Tag Archives: Wisconsin Innocence Project

Steady As She Goes…

Leave a reply

The promise of a new year incites good intentions, great new beginnings and a longing to leave undesirable baggage behind. A new year….a new us, right? Gym memberships soar, diets commence and monthly planners designed to organize our crazy lives fly off the shelves. These are great concepts that seldom pan out. Why? Because our hearts are not sufficiently vested. And the actual energy needed to maintain them becomes overwhelming because all that has really changed is the calendar year.

But the good news is that we are a resilient species. We never give up entirely. And we believe that our persistence will produce something fruitful.

With that said, I’d like to introduce you to someone very special to me; someone I feel could be a poster child of tenacity and determination; someone who came into my life and taught me how to withstand terrible odds. I met her while advocating for the same cause; the plight of six innocent men from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Coming from opposite sides in a common fight, mine as an outsider and hers as an insider, our friendship has become strong and steady. It has helped us to maintain hope that her situation will eventually improve.

Joan Van Houten started this New Year off the same as she has for the past twenty+ years; positive and determined despite a significant and ongoing conflict she deals with daily. Joan remains steadfast in her mission to free a loved one from prison; someone she believes…she knows is innocent. And her 2016 resolutions precipitate being more active and successful at this one thing.

Each year Joan pushes herself that much harder to win this impossible fight. Each year she resolves to never abandon her stepfather, Michael Johnson; an innocent man sentenced to life in prison for a murder he did not commit.

6th annual walk 2015 - candles

Michael Johnson (as he looked during sentencing) is third from the left 

Joan recently wrote these brutally honest and powerful words about her plight. Having collaborated with her in this tragic circumstance, I have witnessed how hard it is for her to relive the painful moments that continue to persist and will do so until Michael’s sentence is vacated. So I felt her voice needed to be featured on my blog… 

Note: Michael Johnson is the only one of the five men my husband Mike and I have not visited in prison. We plan to do so in early 2016.

A New Year Brings Renewed Hope

By: Joan Van Houten

Another year has gone and we are left to make choices about how we plan to face the months ahead. Do we look back with disdain and sorrow and pain while looking ahead seeing only more of the same? Or do we choose to hold on to the progress made, all the love, effort and passionate actions of those who have so fully given of themselves to help our families?

Families of those wrongly convicted are not delusional. We would not still be fighting … over twenty years of fighting … because we’re too thick headed to believe someone we love is guilty. There are too many of us who know something went terribly wrong with the investigation into the death of Thomas Monfils. It’s not just one family. It’s not just two families. Six entire family units have been fighting to expose and to right what happened to all of us. And all six families remain committed after all these years. Can anyone still believe that each of us is out of our mind?

Year after year of watching our men in pain. Year after year as their children grew to graduate high school and college, have families of their own and children of their own. Year after year of Wisconsin Court officials turning their backs to the truth. So many of us, from different backgrounds, different histories and different experiences … still here and still fighting. It would be so much easier to just move on. To let go and accept that this is a fate that cannot be changed would be a less heartbreaking road to follow. And yet … we fight. Still.

It’s uncomfortable – talking to reporters from both television and print media. None of us work in that field. None of us are accustomed to standing out in the crowd. We’re everyday people with all the normal problems everyone has. To top that off, we’ve been fighting for the release of men who were convicted of murder. Murder! Though wrongly convicted in a case riddled with horrendous acts that go completely against the ideals set forth for our judicial system … convicted none the less. It can still cut deep when assumptions are made about what drives us to continue on – when our motives are shaved down to nothing more than pure lunacy and grief. To be judged in full public view is a hard thing to go through and the ugliness of some coming with all fangs bared and dripping with hate is something that makes me cringe. And yet … we fight. Still.

It’s been a long road and there is a long road ahead. Looking back, I see the monstrous valleys and paths riddled with boulders – I see the flooded gateways and pitted glaciers covering the earth. All these things that seemed insurmountable … unclimbable … unpassable. And yet, here we are … all those things behind us.

Our numbers have grown and continue to do so. With the book, The Monfils Conspiracy, The Conviction of Six Innocent Men by Denis Gullickson and John Gaie, and the merciful presence of Joan Treppa, a Citizen Advocate who adopted our plight as her own, our supporters reach out, to us and for us, more and more with each passing week. Outrage has finally begun to break through the disbelief and the voices of our men are finally reaching the hearts and ears of the masses.

