1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: On September fifteenth, nineteen eighty eight, there was an argument 2 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: inside of Philadelphia rowhouse. As one party tried to leave, 3 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: the other man followed, making threats that left him fatally shot. 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: The victim's brother only knew one man in that party, 5 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: Trevor Mattis, but Trevor maintained that he was just a bystander. 6 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: Then another eyewitness corroborated that story. Yet this eyewitness said 7 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: something else at Trevor's trial, This is wrongful conviction. 8 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 2: You're listening to Wrongful Conviction. You can listen to this 9 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 2: and all the Lava for Good podcasts one week early 10 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: and ad free subscribing to Lava for Good Plus on 11 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts. 12 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Wrongful Conviction. I'm Ben Bollen from The 13 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: Stuff They Don't Want You to Know, and once again 14 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: I'm excited to be hosting the show. In this episode, 15 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: we're speaking with our guest, Trevor Matis, who was calling 16 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: in from a Pennsylvania correctional facility to share a story. Trevor, 17 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: thanks for joining us, Aware and folks. If we're detecting 18 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: an accent here, that's because Trevor originally traveled to the 19 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: US as a student from Jamaica, right. 20 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,559 Speaker 3: I came from a backgrown of working class single Pearan 21 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 3: household and she had her brothers, so I had an 22 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 3: extended family. You just run into anybody else. That's just 23 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 3: how it is in the community that came from properties, 24 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 3: almost like a community property. With Winni Switchers growing up 25 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 3: as an only child, a lot of times I was 26 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 3: with my grandmother, who was a retired teacher who I 27 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,679 Speaker 3: think she instilled in me from a very early age 28 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 3: the love of knowledge, reading specifically, but I was drawn 29 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 3: to the sciences as I grew up, specifically biology. Then 30 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 3: I was always achieving in school without any extra. 31 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: Promping, and Trevor's academic achievement continued. His high scores on 32 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 1: placement tests put him in the best high school in 33 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: all of Jamaica, and soon it came time to take 34 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: the Jamaican equivalent to the SATs. 35 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 3: I know my mom at a single appearance. She always 36 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 3: told me to shoot for it without really being a 37 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,119 Speaker 3: conviction that I was achieving, and in one day sure 38 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 3: enough came back. You have been accepted to City University 39 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 3: and your college. So when I got accepted, I was 40 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 3: another check caused a financial commitment that she wasn't really 41 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 3: prepared for tuition is like twice the amount of the 42 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 3: regular tuition when you be coming from a foreign country 43 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 3: or whatever. Because she always told me there's one man, 44 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 3: so she always had she said, I'm not rich, i 45 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 3: can't leave your riches, but I'm going to make sure 46 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,119 Speaker 3: you get a good education. At that point in time, 47 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,239 Speaker 3: because the promise was made, she found that we do 48 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 3: not miss a point with that note. This scramble was on, well, 49 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 3: who you gonna stay with housing arrangement blah blah blah, 50 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 3: and just extended friends and family and netwhek somewhere was 51 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 3: found to me that was in Queen's village. So I 52 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 3: ended up in Queen's going to your college. 53 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: So at this point Trevor is a pre med biology 54 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: major and he ended up graduating with honors. He is 55 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: planning to become a dentist, and he can pretty much 56 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: go to any school he wishes. 57 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 3: For this after I finished, was interested in one of 58 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 3: those schools in Philly like temp Law, University of pen 59 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 3: and Afferent from the neighborhood. He was actually resided in 60 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 3: Philadevasys to come back and forth. So he said, well, 61 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 3: whenever already actually should come up with him, and then 62 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 3: I could see with him in his apartment, and then 63 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 3: he was part of this community of Jamaican guys, young guys, 64 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 3: and I think it was doing his spring and the 65 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 3: summer's like somewhere around here when the weather was nice. 66 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 3: So usially screaming Soka dominos and as a nine young person, 67 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,600 Speaker 3: initially to me, it was almost like a boys camp 68 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 3: because there are all these young guys, young Jamaicans, palier, 69 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 3: cohesive little unit and it was just a bold, fun 70 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,479 Speaker 3: flirt with girls or whatever, just being a young man. 71 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 1: For some quick context here, it was the summer of 72 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty eight, and while Trevor was enjoying this coming 73 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: of age experience, the crack epidemic had swept across many 74 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:03,359 Speaker 1: American cities, and this also applied to Philadelphia. It appears 75 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: that some of the young men we've mentioned were involved. 