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centurionseeking freedom for the innocent in prisonfall 2021 issue nineteenExoneree Impact - Inuencing Systemic ChangeEvery time Centurion frees an innocent man or woman from prison, we save a life. That act, in and of itself, is truly extraordinary. At the moment a person walks out of prison, it is impossible to know what ripple eects their new life will ultimately have on society. Recently, two Centurion exonerees had legislation named after them that will have a profound impact on the innocent people we serve. One will help to protect those who are wrongfully accused, and the other will ensure that those who have suered unimaginable injustice will be compensated. We are so proud of Richard Miles (left) and Walter Lomax, and grateful for their tireless advocacy. Richard Miles ActIn October this year, the Dallas District Attorney created the Richard Miles Act, a law that, if in existence in 1995, should centurion.org | 609-921-0334Hope Is a LetterThoughts from avolunteer, by Jock McFarlane,(pg 5).The Gift of ComfortGifts that bring heartwarming comfort, by Corey Waldron,(pg 6).Welcome ChristinaCenturion welcomes ournewest member, Christina François,(pg 7).(continued on page 4)
2Donate online at:Rob Mooney - ChairmanRob Connor, PhD - Vice ChairmanCharles Crow, Esq.Mary Catherine Cu, P.J.A.D.Jozelyn Davis, PhD - TreasurerKate GermondJohn GrishamKenneth Javerbaum, Esq.Willlem KooykerJames McCloskeyRichard MilesRegina NochEdwin Pisani, CPAStephen Pollard, CFPKathy VikCorey WaldronBoard of DirectorsCorey Waldron - Executive DirectorKate Germond - Senior Advocate & InvestigatorPaul Casteleiro - Legal DirectorJanet Baxendale - Intake Analyst & Volunteer DevelopmentJames Cousins - Attorney, Case InvestigatorPam Feig - Post-Release Support CoordinatorChristina François - Assistant Legal DirectorRosemary Kay - BookkeeperAlan Maimon - Case InvestigatorMadison McCoy - Administrative SupportGene Truncellito - Case Development ManagerTyler Spikes - Exoneree SupportKimberly Weston - Case Development ManagerLaila S. Wilson-McCoy - Mgr. of Organizational Initiatives & PlanningStaFollow CenturionCenturion -Freedom for the innocent@CenturionFreecenturion.freedom Centurion
Dear Friends,I sometimes struggle to synthesize my thoughts when I sit down to write my notes for our newsletters; I nd myself overwhelmed by the scope and gravity of Centurion’s work, and I want to make sure I accurately capture our good news and our challenges during a given moment in time. However, this year, my work here is easy - the facts speak for themselves. In 2021, Centurion freed three innocent men from prison; collectively, they served nearly 100 years incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. They will be spending the holidays at home with family and friends for the rst time in decades. I want to thank you for helping us bring them home. Thank you for believing in our team, and for caring about the innocent men and women we serve.Going into 2022, Centurion has tremendous momentum and a seemingly renewed sense of energy and purpose. We continue to work on behalf of our 22 current clients, and recently committed to representing three new innocent individuals. Thanks to the addition of our recently hired Assistant Legal Director, Christina Francois (learn more about her on page 7), we hope to take on a growing number of cases in the future. The men and women we have freed over the past 40 years are benetting from comprehensive support coordination from our on-sta Social Worker, Pam Feig, and are thriving. Together, we are helping the people we serve rebuild. The lives you help us save are precious, not only to us and to the people who love them, but to their communities and to our mission of seeking justice for the wrongfully incarcerated. Our cover story highlights the important work some of our exonerees are doing and the systemic change they are inuencing.Please continue to support our work. We are incredibly grateful and proud of all that you have helped us accomplish this year. With your renewed support, we will continue bringing hope and justice to innocent men and women across the country.Be well and Happy Holidays,Corey WaldronExecutive Director Donate online at:centurion.org/donatenowA letter fromExecutive DirectorCorey Waldron
Exoneree Impact - Inuencing Systemic Change(continued from page 1)have prevented Richard’s 15-year wrongful conviction. In Richard’s case, either the trial prosecutor withheld or, as he claims now, the police withheld evidence that the eyewitness did not identify Richard as the assailant when initially interviewed. At trial he did identify Richard, but when we discovered the original interview through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and then spoke with the eye witness, he said, and later testied at an evidentiary hearing, that Richard was not the person he saw. This new law requires Dallas County police agencies to verify that they have turned over all evidence when ling a case with prosecutors, including any evidence discovered after the initial surrender. Ironically, Texas has the Michael Morton Act that basically says the same thing, with one small dierence: the complying Dallas police must sign a statement declaring all the evidence has been turned over; Morton does not. We must hope the prosecutors will then turn over records to the defense attorneys, which is the most signicant void in the entire criminal justice system. Brady v. Maryland, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that prosecutors have been winking at since its inception in 1963, states the prosecutor must turn over all evidence that might exonerate the defendant. Prosecutors have serially argued about what exactly is exculpatory evidence, resulting in concealing much that would be helpful to the defense.Walter Lomax ActFifty-four years after his wrongful conviction, Walter Lomax will nally receive compensation from the state of Maryland. In April of this year, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed into law the Walter Lomax Act that will compensate those who have been wrongly convicted in Maryland. Walter spent 39 years as an innocent man in prison before being freed and it would be another eight years before he was exonerated. Upon being released from prison in 2006, Walter founded the Maryland Restorative Justice Initiative where he worked tirelessly to change the draconian Life Without Parole (LWOP) system by promoting humane and sensible sentencing policies, while collaterally endeavoring to set up a functioning compensation process for exonerees. Walter is still working to change the LWOP laws.On average, it takes 8-10 years and $350K to free an innocent person from prison. Your gift enables us to free innocent men and women and provide them with the essential tools to rebuild their new life.Visit us at centurion.org/ways-to-give to see all the ways you can make a contribution today or go to centurion.org/donatenow to make a donation by credit card or PayPal.WE NEED YOUWE NEED YOU