In the months ahead, Truth will be our banner once again. It will be raised higher than ever imagined and ring louder than corrupt ears will be able to bear. With a new year comes renewed hope. And with Hope, all things are possible.

 

Joan Van Houten is the step-daughter of Michael Johnson, one of six men wrongly convicted in the death of Thomas Monfils, detailed in the book; The Monfils Conspiracy, The Conviction of Six Innocent Men written by Denis Gullickson and John Gaie. Instrumental in bringing her step-father’s plight of innocence to the attention of renowned attorney, Lawrence Marshall, who took on the fight Pro Bono, she continues the work of bringing awareness of the six wrongful convictions to light.

 

Links to more information on the book and this case:

The latest news and video footage in The Monfils case.

The Voice of Innocence is a FaceBook page Joan and I jointly maintain.

A Benevolent Coup d’état…

2 Replies

I’m sharing a true story, a smaller component of what has shaped a much larger one. It’s an important step in my six year journey to aid in the eventual release of five innocent but incarcerated men from Green Bay, Wisconsin. It came about by way of two individuals with nothing more than a vision and infinite determination. How do ordinary citizens take on the establishment and win? Well…let me explain.

The good news is that a twenty-three-year-old murder case has become big news again and is heading back to the courts in front of the original trial judge in the same county where the whole nightmare began! The bad news is that innocent men are still sitting in prison for a crime they did not commit. And the other real tragedy is that it most likely wasn’t a crime at all, but a suicide. So the real question is, how did that happen?

230_monfils_conspiracy_cover_web

The Monfils Conspiracy published in 2009 

I became involved when I read The Monfils Conspiracy; a book about the case. I became outraged enough to bring copies to Minneapolis to sell. Fortunately, I ran into Johnny Johnson; a retired crime scene investigator who bought one. Then I eventually handed one to Steve Kaplan; a compassionate attorney who came on board soon after, despite his intention to retire. He actually did retire, but went back to Fredrikson & Byron, PA, a sizable law firm here in Minneapolis, to work full time on this case after Johnny and I explained to him its many flaws.

retired-investigator-johnny-johnson-joan-treppa-and-attorney-steve-kaplan

Retired Crime Scene Investigator, Johnny Johnson, Citizen Advocate Joan Treppa, and Attorney Steve Kaplan 

This story in and of itself is quite incredible, but couple that with the fact that up to this point, there had been no discussion of monetary payment except for a brief one confirming there was none. I consider us damned lucky that Steve was okay with this. But after Steve had done a little research it was clear to him that what happened to these men was not only wrong, but unethical and illegal. He decided he’d be the one who’d try to change that. He got right to work and found others both at the firm and at other firms who were interested in partnering with him because of their strong code of ethics. They climbed on board the freedom train knowing that their time would be donated. Eventually, more attorneys from Wisconsin hopped on board.

Twelve months into it the team decided it was time to bring in experts to study what evidence had been uncovered, and to compile reports to support the new findings; things that were never disclosed to the judge or jury during the trial in 1995. But this would prompt an unavoidable discussion about funds. Our dedicated attorney explained that in order to solicit reputable experts we will need to pay for their services, which will be expensive. We understood this to be a necessary component to completing our mission. Talk of fundraising ensued. But that could take time and unnecessarily postpone the mission. Johnny and I had to come up with a plan to kick start this process…and fast.

The story picks up speed from there. It was not long after this discussion that Johnny sat me down. Please understand, Johnny’s an Army veteran who references military language on occasion. So, one day he said to me,

“What would you say if I suggested we enact a Coup d’état?”

I asked him to elaborate. “Let’s plop some dough-re-mi onto Steve’s desk and see what happens,” he said.

We first shared the idea with our spouses, Linda and Mike. They granted us their overwhelming support. So, the following day, Johnny and I went over to the law firm and sat Steve down. We then proceeded to set two checks on the table in front of him. When he realized we were not about to take no for an answer, he expressed deep gratitude and assured us it would be put to good use.

Steve walked us to the elevator. As the doors closed, Steve ran into Pam Wandzel, the pro bono department manager for the firm. We witnessed the handing over of the checks right before the doors closed. What happened after that was a miracle.

reynold-moore

Reynold Moore in 2011 

Time to mention that the Wisconsin Innocence Project (WIP) had already been in the process of representing Reynold Moore-one of our five guys, in an appeal before the law firm came on board. In fact, they had recently hit a brick wall when their efforts to appeal Rey’s conviction in the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2012 was denied. This news story explains.