76 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 3: I got to realize that they were involved in the 77 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 3: joke game, but was not right where we were seeing it. 78 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 3: There was just like an old hangover spot because it 79 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 3: was well kept. Us at one bad Jamika and elder 80 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 3: to us, and so we used to hang upstairs. But 81 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,480 Speaker 3: jokes would be so from the base then, and. 82 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 1: It was soon discovered that this house on Louis Street 83 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:34,839 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia was already under federal surveillance. The focus was 84 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 1: on a man named Franklin Watson. He was present on 85 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: the night of the incident September fourteenth into the fifteenth, 86 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty eight, when the crew selling drugs out the 87 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: basement included a man named Kirk Crump, as well as 88 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 1: two brothers, Paul White and Everton Mead Johnson. Trevor showed 89 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 1: up with a man named Mikey Donovan who was visiting 90 00:05:59,000 --> 00:05:59,799 Speaker 1: from out of town. 91 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 3: He was basically new to Philadelphia, not somebody I really 92 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 3: had no extensive long term relationship with. We've made each 93 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 3: other to somebody, and he said he wanted to what 94 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 3: phil it was like. We had a good Rahore at 95 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 3: that time. 96 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:19,840 Speaker 1: So Trevor took Mikey Donovan to this hangout spot that 97 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: doubled as a drug house to see the owner of 98 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: the place, Rudy, but they spoke to Kirk Crump instead. 99 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 3: When I arrived, it was early in the morning, like 100 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 3: twif thirty one name, and I was surprised to see 101 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:36,279 Speaker 3: a lot of the other guys upstairs in the living room. 102 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 3: But these are guys that I know. The guy I'm with, 103 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 3: Mike Donovan doesn't know them. So when I spoke to 104 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 3: her indication, he said something like, oh, so many people 105 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 3: in the house. Why so many people know? Something like that. 106 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,679 Speaker 3: But it was a basically generalized conversation, not about whether 107 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 3: someone should be here or not. So Johnson in the 108 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 3: basements and stuff her he must have phone was offended 109 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 3: and that I don't know. And he found up the steps, 110 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 3: was like boom, boom, boom, flung the door open. That 111 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,039 Speaker 3: it his lamp, and then his first words was, by 112 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 3: the fuck you want to know? So why so much 113 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 3: people know? Something like that very barely cooes his manner. 114 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 3: He liked to intimidate because he was kind of big, 115 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 3: but that's just his personality and how he acts. Mike 116 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 3: had done but who was right beside me? He don't 117 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 3: know the spurs and so he just basically he asked 118 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 3: me in a low tone, he asked me, who is 119 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 3: this guy? Why is he talking so rough? That further 120 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 3: inside chance, So he basically was like pussue you, oh, 121 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:39,240 Speaker 3: the blue pursue you you know me and the code 122 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 3: up the streets at that time, a remark like that 123 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 3: basically that declaration of war, So that immediately escalated things. 124 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 3: I could not understand where's all of that coming from. 125 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 3: I was like, what can I be done? The deed escalated, 126 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 3: that was my first thought. He was like stepping towards 127 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 3: an aggressive times step. So I basically put myself in 128 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,760 Speaker 3: between both of them, and I was pleading, minimisea listen, 129 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 3: calm don, what's this all about? That's uncalled for. So 130 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 3: I basically got him to step back and take a 131 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:13,560 Speaker 3: seat on the stool. And he was in a steering 132 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 3: countest now with Michael donabout behind me. So it's a 133 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 3: hardcore great locked in this real tunnel vision with anger. 134 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 3: Yeah me, it's clearing at him, and I have no 135 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 3: clue what the reaction is going to be from Mikil 136 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 3: Japan who is behind me. And so I looked towards 137 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 3: the guy that was in the kitchen I was speaking 138 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 3: to and I said that where is really just all 139 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 3: the blue basically the giant change something? And he said 140 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 3: he just left. He went to the bus stop to 141 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 3: escort his daughter to work. So that basically gave me 142 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 3: an opportunity to know to a right, let me go 143 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 3: find him. So I'm just trying to divert that said 144 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 3: come let's go or something to that. I'm trying to 145 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 3: back down up and come, and took two more steps 146 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 3: towards the front doors. If you know me, this is 147 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 3: not big something like that. And when I look back 148 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 3: on more than I see him like a stepped back relax. 