A Refreshing Perspective…

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In a recent blog I referenced a news story about the Monfils case that would air soon on a major Minneapolis TV station. In my six years of advocating for the men in this case, it’s rare to find stories absent of the biases and negative slants contained in the ones from the Green Bay area. They are prejudicial, full of inaccuracies and half-truths and they rehash the same so-called facts that lend nothing new for viewers to digest. If new details surface, such as those in recent months that strongly suggest the case was mishandled, those details get clouded over with less significant information categorized as “ridiculous” and “asinine” by those who would be better suited to refrain from commenting.

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Fox 9 News reporter/attorney Ted Haller and cameraman Josh Grenier filming Johnny Johnson 

This Minneapolis take on an old true crime case is a refreshing diversion from the same ‘ol, and it touches on multiple themes. Highlighted are efforts forged by those who came on board after the fact to devote time and resources to getting to the heart of what really happened. This opportunity benefited the secondary victims of this tragedy; the families of the five men who’ve suffered for too many years in silence. I believe this fresh angle gives viewers a better picture of the circumstances surrounding the death of Tom Monfils, which allows everyone to reach a plausible conclusion based on solid facts.

Reliable sources have suggested the media in smaller regions tend to get caught up in the pandering of the local law enforcement community who is, in essence, the bulk of their bread and butter. This is unfortunate and most likely inescapable. But what this means is that we as viewers receive questionable information sanctioned by those whose only interest is to share a specific point of view. Many of us realized early on that the only way to tell a more accurate, unbiased story was to place it in the hands of an objective entity. The Minneapolis area was an obvious place to start.

An eight-minute feature story which gave viewers a refreshing perspective on a heartbreaking story appeared on KMSP-Fox 9 in the Twin Cities on Sunday April 26, 2015. The link is unfortunately no longer active. However, the segment was later nominated for a Regional Emmy Award within media circuits. It’s listing was in the investigative crime category and came very close to winning.

Meeting Expectations…

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Michael Hirn. Photo courtesy of WBAY Ch. 2 Green Bay, Wisconsin

It’s disgusting to still hear the harsh portrayal of six paper mill workers from Green Bay, Wisconsin, convicted of an alleged “murder plot” in 1995. The murder theory was never really proven, at least not to the satisfaction of anyone other than those motivated to turn a tragic suicide into a murder. To this day, when this case comes up in certain circles or in the news, these men are characterized as “union thug conspirators” and “murderers” and the whole alleged “bubbler” incident gets rehashed all over again.

When monitoring social media news sites whenever a story is published about this case, I’m amazed at the lack of knowledge and/or misinformation still out there. Despite a more recent investigation and repeated coverage during the 2015 hearing for Keith Kutska, people are relatively still in the dark about what most likely happened. I believe the ignorance persists for two reasons. 1. “Guilters” are only that and are seldom interested in becoming educated. 2. Because coverage rarely includes the “new” and more recent information made public during the hearing that clearly leans toward suicide. It’s like the news outlets are afraid or unwilling to tell that side of the story. I get why that is. It’s because they dare not offend the DA’s office or the Police Dept; two entities the media heavily relies on for critical information for future stories. Simply put, they need to keep those crucial lines of communication open…and cooperative. This sad fact is true, especially within smaller communities like Green Bay.

Having befriended these men over the years and meeting them all face to face more than once, my impressions of them are vastly different from that of the general public. And in my ongoing mission to tell their side of this very tragic story, it is my pleasure to introduce my readers to them on occasion. I feel it is important to give the men a face, a voice from behind bars, and a chance to gain additional support from those who might not otherwise know anything about them other than what they’ve read or seen in news clips. Doing so at this time is especially important. The very real reality that at least some of these men are now being granted parole, is upon us.

I told you earlier that Dale Basten was given “compassionate release” in 2017 due to his failing health and the high cost of his medical care. Unfortunately, nearly nine months later, Dale passed away. And now we just learned in December of 2018 that Michael Hirn has been granted parole. I’m excited to announce he will be released the week before Christmas!

