Tag Archives: wrongful convictions

Engaging a Speaker…Part 1

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Lakewood, Wisconsin – September 7, 2010 

Authors, Experts and Activists Will Gather at Fighting Bob Fest 

Denis Gullickson and John Gaie, authors of The Monfils Conspiracy: The Conviction of Six Innocent Men will be promoting their book and the innocence of Dale Basten, Mike Hirn, Mike Johnson, Keith Kutska, and Rey Moore at an annual gathering of progressive activists this coming Saturday, September 11, in Baraboo, Wisconsin. 

Along with exoneree Mike Piaskowski, Midwest Marketing Director Joan Treppa, and private investigator Johnny Johnson, Gullickson and Gaie will be talking to progressives at Fighting Bob Fest at the Sauk County Fairgrounds. Keynote speakers at the event will include, (main speaker to be disclosed in part 2), Tammy Baldwin, Jim Hightower, David Obey, Mike McCabe and others. 

“This will give us an opportunity to take our cause to the progressives from throughout the state and the Midwest,” said Gullickson. “The folks who attend this event are exactly the kinds of people who can help us further our efforts to gain justice for our guys, because they are passionate about what they believe. It also gives us a chance to support Ed Garvey who has become very involved in our cause.” 

Garvey, a highly-respected Madison attorney and political activist, is the founding force behind Fighting Bob Fest. The Fest is an annual political event that has grown from 1000 attendees in 2001 to over 8000 in 2009. In July, Gullickson, Gaie, Piaskowski, Treppa, and Johnson met with Garvey to explore avenues for pushing for new trials or the outright release of the five men who remain incarcerated in Wisconsin prisons. Garvey—who serves as emcee for the event—will be plugging the book and the cause from the dais throughout the day. 

“At the very least we intend to hand a book directly to (main keynote speaker),” said Gaie. “Rey Moore was a delegate for him when he ran for president. We’ve had a pretty successful summer expanding our circle through Ed Garvey. If we can get (this person) involved, we can take our efforts to the next level.” 

According to the event’s website, Fighting Bob Fest is “an old fashioned Chautauqua” named in honor of “Wisconsin’s most famous hell raiser, Fighting Bob La Follette. La Follette fought for democracy and economic fairness; he busted trusts, railed against the robber barons’ control over the political system, called for open primaries, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance. He thought people and ideas should rule instead of Big Money.” 

This event represents a lesson learned in a series of highs and lows we experienced while helping to free five innocent men. On this day, my optimism overflowed with possibilities. But this encounter would be a wake-up call regarding the inaction we’d encounter over time.

Accompanying me on this new adventure was my sister, Clare. She and I were great at accomplishing the impossible because of our mutual abandonment of all reason or adverse thoughts. To us, that only inhibited success. Growing up, Clare was a mentor, an inspiration for the person I would become. She had always been there for me and this day was no different. Her reasons for being there were twofold; first…to support my calling and second…because of her personal friendship with Reynold Moore, an innocent man serving a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.

Our motivations were also borne out of Rey’s connection to the keynote speaker for this event. Clare and I were going to demonstrate how enterprising we could be by making a concerted effort to stop this famous person dead in his tracks and demand that he acknowledge our mission! We had a plan in place and when the opportunity arose, we would be ready.

As we waited for the arrival of this guest, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a food stand near our booth with a clear view of the road that would bring him onto the event grounds. We were finishing up when Clare yelled, “Joan, come on, there he is!! Let’s grab the book and get in position! Hurry or we will miss our chance!” I turned to look in the direction she was pointing in time to see three black sedans turning onto and grounds, heading toward the parking area. It was him! So far, our plan was coming together. And it soon became clear which route this person would be taking in order to get to the main stage.

