JUSTUS 4 SHAWN HAWKINS

 



FACT SHEET TO SAVE THE LIFE OF SHAWN HAWKINS






We are petitioning Governor  Kasich in an effort to save Shawn from unjustly being put to death by the State of Ohio for the murders, which he did not commit, of Terrance Richard and Diamond Marteen in Mt. Healthy, Ohio.   We stand firmly on the belief that Shawn Hawkins is innocent of these crimes!  We feel Shawn was unjustly convicted for the following reasons:




NO INVOLVEMENT



He had absolutely no involvement in this crime that he was charged with, and unjustly convicted of.




UNRELIEABLE WITNESS



The State's key witness, a juvenile at the time, Henry Brown, failed two polygraph tests, changed his story  multiple times, lied about his alibi the night of the murders, and he later confessed to participating in the crimes.




 Henry was granted full Immunity.



After Shawn's conviction, Henry Brown told investigators that he had lied at Shawn's trial and confessed to participating in the homicides.




One year after Shawn's conviction, Brown robbed two others at gunpoint in a manner similar to the murders of Terrace Richard and Diamond Marteen.  He is currently serving another sentence of 4 to 7 years for aggravated robbery.




PARTIAL FINGERPRINT



The only physical evidence was a questionable partial fingerprint found in the car with the victims. Shawn had admittedly been in the car several times during the course of that horrific day with the two young men.




The Miami Valley Crime Lab, which had the latest laser technology, determined that a fingerprint could not be enhanced, lifted, or identified from any of the prints found in the car and therefore could not help the State's case.  The lab sent the prints, some of which had been destroyed in the testing process, back to the detectives.




Although the Crime Lab was unable to identify the fingerprints, the State Examiner, who had no prior blood print experience, used this same physical evidence and miraculously enhanced it to identify Shawn's print.




None of this information was made available to Shawn's attorney and the circumstances surrounding the fingerprint evidence were revealed during Federal Discovery, many years later, after Shawn's conviction.




INEFFECTIVE COUNSEL




Legal Counsel told Shawn that there was no way he could be convicted of these crimes.  Counsel believed the state's evidence was so unsubstantial that he had him testify in his own defense, failed to call witnesses on Shawn's behalf, failed to present any mitigating evidence, even though such evidence was readily available and conducted an extremely weak defense.




Counsel's closing arguments focused entirely on berating and threatening the jury for its prior determination of Shawn's guilt, while failing to present mitigating evidence or call witnesses on Shawn's behalf. The jury issued a death sentence following Counsel's closing arguments.




POLICE INVESTIGATION



The conduct of the police investigators was reprehensible.  The agenda was on closing the case and not finding the actual killers of these two young men.




The State's key witness implicated two additional people as participants in the crimes, but neither person was ever arrested or charged, which illuminates the fact that they really never cared about finding the truth.




There is an existing audiotape of the police investigators where one detective makes the statement "two dead niggers in Mt. Healthy".  This demonstrates how low they regarded the lives of blacks and did not hesitate to help convict and ruin the life of another innocent black man.




At trial, they testified that they lost their notes regarding what Shawn had told them during the investigation, which speaks for itself!





The fact that Shawn's  jury did not hear much of this important evidence has not been corrected by the courts, and Executive Clemency exists to intervene where the courts cannot at this point.  Therefore, we, as friends, family and supporters of Shawn, implore him to demonstrate respect for justice and human life by doing everything within his power to commute the death sentence of Shawn Hawkins.  He has spent 20 years of his life housed on death row for a crime he did NOT commit, and now ask that the Governor correct this wrong by recommending and granting clemency at this time.We pray that he will show compassion in his decision. 




We also would like to thank your for your time and attention to this very serious matter.  To get involved and help please visit our website or call our Save Shawn Line at 513-442-1280 and leave a message.  Someone will respond promptly. 





Many Thanks,     For more info visit: http://www.wix.com/4shawn/justus4shawn



The Family and Friends of Shawn Hawkins

Petition to Commute the Death Sentence of Shawn Hawkins


Families


That Matter

 







We, the undersigned, together with the family and friends of Shawn Hawkins, urge Governor Strickland to commute Shawn Hawkins's death sentence for the following reasons:


1.  The State's key witness, Henry Brown, changed his story repeatedly  and admitted that he had lied numerous times about various facts regarding Shawn's involvement in the homicides.



2.   Evidence of improper action and attitudes of the police investigating the crime.

3.   Evidence that the only physical evidence against Shawn was in actuality unidentifiable.

4.   Several witnesses were not called who would have negated the key witness's testimony.
5.   Shawn had ineffective assistance of counsel especially during his sentencing phase. 


We deeply sympathize with the family and friends of Terrance Richard and Diamond Marteen, but we respectfully offer that another death will neither heal nor resolve this tragedy.


Action petitioned for:  We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge Governor Strickland to grant clemency to Shawn Hawkins.

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