Pamela Smart is seeking a commutation of her sentence of life without parole. Pamela Smart was imprisoned at the age of 22 and has now served nearly 32 years behind bars. She is the longest serving woman inmate in New York State, residing at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.

Pamela has expressed deep remorse and taken responsibility for her behavior that led to the murder of her husband Gregg Smart.

Her trial was a sensational display of how a narrative contrary to the facts in the case can drive the media and the courtroom. Like Amanda Knox, as well as Damien Echols and the West Memphis 3, facts are often obscured or ignored completely to gain a conviction or produce a sensational news report. In Pamela Smart’s case, we witnessed this in the extreme. A movie was aired even before her trial, and hers was one of the first trials ever televised gavel to gavel. Over 1200 news articles, almost all based on a prosecution narrative, were exposed to a jury that was not sequestered during trial

Pamela’s life without parole sentence is excessive and inhumane, as well as disproportionate to the sentences of the actual killers. The four young men who killed Gregg Smart have been free for years.

She has worked tirelessly to grow and change. She has dedicated herself to helping others during her three decades in prison. She has helped hundreds of women get their high school diplomas, associates, and bachelor’s degrees, worked as a certified HIV/AIDS counselor, and is currently in her 7th term as the elected grievance representative. She has furthered her own education by achieving a Doctorate in Biblical Studies, a Master of Science in Law, and a Master of Fine Arts in English Literature. She graduated from all three programs with a 4.0 GPA.

Pamela was selected by her Pastor for a leadership position in her church and has served her church community in that role for decades.

She is now asking New Hampshire’s Governor Christopher Sununu, the New Hampshire Executive Council and the Office of the Attorney General to have mercy on her and reduce her sentence so that she can return home.

If you can please support Pamela Smart’s effort to gain a commutation of her sentence. Reach out to New Hampshire Governor Sununu, Attorney General John M. Formel, as well as New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James and other elected officials in New York and New Hampshire.

See pamelasmart.com

The Honorable Chris Sununu
Governor
State House
107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-2121
(603)271-7680 Fax

Attorney General John M. Formell
New Hampshire Dept of Justice
33 Capitol Street
Concord, NH 03301

The Honorable Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
1-518-474-8390

Attorney General Letittia James
The Capitol
Albany, NY 12224-0341

STATEMENT BY FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF THE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED, INC.

Families of the Wrongfully Convicted, Attorney Justin Bonus and co-founder Derrick Hamilton applaud New Jersey State Attorney General Gubrir Grewal and his colleagues in the Statewide Conviction Review Unit vacating the conviction of Taron Hill, who was wrongfully convicted of a murder that his brother committed in Camden, NJ. In 2004. He was released on Friday, July 9, 2021, in Camden, NJ.

Hill has served 14 years of a 60-year sentence imposed in 2007, even though Hill’s older brother had admitted that he was the shooter. It was a double homicide in which two innocent bystanders were killed. He was identified by a woman who was a drug addict through a single photograph. Even though she had named another man as the person she saw, not Taron. The only other pieces of evidence against Taron are jailhouse informants, who both have recanted.

Almost immediately after Taron’s conviction, family members came forward and told authorities and the court that Anthony confessed. Now the NJ AG’s Office, in their first case that they have handled, are vacating this conviction.

Attorney Justin Bonus and Derrick Hamilton said, “The New Jersey Attorney General has proven that transparency and cooperation with defense lawyers and family members can actually result in justice. Other states and municipalities across the country can learn from the integrity shown by New Jersey State Attorney General Gubrir Grewal and his colleagues in the Statewide Conviction Review Unit. It does not have to remain an adversarial relationship. In fact, justice is served when it is a cooperative effort.”

Notice of Motion for a New Trial HILL CRU

State’s Response Brief to Defendant’s Motion for New Trial (McBride)

Kariem (Kareem) Broxton is an innocent man who has been in prison for approximately 23 years and has been denied an evidentiary hearing despite recantation of witnesses and 13 new affidavits. The same key coerced witnesses’ testimony that ultimately got him convicted have recanted. However, the district attorney and Judge have stated, they aren’t credible now! These witnesses have never met or knew Kariem Broxton before or after the conviction and only want to do the right thing, but the courts are not allowing them to. This new evidence can most certainly free him. The law continues to be unjust and does not serve equity. One of the victim’s stated during trial, “ Kariem Broxton did NOT shoot me and I never saw him with a gun or shoot anyone” Yet, Kariem is charged with attempted murder for shooting this victim…. This is not only unjust to Kariem, but to the victims and victims family members. We a requesting that the conviction unit review his case and grant him an evidentiary hearing. Kariem Broxton deserve to be FREE! The Families of the victim deserves Justice, reinvestigate this case.

