made with the help 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:01.320 of other incentivized witnesses, to let that happened. And here 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:03.360 to help tell this story as an attorney with the 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:08.280 Northern California Inisons Project, Karen Sanu, New Tower, Karen, Welcome 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:08.880 to the show. 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:10.320 Thank you, and our. 0:02:10.240 --> 0:02:12.920 Guest of honor today, the man who lived and somehow 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:17.120 survived this night, mayre Jeremy Pucket. Jeremy welcome, thank you. 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:20.720 And this crime took place in a place called Rancho 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:24.239 Cordova kind of outside of Sacramento anyway. Is that where 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:26.920 you grew up and what was your family life like? 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:31.040 Well, I grew up in Sacramento, California, pretty much all 0:02:31.040 --> 0:02:34.320 over the place, mainly ranch cordova'sself, and we moved around 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:37.760 a lot, you know, and didn't have the most money 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:40.560 or anything. But you know, my parents they did the 0:02:40.600 --> 0:02:42.720 best they could and gave me, my brother and my 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:45.680 sister the best life that we could have. So I 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:48.320 had a great childhood. It was good. It was really good. 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:51.520 In the late eighties and early nineties, the crack epidemic 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:55.200 affected many of Jeremy's friends, but not him. Instead, Jeremy 0:02:55.240 --> 0:02:58.239 became a father who's clear head served him well. One night, 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:01.280 when his young family faced a situation. 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:05.079 The house call on fire while me and my son's mother, 0:03:05.200 --> 0:03:08.200 Carl were sleeping, and as I woke up, I opened 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:10.720 up the door and there was just smoke coming up 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:14.639 the stairs. So I went across the hall grabbed my son, 0:03:15.200 --> 0:03:18.400 and because of all the smoke and everything's coming from downstairs, 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:20.600 I knew we had to jump out the window. When 0:03:20.600 --> 0:03:23.079 we jumped out the window, at that time, I knew 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:26.480 that her sister would sleep downstairs, and so I kicked 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:29.720 in the door to get her out. However, when her 0:03:29.760 --> 0:03:33.080 sister was coming out the door, that's when she told 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:36.120 me that one of my good friends was sleeping. My 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:40.360 son's Auntie's room basically, and by that time the house 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:42.520 was up in flames and there's nothing we can do 0:03:42.640 --> 0:03:43.160 to save them. 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:44.560 Oh man, what was his name? 0:03:44.680 --> 0:03:46.880 Benny Campbell? And I think the worst part of it 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:49.320 was is I heard her scream as he was trying 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:51.360 to get out, and like, this is like not just 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:53.560 a friend, Like he was like one of my best friends. 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:55.920 So just to not be able to save him, you know, 0:03:56.120 --> 0:03:58.080 And it still affects me, I guess you could say, 0:03:58.120 --> 0:03:59.720 and it's just and still miss him to this day. 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:04.120 Jeremy displayed true heroism that night, but unbeknownst to him, 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:08.160 his friend Israel Scept harbored some resentments over Benny's death. 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:12.200 I believe I met him through Benny. I thought we 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:15.080 had a good relationship. I thought we were good friends. 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:17.080 You know, he came to my house, I would go 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:20.000 to his house. But yeah, I guess we were as 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:21.880 good as friends as I thought thought we were. 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:26.160 Israel Scept became integral to Jeremy's wrongful conviction for a 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:28.960 murder that in part began at the apartment of a 0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:30.680 young man named William van Hill. 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:35.000 This was a small, one bedroom apartment in the heart 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:39.760 of Rancho Cordova, and William van Hill would let people 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:43.680 come to the house and deal drugs and he would 0:04:43.720 --> 0:04:47.440 get some drugs through that, and he also was letting 0:04:47.600 --> 0:04:52.400 a guy named Larry Biddlebrooks crash there every once in 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:57.000 a while, and so on the particular night in March 0:04:57.120 --> 0:05:01.560 nineteen ninety eight, Larry middle brook Brooks was there. Van 0:05:01.720 --> 0:05:05.279 Hill was pretty much in his bedroom. A woman named 0:05:05.400 --> 0:05:09.840 Patty Scott Bostik was there. She and Larry Middlebrooks were 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:14.160 heavily using crack cocaine that night and drinking a lot. 