Monday, August 9, 2010
EDGE
Dean has been accepted into a program called EDGE that operates in the prison. It is a program that helps troubled teens shape up and realize what awaits them if they keep on the downward path. Since Dean comes from a loving extended family and had a great childhood, he is a good example of what can happen to any one that cared too much about "being cool". He can help others to prevent what happened to him. It is a full time gig, and will keep him very occupied and fulfilled in prison.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
August 2010
It has been quite a while since I posted on the blog. We moved the blog to this site and that took awhile. This site is more private and only family and friends will have the address.
Dean is doing very well at Kern Valley State Prison. He has grown his hair out shoulder length and wears it in a pony tail. It looks very good on him and it covers his back of the head bald spot. He now looks like he is a soccer player from Uruguay. He has kept his spirits up and has been writing many letters fighting for various inmates rights.
We still have heard nothing on his appeal and keep thinking that any day now, we will hear something. The appeals court has to read through both cases. To us it seems so simple, but the court is trying to find a reason to refuse the appeal. That it is taking this long may be a good sign, because they are not finding anything.
Last month, Dean's grandparents who are in their 80's got to visit him for the first time in prison.
They found the whole process interesting and a bit disturbing. They were happy to see Dean and glad that he keeps his spirits up. They asked him how he does that, and he replied that every morning he picks two things to look forward to(for example, a candy bar or a t.v. show) and then later in the day enjoys one and then in the evening, another. He lives one day at a time, and tries to help others and educate himself.
He already has dropped points and his counselor says that he can be transferred to a lower level prison next year. I hope that happens. He says that he is fine though where he is if it doesn't.
Dean is doing very well at Kern Valley State Prison. He has grown his hair out shoulder length and wears it in a pony tail. It looks very good on him and it covers his back of the head bald spot. He now looks like he is a soccer player from Uruguay. He has kept his spirits up and has been writing many letters fighting for various inmates rights.
We still have heard nothing on his appeal and keep thinking that any day now, we will hear something. The appeals court has to read through both cases. To us it seems so simple, but the court is trying to find a reason to refuse the appeal. That it is taking this long may be a good sign, because they are not finding anything.
Last month, Dean's grandparents who are in their 80's got to visit him for the first time in prison.
They found the whole process interesting and a bit disturbing. They were happy to see Dean and glad that he keeps his spirits up. They asked him how he does that, and he replied that every morning he picks two things to look forward to(for example, a candy bar or a t.v. show) and then later in the day enjoys one and then in the evening, another. He lives one day at a time, and tries to help others and educate himself.
He already has dropped points and his counselor says that he can be transferred to a lower level prison next year. I hope that happens. He says that he is fine though where he is if it doesn't.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Blessing
Someone dear gave this to me. He found it in a book called "To Bless The Space Between Us" by John O'Donohue. It is a blessing for the parents of one who is thought to have committed a crime. So...it is a blessing for us and I wanted to share it.
No one else can see beauty in his darkened life now.
His image has closed like a shadow.
When people look at him, he has become the mirror of the damage that they think he has
done.
But, he is yours. And you have different eyes that hold his yesterdays in pictures no one
else remembers.
No one else can see beauty in his darkened life now.
His image has closed like a shadow.
When people look at him, he has become the mirror of the damage that they think he has
done.
But, he is yours. And you have different eyes that hold his yesterdays in pictures no one
else remembers.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Hope for 2010
Well, the year is almost over. I hope 2010 will be a better one and maybe bring Dean his freedom. Here is a thought/question for the new year.
If 3 witnesses to a crime, who do not know each other, all describe the assailants as wearing baggy cholo pants and sweatshirts, and then a detective and a prosecutor say that the assailant was wearing a shop work uniform; who are you more inclined to believe??
Happy New Year to those who deserve it!
If 3 witnesses to a crime, who do not know each other, all describe the assailants as wearing baggy cholo pants and sweatshirts, and then a detective and a prosecutor say that the assailant was wearing a shop work uniform; who are you more inclined to believe??