149 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 3: And therefore I figured that the game did worked because 150 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 3: that looked like nothing further gong go. So I hate 151 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 3: my step towards the front door, over the front door, 152 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 3: and I was ahead by a couple of steps. I 153 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 3: looked back and I was seeing Mikey Donner was just 154 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 3: emerging on the front door. So while I'm thinking that 155 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 3: I'm taking these steps towards the bust, I hear the 156 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:28,319 Speaker 3: screen door clang again. I mean somebody had come out 157 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 3: by the time it shut. When I turned around on 158 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 3: the streets, Johnson was buying his car jump and his 159 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 3: car trunk was already opened and he was reaching in. 160 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 3: Mike Donovan was on the sidewalk. Johnson said something. Most 161 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:48,200 Speaker 3: likely it would have been something intimidating, and the moment 162 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 3: he said something, Mikey Donovan pulled I've gone out of 163 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 3: his ways and hop fire immediately. 164 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 1: Everton Meet Johnson was shot fatally. According to the autopsy report, 165 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,679 Speaker 1: the bullet entered from the back of his body toward 166 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: the front. Perhaps Mikey Donovan didn't wait for me Johnson 167 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: to turn around and fire, and since the scene of 168 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: the crime was in front of a drug house, it 169 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:33,320 Speaker 1: appears no one stuck around to speak to the police, 170 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: except for the victim's brother, Paul White. According to others, 171 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 1: Paul had tried to stop his brother from following Donovan 172 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: and then he ran to the basement to get help 173 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:49,599 Speaker 1: during the shooting, but he told police something else. 174 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 3: Because he had never seen Mike Donovan in his life. 175 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,480 Speaker 3: He immediately told them he saw two people shoot his 176 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:03,959 Speaker 3: brother find me along with this unknown Jamaican me that 177 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,440 Speaker 3: you know. He said, I had a Tech nine, a 178 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:09,439 Speaker 3: big machine gun and mine and a handgun. And he 179 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 3: said both the bos basically ambushim at the corner of 180 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,400 Speaker 3: the car, and I was shooting and Danavan was shooting. 181 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:18,559 Speaker 3: The seven shot fat. So that was basically what he 182 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 3: told them at the scene of the cramp what the 183 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:23,560 Speaker 3: state is now because it happened at a joke host the 184 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 3: state really created this narrative of a joke curve for 185 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,240 Speaker 3: r peer. So they took that and said, well, it 186 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 3: was a dispute of who was supposed to sell jokes 187 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 3: of the hose now me and just have friends from 188 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 3: back then, you know what I mean we had. Anyways, that's 189 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 3: not all we operate. If he wanted to sell jokes 190 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 3: or the house he had, all right, Kirk is one 191 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 3: selling know, so anybody could make some type of arrangement 192 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:51,719 Speaker 3: with Kirk or whatever. So it wasn't no circumstance that 193 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:55,640 Speaker 3: we would be in competition or anything like that. It 194 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 3: just a third story. But the state basically said I 195 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 3: took it upon myself to eliminate my arrivals. 196 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 1: So Trevor was arrested and over time, this unknown Jamaican 197 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 1: is eliminated from the. 198 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 3: Narrative, so nobody could identify, nobody knew where he was. 199 00:12:15,120 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 3: So basically, after I was made to target, the state 200 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 3: and everyone does didn't even try to final anything. Thirred 201 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:27,319 Speaker 3: about the microdynamo that that's just how it works. They 202 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 3: had to target that they wanted, and everything was gear 203 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:33,080 Speaker 3: to get this targeted regardless. What is my turn up? 204 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 1: Speaking of? While Trevor sat in pre trial detention for 205 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:42,480 Speaker 1: nearly two years. The separate federal investigation of the drug 206 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:46,440 Speaker 1: house closed in on Franklin Watson, who was present on 207 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:49,679 Speaker 1: the night of the murder and tried to trade information 208 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 1: for leniency, And this was three weeks before trial in 209 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:59,560 Speaker 1: January nineteen ninety. The Feds told the prosecution about this witness, 210 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: but for reasons that we'll discuss later, the defense remained 211 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:08,959 Speaker 1: in the dark about this and a number of other things, including, 212 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 1: for instance, why the state wanted a bench trial. 213 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 3: When I got to the court room, I requested the 214 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 3: jury trial, and then my lawyer got very old rage 215 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:22,960 Speaker 3: and told me that he had an agreement with the 216 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 3: prosecute that's did not seek the head penalty if I 217 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:29,400 Speaker 3: took a non jury trial. But I still was trying 218 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:31,720 Speaker 3: to be adamant. So a couple of minutes before the 219 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:34,720 Speaker 3: trial started, my mom was there and she came to 220 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:38,320 Speaker 3: me in tears and distraughts, telling me that I should 221 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 3: listen to the lawyer because he told her that they 222 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:44,319 Speaker 3: don't like Jamaicans in Philadelphia at that time, and I'm 223 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 3: going to try in the electric cheer and she was 224 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 3: so broken that that broke me. Just to see her 225 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 3: so distraught, So I rel ended and basically went along. 