Tag Archives: Six Innocent Men

An Obvious Obscurity….(Revisited)

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My husband, Mike and I recently attended a concert in Minneapolis that was both fun and poignant.

This piece is an extension of a previous blog posting of mine titled An Obvious Obscurity from 2015, which describes the first visit we had with one of the six men, Rey Moore, while he was at Oshkosh Correctional.

Ink drawing of Rey Moore by artist, Jared Manninen

Taken during a 2nd visit with Rey at Prairie Due Chien Correctional Institution on June 21, 2018

In the 2015 posting, I reference the song See You Again performed by Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa, and its relevance to my mission on behalf of Rey, the other five men, and their families.

The following passage from the previous blog embodies the song lyrics sung by Khalifa: “How can we not talk about family when family is all that we got?”

“When Rey entered the lounge, he spotted us and waved excitedly touting a big smile. He walked over and embraced us both as though we were old friends. His hearty laugh exhibited warmth and sincerity and we instantly felt the tension of the past few days fall away. Mike and I felt this diversion was good for all three of us due to our knowledge of the personal [family] concerns Rey faces and has shared in his letters. But at that moment on this day none of it was going to suppress Rey’s enthusiasm…or ours”

11-29-2019: Rey celebrating with longtime friend, Clare Martinson after Rey was paroled

11-30-2019: Joan, Rey, Clare Martinson at the Lion’s Mouth Bookstore in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Eleven years later, with Rey having been paroled within that time frame on July 2, 2019, Mike and I had the opportunity to see Charlie Puth in concert on May 16, 2026 at The Armory in Minneapolis. We were some of the oldest fans in the crowd but we melded into the vibe of those youngsters around us, listening to Puth as he played some of our favorite tunes.

34 year old singer/songwriter, producer, and musician, Charlie Puth in Minneapolis during his Whatever’s Clever! World Tour

Not the last song of the evening but the one right before, he played it…the song I was waiting the entire time to hear live! This time it was a solo performance without his counterpart, Wiz Khalifa. But it was not without a lot of soul. Though it lacked Khalifa’s powerful words, Puth poured everything he had into this and every one of his songs, old and new.

Over the course of the evening, Puth stressed to his fans to embrace the positive and gravitate toward that which inspires us. He hoped that we would walk away from this concert feeling inspired. He targeted the “artists” in the audience and asked that we use our inspiration to do good things.

Throughout his performance, Puth stepped back to allow the voices of those onstage with him to be heard. Yeah…I loved that. I’ve tried to do that too, during the course of my mission. Thanks Charlie for the inspiration to carry on…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the concert, despite the late hour, Mike and I both were still quite awake and energized. Mike suggested we stop for a nightcap. Mind you, this is extremely unusual for us!

We talked about the concert. We reflected on the positive message Puth had for the lively but impressionable crowd. I thought about Rey. I thought about how, during that visit which now feels like ages ago, he so passionately longed to be with his family.

It was gratifying to know that Rey has been free for close to seven years now. It was gratifying to think that maybe I played a small role in making that happen. It was gratifying to know that he’s free to live his life as he sees fit…alongside the precious family that he’s got…

A ‘Natural’ Fit… Pt. 2

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After the May 2nd event, I reconnected with Karen and Jim. I restated my enthusiasm to move forward with planning another event. Karen’s response was prompt, uplifting and included an introduction to the ESTHER Transformative Justice Task Force; an organization similar to JOSHUA, located in the Fox Valley in Wisconsin that “brings together people of many faiths to build community and act on issues of injustice.”

In addition to this amazing intervention, we had the good fortune of having the entire event recorded. Yes! Really! And it gets better…

Film crew: Damon Schneider, Jeremy Jordan, Mike Putchel   (Photo courtesy of Damon’s friend Dan)

Last year (2025) I learned of a new documentary in the works about the Monfils case that is being produced by Damon Schneider. I kept hearing from various colleagues that they had been contacted by Schneider and were being asked to do interviews for his film. In January (2026) Damon reached out to me with the same request. In his email, he explained that he lives in the Milwaukee area. As a courtesy because I live in the Minneapolis area, he suggested we could do the interview by phone. We worked out the logistics and on Thursday, February 12, 2026 we completed an over-the-phone interview I thought went quite well.

I let Damon know about the May 2nd event. He expressed interest in attending and asked if it would be okay to record parts of it to use in his documentary. My response to him was…would he be willing to record the entire event? Damon agreed and arrived with two other colleagues; Mike Putchel, and Jeremy Jordan. They recorded all of it!                                                                    (In time I hope to have access to the recording for widespread sharing.)

In addition, Damon had asked if any of the Monfils Six guys would be there and inquired specifically about Mike Johnson. Damon had not yet interviewed Johnson for the documentary and was hoping to conduct one after our event concluded. I let him know that all three Mikes would be there and that Johnson was open to doing the interview.

(LtoR) Damon Schneider, Mike Johnson, Mike Putchel, Jeremy Jordan.  (Photo courtesy of Damon Schneider)

Afterwards some of us, including each of the Mikes, gathered at a nearby pub to grab a bite to eat before going our separate ways. It was there that I made a proposal to them that will definitely make a powerful statement at our next event. This proposal was agreed upon and will be disclosed at a later date.