I was proud of my big sister for what she did next…

A Tall Order to Emulate…

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On a recommendation from an exoneree friend, Michael Piaskowski, my husband Mike and I invited a distinguished stranger into our home in October of 2012. We were planning to attend a Benefit for Innocence in Downtown Minneapolis and it was suggested that we invite this exoneree. I looked into his case profile and found these details…

In June of 1989, a woman was kidnapped from her home, raped several times and abandoned along the side of a road in Bluff Siding, Wisconsin. Fred Saecker who was 6’3” tall and very thin with a full head of hair at the time, DID NOT fit the victim’s description of the attacker at all. However, since he was in the victim’s neighborhood around the time of the attack and (according to the summary I read) had been drinking they focused their attention on him. He was charged with burglary, second degree sexual assault and kidnapping. At trial a truck driver testified that he saw Mr. Saecker wearing a blood stained T-shirt and a forensic analyst testified that pubic hairs found on the victim’s body were “microscopically similar” to his.

Fred Saecker was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He would serve seven years of that sentence before DNA evidence would absolve him of the crime. I must clarify that last statement because of its significance. Four years into his sentence DNA proved his innocence but it took another three years for the authorities to sanction his release! Read on…

In 1993, Fred’s Mother paid for DNA testing. Although the tests concluded that he could not have possibly been the perpetrator, his request for a new trial was denied until 1996 when the District Attorney finally dismissed all charges based on this DNA evidence…  

Fred arrived at our house after a five-hour drive from Wisconsin on the day of the benefit. He’s tall and thin making him mindful of hitting his head on the tops of doorways and low ceiling lights and fans in our home. He towered over both of us but his demeanor was non-intimidating. In fact, he was soft spoken and thoughtful. He expressed his gratefulness about being invited. Although Mike and I immediately grew fond of him, I also felt nervous. Not because of the accusations against him I believed were false but because I was very naive about this whole exoneree experience and somewhat vague about the willingness of them to revisit past nightmares.

We had time to get acquainted with Fred before friends would arrive prior to the event. So we broached the subject of his wrongful conviction. We knew nothing other than a few details and what our friend Mike Pie had told us about his circumstances. Fred was open and honest about his experience despite this being our first encounter with him. I wondered how it was possible for the authorities to target him despite him not fitting the description of the real perpetrator. I also wondered how they managed to not get a sense of his true nature. Ever since that little chat in our home, we knew that Fred would always be our friend. He has joined us on at least one other occasion and we’ve continued to stay in touch ever since.

I think in many ways, exonerees like Fred remain vulnerable to some degree, due to the lasting effects of their tragedies. They are keen when it comes to defining who is truthful and honest, but for some, the risk of being fooled by those whose intentions are tainted, is ever present. I am mindful of the mission I’ve been given, of the importance of not taking these people for granted, or underestimating their emotional state. These days, I feel much more comfortable when meeting an exoneree for the first time. The humanity I feel by being in the presence of great courage and endurance despite all odds, never goes away.

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Exonerees Koua Fong Lee, Audrey Edmunds, Fred Saecker, Damon Thibodeaux and Michael Piaskowski

Sometime ago, Fred sent me a thoughtful message stating, “Joan, you are incredible. I really mean that.” As accepting of those words as I am from someone I admire very much, there’s no doubt in my mind that the best deserved accolades go to this gentle giant of a man who stands tall, not only in stature but in the wake of extreme misfortune.

Positive Change.act…

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2013 “Walk” in Green Bay, WI  (That’s me holding the sign which says: 18 Years of Injustice)


Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:15:41 -0500                                                                                                  One Woman’s Story—Can You Help as She Has?

by Denis Gullickson

Thanks to the response of a number of you to last week’s information release, we wanted to bring you the story of Joan Treppa who was referenced in a couple of places in that release. Joan is an example to all of us of the kind of power one impassioned person can make on behalf of a cause—in this case, the cause of justice and freedom for five innocent men who remain incarcerated in Wisconsin prisons.