I blogged about the incredible visit my husband, Mike, and I had in February of 2015 with Keith Kutska. You may recall that Keith was the alleged ring leader of the “angry mob” that supposedly gathered on November 21, 1992 to beat up Tom Monfils.

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 we drove to Oregon, WI which is just South of Madison, to the Oak Hill Correctional Institution*. This time we were visiting Michael Hirn; the youngest of the six men. My husband took this video prior to our entrance onto the prison grounds.

Main entrance at Oak Hill Correctional, Oregon, Wisconsin 

To add a little background that separates Michael from the others, back when this case was being investigated, aside from readily taking and passing four polygraph tests (which all of the men took and passed), Michael pushed to have the FBI involved in the investigation. The FBI did arrive on the scene but left soon afterward. I have no insight as to why that is. But like all of the others, Michael found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time the day Tom Monfils went missing. And there still are too many unanswered questions regarding this case.

For this visit we were under special visit status due to Michael’s full visitation list. We had completed the requirements for a one-time visit only. We approached the front desk and presented our ID’s. However, the guard could not find the form we had filled out in the appropriate blue folder. He was apologetic as he searched for the information that would confirm our visit. And he was kind enough to also acknowledge our long drive. He made a call to another guard who finally found the missing form in another location and, after a sigh of relief, sent us on our way to the visiting room.

We were directed to table #30 on the far side of the room. Many tables near us were occupied. Similar to our visit with Keith, the atmosphere was relaxed…and normal. We waited a few moments before Michael appeared. I waved to signal our presence. We exchanged smiles while he checked in. This experience was oddly familiar given it was only our second visit to a prison.

As Michael approached he shook hands with my husband. They hugged. Then it was my turn to receive a hug. We were delighted to finally meet him. We had been scheduled for a visit a month earlier but when the form was being processed, Michael was unexpectedly transferred from Fox Lake Correctional to Oak Hill, a medium security prison. The paperwork had gotten lost but thanks to Ms. Miller, Michael’s Social Worker at Fox Lake, the process was expedited.

Michael, like Keith, is kind, thoughtful, courteous, and talkative. We knew from his many letters that he is outspoken about our judicial system and very intent on working to correct its many flaws as soon as he is able. We had told him then that we will be there to support him when that time comes. And so his new life will soon begin…definitely with our support and the support of many others.

While in the throws of discussing the new developments in the case and the encouragement of renewed possibilities during the visit, Michael’s smile appeared time and again. It was a blessing to him…and to us. We three were becoming comfortable in each other’s presence when, forty minutes into our visit, a guard walked over to our table.

“Is it okay if two other visitors join you?” he asked.

Michael’s Aunt Marlene and Uncle Terry had arrived at the front desk. Michael was pleasantly surprised and we, of course, were eager to meet more of the clan. Aunt Marlene and Uncle Terry were anyone’s Aunt and Uncle; full of smiles and excitement as they sauntered in. Mike and I immediately felt at home with them. We hugged and we laughed. Mike and I learned that they had visited often over the years. Michael’s dry sense of humor surfaced when he introduced me as the “instigator” in the recent legal activities. Marlene, now sitting next to me, thanked me and offered another hug as tears fell. She then looked directly at Michael,

“I don’t know how you maintain such a positive attitude under such circumstances,” she said.

Michael told her “It is because of the support from so many that keeps me strong.”

My heart wept for Marlene and Terry’s pain over the course of so many years. It was obvious they relied heavily on each other for support. I felt grateful for their collective strength. They didn’t dwell on anger but a concern for Michael’s welfare. Their genuine love for him radiated.

The three-hour visit progressed rapidly. I wanted to have pictures taken so, the appropriate form was filled out. We were soon called over to the picture taking station by an inmate who’d be taking them. Unlike the experience during our visit with Keith, I was successful in getting both Mike’s to smile!

Marlene and Terry opted out of the pictures. “We are waiting for the day when Michael is released,” they said.