226 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: So perhaps the state was confident that the assigned judge 227 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 1: would give them their desired result, as would Franklin Watson. 228 00:14:04,360 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 3: The morning of the trial, the prosecutor announced as a 229 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 3: surprise witness just walked into his office five minutes before 230 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 3: the trial started and said he was there, and this 231 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 3: is how he announced it. 232 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:15,360 Speaker 4: Rotson. 233 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 3: So when he puts him understand, Watson testifies that he 234 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 3: was present. What is the first person ever said that 235 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 3: there was an argument in the house in the kitchen 236 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 3: between Johnson and I over who should sell jokes from 237 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 3: that location. And then he said for the first time 238 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 3: also that I brandished a weapon in the house and 239 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:42,960 Speaker 3: had to be restrained by others. Then I walked out, 240 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 3: Johnson followed me out. We began to fight outside for 241 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 3: one minute by the car trump and then I got 242 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 3: the better of Johnson, pulled the weapon and shot him 243 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 3: multiple times from close range, and no one else was involved. 244 00:14:58,600 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 3: Blah blah blah. 245 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:04,720 Speaker 1: So, in contrast to Paul White's original statement about two shooters, 246 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 1: Watson named Trevor as the loan shooter, and on cross examination, 247 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:14,560 Speaker 1: Trevor's attorney was able to expose Watson's vulnerability. 248 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 3: He got the fact that Watson was a federal informant. 249 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 3: I understand, but the lawyer he never followed up the 250 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 3: final what was happening? What did he say to defense? 251 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 3: It was just less that that just came out. So 252 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 3: basically that was how he impeached the credibility. And as 253 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 3: soon as he finished testifying, the prosecutor arrested their case. 254 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 3: They were like, well, we're not going to call the 255 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 3: original White now no more. Werested my lawyer objective. He 256 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:43,240 Speaker 3: requested a mistrial, saying, Yeerona, it's a child by ambush. 257 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 3: We have been waiting for this case for over two years. 258 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 3: We have all this discovery. Nowhere in the entire discovery 259 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 3: was a Watson mention. They brought this person at the 260 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 3: twelfth hour claiming that he is a surprise waitness and 261 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 3: now they want to rest the case. They had the sidebar, 262 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 3: and then prosecutor relented and said our year and postponed 263 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 3: the case for one day and then we will bring 264 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:07,000 Speaker 3: White the following him. 265 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: Additionally, and this is absent from the record, Watson escaped 266 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: a potential thirty year sentence in exchange for this testimony 267 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 1: and then came Paul White. 268 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 3: So the next day he brought White to the standard 269 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 3: and the White entire testimony was radically different and it 270 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:31,840 Speaker 3: mimicked almost play by play, what Watson said. So initially 271 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 3: White was talking about two people shooting. Now he changed 272 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 3: and he said there was only one person and that 273 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:41,560 Speaker 3: was me. And he also added an altercation because it 274 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 3: was never an adducation mentioned anywhere at the scene of 275 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 3: the crime or at the preliminary year and. 276 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 4: A year after. 277 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 3: But at the trial he testified it was an altercation, 278 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 3: but he said it didn't last a minute. He said 279 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 3: it lasted a few seconds before a brandish a weapon 280 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 3: and Shaq Johnson. So that's how his testimony changed to 281 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:05,560 Speaker 3: mimic what Watson said, but he did not repeat the 282 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,640 Speaker 3: allegation of it was an argument over job. 283 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:14,439 Speaker 1: Unfortunately, the inconsistencies between White statements as well as how 284 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:19,440 Speaker 1: they were inconsistent with Watson's, these issues are never pointed 285 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: out to the judge. 286 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 3: Well, I him in the head with a gun. You 287 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 3: know you hit somebody in the head with a gun. 288 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 3: Be authors to going to show us a specific mark 289 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 3: that I've gone with. Leave And then White after what 290 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 3: he said the federal informant was not there to weakness, 291 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 3: and the federal informant said White was not there. He 292 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 3: said White was in the basement, and a federal informant 293 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:44,560 Speaker 3: said I had a chrome nine millimeter. White said first 294 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,359 Speaker 3: it was a Tick nine machine handgun, and then at 295 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:49,639 Speaker 3: the child testimony he said it was a nine milimeter 296 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:50,480 Speaker 3: but it was grown. 297 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:55,920 Speaker 1: So without these glaring inconsistencies pointed out or what else 298 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:58,919 Speaker 1: was hidden from the court at the time the judge 299 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 1: made his decision on the first degree murder, criminal conspiracy, 300 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:05,680 Speaker 1: and weapons charges. 