Tag Archives: Innocence Project

A Haunting Resemblance…

April 19, 2025 marked the thirty-year anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, a horrific incident classified as the largest terrorist act ever committed on US soil. A fitting day to revisit the following exercise:

You be the judge:

Middle image is a police sketch. Which of the adjacent photos is the better match:  A or B?

                           A                                            Police Sketch                                         B

Why I administer this test: 

At the time of the incident, it hit…well…sort of close to home. Based on the results of administering this exercise in the past few years, especially when testing young adults, it could have marked a definite turning point in the life of my family.

When the bombing happened in 1995, a police sketch of the suspect was circulated on the news. Mike and I felt it was a stark resemblance of someone close to us, someone who was also in the military at that time, but stationed in another state. In fact, calls came in from all over the country from family members who expressed that same concern.

In this case justice was served. However, when the perpetrator, Timothy McVeigh, was finally caught and his face appeared in news clips, our first impression was that his facial features didn’t match the police sketch as well as the facial features of the person we knew.

With that said, my point with this exercise is less about guessing the correct answer and more about illustrating how unreliable police sketches/photo lineups are. I use this exercise when giving talks that include the main causes of wrongful convictions, and more specifically, mistaken identity which happens in 27% of wrongful conviction cases.

The results:

The majority of young people typically choose image A. I’ve used this exercise in classrooms and have actually witnessed a unanimous or majority vote for image A.

Those who know of the incident typically choose image B for obvious reasons.

A significant number of participants are not able to choose and say it could be either A or B.

When I ask participants to disclose why they choose one image over the other the answers are all over the map. They cite the ears, eyes, nose, hairline, lips, or chin as defining characteristics. One participant cited the length of the neck as a factor. What’s more, many attribute similar likenesses from both of the images to the police sketch. For instance, while some feel the ears in image A best match the police sketch, others claim the ears in image B best match the sketch. The point is that we all see things differently based on our innate biases and interpretations which is why photo lineups are so unreliable.

Time for full disclosure. The correct answer is B.  

But who is the person in image A? That’s our son, Jared! In 1995, he was in the Marines and was stationed in California. Years later, while preparing this exercise for a school visit I asked Jared if he remembered the incident and if he had a photo I could use for the lineup. He said he had never seen the sketch so I sent it to him. He was shocked by the resemblance to a photo of himself from his military days which he sent to me! The photo I’ve used is that photo.

What if Jared had been in Oklahoma City during the investigation? Could he have been arrested based on his resemblance to the sketch? I think so. Many others think so. And the fact that Timothy McVeigh was executed for this crime adds another layer of fear that this could have been our son’s fate! A possibility that will forever haunt us…

Note: Another layer in this saga about our son, Jared, in relation to eyewitness testimony will be forthcoming soon in a very insightful upcoming blog. Stay tuned!

New Edition…New Perspectives…New Look…

Hello fellow supporters of Six Innocent Men –

For the majority of the winter, I’ve intensely focused on a 3rd edition of my book, Reclaiming Lives. I’m especially proud of this version and am excited to share the following information.

With merely weeks to go before publication, (approximately 4-6 weeks) this leg of the journey is getting real! Preorders are now available!!

Here’s a recap of the many steps that have been taken to ensure that this edition is top-notch.

New content crucial to this story which I believe will give readers much to think about regarding the merits of this case has been added.

The guys themselves once again contributed content which adds yet another layer to this story that will provide invaluable insight to all who read this book.

I am for the first time revealing the exciting new cover image!

Image of the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay, WI

This version will have an entirely new look, complete with color photos. It will also have a Table of Contents and a listing of key characters to lessen the confusion about who is who.

The 4 beta-readers did an amazing job of scrutinizing and providing feedback for the manuscript. What they found truly makes this edition shine! The professional editor (through my publisher), upon completing their final round of edits for the manuscript, had this to say:

A fascinating story and really well told. I like the narration style and content and the writing was quite good throughout.”  

I specifically asked my good friend Vicki to be a beta-reader because she reads a lot and has a good feel for what makes a good book stand out. She shared that my book is every bit as worthy of being on best seller lists. However, the fact that I’m not a well-known author per se makes it difficult to get there. So…I truly need your help.

A great way to start is by sharing the link below with friends, family, colleagues, anyone you can think of who might be interested. I’d also appreciate it if some of you took the initiative to reach out to media outlets, news organizations, libraries, book stores, etc… The more exposure this book gets the better chance it has of receiving recognition.

Let’s hit the ground running and get this important story out there and into as many hands as possible. These six men and their families deserve that much.

Preorder through this link:

https://www.kirkhousepublishers.com/product-page/reclaiming-lives-third-edition-by-joan-treppa

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Joan

Two Veterans…One Personal Mission…

On this Veterans Day we honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I’d like to also pay tribute to two Veterans in particular that not only served dutifully in the Army but who have dedicated their lives to serving in other important ways as well.

It’s been my absolute privilege to have known these two distinguished gentlemen; Exoneree Michael “Pie” Piaskowski and Retired Crime Scene Expert Johnny Johnson.

Allow me to explain how they met:

“Johnny introduced himself when they walked in. His attention soon zeroed in on the hat Mike Pie was wearing, which revealed he had served in the US Army. Johnny was an army veteran too, which gave them plenty to talk about. They soon realized that they had served in a similar area in Vietnam. “Assisting veterans is what I do,” Johnny said that day. For a brief time, Johnny had assisted my neighbor, Ken, with veteran’s concerns. It is why I ran into him at my mailbox, and it was why I had the opportunity to ask for his help. There was no mistaking the bond already forming between Johnny and Mike Pie or the opportunity that this instance presented—Johnny’s ability to aid this veteran in his personal mission.”  – Excerpt from Reclaiming Lives

After realizing their similar connection they became close friends and together, fought another important uphill battle or personal mission if you will, closer to home. What occurred as a result of this partnership and their collaborations with many others is nothing short of AMAZING.

Read the full story in my book, Reclaiming Lives:

Kirk House Publishers

Amazon 

Or simply purchase through PayPal on this website (at the top right corner of this page).

THANK YOU!

Mike Pie and Johnny Johnson; two regular guys taking a breather in the midst of an important mission. Photo taken at the 2016 Hotrod Breakout fundraiser/car show in Minnesota.