Happy New Year to those who deserve it!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Visit
We had our Christmas visit with Dean. His Aunt Mona, and cousin Sara came with us. Dean was happy to see them. He looks good and is well acclimated now to Kern Valley. His cell mate is a transfer from Oregon who tells Dean that the Oregon prisons are much better. I guess the cells are nicer and the food is better and there are more programs for the prisoners to keep them busy. Interesting. Dean has enrolled in a program here that counsels young juveniles on the realities of prison and the consequences of being in a gang or hanging out with the wrong crowd. I think he would be excellent at it. If it is God's will for him to do this, it will happen.
If anyone wants to send him something for Christmas, he and various inmates like to play this card game. It has depth and many characters that need to be added. I found them at Amazon.com and they will send them to him. They are called Magic, The Gathering. It is a science fiction creative story game. He likes the Alara Reborn series. There are many different ones and he likes any of them. Pick one and have Amazon send it to him at Kern Valley State Prison with his number G30030. It is amazing how he gets inmates involved in peaceful things. Last time, he got many of them involved in reading books and talking about them.
We heard that Miguel's brother got convicted for murder recently and we wonder if he got railroaded too, and might be innocent. It was bad enough that his family lost Miguel, but now, they lose Jose too. Gangs are so stupid and so hurtful to families. I wonder what the solution is. Hopefully Dean will be able to talk some juveniles into shaping up. He has learned the hard way how unfair the justice system can be, and how political it is.
We will never give up on Dean, and a group of attornies have decided to take up his cause. Someday, the truth will come out. Hopefully, we will not need their service because the second appeal will be granted.
If anyone wants to send him something for Christmas, he and various inmates like to play this card game. It has depth and many characters that need to be added. I found them at Amazon.com and they will send them to him. They are called Magic, The Gathering. It is a science fiction creative story game. He likes the Alara Reborn series. There are many different ones and he likes any of them. Pick one and have Amazon send it to him at Kern Valley State Prison with his number G30030. It is amazing how he gets inmates involved in peaceful things. Last time, he got many of them involved in reading books and talking about them.
We heard that Miguel's brother got convicted for murder recently and we wonder if he got railroaded too, and might be innocent. It was bad enough that his family lost Miguel, but now, they lose Jose too. Gangs are so stupid and so hurtful to families. I wonder what the solution is. Hopefully Dean will be able to talk some juveniles into shaping up. He has learned the hard way how unfair the justice system can be, and how political it is.
We will never give up on Dean, and a group of attornies have decided to take up his cause. Someday, the truth will come out. Hopefully, we will not need their service because the second appeal will be granted.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Timeline
There seems to be some confusion by a reader of the blog of the exact timeline of Dean's life associated with this crime. Let me clear it up.
October of 1997, the crime occurred . Dean was working.
Four days after the crime, he was arrested for a parole violation of giving two gang members a ride to their house. He was really being locked up as a suspect for the murder of Miguel, but there was no case yet . One had to be built or formed against him. So.... The police took six months to build a case using snitches who were in prison for other crimes and wanted to make a deal so they could get out. One snitch came up with the story that the police and the prosecution built their whole case around. Dean remained locked up during the trial, lost the trial and was sent to one of the most violent prisons in California where he stayed for 3 years while his appeal was filed. He won his appeal
So March 2001 he was released. We put up his bail which the prosecutor tried to raise ,but failed.
For 4 years Dean worked, traveled and lived life reconnecting with his family and himself. He was a self supporting citizen with the shadow of another trial hanging over him. The trial kept getting delayed which was fine because he got to enjoy life a little longer. Then as the trial neared, the prosecutor wanted Dean in jail. (It makes Dean seem more criminal than if he was walking in every day with the jury.) So how could he do this? Dean was not committing any more crimes; like the snitches did. Simple, he drops the original charges, and comes up with new ones that make the original crime a capital one which means that no bail is allowed. Dean was walking his dog, when two plainclothes police officers jumped out of a car with guns and arrested him. It was for the same crime, but new charges. He stayed locked up in jail while the trial got delayed over and over until the new trial started in 2008.
Dean is innocent of this crime and the last crime he had been involved in (joy riding in a stolen car) had happened 14 years ago. The murder of Miguel which he did not do, happened 12 years ago this month. Any time spent in jail has been because of this case. It has taken 8 years of his life, because for 4, he was free.