WIP Attorney Byron Lichstein (a young Steve Kaplan) was Rey’s lawyer for that appeal. When Byron later learned about the firm getting involved, he was ecstatic. After our little visit with Steve, Byron received word of our actions. The WIP responded by matching our donation. Then another development occurred. The following week a significant amount became available on behalf of the law firm that would put the case back on track for an evidentiary hearing. The hearing for Keith Kutska is now scheduled for July 8, 2015.

My purpose for sharing this series of events is rooted in a desire to inspire. I’m a citizen of this country. When I learned about people being bullied by the courts, I felt it my duty as a citizen to become part of the solution. When Johnny learned of a fellow detective unscrupulously coercing false testimony to convict six innocent men, he also became part of the solution…and so on and so on.

This is what we do and we expect no less from our peers. We, as free citizens must not think twice about taking action. We must never expect someone else to do what we have the ability to do. Start a coup; but one of benevolence not of violence. It is up to each one of us to make a difference and to set an example.

I’ll leave you with a sobering statistic: There have been close to 2,000 exonerations in this country since 1989. This isn’t a large number but consider this…According to the National Registry of Exonerations, government misconduct, which includes all levels of the judicial ladder, was the prime factor in 46% of all wrongful convictions. We have one judicial system. Together, we must do our part, no matter how large or how small, to get it back on track.

Full Circle…

Leave a reply

Early in my advocacy concerning the injustice of six Wisconsin men, I learned about Reynold Moore; one of the six, from my sister, Clare. She knew Rey and his wife long before the incident happened at the mill in 1992. They had been good friends. That bond resulted in her firm belief of his innocence and of the innocence of the other five men. Clare was also the catalyst for my involvement into this mission to free all of the men.

Reynold Moore. (Courtesy of artist/writer, Jared Manninen) 

There’s a memory Clare uses to describe Rey’s character. She often talks about the days before Rey was convicted and how he and his wife would invite Clare over to their house to visit. Since her only source of transportation back then was riding her bicycle, she would head over to their house on the bike, knowing Rey would offer to throw it into the back of his pickup and drive her home if it got too late or too dark. She will never forget how concerned Rey was for her safety.

That view of Rey shines brightly through in all of his correspondence. There’s no accurate way to define him other than as someone who beams with inherent kindness. Rey always ends his letters with a prayerful blessing for me and my family. He appreciates the hope now instilled within because of our support.

Rey will be the first to say that his record is not spotless and that he was not always a nice person. Maybe so, but this is not the picture my sister paints of him. She has shared the struggles he’s had and how they’ve affected his family. I can only imagine the burden he faces daily. Still, he exhibits patience and forgiveness. I’m aware of many close friends and supporters of his who vigorously advocate on his behalf and participate in activities to promote his release.

The crucial evidence used to convict Rey was the testimony of a paid jailhouse informant, James Gilliam. On the day of the arrests in the Monfils case, James Gilliam, a career criminal, was also arrested for threatening a woman with a butcher knife.* He immediately saw an opportunity. He told the authorities that while he was jail, he shared a cell with Rey. He claimed Rey had confided in him about the murder. And on the witness stand during the Monfils trial, Gilliam testified that Rey disclosed details to him about how he (Rey) had participated in the beating of Tom Monfils. Even though Gilliam’s statements contradicted the known facts, he was rewarded with two years’ probation and was set free for his contribution to the prosecution’s case.

But years later, Gilliam recanted his original statement while being interviewed by the Wisconsin Innocence Project (WIP). In light of this recantation, the WIP had taken up Rey’s case. They petitioned the court to grant Rey a hearing based on this latest development. Their aim was to ask that Rey be given a new trial which might produce a different outcome than the original trial. But when Gilliam took the stand during the hearing, he recanted his recantation. He reversed his story to reflect what he had said at the original trial. Ultimately, the petition for a new trial for Rey was denied.

Despite these disappointments, Reynold Moore has held strong to himself and to his faith. He tells me he looks forward to the day when we meet “face to face” so that he can thank me in person for all I’ve done for him. I look forward to that day as well. But I, in turn, wish to thank him for being the caring friend he was and is, to my sister.

*Gilliam is currently serving a life sentence for murdering his wife. He is ineligible for parole.