Joan became involved in the effort to promote our book, The Monfils Conspiracy: The Conviction of Six Innocent Men, through her sister, Clare. Originally from the “U.P. in Michigan,” but now living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota Joan attended some of our book events. Author John Gaie was also instrumental in providing Joan with as much information as she desired. And it was very much a case of the more she learned, the more she became incensed about this injustice.

Not content to simply fume over the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of Dale Basten, Mike Hirn, Mike Johnson, Keith Kutska, and Rey Moore, Joan, literally, took to the streets. Early on, she wrote reviews of the book and posted them on internet websites. She pushed the book at local book stores, sold books to friends and acquaintances, and spoke about the case to anyone who would listen. She scheduled the authors for a talk at her church this fall. She also called members of the local media, sent books to them, and encouraged them to interview the authors and Mike Piaskowski. Along those same lines, she put books in the hands of Twin Cities attorneys, filmmakers, and so on.

On the heels of the announcement that Wisconsin’s Early Release Commission had delayed Mike Hirn’s possible release for another year, Joan—along with Toby Resch, another diligent supporter of our efforts—called Ben Merens of Wisconsin Public Radio. Toby did a wonderful job of introducing the subject for listeners and Joan followed up with a plea on behalf of these men.

Again, you can listen to their calls by going to wpr.org and searching for an archive of Ben Meren’s programs. Then, find the 4 p.m. program for Friday, April 16. Toby and Joan’s comments can be found at the 8:20 and 10:30 marks, respectively.

But Joan wasn’t done there! Through talking about the case to anyone with an ear, Joan established a connection with a retired crime scene reconstruction expert. She made sure he had a book and she encouraged him to read it. He did—three times! And what he came away with was a profound disgust for the investigation conducted by the Green Bay Police Department and a deep bewilderment for how the case could have proceeded to trial and resulted in convictions.

Then, Joan organized a weekend of intensive informational and strategy sessions at her home between the authors, Mike Piaskowski, and the crime scene expert. Joan and husband, Mike, not only served as gracious hosts to the four men, but Joan played a key role in the sessions themselves. 

As author Denis Gullickson said, “If we had one person like Joan in five or six cities—say Milwaukee, Madison, Wausau, Oshkosh, Chicago, and others—we would be well on our way to getting this story to a wider audience across the Midwest and, eventually, the entire nation.”

As we told you last week, Joan’s efforts have caused significant developments to occur. She has set up three events for this fall, including a book presentation and signing at the Rosedale Mall on August 21. What will result for these five men because of her efforts remains to be seen. But every one of her steps has been a step in the right direction.

With great appreciation, we wanted to tell you about her efforts. We also know that Joan is not alone. Many of you have pushed books, talked about this story to anyone and everyone, contacted the media and the authorities, and written letters. Your efforts are making a difference. Thank you.

Finally, here’s a prayerful plea to everyone to keep this story on the front burner and do whatever you can to keep the wheels of justice turning in favor of these men. A simple, but helpful step is to post favorable reviews of our book on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. As we said last week, our immediate sights are now set firmly on Wisconsin Public Radio and on Madison, but our work hardly ends there.

This thoughtful piece still brings tears and was written during very uncertain times. But I think of what has come to pass since then. The annual Walk for Truth and Justice is in its fourth year. Collective support and donations on behalf of these five men have trickled in. And finally, the inception of legal assistance by a major Minneapolis law firm along with both WI and MN Innocence Projects, all collaborating towards a similar goal. The final chapter steadily approaches. The process is slow but within reach. When that day arrives for these five men, it will be a day like no other!

I recently had an inspiring conversation with my son, Jared. He said, “Mom, it is no longer acceptable for me to just sit back and watch others do great things to change the world. I must be a participant and one who is responsible for enacting that change. I no longer want people to tell me how much they admire what I’m doing but what THEY are doing to enact change”.

I cannot put into words the feeling a parent gets from hearing such compassion and commitment. I agree with him and am certain that together, we will somehow enact positive change in this world.