301 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:09,359 Speaker 3: He basically summarized the case and said it was a straightforward, 302 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 3: clear cut case of joke urs dispute, and I did 303 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,959 Speaker 3: defend and took it upon myself to eliminate my rival 304 00:18:18,119 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 3: once and for all by gunning him down in cold 305 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:23,679 Speaker 3: and within less than sixty seconds. 306 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:28,360 Speaker 4: I was sawing it with the automatic sendments of life, 307 00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 4: but of the passability of broad and my mom was there, 308 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:48,280 Speaker 4: so I know that basically broker Art. When I'm looking 309 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 4: back to the whole scenario, it was basically a present 310 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 4: with a foregun conclusion. Maybe two months after I was convicted, 311 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:02,879 Speaker 4: I received a statement that was made three weeks before 312 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 4: matrial by what to the federal authorities, which was a 313 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 4: part of his pleats to the federal authorities. And in 314 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 4: the statement it was Excotory specifically stated that he was 315 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 4: present at the chance to shooting, that Johnson was shot 316 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 4: by Mikey Dana Vlan and I was merely a bystander, 317 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 4: and that was just three weeks before my child. And 318 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 4: he spoke to the faith and told him basically actual 319 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 4: version of events, and then came into the stage and 320 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 4: gave a own separate contra victory statement. 321 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:39,560 Speaker 3: For state prosecutor. 322 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: This was clearly a Brady violation. It upended the state's case. 323 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: So this one Trevor an evidentiary hearing on direct appeal. 324 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 3: The same judge that convicted me had an evidential here 325 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:56,720 Speaker 3: in five six months after I was convicted. The federal 326 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:01,879 Speaker 3: prosecutors would understand when they carrabber the authenticity of the 327 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 3: Watson Pree Deal statement that I had. So when they 328 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,760 Speaker 3: saw that I was able able to trial the case, 329 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 3: they contacted this prosecutor and conveyed the information that he 330 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:15,920 Speaker 3: might have the wrong perpetrator. And that is how this 331 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 3: prosecutor became aware of Franklin Watson and made arrangements to 332 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:25,480 Speaker 3: interview was one of the federal prosecutors said he specifically 333 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 3: recall that name sax because the saxophone or something that 334 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:30,160 Speaker 3: that is saying. 335 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:34,680 Speaker 1: So it appears that Trevor's prosecutor, Richard Sachs, received this 336 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: information that Trevor was indeed an innocent bystander, but somehow 337 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:44,080 Speaker 1: on the eve of the trial, Watson changed his story. 338 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: This allowed Sacks to forge ahead with the prosecution anyway, 339 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: in spite of the federal prosecutor's efforts. 340 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,280 Speaker 3: They gave it to him orally over the phone, Prosecutor 341 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:58,920 Speaker 3: Toulist and also he said he didn't receive a specific 342 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 3: information that he might have the wrong perpetrator. So they 343 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 3: contradicted each other. But the judge said he found both 344 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 3: bodies to be. 345 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:11,600 Speaker 1: Truthful, even though these testimonies are indirect contradiction. 346 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,120 Speaker 3: And then the judge it meantal gymnastics by saying, since 347 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 3: the federal arts or conveyed the information orally over the 348 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:24,399 Speaker 3: telephone and not in writing, the information would not amount 349 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 3: to really because of state prosecutor had nothing physically to 350 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:31,879 Speaker 3: turn over to the defense. Wow. Yeah, But then he 351 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 3: went even Further, I guess he knows that wouldn't pass 352 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 3: the smell this, so he came up with this rational. 353 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 3: He said, well, even if the document was available and 354 00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 3: turned over to the defense and the federal informal testified 355 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 3: exactly the exculpulary statement he made in that document, he 356 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 3: would still have found me guilty, not as a perpetrate 357 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,119 Speaker 3: at this time, but as a co con spirit and 358 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,480 Speaker 3: the laws at that time it will be sentenced exactly 359 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 3: the same way of mandatory life with oparole. 360 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 1: Even though the only witness, Watson, who even said anything 361 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:11,159 Speaker 1: about a criminal conspiracy, the Trevor had allegedly killed me 362 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,640 Speaker 1: Johnson to take out a rival dealer. That witness had 363 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,440 Speaker 1: just been clearly proven to lie. 364 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 3: So I told my lawyer immediately, as we have to 365 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:23,680 Speaker 3: appeal this, and he was like, of course, So he 366 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:26,920 Speaker 3: agreed to file an appeal, and they sent me off 367 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 3: state note and I was absolutely in the hole at 368 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,359 Speaker 3: that time. And weeks went by and then let us 369 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:34,919 Speaker 3: never got real response, never weeks and weeks went by, 370 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,879 Speaker 3: and then I reached over to my family, contact this 371 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 3: lawyer and they find out what's going on with my appeal. 