5I didn’t realize until there was a Centurioncelebration in 2019 for recently releasedexonerees how much hope can be in aletter.Hope in letters I wrote 18 years ago tomen I didn’t know and had never met.Men who had been in prison for morethan a decade and had no hope of leavingbefore they died.I wrote the rst letters in 2003 when I wasrecently retired and a new volunteer atCenturion. Volunteers help answer theover twelve hundred letters received eachyear from men and women in prison whoturn to Centurion for help.After six years of corresponding withLamonte McIntyre and Dominic Lucci(Dominic’s case included Mark Jonesand Ken Gardiner), obtaining policereports, reading trial transcripts, andexamining related information, I wrotea report about each case. In 2009, JimMcCloskey committed Centurion towork for their release. At the time of thepromise to each client that their casehas been accepted, their name is placedwith removable letters on a signboardin the Centurion oce. The name staysthere until the person is free to come andremove it.The subsequent story of Centurion’sthorough investigation and frustratingcourt appeals of these cases is detailedon Centurion.org. A planned six-dayhearing for a new trial in Lamonte’s caseended after a day and a half when theDistrict Attorney said all charges wouldbe vacated and Lamonte walked out ofprison that afternoon. Dominic, Mark, andKen’s case culminated in a 9-0 GeorgiaSupreme Court decision in their favor. Allfour men were home for Christmas, 2017.They had collectively served nearly acentury in prison.It was a very emotional time for each of usat that Centurion celebration a year and ahalf later when I met Lamonte, Dominic,Mark, and Ken for the rst time. It washugs and tears for everyone. The nextday each of them took his name o theboard.Dominic told my daughter that he hadpretty much lost all hope until he receivedthe rst letter from Centurion. In our work,hope does come in a letter.Hope Is a Letterby Jock McFarlaneThank you to everyone who joined us for our virtual event on Nov. 30!If you missed our live event or would like to see it again,visit us at centurion.org/2021-fall-virtual-event to watch the recording.
6Sue Schmerler & Centurion exonereeRalph Lee. Centurion exonerees, Kenneth Gardiner (below), Larry Walker (right).Opposite page: Centurion exonerees, Mark Jones with his family (left), and Dominic Lucci (right).It’s an obvious statement, but prison cells are, by design, cold, sparse, dehumanizing cages that oer no comfort to those forced to inhabit them. During the decades they spend serving time in prison for crimes they did not commit, the people we serve have very little (if anything) they can call their own. When they are released, they nally have the opportunity to create a home where they can build their new lives and hopefully nd some peace.Centurion is lucky to have a dedicated group of artists who make sure that every time one of our clients is released from prison, they receive a gift made with love and care to welcome them home. While we take the people we support shopping to get the essentials they need to establish their new living spaces, there’s nothing like a handmade gift to let someone know that they are truly loved.For hundreds of years quilts have served not only the practical purpose of providing warmth, but perhaps more importantly, conveying love and comfort from the makers to the recipients. Since 2017, Centurion’s newly released clients have received a quilt from the Garden State Quilters Guild. These quilts are the result of a collaboration between Centurion volunteer Sue Schmerler and Sunshine, The Gift of Comfort by Corey Waldron
Welcome ChristinaCenturion is thrilled to announce the addition of an exceptional new team member. On November 1, Christina François joined the Centurion team as our Assistant Legal Director. In this newly created role, Christina will be working closely with our Legal Director, Paul Casteleiro, our Investigators, and our Case Development team to ensure that our clients receive the expert representation they deserve as they ght for their rightful freedom. A resident of Jersey City, NJ, Christina got her undergraduate degree at Rutgers and her law degree from Washington University School of Law. Most recently, Christina worked at the Legal Aid Society in the Parole Revocation Defense unit (during which she spent a signicant amount of time on Rikers Island working with clients with special needs), and then in the Criminal Defense Practice.When asked about her experience over the rst month of working with us, Christina said “It is a huge honor and pleasure to join this team. Centurion’s most recent case round was in October 2021 and the team has since decided to take on a handful of new cases. The past few weeks have consisted of reading through our clients’ les, visiting one client in person, and learning from my teammates. I am thrilled to be here.” In adding an Assistant Legal Director to our team, we anticipate being able to take on more cases in the future. We are condent that she will be a tremendous asset to Centurion and the people we serve!the charity arm of the Guild. To date, more than a dozen quilts have been sent out. On Sunday, November 14, Larry Walker received the quilt that Sue and her fellow artisans made just for him. Upon receiving it, he admired its vibrant colors and noted that he looks forward to using it to keep warm in the coming months. Larry, we hope your new quilt brings you the comfort and security you deserve. Welcome home.
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