Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Show me the faded inside the cat foodstacke. Not every
light is gone and cat you baby doesn't add a
May nine back, get be close to your house. I
love the fashion's kind of shavy, crazy because you had
to the man in the morning. It's all kind of
(00:21):
then it's showing me the faded inside the cat foodstacke,
not every I didn't gone, and guide you.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, when I blow up, I'm gonna saw highlight Peter
Pan in real life, be living out my dreams, come
waking up. It's in the fourth Land.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Parks Boys for five bars. We got Jesse Wrecky is
back and we are now presenting some cases that national
public awareness. One we've taken on. Another one we're strongly considering.
But again, Jesse, why to have you back?
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Hey, thank you so much for having me, and hello
to everybody out there. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
So we're going to cut right to it. The one
that we've taken on right now has an actual innocence
claim them as Jerome, can you tell us about his case?
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Oh, quite a remarkable case. Tragic, Yeah, absolutely tragic. We
have a mister Jerome Harris from Danville, ill Moois, which
is Chicago area, and he was wrongly convicted of a
triple homicide, not one not too but a triple homicide
where a man had actually admitted to federal aforties in
(01:47):
the dan Hill authorities that he was fully responsible for
the cons and he goes back there for two thousand
and seven or a federal manager he didn't fact and
dipe a man named Fredale Bryant, conspiracy to distribute craft
cocaine for four years, possession of more than five hundred
grams cocaine with the intent of distribute, and possession of
(02:09):
firearm by felling, and he was looking at a mandatory
life sentence. Well. Two days before his trial began, Brian
entered into a plea agreement that gave him immunity for
anything that he spoke about, and what he did was
unrelated to that. On March twenty fifth, two thousand and seven,
(02:30):
three people executed shot at death and Danville on mister
Rodney Pepper, A Madison Leverenz sent Treid Darren McCullough and
they were shot, and mister Brian explained, look, he went
there because several kilos of cocaine came up missing in
a large amount of his cast and so he shot
(02:53):
these people. He admitted this. He also sided to run
people involved. So Defetch cut a deal with him and
so that this date of Illinois and they said, here's
what's up. You tell us everything you know about everything
that you know, and anybody that may have been with
you will grant you immunity and give you a lesson
of your sentence. So mister Bryant went ahead and started
(03:13):
testifying against other drug traffickers in the area. And uh,
it's unbelievable, but he ended up throwing mister Harris and
mister David Moore in the mix, saying they were with
him when the triple murders occurred, and they said, okay,
well I'll tell you what. We're going to take that information.
(03:34):
We're going to run with that. But that was state
and for some reason he went after another big, big
doat dealer and he got him a lot of time
as well. He was granted full community and so he
just said, look, they was with me. He didn't say
(03:55):
that they did the killings. But anyway, the fight against
the mister Carrick Franklin for being a huge drug trafficker
and mister you know this is part of the federal
plead and stapely. This man gets sentenced. You know they
was moving they was moving a weight.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
He gets sentenced. He goes to prison the day that
Illinois police come to him and say, well, look, everyone
to continue to testify. We want to know more about
mister mister Moore and mister Harris. He's like, well, here's
what's up. I just drugged them in because I was
trying to get a little lesser severe sentence. They didn't
have nothing to do with this. I already told the
younger one that killed him, I got immunity. So there's
nothing you can do. It's over with. And so defense
(04:37):
did in fact condict him at these three murders, fully
full confession, and they convicted him to three murder. Well,
mister David Moore was never convicted, and he was named
as a code of man. He was never convicted at
every pushed me any further. However, Jerome Harris ended up
being convicted for the same three murder because this prosecutors
(05:01):
picked it up and they used a general house of
performing two of them that had stated that mister Harris
told them that he was there when the crimes occurred,
and after he was convicted of his awful crime that
he didn't commit. They called forward and said, no, he
never told us that. What he told us was Briant
(05:22):
was trying to use him as a scapegoat by saying
he was there. Well, they retanded their statements. Now his
phone pains and shows that he was forty some miles
away from the crime scene. He never knew mister Moore.
He had never met David Moore in his life. Mister
Morris has already verified that they didn't know each other.