372 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 3: He informed them that did not file an appeal within 373 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 3: the timeframe. The thurnit the window to find the notice 374 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,600 Speaker 3: of appeal, so the issue became waved. According to the 375 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 3: legal language, was basically I gave up on that issue, and. 376 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 1: With that failure is barred from raising the issue again 377 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: in state court. So he tries federal court. 378 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,680 Speaker 3: There's a federal magistrate that the case and he ordered 379 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 3: that I be retried within one hundred and twenty days 380 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:15,480 Speaker 3: are re released. The state appeal his decision, and the 381 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 3: district judge reversed the magistrates and uphel the conviction, maintaining 382 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 3: that there was a procedural default. Therefore, the federal courts 383 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 3: cannot entertain this issue whatsoever because the state did not 384 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:36,680 Speaker 3: get full opportunity to reverse their own mistake or their 385 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:40,240 Speaker 3: own issue. And I appeal that to the appellate court 386 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:43,240 Speaker 3: at the federal level. They ruled that they were very 387 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 3: troubled by the circumstances of this case and they clearly 388 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 3: articulated that they will not decide this case on the merits. 389 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 3: Whether or not this judge is ruling that oral communication 390 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 3: is not pretty. However, they could not welcome the procedural 391 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 3: default the issue, but that claimed to be entertained in 392 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:09,639 Speaker 3: the federal courts. So as a result, they upheld the conviction, 393 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:14,720 Speaker 3: with the astering that they were very troubled by the circumstances. 394 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:19,320 Speaker 1: So the case breaking evidence that surfaced back in nineteen 395 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:24,160 Speaker 1: ninety has effectively been newter by the system since nineteen 396 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: ninety one. The fight was fortunately revived in twenty eleven. 397 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: This is when the man who was in the kitchen 398 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 1: that night, Kurt Crump, sent Trevor an affidavit. 399 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:41,159 Speaker 3: The affidavit basically clarified that he operated residence and that 400 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 3: it is the victim. Johnson was one of his friends. 401 00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 3: That the confrontation occurred in the kitchen between Johnson and Donovan, 402 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,879 Speaker 3: and I intervened calm Johnson down. I left the house 403 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 3: with Donovan in tour and he said that Johnson was 404 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:57,280 Speaker 3: angry that he was going to get his guns, and 405 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,879 Speaker 3: why he tried to stop him from bard. You know, 406 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:04,680 Speaker 3: Johnson shoved White aside, and a storm goes behind Donavar 407 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:09,120 Speaker 3: and said that White ran down the basement together two 408 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 3: other guys to curve trailed behind Johnson to the front door, 409 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,439 Speaker 3: and in his activity he described his saw Johnson reaching 410 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:20,359 Speaker 3: the trunk when Mike Danaban shot him multiple times, and. 411 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:24,680 Speaker 1: That version of events is corroborated by the trajectory of 412 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 1: the bullets from the back to the front. This contradicted 413 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 1: both trial witness testimonies, and it continued to further discredit 414 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: Paul White. 415 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 3: When the shots were fired, Curve heard White and the 416 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 3: guy from the basement coming up behind him from the kitchen. 417 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:43,360 Speaker 3: Basically that White was not a witness because he said 418 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:46,480 Speaker 3: was behind him when the shots got fired. But they 419 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:48,520 Speaker 3: heard the shots and when he turned they as really 420 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:51,359 Speaker 3: had begun to flee back down the business. He can 421 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:55,639 Speaker 3: exit the residence to a business and that basically was it. 422 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 3: And he actually did follow up with a sworn video 423 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:02,960 Speaker 3: deposition with the corroborreate affective and I submitted all of 424 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:06,879 Speaker 3: that to the state court and it was denied it untimely, 425 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:11,119 Speaker 3: no explanation. I appealed that to the state's unpelate courts 426 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:15,919 Speaker 3: and they ruled that this evidence was untimely, but they 427 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 3: gave their explanation. They said it was cumulative because it 428 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,360 Speaker 3: produced no new facts. It basically said the same thing 429 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:25,040 Speaker 3: that the defense said. They said I should have gotten him, 430 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,240 Speaker 3: and basically they didn't. Said I could have gone. It 431 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:28,719 Speaker 3: didn't tell me how I was going to get him. 432 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:31,320 Speaker 3: They didn't discuss the fact that the state was looking 433 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:33,399 Speaker 3: for kirk Crumb because he was one of the persons 434 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 3: that was in the discovery as a weakness. 