Dreamers, we are about to dive into a case that I would argue is the mother-load of all things you would expect to never happen in our justice system here in the United States.  By the end of this story, if you are angry, sad, if you find yourself in disbelief or disillusioned and embittered about this travesty of justice, trust me, you are not alone.  The crime itself, a horrifying massacre that stunned a quiet, rural community, was only compounded by a police investigation tainted with lies, manufacturing AND destruction of evidence, cover ups, witness intimidation, racism, and the overwhelming desire to force evidence to fit their narrative by any means necessary. There is who I believe to be an innocent man sitting on California’s death row as we speak.  15 years and 7 months ago, he was scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection in what is known as the death chamber in San Quentin State Prison.  At the age of 46 at the time, he had been in prison for more than 20 years and was slated to become the 11thman executed in California since the death penalty was re-established in 1978.  The Governor at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to order a stay for what would be the very first execution of his term, citing overwhelming evidence of the condemned man’s guilt. But I say Schwarzenegger, you were wrong. And by the grace of the 9th circuit federal appeals court, who intervened in the final hours of what was to be this man’s last night on Earth, they ordered his execution to be stayed.  3 hours and 42 minutes before the State of California was set to end this man’s life.  3 hours and 42 minutes away from putting an innocent man to death. And just a few hours after that, the United States Supreme Court refused to overturn the federal appellate court’s decision, marking the first time in a very long time that our country’s highest court agreed with a stay of execution in California. As it stands now, nobody on California’s death row is going to be executed anytime soon.  If ever again.  As a matter of fact, even though it is still on the books and defendants can still be sentenced to death, the death chamber has essentially been decommissioned and dismantled as of this year.  So, this man, who I believe is factually innocent, along with more than 700 men and women currently living on death row, all have a reprieve.  For now.  So, how and why is this condemned man still alive today?  How did he manage to dodge death, to live another day?  Well, he has lot of supporters.  Not just your run of the mill picketers.  He’s got some big names backing him…Sean Penn, Danny Glover, Jeaneane Garofalo, Angela Davis, Kim Kardashian, Reverend Jesse Jackson, even the Pope…dozens of politicians, and countless everyday people pulling for him.  And it’s not because they are anti-death penalty advocates, though they may or may not be, that is not the issue at hand here.  They are pulling for him because he is innocent. Coming up later this week, Killafornia Dreaming will be delving deep into this story, how this all happened and why I strongly believe an innocent man is sitting on death row for murders he did not commit.  We will be presenting a multiple part series, going over all the facts of the case in great detail, and by the time we are finished, I’m certain, most of you will agree, this man has unjustly spent 35 years condemned to die…
 
Stay tuned dreamers…I promise, it will be worth the wait…