(05:44):
They weren't together. This never happened, and mister Bryan himself
has admitted they were not there. A man who owned
up to the murder. But they weren't there. I was
just trying to get a sentence reduction, and tragically this
man was rossly convicted. Well, he reached out to n
p A, and n p A got the case file
(06:05):
and ironically, and what a wonder, what what what a blessing. Uh.
He even was able to provide audio recordings of his
appellate hearing, UH where it was actually proven on record
before Justice Turner the Illinois State Supreme Court that the
witnesses normally recanted her story. There was jel House informance.
(06:28):
They got a severe time and or conviction. All of
this worked out just fine. But anyway I get to
die anyway they go through this all right, if I man,
I'm gonna have to call you right back please, well.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
No problem, no problem, okay. So I'll that to Jerome's
case because they had the ship recordings, like the all
people from the president come.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Forward absolutely and this is incredible. You can actually listen
to it. It's available. So he has his appeal proceedings.
A friend of Justice Turner of the Illinois State Supreme Court,
uh his lawyer, a young lady, presented his arguments, and
it was a phenomenal argument. However, it was fatally flawed.
(07:27):
He began to she brought up the issue of the
infect instantance to Kyle counsel, and the judge was all
of a sudden, you can listen. Is phenomenal because the
judge is for Telsa. Turner is for mister Harris. All
the way through. He's like, listen. You know when they
recanted their statements, they didn't have the opportunity to, you know,
(07:48):
cross examine these these witnesses and and determ of whether
or not there you know there is any substance to
their claims. None of us happened, you know, so short
was it was not a proper trial procedure, and it
will certainly call institutional violation. However, she raised the ineffective
assistants a council and this is something that is to
never be done in addressed appeal proceeding in any state.
(08:12):
And it's simple and even Justine Turners laid it up.
You know, when somebody raises ineffective assistants counsel in a
direct appeal, you can't put that lawyer up there to
make him explain what he did or she did or
did not do, to determine exactly how deficient their performance was.
(08:33):
That's what an ineffective assistance a council claim is. Their
performance fell below a reasonable standard of care. It's like
a medical malpractice claim. Basically, it's a legal malpractice claim.
And when she said, look it was an effective assistance
council because he didn't get the cross examine him and
he didn't push the court word enough, well that got
hurt the appeal and so that's why then appeal wasn't granted. However,
(08:59):
and when you hear it like Wow, so he was
so close, he was right there.
Speaker 3 (09:03):
Why does he work?
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Because of raising the ineffect of assistance a council. You
can't do it in the direct appeal. It is a
no go for review. In other words, you can't bring
it back up to a lower court. And if you
don't fully develop the record in an onomous hearing, in
other words, of hearing into all matters regarding the ineffective
assistance of council, you get to pull all.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
The other Yeah, that's that's very hard to prove.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
Yeah, it is, so I understood it. And unfortunately, you know,
his appeal is not But on the thirtieth the news
some months mister Harris has a post conviction hearing and
there's a very strong possibility needs to be provided relief.
If not, he will win. And behavior's corpus in which
he is ready to ready to initiate if necessary, and
(09:54):
we're hoping that he doesn't have to, but if necessary
he can and he will. But you know, he's made
a clear showing of actual innocence. Yeah, these cases, his
case is so so so polued with this condo in gosh,
(10:14):
you know the telehouse was woman's himself just unbelievable. They
didn't know the man. They made things up in order
to get less of their sentences, and then they repeated
their statements after they finally got released for like well
high lied. You know, it is what it is. I
was just trying to get a cut of pie. And
that happens all too often in the American judicial system.
It's horrible. It truly is horrible.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Yeah, and it happens all the time.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
It doesn't. But mister Harris in his family, I mean,
you know he's going to He's going to come home.
He truly is.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
He is.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
He is going to come home. If I'm mad, can
I call you back? Because I just got a two
minute notice and I got a relog into this tabit
no problem, I'm probably gone, No problem.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Okay, So he will be coming home, oh absolutely. And
so in the meantime, you know, I definitely want him
on the podcast. He's stign before, gonna get a bit
called up, cut up, and I'm going to reconnect with him.