 

Prior to May 2nd, I experienced considerable anxiety because of the many unknowns as to how this event would turn out. My anxiety was from a lack of my ever having worked with musicians, and the fact that we were doing this together for the first time on the day of the event! There were redeeming factors to this madness. I had sent…in my opinion…a rather unpolished, audio version of my narrative to Karli and Jason beforehand so that they could become familiar with the content and tone of my voice. Other than that, there were no practice runs or in-person “dress rehearsals.”

(Photo courtesy of Jared Manninen)

(Photo courtesy of Jared Manninen)

But there’s no doubt that Karli and Jason are very accomplished, very talented musicians which helped put me at ease…somewhat. Okay…I was worried that I’d make them look bad. Karli thoughtfully reassured me that this would go well and to not worry. We arrived at the venue that day, each of us with the intent of pouring our hearts into what we both do best; sharing meaningful stories through notes and words. Though attendance was less than hoped for, we thank those who cared enough to be there. And we—Karli, Jason and myself—view this session as an outstanding trial run that could lead to more of the same.

And alas, I’m proud to announce that through successful coordination efforts, we have secured both a date and a venue for another event. Thanks to ESTHER, this next one—also free for attendees—will take place at:

Fox Valley Technical College                                                                                                              Date: October 15, 2026                                                                                                                          Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm

A good fit? Naturally…

Thanks for taking the time to read this posting. If you ever have questions or feedback about any of my content, please feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear from you!

Hey Y’all! Tip(sy)ing the Scales of Justice Toward Truth…

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Our venue on July 21st was the recently opened Hey Y’all Typsy Taco Bar (now permanently closed). It occupied the vacated space of the restaurant better known as Betty Danger’s. This new space was charming and inviting. And it had the iconic Ferris wheel still on site, still accessible to diners.

 

But that was not the ride attendees experienced for my second book launch in NE Minneapolis. It was more of a roller coaster of deep emotion including laughter, anger, gist, and full-on support for a dedicated initiative on behalf of six innocent men.

Approximately 30 people attended to support this endeavor, to meet my special guest, Keith Kutska, and to hear him speak about his experience of being targeted, charged, and convicted for a crime he did not commit.

FYI: Because Keith was released on parole, he was required to ask for permission from his Parole Officer (PO) in order to travel over the border from Wisconsin into Minnesota. He showed me his “Travel Permit,” a piece of paper he needed to have with him at all times while he was away. Keith joked about it when he arrived but I don’t think any of us truly appreciate the feelings associated with having restrictions such as these placed on us as adults.

In my introduction, I shared Keith’s readiness to take back his life and accomplish meaningful things. High on his wish list was an eagerness to collaborate with me on book events. I also shared this heart-wrenching quote from Keith which I included in my book:

“Prior to his release and in our final moments during my first prison visit with him, he became thoughtful. ‘I have to tell you something,’ he had said as he looked me squarely in the eyes. ‘In the span of time between the failed attempt at a new trial for Reynold Moore and the start of the legal proceedings by the MN law firm, your letters kept me alive.’”

(Top L) Amy Jauman, (Top R) Debbie Russell, both part of the Women of Words (WOW) writing Group.

In attendance were longtime and more recent friends. Former attorney, Steve Kaplan, who represented Keith in a post-conviction evidentiary hearing in 2015, was there to lend his unwavering support. My program mimicked the previous book launch in Wisconsin with an explanation of my involvement in this endeavor, a summary of the case, followed by questions from the audience.

   

Keith was nervous at first. Even though I reassured him that this would be a positive experience, he, like the other men, was unsure of how well he would be received. He eventually felt more at ease and became animated and somewhat thoughtful. And after twenty-eight years of wrongful incarceration, he was unapologetic about his unfettered opinion of the criminal justice system.

Following the program, feedback varied:

One person shared their agitation over the negatively broad picture Keith had painted of the entire system. This person stressed that it’s not like that. I thought back to my partnership with Johnny Johnson, the retired crime scene expert who became livid with how unethical and corrupt the lead detective had been while investigating this case initially. I remembered Johnny’s vow to make sure he didn’t get away with it. Both Johnny and this person had worked in the legal field. Both similarly asserted that they had worked hard and had dedicated their careers to doing things the correct way.

Which brings me to an important point I make in my book: “I do want to emphasize that even after all I’ve learned about this case and about wrongful convictions in general, I firmly believe that our legal system gets it right the majority of the time. We just need to be cognizant of those instances when it doesn’t.”

Other comments included:                                                                                                                    “You did a wonderful job of putting him [Keith] at ease,” and

“You guys did a great job tonight! It was very interesting hearing Keith’s perspective on things.”

This past week I participated in a recorded conversation that I will be sharing as soon as it’s available. In it I was asked if I feel there has been a shift in public opinion regarding this case. I believe there has. I believe that no matter the roughness of the ride, we will continue to raise the bar toward truth and justice…

Note: Some photos were taken and sent to me by some of the attendees.