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:16.400 And then Israel Sep was there. 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:19.240 Jeremy planned to hang out with Israel step that night 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:21.320 after a family gathering. 0:05:21.600 --> 0:05:23.360 Had a little get together. It was no part or nothing, 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:25.479 and we had a little barbecue. It was me, my 0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:29.760 sister's friend, Chante, my son's mother, Akara, my mom was there, 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:31.760 my dad was there. There was a few people there 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:35.640 that could all testify to my whereabouts this night. Prior 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:38.880 to my leaving and coming back, I remember talking to Israel. 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:40.320 He told me what was going to be at. I 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:44.279 showed up and as I seen how things were progressing 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:47.240 at the apartment where he was at, I pulled myself 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:48.440 out of that and went back home. 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:52.239 The victim of the murder, Anthony Glotti, showed up wanting 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:56.320 to buy some drugs to celebrate his nineteenth birthday. He 0:05:56.440 --> 0:05:57.279 was by himself. 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:01.040 The Goliath didn't looked like the usual crack I guess 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:03.400 she would say, so he showed up. I was like, 0:06:04.080 --> 0:06:07.120 this guy looks like he might be the police. And 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:09.960 I told Scept this, and Set was still intent on 0:06:10.080 --> 0:06:12.440 selling this guy drugs. And that's when I decided to 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:15.040 pull myself out of that situation and leave because I 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:17.839 was not gonna be involved in something that got myself 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:18.599 in trouble. 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:21.280 With and Galotti was a young, young god yeah guy 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:25.520 that everyone called the preppy because he didn't look like 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:27.400 anyone else in the apartment. 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:30.400 It's not to judge anybody, but just look out of place. 0:06:30.640 --> 0:06:35.280 But he saw this young attractive woman, Angela Devorski, and 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:38.320 he left the apartment, but then told his friends he 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:40.960 wanted to go back and meet up with the girl. 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:43.640 I didn't know Andrew Devorski. The only people, I guess 0:06:43.640 --> 0:06:47.040 you really knew it was Israel and Larry. That's about it. 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:50.640 According to all accounts, Angela Davorski was there with her 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:54.200 boyfriend James Reeves, also referred to as Jamo, but the 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:57.760 accounts diverge on what happened between the time Jeremy left 0:06:57.800 --> 0:07:00.599 the apartment that night and when Anthony glotti body was 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:03.920 found on March fourteenth, nineteen ninety eight, on White Rock Road. 0:07:04.600 --> 0:07:08.320 Just a driver going down the road spotted him and 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:11.240 called it in to police. He was at the side 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:15.240 of the road in an unincorporated area of Sacramento County. 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:18.440 It appeared that he had been shot out there. His 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:23.320 hands were tied behind his back. Really an assassination type murder. 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:27.239 Originally they thought he had one bullet wound to the head, 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:30.720 but after autopsy, they realized he had been shot twice 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:31.320 in the head. 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:34.600 The medical examiner later testified that the time of death 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:38.000 was likely between five and seven am on Saturday, March fourteenth. 0:07:38.520 --> 0:07:41.800 Two days later, an I think Alotti's Pontiac fireberg was 0:07:41.800 --> 0:07:44.320 found set ablaze in a parking lot, and then, as 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:48.480 police continued to question non associates, Angela Devoorski's body washed 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:51.080 up in the American River on May first of ninety eight. 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:55.520 She had been stabbed twelve times. Her case remains cold 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:59.440 to this day, but Galotti's investigation was reinvigorated when Israel's 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:02.520 SEPT was victed an unlawful discharge of a firearm in 0:08:02.560 --> 0:08:03.880 October of ninety nine. 0:08:04.280 --> 0:08:07.560 As soon as you are taken to prison, your DNA 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:13.400 is taken. In California, Israel believed that his DNA was 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:17.800 going to implicate him in the murder of Anthony Gollotti, 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:23.400 so he contacted the Sheriff's office to tell a story 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:27.200 that would take the focus away from him and onto 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:31.640 someone else. He then was interviewed by the Sacramento Sheriff's 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:35.880 office three or four times, and each story was inconsistent. 