And so in the meantime, anything else we need to
(11:22):
know and what can we do to help them?
Speaker 4 (11:26):
All? Right? Well, here, just recently we found out that
his attorney and his name is Richard Dellahadenberg e a
l AT N B r G that is supposed to
be happening here in this upcoming here, and well, mister
Bellenberg has fallen off. He hasn't been an I've heard
about that real communication with him, and so you know everybody,
(11:49):
they've been asking everybody to reach out to him and
ask him to please contact him so they can, you know,
discuss what's going to happen in this hearing on the thirtieth,
and then you know, if you get a game plan together.
Uh And I understand his frustrations not hearing from a
lawyer because while you know, I'm self litigated, but I
also understand not being able to pop with somebody when
you're about politigate. Yeah, and uh so we're hoping mister
(12:13):
Dellenberg does the right thing because this case is a
win and this is an actual innocence claim. And I
would hope that this lawyer would have more interactions with
mister Harris and his family. M H.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
And yeah, so bully his information in his description.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
So, I mean he needs to do his job and
get this going, keep all keep in contact with him,
do his job. And it also, like I said, we'll
have them on the shows them and you know we
will get justice for them.
Speaker 4 (12:51):
Absolutely. Yeah. Uh to you, this is a this is
a big cause and because you know the claim it is,
it's a real cli He's yeah act. And that's the thing.
You know, there are many of them out there. It's
just hard to weave through them. And that's part of
that betting process that you know, you and everybody else
(13:11):
is part of. You get a look at this and
you get to look at the facts and weigh all
the issues, and you know it's it's by the preponderance.
Know if if there's a showing woman, you know that
that's where it's at. And he's made that, he truly has.
And my my, my respect to mister Harrison his failing.
He'll be coming home, he truly will.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yes, yeah, yeah, there's one more case I wanted to touch on,
and you know, we're strongly considering that. I do want
to shine a light on this because he did do wrong. Yes,
but two wrongs don't make a right. Oh so do
you mind introducing us to it where he was Yes,
(13:54):
seign though, but again, two wrongs don't make a right here.
Speaker 4 (13:59):
They don't, and that would be the case of mister
Thomas Leftwich, none of less for Jindy case. And it's
anotherly case because it involves a police officer being shut
and unfortunately it did happen. But you know, here, here's
what's going on with mister Leftwich. Mister Leftwich was a
known drug dealer. He sold dope. You know, some people
(14:21):
sell cars, some people sell No, it doesn't make it
a good thing. Nonetheless, that's what he did. He's not
everyone to dispute that. What happened was this officer wasn't
on duty. He was on a narcotics drug for US.
He was on a task force. Sim and his partner
around drinking and carrying on. They weren't on duty. They
weren't making controlled buys. David wasn't you know, they didn't
(14:43):
wire up, they didn't have the money for controlled buys.
And even his partner said, what are we doing? Why
are we out doing this? So they're out drinking, they're
out carrying on. You know, the officer picks up a
female of you know, somebody that he was dating. They're
all out partying at the club. They start talking about, well,
let's get it, you know, what do you want and
(15:03):
it's like, well, let's get a little bit of dope,
and he says, well, no problem. They jump in the car.
He goes up to a dot dealer and jumps out
of the car with his gun drawn and starts to
chase him down, and the guy gets away because he
doesn't want to be roused. Unfortunately, this is a common
thing in that area, you know, and it's been a problem.
Some of the officers roused drug dealers. They don't arrest them,
(15:24):
they don't make control of drug bis. They come up,
they pull their guns, they take their money, and they
take their drugs, and then they come back and do
it every again, month after month after month because there's
someplamenting their income that way. It's called rousting. Unfortunately, he
roused the dough dealers in the area. He didn't lock
them up. He roused them, and he benefited from him.
(15:45):
He didn't protect and serve. He was doing nefarious things.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (15:50):
Well, the runs and even his partner said, look, why
are we doing this. We're not out here, we're not
even on duty. Why do you want to do this?
And this is the actual record and mister Leftwich is
provided to MPa in his in his application, and what
had happened is you know, so do veeder gets away,
(16:11):
He doesn't get he doesn't get to Ralph that one.
