Dear Friends,
As most of you know, I have been involved for some time in the case of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, also known as The West Memphis 3. These three men were convicted of murder nearly fifteen years ago, and have spent their entire adult lives in prison for a crime they did not commit. This is a case where there was overwhelming evidence of innocence, and where the prosecutor actually said at summation: "There's no evidence at the scene...We have presented a circumstantial case with circumstantial evidence, and that's good enough for a conviction."
Their conviction – based on the inadmissible testimony of a mentally retarded man and a satanic cult expert who received his PhD via mail – was a tragic miscarriage of justice, demonstrating just how hard it is for people of no means to get a fair trial in this country.
Recently, there has been a spate of good news, including positive press coverage and new DNA reports by the nation's leading forensic expert, conclusively demonstrating their innocence. But, until that evidence is put before the court, Damien will remain on death row awaiting death by lethal injection, and Jason and Jessie will continue to serve life sentences.
On March 25, we will have a chance to hear from Dennis Riordan, Damien's lawyer, from Lorri Davis, Damien's wife, and from other special guests about these exciting developments. We will also be screening a short film about the West Memphis 3, including excerpts from the award winning HBO documentary and Damien's recent appearance on the Larry King Show.
As I am sure you know, mounting a professional legal defense is not easy, nor is it cheap, so we will be asking you to donate to a 501(c)3 set up to support these legal efforts and help present the DNA evidence to the Arkansas State Court so that justice will finally be served.
March 25, 2008, from 7-9 p.m.
The Core Club, 66 East 55th Street, NY, NY, www.thecoreclub.com
Drinks and light fare will be served
If you can come, please RSVP as soon as possible to echolsnyc@gmail.com and make your tax deductible payment here.
We will also be auctioning off several exciting items to support this important cause.
Sincerely,
Charlotte
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