0:08:36.720 --> 0:08:41.360 Jeremy's jury never heard about Sept's motivation. Nevertheless, it appears 0:08:41.360 --> 0:08:45.000 that SEPT bounced inconsistent stories off the Sacramento Sheriff's department 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:47.960 until they landed on a narrative which Anthony Gollotti came 0:08:48.040 --> 0:08:50.280 to William Van Hill's apartment to buy some drugs, and 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:54.120 Scept alleged that Jeremy Pistol whipped and tied up Anthony 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:57.040 with the help of Angela Devorski. Scept said that he 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:00.360 followed them out to Anthony's car, where he allegedly told 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:03.120 Anthony that he would come along and keep him safe. 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:06.840 Then Jeremy allegedly drove them all out to White Rock Road, 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:09.880 took Anthony out of the car, shot him, and drove off, 0:09:10.120 --> 0:09:14.000 dropping sept at a motel. Shortly after this account, Jeremy 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:15.200 was brought in for questioning. 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:19.000 They were just asking me questions about a murder that happened, 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:21.679 Like I have to know something about this, because you know, 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:24.600 I'm from the neighborhood or whatever, and I don't have 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:27.760 no idea what they're talking about. I believe they mentioned Israel, 0:09:27.920 --> 0:09:30.360 and that's when I started trying like peaceful things agein. 0:09:30.400 --> 0:09:33.080 I was like, oh, this is what's going on, But 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:35.920 I still had no idea of what happened after I 0:09:35.960 --> 0:09:38.760 had left the apartment where he was at this night. 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:42.720 Curiously, only Scept was charged in June of two thousand 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:45.199 and taken to trial in March two thousand and. 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:50.400 One, because all they have is this so called confession 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:55.520 by Israel, and so they have to try them separately 0:09:55.880 --> 0:10:00.640 because Israel will have the opportunity to take the Fifth 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:04.160 Amendment and then there'd be no case. And they can't 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:06.960 just use this statement because Jeremy wouldn't have had a 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:10.760 chance to cross exam Israel, so they had to try 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:14.840 them separately, and so they started with Israel and then 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:19.280 of course he folded after opening statement. But he cut 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:21.880 a deal. I mean, he went from life without the 0:10:21.920 --> 0:10:27.400 possibility of parole to what eleven years eight months. But 0:10:27.440 --> 0:10:30.520 when he was actually sentenced, he even got a better deal. 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:33.760 Shortly after steps leaning a plea deal for robbery and 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:35.920 accessory to murder, they arrested Jeremy. 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:39.160 All our members being at work and I was called 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:41.320 to the office and I had a feeling that something 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:43.760 might goals, like something just wasn't right. I walked into 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:47.160 the office. That's when I was basically surrounded by officers 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:50.400 placed in handcuffs, placed in the car, and I was like, 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:54.160 you gotta have the wrong person, because I ain't hurt nobody. 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:56.000 I didn't kill nobody, Like I don't know what you 0:10:56.040 --> 0:10:58.160 guys are talking about, Like you got to have the 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:00.720 wrong person, And they're like, no, got you with this 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:02.960 and now whatever. I'm trying to convince them, you know, 0:11:03.080 --> 0:11:16.080 but they didn't want to hear nothing. I had to say. 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:19.920 You're listening to Wrongful Conviction. You can listen to this 0:11:20.040 --> 0:11:22.679 and all the Lava for Good podcasts one week early 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:26.120 and ad free by subscribing to Lava for Good plus 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:29.120 on Apple Podcasts. 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:34.960 I pretty much preached together that something was being pinned 0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:38.520 on me from Israel. I believed during the initial interview 0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:41.439 with my investigator, he was still sticking to his story 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:44.120 that it was all me, and then during the second 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:46.520 one that's when he recanted his story. 