And he gets back in the vehicle and he goes, well,
where can we get some dopat? The female gets on
the phone, she makes a phone call, Hey, stop over here,
I know where you can pick something up. So they
drive up. He walks up. I'm good, he walks up.
He walks up. He pulls his pistol out. He stuffs
it in mister Leftwich's face. It says, bill me your money,
(16:33):
or it's going to be the worst day of your life.
He never identifies himself as a police offager. He's intoxicated.
He smells like booze because he's been out drinking all evening.
He's legally drunk. His partner's waiting in the vehicle, you know,
the female's waiting in the vehicle. The next thing you know,
mister Leftwich pulls his gun out and he shoots this man.
He doesn't know who he is. He didn't know he
(16:55):
was an officer. All he knew is somebody's stuck and
done in his face and wanted his money. He's thinking
it's all just to somebody coming up kind of either
take the parapet, just take my dope, and you know,
you put a gun in my face and that's a
threat to his life. So what did he do. He
protected himself. He put his gun out and he shot
this person and mister left, which has made an abundantly
(17:15):
clear ass would anybody else, Look, it would have been
a five year sentence. If the man would have said,
freeze Cots, he would have dropped. He would have gave
him the dope. He would have dropped the gun, and
he would have let him get his two and a
half years. He certainly would have shot him. He would
have never shot him. He certainly wouldn't have. The problem
is the man didn't identify himself and he thought he
was He thought he was, you know, a rival. He
(17:36):
had no other thoughts in that particular situations. Some dangerous game.
Two wrongs. They'll make him right. You said that perfectly.
But you know this, this shooting wasn't delibered. It wasn't intentionally.
He wasn't trying to execute a police officer at all.
He didn't even know the man was a police officer, right,
And it's tragic, But all of the evidence, and MPa
(17:59):
is looking to it's national public awareness. You know, the
entire case file has been provided and they're looking at
the case violence. It's entirety and there, you know, they're
evaluating that he is a prospect. He's been considered because
he says, I'm actually innocent and I have a proof
of it. And this statements are in the record. You
see the statements by his partner who said, we wasn't
(18:21):
on duty. I asked him, what are we doing? Why
are we out here doing this? We're not even on duty,
the female explained. And there's so many, so many elements
that point that not only was he roused him, but
he certainly didn't identify himself. He wasn't identifying himself. And
it wasn't it wasn't making it wasn't to make a
(18:42):
drug boss. It was to rouse this man exactly. Unfortunately,
you know, he lost his life over the way. Did
he want about it? You know, he shouldn't just identified
himself as a police officer and went ahead and you know,
took it and walked away, But he didn't do that. Instead,
he pulled his gun straight out, put it in the
man's face and demanded the drugs and you know, unfortunately
he was shot. As I said, two wrongs don't make
(19:04):
it right. But this wasn't done with the tent. This
was done under the fear of you know, potentially losing
his life. So it's a very it's an odd case,
it truly is. And I know, you know everybody they're
taking a good look at it. And as you know,
it's a diversified group of people that are looking at
this actual evidence and they're going to make a determination
(19:25):
as to whether or not to promote this. I hope
that they do, and I hope that you know, there's
nothing leflis to get a reduction in sentence, it's nothing else.
It should have never been bored in an involuntary manslaughter
now you know, through a voluntary toss. But there was
no drug transaction going on, so there wasn't born in
(19:47):
the Commissioner of Felony. You know, this man was being
robbed and so you know, unfortunately this is what happened,
and it's terrible, it's tragic. You know, a police dropper
to protect and serve and they do provide a f
viable service to the community when they do it the
way they it's opposed to. But when they're just out
there rals and dope boys, that's not the way to
do it. That's not righty, don't do that.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
And like you gay, it's very tragic of the way
it turned out. And I mean, and it was self sustense.
Two runs don't make a right.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
But I mean, this sentence think he got, but what he's.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
Charged with now, it's just it's incredible. And another thing,
you know, here's another thing. And I've never want to
put it out there. Everybody knows I'm a pasty old
white guy. Let's keep it real, Okay, this is we're
talking about, you know, West Virginia. We're talking about an
African American who's selling dope. And I mean, look, I'm
he and mister Leftwich has never pulled a race card.
