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Semi Annual Update CENTURION seeking freedom for the innocent in prison June 2025 Dear Friends Every day innocent people wake up behind bars trapped by a system that refuses to admit its egregious mistakes Centurion continues to fight to bring them home and to help them rebuild their lives once they re free But the truth is the system is pushing back harder than ever Please take the time to read the updates included below You ll see the impact we ve made both in and outside of the courtroom We can t do this alone If you believe that justice shouldn t be a privilege please stand with us Your gift helps us keep going case by case life by life With gratitude Corey Waldron Executive Director IN THE COURTS On April 4 the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission voted overwhelming 6 1 to recommend the commutation of Brian Pippitt s life sentence to a time served sentence Centurion s Jim Cousins and Jim Mayer of the Great North IP appeared along with Mr Pippitt before the Commission The petition was supported by a report from the Minnesota Attorney General s Conviction Review Unit at concluded Mr Pippitt was innocent and should be exonerated Because the Commission s vote is only a recommendation it goes to the Minnesota Board of Pardons consisting of the Governor the Attorney General and the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court The Governor and at least one other member of the Board must vote in favor of the recommendation for it to be granted It is anticipated that the Board will meet to consider the Commission s recommendation in September Brian Pippitt Message

A renewed geriatric release petition was filed on behalf of Henry Coon HC Davis who has wrongfully served over 30 years in a Virginia prison for a house fire he did not commit While his two co defendants were acquitted Mr Davis was convicted based on conflicting and unreliable testimony Now 61 years old and in severely declining health he remains incarcerated despite an exemplary disciplinary record and significant personal growth His case is currently under review by the Virginia Parole Board an uphill battle in a state where the parole system has grown increasingly restrictive Virginia has always had one of the harshest parole systems in the nation but parole grants have declined even further since Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin began to overhaul the parole board in 2022 dipping to an approval rate of just 1 6 percent in 2023 So far this year Youngkin s parole board has approved only eight of the 628 applications it considered a grant rate of 1 3 percent according to Mother Jones and Bolts analysis Samuel Grasty along with his codefendants Derek Chappell and Morton Johnson continues to be imprisoned 15 months after a Common Pleas judge in Delaware County Pa granted all three men a new trial based on new DNA evidence awaiting the Superior Court of Pennsylvania s decision on the Commonwealth s appeal of the new trial order The new DNA evidence which was the subject of a two day evidentiary hearing clearly establishes their innocence to the 1997 murder of an elderly woman in Chester Pa The appeal was fully submitted to the Superior Court and a decision has been pending since March 25 2025 John Dailey was convicted in 2013 in St Louis of a road rage murder despite the testimony of three family members and photographic evidence showing he was home and was not the shooter Since the time of the trial the sole eyewitness has recanted in court her identification of Mr Dailey On April 1 2025 Centurion s legal team filed on his behalf a federal petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the United States District Court Eastern District of Missouri The petition alleges ineffective assistance of trial counsel and that the prosecution knowingly presented false testimony and suppressed exculpatory evidence A response to the habeas petition is due in a few weeks For 25 years Charles Pagan who was convicted of a 1997 murder in Florence South Carolina has been fighting to prove his innocence Earlier this year Centurion s legal team filed a motion for DNA testing The motion is based on the significant advancements in DNA technology since the time of Mr Pagan s trial and the wealth of potential DNA evidence existing on the evidence items It is anticipated that a decision on motion will occur in the coming months A clemency memorandum was submitted in support of Oscar Porter under New Jersey s 2024 clemency initiative Clemency is a form of mercy granted by a governor or the president that can reduce a person s sentence release them from prison or forgive their conviction entirely Clemency is typically pursued after all legal appeals have been exhausted or when there is compelling evidence of injustice such as wrongful conviction excessive sentencing rehabilitation or humanitarian concerns like serious illness or advanced age Mr Porter s conviction raises substantial concerns involving mistaken eyewitness identification ineffective assistance of counsel and youth sentencing More on the initiative here In Missouri Centurion filed a federal habeas corpus petition on behalf of John Dailey and is currently awaiting a response from the state This filing coincides with Centurion s admission to practice in the Eastern District of Missouri

OUTSIDE THE COURTOOM SPRING RETREAT Last month 18 of our freed clients came together in Princeton NJ for our fourth annual Exoneree Retreat Over four powerful days designed to support their ongoing healing they were able to step out of their day to day lives and truly focus on their mental health Led by trauma informed practitioners the retreat focused on equipping participants with tools to help manage the lasting effects of PTSD caused by wrongful incarceration Art therapy at Pinot s palette Just as important as the workshops was the time spent together sharing meals conversations laughs and quiet moments with others who truly understand the pain of being imprisoned for a crime they didn t commit For many this retreat was a rare and deeply needed space for connection restoration and Meditation Material from Friday s Session strength We are already looking forward to next year s retreat Centurion Dinner Alternative Pathways to Justice Centurion staff recently participated in a final showcase for Advocacy Freedom The Case for Clemency a course at Princeton University designed to teach students about the criminal legal system with a focus on post conviction advocacy Throughout the semester students explore a variety of remedies for incarcerated people including clemency and commuted sentences During the showcase students presented clemency petitions before mock reviewers including representatives from the Conviction Review Unit and the Public Defender s Office Prior to the workshop Centurion Investigator Alan Maimon spoke to the class about what goes into a topto bottom reinvestigation of a case and shared best practices for gathering information in support of a clemency or parole application

Summer Intern Highlights This summer Centurion is proud to once again host several local university students as well our renewed partnership with Princeton University s Princeton Internships in Civic Service PICS program a Pace Center initiative that connects undergraduates with paid summer internships at nonprofit organizations The interns will support our Case Development and Fund Development Departments We are thrilled to have Hermeline Berteloot a rising junior at Rutgers University who is majoring in Criminal Justice and English and is deeply passionate about educing impacts of mass incarceration Rowan Johnson is a rising Princeton University junior with an interest in pursing a career in public interest law and social justice advocacy Cassandra Knott is a rising senior at The College of New Jersey pursuing her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Social Justice Our engagement with the PICS program and other local institutions of higher learning not only provides Centurion with additional resources to meaningfully impact our mission it gives us the opportunity to prepare the next generation of advocates to fight for justice for the wrongfully convicted We are thrilled to welcome Hermeline Rowan and Cassandra to our team this summer Honoring Mother s Father s Day Wrongful incarcerations have a devastating impact on families with the emotional toll becoming particularly pronounced during holidays such as Mother s and Father s Day These occasions which are typically meant to celebrate familial bonds and express gratitude instead become painful reminders of absence and injustice For children the absence of a parent can lead to feelings of abandonment confusion and anger as they grapple with the void left by their loved one s wrongful imprisonment Parents too suffer immensely as they are stripped of the opportunity to participate in milestone events and family traditions The financial strain of legal battles combined with the emotional burden often exacerbates the stress on families On days meant for celebration the loss becomes even more palpable highlighting the profound and enduring impact that wrongful incarceration has on the family unit Mother s Father s Day is also a poignant reminder of the deep disruption incarceration causes to our clients families And yet in the face of this darkness there is joy in the trust we are given to help make change That is why for us these are not only days of remembrance and sorrow They are also a days of resolve They are days to honor mothers and fathers not just with tokens of appreciation but with the work of justice