0:11:47.400 --> 0:11:50.480 Prior to trial, Israel set recanted in an interview with 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:53.920 Jeremy's private investigator and gave some version of the truth, 0:11:54.040 --> 0:11:57.520 saying something about Middlebrooks having set up Anthony Allotti for 0:11:57.559 --> 0:12:02.120 a robbery and quote, Jeremy not involved. Jeremy knew nothing 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:07.520 about robbing anyone. That's the God's truth end quote. Wow. 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:11.000 Sept never said who was responsible, though, but with this 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:14.199 recantation in the bag, it appears that Jeremy's attorney didn't 0:12:14.200 --> 0:12:16.640 feel the need to develop an alibi defense or look 0:12:16.640 --> 0:12:20.120 into any of the state's evidence, including Israel SEP's motel 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:22.400 receipt that was alleged to a line with the morning 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:23.359 of March fourteenth. 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:28.520 The motel receipt shows that Sepp registered at this motel 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:31.520 at four to twenty am and there was a number 0:12:31.600 --> 0:12:35.319 on the receipt six seven one eight. The receipt was messy, 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:38.559 but if you look at the next receipt six seven 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:43.440 nine with a totally independent party registering at six ten am, 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:47.000 you realize it was on the morning of the thirteenth. 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:48.120 And there was one part as well. 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:50.480 Yeah, and the one prior to it. That's correct. So 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:54.920 there's no doubt that this hotel entry was on the thirteenth. 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:59.480 But however, the Sacramento DA just said it's on the fourteenth. 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:04.200 She talked about it as though he registered the mourning 0:13:04.280 --> 0:13:05.760 of the fourteenth. 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:08.480 This could mean one of a few things. Perhaps the 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:11.680 medical examiner was mistaken about the time of death between 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:14.240 five and seven am on the fourteenth, or perhaps the 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:17.760 state glossed over the discrepancy in order to align the 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:20.800 findings of the autopsy with the morning after Jeremy had 0:13:20.840 --> 0:13:23.840 actually made an appearance at Van Hill's apartment March twelfth 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:26.560 and to the thirteenth. This could have been uncovered by 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:29.840 Jeremy's attorney had he just bothered to look at his alibi. 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.360 In addition, it's important to note that, according to nineteen 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:36.440 ninety one California legislation, jail house inform and testimony has 0:13:36.520 --> 0:13:40.880 to be corroborated by independent evidence. Perhaps the prosecutor, Marjorie Kohler, 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:43.720 used this motel receipt from the thirteenth to check that 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:46.080 box for a crime that occurred on the fourteenth. 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:51.920 None of the witnesses or anybody testified to the thirteenth. 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:56.400 They were told from the prosecution of what day this happened. 0:13:56.679 --> 0:13:59.640 Jeremy's right. The prosecution would just say, let me draw 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:02.520 your attention to the night of the thirteenth or the 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:05.840 morning of the fourteenth, So witnesses just went along with that. 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:08.760 No one said, oh, wait a minute, this happened on 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:09.680 a Thursday night. 0:14:10.360 --> 0:14:13.600 And this wasn't the only dirty trick. In her opening statements, 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.360 Kohler raised the specter of the fire that killed Benny 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:19.320 Campbell as well as the murderer of Angela divorce key. 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:23.040 They tried to implicate Jeremy in that murder. 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:24.920 She already knew she had a week case, so she's 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:26.760 trying to throw everything in to make me look bad 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:27.320 from the get go. 0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:31.200 Anyway, Jeremy's attorney asked the judge to Clara misstrial, and 0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:33.520 when the judge asked Kohler if she had the evidence 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:37.080 to corroborate her implications. She said that there was evidence 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:40.120 linking Jeremy, but just not enough to charge him. 0:14:40.200 --> 0:14:43.960 But that wasn't true, and she was admonished by the 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:45.760 judge that this wasn't proper. 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:47.840 She was actually told to tell the jerry that I 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.320 had nothing to do with that, and she said no, yeah, 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:52.240 so the judge himself had to do it. 