(20:49):
But you know what, they target the dope boys because
they know, look, here's what's up. He doesn't want to
go to jail. I want to take his money when
I come back next month. He's want to give to
me a game. And they target them into victuals.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yes to hear.
Speaker 4 (21:01):
Arresting them and putting instead of arresting them and put
them in job and put them in prison. Like they're
as opposed to they want to benefit from them, and
it's it's it's terrible. It truly is. It's awful to
see that this is going on in America in this
day and age. It really is.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Oh, I've seen it happen many many times. So they're targeted.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Yeah, I mean they made a movie about this by
training Day, and it's it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
I mean.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
When you when you look at the facts of this case,
like wow, this is like you know this training day,
this is what this this is what they was out doing,
and this is unbelievable. So as I said, you know,
my heart goes off to the west Wwich family, it
also goes up to the Office Rich family. I have
to say this. I mean, you know, nobody it's it's tragic.
It is truly tragic and uh, but it's an injustice,
(21:56):
you know itself. It's an injustice across the board. And
hopefully that be that could be brought to an amical
resolve across the board, because it should really.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Absolutely and you know, uh, what's the website for uh
National Public Awareness.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Again, National Public Awareness USA dot or Online Applications for Advocacy, Assistance,
Education and promotions. Uh, you know, asking everybody from every
state to come in and fill out an application only
for a national witness's claim. I mean, you know you've
got to have an actual inness's claim. That's what this
(22:34):
that's what this resource is for. And uh, there's only
one group of people. One group of people need not
apply and your who it is absolutely no sex offenders.
If you're a conviction sex offender, they have other avenues
available to them. But you know that's just something that
National Public Awareness is not going to get involved in.
(22:55):
And uh, I condone that. It makes me feel honored
to know that. Uh, you know, they use this type
of discretion as truly truly amazing to see how the
application process is vetted and you know, the hurdles that
have to be met, I understand, you know, oh yeah,
the hurdles are high, but you know, credibility is what.
(23:17):
Credibility is key, just like avogacy is key. And you know,
so they got to have that showing and it's free,
remarkable and there are applications coming in from all over,
but you know, we need more and that's the whole thing.
There's a lot of people out there who have an
actualnessance claim that don't have the voice that you you
know that's available with your shoe, or don't get the
(23:38):
advocacy assistance because they.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Don't know it's there.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
And that's the thing. Hopefully, hopefully people from every state
will learn about this uh, unbelievable resource. Doesn't possibly nothing,
you know, hopefully you can make a donation, do absolutely,
And they had a wonderful building campaign. You know, look,
I had my name on a billboard. Listen, Robert Brown
(24:03):
had his name on a billboard. Huh. And that's another thing.
Now have a billboard campaign and that billboarder should be
one up in every state promoting and featuring a wrongfully
convicted individual, because you're a wrongfully convicted person in every
one of the states in the United States of Americas. Okay,
to as I'm prom there truly is and so hopefully
you know, people can start sharing this website and this
(24:26):
resource and use it. Just viable and it's it's advocacy
at work. It works, and it starts the national public awareness,
and it starts with a few in years ago. You
have one minute remain.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
And you know Voicus fine Bars is currently switching domains.
But yeah, I'll make sure I keep update with that
to this case, oh my nonprofit. Jesse, thank you again
for coming on the show. We'll keep everyone updated. Always
a pleasure to have you on.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Everyone.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Keep spreading that word.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Zone, be afraid of it side, Be careful with starcke,
not every light's gone, and got your baby, don't leading
main iron spike. Keep it close to your heart. I
love the pressure's kind and drive you crazy because your
eyes to the madness in the morning. It's all kind
(25:22):
of van It's shoon. Be afraid of its safe, Be
carefu with stacks, Not every light is gone, and guide you.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Yeah, when I blow up, I'm gonna saw a highlight
Peter Pan. In real life, be living out my dreams.
Come waking up as in The Fourth Land, whole wrist,
covering up in ice, stealing ship, never asked the price,