435 00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:39,879 Speaker 1: So you heard that, right, folks. Not even the state 436 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 1: can find this guy, yet Trevor is expected to do so. 437 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:47,240 Speaker 1: It turned out that kirk Crump had been arrested in 438 00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: another state under an alias before he was deported to Jamaica, 439 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 1: so finding him would have been nearly impossible. Yet when 440 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,520 Speaker 1: Trevor appealed to the federal courts, they said that these 441 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: two factors made the witness unreliable and so they denied 442 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:05,120 Speaker 1: him as well. 443 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:09,720 Speaker 3: Subsequent nine two tenty twenty three, friends and family finally 444 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 3: get the resources to hire a forensic expert, doctor Sheril 445 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 3: leg from Pittsburgh, and he compared the trial testimony from 446 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:22,560 Speaker 3: the witnesses, and he compared it to the autos report 447 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:26,280 Speaker 3: and the ballistics evidence, and he gave a report. It's 448 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:32,160 Speaker 3: his scientific conclusion that the description given by the state 449 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,919 Speaker 3: witnesses were fabricated because they conflicted with the autops report 450 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:41,639 Speaker 3: and described things that were physically impossible. They described the 451 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 3: victv shot multiple times in the chess face area, when 452 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 3: the autopsy reports showed that all the shots were going 453 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 3: from back to front. 454 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 1: Bullets don't have opinions. Bullets are not eye witnesses. 455 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:03,159 Speaker 3: These are facts facing somebody face to face and shoot 456 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 3: them in the back. On top of that, in twenty 457 00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:10,680 Speaker 3: twenty four, a private investigator in Jamaica located a federal 458 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:16,600 Speaker 3: informat and what's revealed that he actually did explain the 459 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:19,879 Speaker 3: same thing to the state prosecutor when the broad him 460 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,880 Speaker 3: in the office, when that I was an innoc advices standard, 461 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 3: and then at that point he said Sacks got animated 462 00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:28,440 Speaker 3: and was angry and said this would be an open 463 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:32,919 Speaker 3: and shortcase if he identified me as a perpetrator, explaining 464 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:36,240 Speaker 3: to him that he would have negative implications on his 465 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:40,080 Speaker 3: upcoming federal sentencing and the pleaar agreement that he had 466 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 3: signed feel incoporate. So this report that they investigator submitted, 467 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:51,160 Speaker 3: along with thessarily work report, those two things are currently 468 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:52,720 Speaker 3: in front the court and. 469 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 5: Another Acire Trevor, we wish you all the luck in court, 470 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 5: even though you shouldn't need any well wish is in 471 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,320 Speaker 5: the first place, it certainly feels like you do. 472 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 1: And if anyone listening has any information or wishes to 473 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:11,600 Speaker 1: support Trevor in any way, we'll make sure to link 474 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: ways to reach them. In our episode description, you'll see 475 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 1: that he also goes by the name Anton ford On Socialist. 476 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 1: And with that we go to our closing. You know, 477 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:26,280 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna sit back here and listen to anything 478 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:28,800 Speaker 1: that Trevor has left to say. Let's let you have 479 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:31,000 Speaker 1: the last word, all right, thank you. 480 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 3: For giving me this opportunity to address your listeners. I've 481 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,600 Speaker 3: endored more than my full measure of injustice. As a result, 482 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 3: I'm driven by a desire to do my part and 483 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 3: to contribute everything I can to bend the moralogue of 484 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:48,200 Speaker 3: the universe towards more justice. I aspire to embody the 485 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:57,280 Speaker 3: virtues of revolutionary love, radical empathy, unapologetic kindness, and unconditional freedom. 486 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 3: I was forged to leading the bowels of a castoral 487 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:06,640 Speaker 3: cauldun of oppression, where I was subjected to unspeakable trans 488 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:13,040 Speaker 3: and tribulations at the hands of manifesting justice, systemic violence, 489 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:19,120 Speaker 3: and steed inflicted torture meant to terrorize and design to dehumanize. 490 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:25,360 Speaker 3: Yet I survived. I was grown down by the millstone 491 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:30,640 Speaker 3: of oppression, tried by the fires of cruelty, and tested 492 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 3: in the face of unmitigated brutality. Yet I persevered to emerge, 493 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:44,280 Speaker 3: a defied, purified, and sanctified. I'm now obsessed with and 494 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:49,960 Speaker 3: possessed by an urgent need to call out, condemned and 495 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:56,480 Speaker 3: deconstruct white supremacy, to love, clear, for, and nurture all 496 00:30:56,680 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 3: and any authentic expression of humanity. To demand liberty, equity, 497 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 3: and the humane treatment of the entire spectrum of nature. 498 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 3: And to end in justice and all forms of exploitation. 499 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 3: In the last seven years, Philadelphia's Conviction Integrity Units has 500 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 3: released over fifty inmates who were wrongfully convicted, a total 501 00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 3: of more than seven hundred years sent incascerated illegally. All 502 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,240 Speaker 3: of these black and brown people were sentenced to deathbine 503 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:34,000 Speaker 3: casceration is sentenced ephimistically referred to as life without the 504 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:40,920 Speaker 3: possibility of parole. Note these wrongful convictions occurred in Philadelphia County, 505 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 3: and there are many more similar cases like mine yet 506 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 3: to be reviewed. On June nineteen, twenty twenty three, Philadelphia 507 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 3: District Attorneys Office released their Racial Injustice Report. This report 508 00:31:55,080 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 3: stated unequivocally that Philadelphia's criminal justice system is racists. This 509 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:07,800 Speaker 3: is a refusable proof that the wrongful convictions uncovered and documented. 