It is very difficult to prepare for a case when one is locked up and all conversations are taped. Dean was not allowed to go through discovery and find the things he needed to help him. He relied on an attorney who missed things and had his own ideas. If Dean had been free, he could have prepared better, looked better and felt better.
Any one who has read this blog knows how we feel about the injustices in the system. Dean feels that he is going through this for a spiritual reason and that it guarantees him a place in heaven, not like the jurors and the prosecution. He is strong spiritually and that gets all of us through this.
Thank you Jean for your support. You were there through the whole trial and unfortunately did not get a chance to be the one with common sense in the jury room. You were not taken in by the theatrics and misrepresentations of the prosecutor.
October of 1997, the crime occurred . Dean was working.
Four days after the crime, he was arrested for a parole violation of giving two gang members a ride to their house. He was really being locked up as a suspect for the murder of Miguel, but there was no case yet . One had to be built or formed against him. So.... The police took six months to build a case using snitches who were in prison for other crimes and wanted to make a deal so they could get out. One snitch came up with the story that the police and the prosecution built their whole case around. Dean remained locked up during the trial, lost the trial and was sent to one of the most violent prisons in California where he stayed for 3 years while his appeal was filed. He won his appeal
So March 2001 he was released. We put up his bail which the prosecutor tried to raise ,but failed.
For 4 years Dean worked, traveled and lived life reconnecting with his family and himself. He was a self supporting citizen with the shadow of another trial hanging over him. The trial kept getting delayed which was fine because he got to enjoy life a little longer. Then as the trial neared, the prosecutor wanted Dean in jail. (It makes Dean seem more criminal than if he was walking in every day with the jury.) So how could he do this? Dean was not committing any more crimes; like the snitches did. Simple, he drops the original charges, and comes up with new ones that make the original crime a capital one which means that no bail is allowed. Dean was walking his dog, when two plainclothes police officers jumped out of a car with guns and arrested him. It was for the same crime, but new charges. He stayed locked up in jail while the trial got delayed over and over until the new trial started in 2008.
Dean is innocent of this crime and the last crime he had been involved in (joy riding in a stolen car) had happened 14 years ago. The murder of Miguel which he did not do, happened 12 years ago this month. Any time spent in jail has been because of this case. It has taken 8 years of his life, because for 4, he was free.
It is very difficult to prepare for a case when one is locked up and all conversations are taped. Dean was not allowed to go through discovery and find the things he needed to help him. He relied on an attorney who missed things and had his own ideas. If Dean had been free, he could have prepared better, looked better and felt better.
Any one who has read this blog knows how we feel about the injustices in the system. Dean feels that he is going through this for a spiritual reason and that it guarantees him a place in heaven, not like the jurors and the prosecution. He is strong spiritually and that gets all of us through this.
Thank you Jean for your support. You were there through the whole trial and unfortunately did not get a chance to be the one with common sense in the jury room. You were not taken in by the theatrics and misrepresentations of the prosecutor.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Discovery
We finally have all the discovery which is tapes, transcripts, photos, dvds, etc. that was previously in the hands of the court, our attorney, and the prosecution. We have been slowly going through it and have only dented it. Already though, we have found things that show how Dean is innocent. It is amazing how our attorney missed these items, and how the prosecution overlooked them in deciding Dean's guilt. These items should have definitely come out in trial for the jury to hear and see, though with this jury, they might have ignored it too, just like they ignored other things that showed Dean's innocence. It is frustrating to find these items. It is just a reminder again how flawed our justice system is. How many innocent people are behind bars where most in society do not care about them or their situation? Why do prosecutors who know they are wrong keep going for the conviction?
Dean has never been a threat to society, and now the government supports him. He could be a self supporting citizen like he was for the four years he waited for a new trial. No wonder California is broke, and the prisons overcrowded. Too many people lack common sense and just want to punish and/or feel a sense of power over another.
I wonder how many more items I will find in Discovery that got overlooked. One day, these will all be important.
Dean has never been a threat to society, and now the government supports him. He could be a self supporting citizen like he was for the four years he waited for a new trial. No wonder California is broke, and the prisons overcrowded. Too many people lack common sense and just want to punish and/or feel a sense of power over another.
I wonder how many more items I will find in Discovery that got overlooked. One day, these will all be important.
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