urgent appeal to halt the execution of Frances Newton--new evidence

[ima_sinnic]

I don't recall seeing this case discussed here at DU. Apparently compelling new evidence has come to light in the case of this woman who has been on death row for 18 years and is scheduled for execution on Sept. 14th. I don't know much at all about the case but it seems more than reasonable to me to halt the execution at least long enough for new evidence to be entered and considered. I received this e-mail this morning and it links to a site where a mass e-mail can be sent with your signature:


FREE Frances Newton! She is Innocent!


EMERGENCY: 4 DAYS LEFT TO
STOP THE TEXAS EXECUTION OF
FRANCES NEWTON
ON SEPTEMBER 14!

JOIN WITH FORMER ATTY. GEN. RAMSEY CLARK, THE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN BAR
ASSN. AND AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
SEND A FINAL APPEAL TO DEMAND THE EXECUTION BE STOPPED!

FRANCES IS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN
SCHEDULED TO BE EXECUTED BY TEXAS IN MODERN HISTORY.

NEW EVIDENCE AFFIRMS HER INNOCENCE.

Go to <http://www.iacenter.org/francesnewtoncampaign.shtml>
for an updated urgent letter to be sent in your name. you will be able to
review and modify the text to put in your own final appeal for Frances, even
if you have already sent the original letter. (The updated appeal letter
text appears HERE lower down in this message).

4 days remain before the scheduled execution of Frances Newton, an innocent
African American woman, by the state of Texas. Thousands of people have
taken up the appeal, sending over 200,000 email messages and thousands of
letters and postcards and faxes and phone calls to Texas Governor Rick
Perry, President Bush, legislators and the Texas Board of Pardons and
Paroles urging the execution be stopped. WE MUST INTENSIFY THE PRESSURE!

Former Attorney General Ramsey Clark has written to the President, the
Governor and the Pardon Board. Here is what he wrote:

"Every element of law, morality, human dignity and reverence for life compel
commutation of the death sentence of Frances Newton scheduled to be executed
in Texas on September 14, 2005.

Evidence not presented at trial, but now known to have existed, would have
caused an acquittal. Her trial attorney was not competent and can no longer
appear in death cases, but too late for her. A person of financial means
would never have been convicted and probably never even tried in such a
case.

At 22, Frances Newton lost her husband and two children and, most cruelly,
has been condemned as their murderer. Her mother and father-in-law, the
parents of her dead husband and grandparents of her dead children, could
have testified in her behalf at her trial, but no one called them. They pray
everyday that her life be spared.

Frances Newton, a poor African-American woman unable to defend herself, who
lost her family to violent death, has now spent seventeen years in prison on
a conviction unsupportable in law and fact.
Surely if there was ever time, now in the wake of Katrina with its
devastating exposure of the fate of poor Americans caught in calamity,
American officials can find the understanding, courage and compassion to
commute this damnable death sentence. I ask you to use all your authority
and persuasion to see that happens.


Sincerely,
Ramsey Clark"


And Michael Greco, President of the American Bar Association, wrote in part:


"..significant and and compelling new evidence .. has not yet been evaluated
by the Texas courts. .. This evidence was not discovered earlier because of
the negligence of her appointed lawyer.. He did no investigation whatsoever,
and therefore, did not place before the jury the evidence that now casts
doubt on Ms. Newton's involvement in this crime. .. We believe that carrying
out the execution of Frances Newton without a full review of this new
evidence is inconsistent with principles of fundamental fairness and due
process. Because reasonable doubt exists, we urge you to vacate her
execution date so that the newly discovered evidence can be tested and
properly evaluated by Texas courts."


Please join the online campaign to STOP THE EXECUTION OF FRANCES NEWTON!
YOUR EMERGENCY FINAL URGENT APPEAL IS NEEDED NOW!
Send emails to Texas Governor Rick Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott,
President Bush, Congressional leaders and Senators and Representatives from
Texas and the Texas State Legislature, the Mayor of Houston and Houston City
Councilors, The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, U.N. Secy General Kofi
Anan and your senators and representative, DEMANDING that Frances' execution
be stopped IMMEDIATELY!


If you have already sent an email, do it again! The letter (see below) has
been updated to refer to the two letters just mentioned, and you can modify
it to put in your personal appeal with all the urgency required by the
execution date this Wednesday.
LetterText
Go to
<http://www.iacenter.org/francesnewtoncampaign.shtml>
http://www.iacenter.org/francesnewtoncampaign.shtml
for the following letter to be sent in your name:


Sample Text (you will be able to edit it on the website):
.......................................................
Governor Perry, Attorney General Abbott, President Bush, Senators and
Representatives, Houston Mayor White, Houston City Councilors, and Texas
Board of Pardons and Paroles:


IN A MATTER OF DAYS, on September 14, 2005, Frances Newton, AN INNOCENT
WOMAN, is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas. If the jury had
known the facts that are presently known, they would not have found Frances
guilty nor given her the death sentence. The dubious motive, unrealistic
timeline, the police's refusal to follow important leads, and most of all,
her incompetent counsel, all point to the compelling evidence that proves
Frances Newton is innocent.


Former Attorney General Ramsey Clark has written to President Bush and
Goveror Perry that "evidence not presented at trial, but now known to have
existed, would have caused an acquittal." And Michael Greco, President of
the American Bar Association, also wrote to the President, Governor and
Pardons Board that because "significant and compelling new evidence has not
yet been evaluated by Texas courts, we urge you to vacate her execution
date." She has been on death row for 18 years, and you have already granted
her a 120-day stay. But on the basis of new evidence, Frances needs to
finally have her day in court. We plead to you in good conscience to ACT
IMMEDIATELY TO STOP THE EXECUTION OF FRANCES NEWTON.


Sincerely,


-------


For more information and to order DVD's of Frances, go to
http://www.freefrances.org



-------


STOP THE EXECUTION OF FRANCES NEWTON CAMPAIGN
International Action Center
39 West 14th Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10011
1-212-633-6646
email: [e-mail]
http://www.iacenter.org

[still_one]

1. Definitely try, but this is texas under perry, and I think it is over

[Wickerman]

2. Wow, her case is a true indictment on the legal system

She may be innocent, perhaps she is guilty, but from the info at her website that culpability was never accurately determined and at the very least she deserves a fair and competent trial.

http://www.freefrances.org/DoYouKnow.htm

The dubious motive, the unrealistic time-line, the weak case against her, the lack of perusing important leads by police, and most of all, her incompetent infamous council, all point to the compelling evidence that Frances Newton is innocent and should have a real day in court and at least have a stay of execution until all evidence that would prove her to be innocent are considered. She has been on death row for 18 years and the governer has already granted her a 120 stay but she never had a chance to defend herself in the court with a real defense council. On the basis of new evidence we plea to you in a good conscious help get the word out to STAY THE EXECUTION OF FRANCES NEWTON.

[bribri16]

3. I fear that this will be the first documented case of executing an innocen

person. Something else to go down in the annals of the GW Administration.