510 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,480 Speaker 3: We're not a matter of mistakes nor the system being broken. No, 511 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:17,800 Speaker 3: this is institutional racism at work, and like all other 512 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 3: institutional racism, it's next serious and amounts to social engineering. 513 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:29,600 Speaker 3: This is in justice by design. I argue that the 514 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 3: wrongful convictions in Philadelphia are so pervasive that they cannot 515 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:38,400 Speaker 3: be tolerated by a civilized society, and we cannot depend 516 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:41,600 Speaker 3: on the current lethogic by drip one case at the 517 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:46,640 Speaker 3: time judicial review process to address this pervasive systemic problem. 518 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:51,560 Speaker 3: Too many cases will be missed. We need an across 519 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,880 Speaker 3: the board legislative fixed the remedy the cruel and unusual 520 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:59,640 Speaker 3: harms inflicted by the state sanctioned the convictions of innocent people. 521 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:05,360 Speaker 3: We need parole eligibility for lifers. There is no parole 522 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:09,560 Speaker 3: for life as in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is one of the 523 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:13,600 Speaker 3: four states in the Union that still employs the Barrick 524 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 3: draconian sentence in scheme of mandatory life without the possibility 525 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:22,400 Speaker 3: of parole for murder. It's time to drive Pennsylvania's archaic 526 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:26,480 Speaker 3: crime code into the modern era of Greece, mercy and 527 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:33,600 Speaker 3: second chances. In February twenty sixteen, the United States Supreme Court, 528 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:36,880 Speaker 3: in the case of two co versus Louisiana, rule that 529 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:40,920 Speaker 3: sentence in juvenile offenders that is, offender seventeen years and 530 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:45,960 Speaker 3: younger to mandatory life without parole was unconstitutional. As a 531 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:49,880 Speaker 3: result of this ruling, Pennsylvania had to re sentence over 532 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:54,720 Speaker 3: five hundred juvenile lifers, many incarcerated for over twenty years. 533 00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:59,520 Speaker 3: As of today, over one hundred of these juvenile lifers 534 00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 3: have been sentenced and successfully reintegrated into society. Listen, there 535 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:09,720 Speaker 3: are more than five thousands of the lifers, many incarcerated 536 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:15,120 Speaker 3: over twenty years, languishing in prison in Pennsylvania. These other 537 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:18,880 Speaker 3: five thousand lifers are no different, not by one judge, 538 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:22,520 Speaker 3: now by one iota, from the juvenile lifers who were 539 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:27,160 Speaker 3: paroled and successfully returned to the community. There is a 540 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:31,440 Speaker 3: moral imperative, if not legal, equal protection, case to be 541 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 3: made that parole eligibility must be extended to these other 542 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:41,480 Speaker 3: five thousand lifers. These other five thousand lifers, including myself, 543 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:44,720 Speaker 3: do not have to die in prison to keep society safe. 544 00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:48,520 Speaker 3: I have a vision to make parole available to all 545 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 3: eligible lifers in Pennsylvania. I'm talking about bending the moral 546 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:58,120 Speaker 3: arc of the universe towards more justice by ending the 547 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:03,920 Speaker 3: politics of injustice. To achieve this goals, I need substantial 548 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:08,439 Speaker 3: support and access to institutional resources. I want to create 549 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 3: a nonprofit organization, Gordon Justice und Accountability Project, to implement 550 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:17,239 Speaker 3: a comprehensive five year plan design to achieve a roles 551 00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:21,800 Speaker 3: eligibility for life within Pennsylvania. I call upon all councient 552 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:24,120 Speaker 3: just people who desire to help to join me on 553 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:27,680 Speaker 3: this mission. You may contact me on the social media 554 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:30,719 Speaker 3: platform of Instagram at my fun I am twenty three 555 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:35,000 Speaker 3: page that is fun. I am twenty three a niam 556 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:38,440 Speaker 3: two three the sign up for this cause. Thank you 557 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:39,399 Speaker 3: for your time. 558 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:47,400 Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to Ron for Conviction. You can 559 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,920 Speaker 2: listen to this and all the Lava for Good podcasts 560 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:53,040 Speaker 2: one week early and ad free by subscribing to Lava 561 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:55,879 Speaker 2: for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I want to thank 562 00:35:55,960 --> 00:35:59,080 Speaker 2: our production team, Color Hall and Kathleen Fink, as well 563 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:02,320 Speaker 2: as my fellow executive producers Jeff Kempler, Kevin Wartis, and 564 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:04,799 Speaker 2: Jeff Cliber. The music in this production was supplied by 565 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:07,880 Speaker 2: three time OSCAR nominated composer Jay Ralph. Be sure to 566 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,719 Speaker 2: follow us across all social media platforms at Lava for 567 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,719 Speaker 2: Good and at Wrongful Conviction. You can also follow me 568 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:16,880 Speaker 2: on Instagram at it's Jason Flamm. Wrongful Conviction is a 569 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:20,560 Speaker 2: production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal. 570 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:21,080 Speaker 4: Company Number One. 571 00:36:21,239 --> 00:36:23,640 Speaker 2: We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported 572 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:24,960 Speaker 2: in this show are accurate. 573 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,759 Speaker 4: The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in 574 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:30,480 Speaker 4: this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect 575 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:31,719 Speaker 4: those of Lava for Good.