We then purchased and devoured ice cream bars. How good it felt at that moment to be a part of this mission…and these lives.

In the lobby following our visit, we spent time speaking with Marlene and Terry. We exchanged contact information. We felt honored by their expression of gratitude toward what we were doing for Michael. They thanked us for taking the time to visit their beloved nephew. The story of Marlene and Terry is the story of thousands who have lost precious years with loved ones due to a wrongful conviction. The resounding constant is the level of resilience and courage that so many of them possess.

Just before this visit, I had done as I always do, sent my most recent blog piece to all of the men which described our visit with Keith. In Michael’s letter he referenced our upcoming visit and mentioned that Keith had set the bar pretty high. He admitted he was feeling the pressure to make sure we had an even better visit. Honestly, Michael had nothing to worry about. This visit vastly outweighed any expectations we may have had for that day. We’ve again been blessed with insight into the integrity of another courageous soul…and his family.

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Mike and Joan Treppa with Michael Hirn. (Photo courtesy of Oak Hill Correctional Institution)       

*Michael was moved to and will be released from McNaughton Correctional Center in Tomahawk, Wisconsin.

Providing a Safe Haven…

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Green Bay Press-Gazette Newspaper Headline:

December 19, 2010

Friends and families of 6 convicted in paper mill worker Tom Monfils’ death form ‘truth in conviction’ group 

‘Conspiracy’ book bolsters mission’

By Paul Srubas – psrubas@greenbaypressgazette.com

It started as a book proclaiming the innocence of the men convicted of the 1992 murder of Tom Monfils in a Green Bay paper mill. The book, “The Monfils Conspiracy: The Conviction of Six Innocent Men,” helped bring together the friends and families of the five men still in prison and the sixth man, Mike Piaskowski, who was freed in 2001 when a federal judge overturned his conviction. Now those friends and families and Piaskowski are hoping their unified voices will help spread the book’s message, free the remaining five and perhaps have an even wider impact on the criminal justice system.

“We’re calling ourselves Truth in Conviction Alliance-Brown County Chapter, said Joan Van Houten, stepdaughter of Michael Johnson, one of the convicted men.” We’re looking for accountability for police and courts. We’ll need groups in each county. Our prime goal is to bring these five home, but along with that, we can’t continue asking for help, saying ‘listen to us,’ if we’re not listening ourselves,” she said. “We want everyone to know this can happen to you, too.”

Michael Johnson, Piaskowski and four others — Keith Kutska, Michael Hirn, Dale Basten and Rey Moore — were convicted in a Brown County courtroom of conspiracy to murder Monfils. Monfils, 35, disappeared Nov. 21, 1992, while he was working at the then-James River Mill. His body was found a day later at the bottom of a paper-pulp vat with a weight tied to his neck. The defendants and members of their families have claimed from the onset of the investigation that the six men had nothing to do with Monfils’ death. Their claim received a boost last year when Denis Gullickson and Piaskowski’s former brother-in-law, John Gaie, published “The Monfils Conspiracy” book that spells out what the authors see as flaws in the case. The two men, with Piaskowski’s help, spent eight years researching the case, reading police and court documents and interviewing people.

Their book claims that overzealous and shoddy police work caused investigators to develop a faulty theory about an altercation at the mill in the hour before Monfils’ disappearance and then to connect the six men to that altercation. The state claimed all six men were inextricably linked, and if that’s true, the book says in effect, Piaskowski’s innocence exonerates the other five. The federal judge overturned Piaskowski’s conviction because of a lack of evidence. Brown County District Attorney John Zakowski, who prosecuted the original case, stands by the police work, the investigators’ theory and the convictions. Zakowski says the federal judge erred in overturning Piaskowski’s conviction, a claim that rankles Piaskowski and members of Van Houten’s fledgling group.