This could be you, your son, brother, nephew, cousin or friend. This petition requires and deserves our signature, Kariem Broxton deserves an evidentiary hearing so evidence can be heard and presented and an innocent man can be be freed from a crime he did not commit. Also, the victims deserve justice.

To show your support please go to http://chng.it/BSxkVXmf

John Giuca was convicted on a charge of second-degree felony murder in the death of 19- year old Mark Fisher in 2003. Giuca was arrested a year after the murder, he was found guilty along with Antonio Russo; both were given a sentence of 25 years to life.

Following the recent defeat of 25-year incumbent District Attorney Charles Hynes, Giuca’s case has garnered new attention from the media, as well as the incoming District Attorney, Kenneth Thompson, who pledged in his campaign to investigate allegations of prosecutorial misconduct by his predecessor. Issues with the case include apparent conflicts of interest between Hynes and several key players in the case, including Hynes’ hiring of Angel Dipietro, a key witness, as an attorney working for his office. Hynes maintains her hiring was unrelated to the Fisher case, however many have publicly cast doubt on this assertion, including Fisher’s own parents, who sued Dipietro in 2007 for alleged negligence in her interaction with their son, who the Fishers’ maintain put him in harm’s way. Further doubts have been cast on the conviction by those who point out that Hynes received a political endorsement from a key witness’s mother, Susan Cleary, during the trial, which was ongoing during Hynes’ 2005 primary election. Giuca’s attorney is currently appealing to DA Thompson to overturn Giuca’s conviction based on these and other allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.

Additionally, three key witnesses have signed sworn affidavits recanting their testimony against Giuca.

After serving 11 years in maximum security prison, Richard sought to overturn his conviction based upon new evidence that “witnesses were pressured and manipulated into giving an account of the tragic events of October 3, 1996, that matched the prosecution’s theory of the case, but not what they had actually seen.”

After an eight-day evidentiary hearing, the court determined “the most reliable statements made by witnesses regarding the shooting are those that were made on October 3, 1996…before the intimidation, interrogation and will-bending tactics of the police and prosecution were upon him, and at a time when Mr. Dillon had no reason to lie, embellish or otherwise misrepresent the facts.”

The County Court vacated his conviction, ordered his release, and denied the prosecutors the right to re-indict, finding him innocent of all charges. Richard was released from Eastern Correctional Facility on September 19, 2008.

Richard immediately obtained employment with Local 147 of the Sandhogs Union. He established his own residence, reconnected with family and friends, and met and fell in love with a wonderful young woman, and was looking forward to building a future with her.

Nearly two years later, in 2010, the Appellate Division, responding to the DA’s appeal, shockingly reversed the trial court’s rulings, reinstated his conviction, and sent him back to prison to serve out his life sentence. Incredibly, the Appellate Division took this action even though it did not take issue with the Trial Court’s description of the pressure applied to the witnesses or the effect that the pressure had on their statements or on their trial testimony. Without any legal remedies left, Richard with the support of thousands of people, including all the major police unions, has asked Governor Andrew Cuomo for clemency.

Lorenzo Johnson was found guilty of first-degree murder in 1996 at the age of 22 and has spent 16 1/2 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. According to new evidence, Lorenzo was not even in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on the night of the murder of Tarajay Williams. He was 170 miles away, back home in New York when the murder occurred. Lorenzo was not even accused of participating in the shooting, only of allegedly being near the alley where the murder took place.

As a result of the lack of evidence presented in his original trial, the Federal Appeals Court for the Third Circuit overturned Johnson’s conviction and freed him in January 2012. Rather than respect the court’s decision and allow an innocent man who served almost 17 years in prison to live free, the Pennsylvania Attorney General appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.  A mere 148 days after gaining his freedom, on May 29, 2012, the United States Supreme Court, in a quick and shocking decision, without even requesting a full briefing and oral arguments, reinstated Lorenzo’s conviction and he was ordered to return to Pennsylvania to resume his sentence of life without parole.

Johnny Hincapie is serving a life sentence for the 1990 murder of Brian Watkins, a young tourist from Utah visiting New York with his family to attend the US Open Tennis Tournament. Lawyers for Hincapie, who has already served 23 years in prison, have filed a motion to vacate his conviction based on newly discovered evidence and actual innocence.

The only evidence supporting his conviction at the time was a “false confession,” obtained through physical force and coercion, and a line-up identification in which an eyewitness stated Johnny looked “vaguely familiar.” Along with Johnny, seven others were charged with crimes for their roles in the mugging. A witness for Johnny, Louis Montero was wrongfully held in prison for 18 months, and won a settlement from the city for his wrongful arrest. Montero has provided sworn statements that Johnnie was in sight of him the entire time the attack took place and cold not have been involved. Johnny was 18 at the time of the mugging, and had no prior arrests. He is now 41 years old. Johnny’s lawyers have filed a motion to vacate his conviction pursuant to C.P.L section 440.10, based on newly discovered evidence and actual innocence.