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:55.520 The judge instructed the jury that the prosecutor could not 0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:59.480 corroborate her implications, and then the trial proceeded. 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:04.520 The state presents middle Brooks. Middlebrooks said he was in 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:08.680 the bathroom doing cocaine with Patty Scott Bostick and that 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:13.040 he didn't think that Jeremy was there, and Patty Scott 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:16.600 Bostick always said that she never looked out the door. 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:19.360 And then she got on the stand and then she 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:23.280 said she heard Jeremy yelling. She had never testified to 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:28.000 that before, but we found out later that she wanted 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:31.720 to testify favorably because she was on probation at the 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:35.720 time she testified, and the jury was never told this. Again. 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:38.480 The jury has to hear if a witness has a 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:42.000 motive to make an entirely new statement that had never 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:45.360 been made before, so that's what Patty said. And then 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:50.680 van Hill said he saw Anthony Glotti being removed by 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:54.640 two black men and based on their height difference, he 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:58.480 thought it might be Israel and Jeremy. Again, that was 0:15:58.520 --> 0:15:59.800 a new statement made it. 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:03.240 In his earlier statements, van Hill said that the two 0:16:03.240 --> 0:16:05.960 black men were about the same height. Then at trial, 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:08.000 he said that his memory had improved since his first 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:11.560 interview just after the crime. In addition, he described Israel 0:16:11.640 --> 0:16:14.440 Scept as being five to four, much shorter than his 0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:17.960 actual height five to ten, which notably is not much 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:19.800 shorter than Jeremy at six foot one. 0:16:20.440 --> 0:16:22.080 His stores all over the place. 0:16:22.520 --> 0:16:27.720 We learned during our investigation, unfortunately, that mister van Hill 0:16:27.880 --> 0:16:32.640 had many psychological problems, but of course the jury never 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:33.080 heard that. 0:16:33.520 --> 0:16:36.120 But of course none of the supporting testimony mattered as 0:16:36.160 --> 0:16:38.920 much as Israel Scept. And we don't know what happened 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:43.800 between his recantation and trial, but perhaps the prosecutor reminded 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:45.200 him about the deal they had made. 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:48.080 Either testify against me and say it was all me, 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:51.160 or there's going to take his deal back. And he 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:53.800 was face to life without the possibility to role. He 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:55.960 just went back to the script he was given when 0:16:55.960 --> 0:16:58.520 he took the deal. What was crazy about that is 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:02.360 that prior to being into the courtroom, we were in 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:04.919 separate sales, like basically across from each other. And now 0:17:04.920 --> 0:17:07.159 I ask them personally, like what are you doing? Like 0:17:07.200 --> 0:17:09.560 why you doing this to me? I still remember him 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:12.200 saying like, I know, I'm sorry, And when I get 0:17:12.200 --> 0:17:14.119 back in there, I'm gonna go in there and tell 0:17:14.160 --> 0:17:16.920 them the truth that you have nothing to do with it. Right. 0:17:17.320 --> 0:17:19.800 But well, soon we get back into the courtroom, it 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:23.080 was like everything that was just said he completely forgot, 0:17:23.119 --> 0:17:24.600 and then he's just got the back to pointing the 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:25.679 finger right back at me. 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:29.280 Jeremy's attorney was able to cross Examinecept with not only 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:32.880 inconsistencies with his prior statements, but also his recantation. 0:17:33.560 --> 0:17:36.560 A course Scept denied it. And that's why I was 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:40.480 shot that my trial attorney didn't call their investigator to 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:41.720 rebut his role. 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:44.080 Wait wait wait, wait, so he didn't even bother to 0:17:44.080 --> 0:17:46.119 call the investigator to present the recantation. 0:17:46.440 --> 0:17:51.320 It's unbelievable. It's absolutely I tell people this story that 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:53.800 the attorney had a recantation he didn't put on it, 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:56.480 and they can't believe it, let alone the data the 0:17:56.560 --> 0:17:59.960 murder is even wrong. It's just unbelievable. 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:03.200 The jury had not heard the motivations of those testifying, 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:06.920 as well as the full recantation by this state star witness, 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:10.520 so they predictably returned a guilty verdict for first degree 0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:14.520 murder robbery, but curiously not guilty for unlawful use of 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:15.280 a firearmy. 