“He must be above the law, right?” said Brenda Kutska, who is married to Keith Kutska’s son. Gullickson, who along with Gaie and Piaskowski, is also a member of Van Houten’s alliance. The three men made a habit of meeting weekly to do research for their book and organize it and later, to strategize about marketing it and continuing to work to clear the remaining defendants’ names. Families of the other defendants also were working behind the scenes, trying to contact lawyers to continue appeals processes.

It wasn’t until the book was ready for publication in fall of 2009 that the authors and family members all got together. “We figured it was strategically important to get everyone together, and then we realized it was the first time the families have all been together since the trial,” Gullickson said. “Something poignant about that was, each of the families knew their loved one was innocent but didn’t know the others were” until they learned collectively of the authors’ findings.

Since then, they’ve been trying to meet regularly, to share information and tips, offer each other moral support and strategize. So far the strategy has involved trying to raise public awareness through writing letters and promoting the book. Gullickson said they’ve gotten the book into the hands of several elected leaders and judges, and it helped them enlist a Minneapolis private investigator to look more deeply into the case.

The investigator, John Johnson, said he’s helping the effort at no charge after having read the book three times. He said he has put together a task force of engineers, a forensics expert and three retired federal investigators to look at evidence in the case.

In October, the group organized a candlelight vigil to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the men’s arrests. This week, the group’s third formal meeting involved the development of the group’s name, the Truth in Conviction Alliance, and discussion of how to involve families and groups who are fighting for the exoneration of other convicted men. “It’s a learning process,” Van Houten said. “None of us really knows what we’re doing, it’s all trial and error, but if we can help provide information we’ve learned, we can help you with your legal issues.” There are hundreds of innocent people in prison. You have one group working here, another working there, and if you look at all these groups, instead of having all those micro-groups, you have one big group, now it’s a full-force campaign.”

©2015 Press-Gazette Media

This article appeared on the newspaper’s front page. It was the first time residents were exposed to the formation of a significant group that gathered in Allouez; a small subdivision of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Once a month friends and family of the men convicted in the Tom Monfils murder case meet at the home of Shirley DeLorme; a woman who realized that Mike Hirn had been in her speech class at DePere High School. She understood there is more to this Monfils case than meets the eye. One day, she talked of her son’s feelings toward Michael Piaskowski that had formed while working closely with him. “…had my husband not died of stomach cancer and had I therefore not invited my son Bob to live with me, I would never have heard Bob say, “Mom, that man, is not a murderer!” Shirley was further introduced to the discrepancies in the case by her good friend, John Gaie, who co-authored The Monfils Conspiracy; the book that questions the guilt of each of the six men. Shirley found ample reason to get involved. She did what she could by hosting monthly meetings in her home.

Friends and Family Group Photo courtesy of the Green Bay Press Gazette

Shirley DeLorme and exoneree Mike Piaskowski at Shirley’s home. (Photo courtesy of Green Bay Press-Gazette)

Six years later, this group still meets monthly (except for December) to discuss the latest developments, to keep in touch, and to partake in the enjoyment of Shirley’s fabulous homemade chili, sloppy Joes, or her special recipe of homemade fudge. Her kindness gives relief to the friends and families, knowing they have a gathering place that is shielded from the ignorance of those unwilling to accept the true facts in the matter.

The group changed its name to FAF (Friends and Families) and an alliance with other communities has yet to evolve. Having been to numerous meetings and witnessing an emotional bond that has cemented a comradery for the many involved in this injustice, I’d say that what was needed to happen has been accomplished…for the time being. These people were set apart by their own tragedy. Acknowledging each other brought back the horror of a past that promised no future resolution. So for them it was easier to deal with things on their own. Now in the midst of renewed hope and energy, a recent meeting included conversation full of optimism; a far cry from the earlier days when the road to freedom was non-existent.

Like me, Shirley has no connection to this tragedy other than an indirect one, but after learning about this injustice she selflessly stepped in to help. She’s lost friends over her involvement and has devoted precious time to its success. She proudly acts as host and secretary; taking notes at every meeting and typing them up for distribution to the rest of the group. She is to be commended for providing a safe haven for folks in a town not shy about airing its opinions.