Tag Archives: wrongful convictions

Positive Change.act…

Image

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.

An Emotional Father’s Day…

On this special day, I’m sharing the stories of five exceptional Dads. They take their roles seriously but their ability to have a direct influence on their children’s lives is nonexistent…and heartbreaking. Despite the obstacles, their children look up to them with the greatest respect.

Michael Hirn is the youngest of five innocent but imprisoned men in Wisconsin. His only child was an infant when he was incarcerated in 1995. Now a young man, this son has only known his father’s presence from behind prison walls. He’s been forced to grow up without the intimate guidance and life experiences of a father but he relishes in knowing that his dad is innocent. I’ve received numerous pictures of them together during prison visits and although the guarded smiles on their faces tell of uncertainties for the future, I also see a closeness that will stay strong no matter what that future holds.

Keith Kutska shines through his son, Clayton, who is a father himself and a tireless supporter of his father’s innocence. Clayton states how extremely hard it has been to grow up without “my dad”. One only needs to look into their sad eyes to understand how this injustice has affected them both. Nonetheless, there will always be a mutual pride between these two men. For Keith it is a pride for the man his son has become. And for Clayton the pride is witnessing the courage of a father who has maintained his unrelenting innocence for twenty-three years. Both are strong father figures despite this predicament.

Dale Basten is the oldest of the five men. His two daughters do their best to go on with the many challenges of living a normal life. Dale has always been a devoted father and their deepest concerns for him have been his age and of his recent major heart attack in a prison system that lacks adequate health care. Some time ago the family was frantic when this health crisis occurred and no information about his condition was forthcoming until after the fact. In more recent years, Dale, who is now experiencing dementia, faces a bleak future with few options, as this injustice continues to plague this traumatized family.

Rey Moore’s faith has guided him along a very daunting path fraught with far too many disappointments during this turbulent time. It has helped him to maintain sanity but there is an element of deep distress when he writes about his children. Worry is the motivation in his pleas for me to make contact with them. Their survival in an unforgiving town has its challenges, as does Rey, within an unforgiving prison system.

Michael Johnson is also beholden to a faith that gives him strength and helps him to stay optimistic. His children and his wife, struggle to grasp the reasons for his absence, why such a fate has befallen them, and why it is that no one seems to care about the pain that persists in their hearts.

We must search deep inside ourselves to imagine the hardships of those who are faced with what has been lost and what can never be reclaimed. For these five men, twenty-three years are gone forever, never to be retrieved. We all must acknowledge the deprivation they experience. For it is far too easy for us to take lightly the privileges we’ve been given, and to overlook the pain of those who cannot. So when you celebrate this special day, please take a moment to silently remember these men and the countless other dads who sit quietly with little or no chance of experiencing those treasured moments with their children. I promise that you will become a better person for it!

Separate Ahmong Equals…Pt 2

Continuing on with this astonishing story, the revelations began as I navigated the Innocence Project of Minnesota website. I had clicked on the page that lists movies and books depicting wrongful conviction cases. I noticed one book that had been added recently. Its title read, The Road to Freedom; Strangers Restore Justice for an Innocent Man, by Trudy Baltazar. Hmmm…interesting. Similar to the kind of activity I was engaging in with the Wisconsin Monfils case. I read the paragraph next to the book image and saw that it was about the famous Toyota case which happened here in Minnesota. I was intrigued and wanted to find out if the author was local. I did a search. It appeared that she not only lives in Minnesota but lives close to where I live. Wow. I wondered why I wasn’t aware of what she was involved in. I decided to search for her online because she was definitely someone I wanted to meet. I found a link to purchase her book. I ordered a copy which also prompted me to highlight Mr. Lee’s case that month for my exoneree series.

A crucial detail I learned about Mr. Lee’s case was that approximately thirty-three months after he was imprisoned, an attorney filed a request for an evidentiary hearing. The purpose of this hearing was for the judge to rule on whether or not to grant him a new trial based on new evidence that had come to light. The hearing was granted, but then according to Trudy’s book, this happened:

Upon hearing a news broadcast in St. Paul, Minnesota about a husband/father who was wrongfully imprisoned after he drove a car that suddenly accelerated and killed three people, Trudy Baltazar felt compelled to act. She didn’t know the man and she didn’t know the victims but she felt something wasn’t right when the county attorney opposed a new trial even though there was new evidence and 44 new witnesses”.

Trudy had organized a rally in front of the Ramsey County Courthouse. She contacted the local media but one reporter privately contacted her to ask if she would be interested in doing an interview. Trudy was warned that she would be on the front page of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and as it turned out, the article appeared on a Monday, the same day as the rally was to be held. The rally was an overwhelming success with people from all ethnic backgrounds and walks of life showing up to voice their concern over this opposition. All of the major local TV stations were there and Trudy was interviewed by each of them. Big news in Minnesota and in my neck of the woods! But where was I?

This rally had taken place in the summer of 2010. After thinking about the timing it occurred to me that this was the same time frame in which I was heavily involved in advocating for the five Wisconsin men. I’d been making numerous trips to Green Bay to gain our own attention concerning those convictions. We were embroiled in our own controversy as I pushed for a risky and bold move, to stage our own rally in Downtown Green Bay near the Brown County Courthouse.

Our rally had to happen on October twenty-eighth; the same date as when the guilty verdicts were handed down in 1995. The press surrounding the Monfils Conspiracy book was starting to wane and the pressure was on to keep the momentum going about this injustice. A rally was the only way to get the necessary attention. We could not afford to allow this opportunity to slip away. Until now, no one had pursued a rally and I felt it was imperative we bring this activity into the forefront.

Trudy states in her book that she’d been innately compelled to do something big, though she didn’t know what. How ironic it is for two determined women with essentially the same motivations to simultaneously be inspired. What’s more, to share in a similar event that would cause a shake-down of an entire law enforcement community in two separate states? Whew! You cannot predict something like that.

Well…Trudy and I became good friends. I admire her because of her selfless actions to help an innocent man; a man who is now free partly due to her actions. Trudy succeeded in doing something that few are able or willing to do. For this reason, I asked her to speak at one of our car shows to tell her story.

Trudy works full time but stays in contact with Koua’s family. She remains an advocate for others in matters concerning the unintentional acceleration issue. I continue to work on what my legacy will be. How fortunate for two gutsy women leading their own charges in the abolition of wrongful convictions, to cross paths. We stay connected and lend support for each others’ efforts to make a difference for those whose voices have been silenced and forgotten.

Lastly, when I wrapped my mind around all I had learned, another thing hit me like a Mac truck. A few years back, when I was parking my 1999 Toyota behind a restaurant, it proceeded to do the exact same thing as Mr. Lee’s. It unintentionally accelerated at an unbelievably high speed despite my efforts of putting pressure on the brake! Luckily, I was able to shut the ignition off which immediately halted the acceleration. This incident had essentially slipped my mind because, unlike in Koua’s case, my experience did not result in anyone’s death.