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:17.600 All I remember is hearing is I was guilty of 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:20.880 murder and everything else I didn't hear. I blacked out. 0:18:21.680 --> 0:18:23.960 It wasn't until my mother came and visited me that 0:18:24.000 --> 0:18:26.200 she's the one who told me that I was found 0:18:26.200 --> 0:18:29.359 not guilty of the gun, and that kind of shot 0:18:29.400 --> 0:18:31.040 me because I thought once I heard guilty murder, I 0:18:31.040 --> 0:18:33.400 felt I was guilty of everything. Everything just blacked out. 0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:36.040 I heard nothing else, and I just especially see my 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:52.080 life just washed away like it was nothing. You walked 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:54.920 into the yard and all you see is these big 0:18:55.000 --> 0:18:59.119 brick walls and you just realize like you're really imprisoned, 0:18:59.240 --> 0:19:01.679 like they're going to rest your life here for something 0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:04.919 you didn't do. It was heartbreaking. I couldn't sleep for 0:19:04.960 --> 0:19:06.840 the first couple of nights because I couldn't even believe 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:08.760 I was in the situation I was even in. It's 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:10.560 a doggy doll world in there. You know, it's a 0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:13.440 battle of the fitness. It's a survival instinct that you 0:19:13.560 --> 0:19:16.160 must have in prison to make it through. I've seen 0:19:16.200 --> 0:19:18.000 people come in prison and not make it at all, 0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:21.000 and I've seen people commit suicide before. I've seen people 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:23.720 get killed in prison. I've seen all type of things happen. 0:19:23.760 --> 0:19:26.679 I've seen people overdose. I've seen basically just about everything 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:29.359 in there. And thank God that I was able to 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:31.840 put my faith in God and keep fighting. And I 0:19:31.880 --> 0:19:35.240 guess it is always frustrating to know that you're doing 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:37.320 everything you can, but knowing it is not enough. 0:19:38.119 --> 0:19:40.960 After his initial appeal, Jeremy fought his case pro sae, 0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:44.359 meaning on his own, without an attorney, from inside of 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:45.080 his prison cell. 0:19:45.640 --> 0:19:48.240 And of course it was so hard for Jeremy because 0:19:48.600 --> 0:19:51.280 he doesn't have anyone to find that the evidence has 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:55.399 been suppressed. He's banging up against a brick wall because 0:19:55.440 --> 0:19:58.879 he can't get into the DA file, into his own file, 0:19:59.080 --> 0:20:02.679 into the file of Angela divorce. KI out on the 0:20:02.720 --> 0:20:04.200 street to interview people. 0:20:04.600 --> 0:20:06.679 I was almost ready to give up because I was 0:20:06.760 --> 0:20:09.720 tired of getting all the denials on my own and 0:20:09.760 --> 0:20:11.880 to thank god, I had my sister and my mom, 0:20:12.040 --> 0:20:15.800 my cousins and everybody, a strong core in my family 0:20:15.840 --> 0:20:18.000 that still believed in me no matter what. And I 0:20:18.040 --> 0:20:19.760 look back on it and I think it was my daughter, 0:20:19.800 --> 0:20:21.840 and my daughter saved my life. I'll never forget that 0:20:21.920 --> 0:20:23.960 day she came to saw me and I think, my 0:20:23.960 --> 0:20:26.240 sister's gonna get something to eat for us, and my 0:20:26.480 --> 0:20:29.560 son and my niece. They went to a player and 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:31.159 I was telling my daughter, like, oh, I want you 0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:33.679 go play with your brother and your cousin, and she's like, no, 0:20:33.720 --> 0:20:35.920 I want to stay here with you. And I remember 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:37.840 her looking at me and she was like, when you 0:20:38.000 --> 0:20:41.160 wait you excuse me. She said, when you come home, 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:43.399 when you're gonna come home, because I want you home. 0:20:44.640 --> 0:20:46.680 And that's what I knew right there. I had to 0:20:46.760 --> 0:20:50.159 keep fighting, not for myself, for my kids. I couldn't 0:20:50.200 --> 0:20:50.600 give up. 0:20:51.760 --> 0:20:55.320 After about fourteen long years of denials, and appellate Cord 0:20:55.480 --> 0:20:58.560 Karen and the Northern California Indoston's Project took on Jeremy's 0:20:58.560 --> 0:21:01.560 case and were able to un what Jeremy never could 0:21:01.600 --> 0:21:03.639 have from the inside. 0:21:03.440 --> 0:21:08.160 Sepp told the detectives that a man with the nickname 0:21:08.320 --> 0:21:13.919 Jamo brought Angela Devorski to the apartment, and that was 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:18.160 a very important sentence that he said that. I don't 0:21:18.200 --> 0:21:22.520 think Jeremy's trial attorney appreciated the importance of it at 0:21:22.520 --> 0:21:27.720 the time. Because the Sheriff's detectives had suppressed the evidence 0:21:27.800 --> 0:21:29.840 related to Angela Devorski. 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:32.720 Much of the discovery that should have come to Jeremy's 0:21:32.720 --> 0:21:36.320 defense attorney remained hidden in the Angela Davorski murder file. 0:21:36.720 --> 0:21:39.760 I'm talking about seven hundred pages worth. 0:21:40.280 --> 0:21:46.280 Pages and pages of evidence, witness after witness saying Jamo 0:21:46.600 --> 0:21:52.399