Arthur Tyler

A plea for a life, write and post to the governor:

It is a terrible thing to have thirty years taken away from you. It is a terrible thing to count the days towards the execution of your life. It is a terrible thing to so suffer for something you did not do. It is a terrible thing.

What is justice? Is it equity based on truth, evidence, and mercy? Or is it following orders?

Is it right to do right? Or is it right that the government and the legal system not be embarrassed?

See:

http://justicedenied.org/arthurtyler_rickkerger.html

Name:  Arthur Tyler         Inmate Number:  A175-637
County:  Cuyahoga
Clemency Hearing: TBA
Scheduled Execution:  May 28, 2014

It is not right for any man to be killed for something some one else did, and which the powers that be do also know, but will not admit. Whether, one supports capital punishment or opposes capital punishment, a decent person can not support the judicial murder of an innocent. Do not turn away, an hour of your time, and that of others like you may save a life, and make this a more just society.

I am told, that, these petitions are more effective when they are written by hand and posted with the intentions of the writer. And politics as they are, being identified as an Ohio voter may add significance. Below, is an example summarising the situation. This is a sample letter (some errors in transcription were corrected, i have no proofreader).

 ----oooo----oooo----oooo----oooo----oooo----oooo----

Governor John Kasich
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6117

Dear Governor Kasich,

I write to you today on an urgent matter. The State of Ohio is preparing to execute Arthur Tyler on May 28, 2014 despite the fact that there are serious doubts about who is actually responsible for this tragic crime.

I and so many other Ohioans support clemency for Mr. Tyler because we are deeply concerned about the unfairness in this case. Mr. Tyler's co-defendant, Leroy Head, confessed no less than eleven times that he was the person who actually killed the victim, not Mr. Tyler. Shockingly, despite these assertions, Mr. Head is now a free man while Mr. Tyler faces execution.

Mr. Head made these statements on multiple occasions, orally and in writing, to the police, his mother, his friends, other prisoners, a private investigator, attorneys, and in a sworn affidavit for use in court. However, before the trial began the prosecutor offered Leroy Head a deal: 20 years if he testified that his co-defendant, Arthur Tyler, was the shooter. Mr. Head accepted the deal.

I am also very troubled that, no court has ever had the chance to thoroughly review all of the confessions from Leroy Head due to serious errors in the trial and appeals process. The defense provided to Mr. Tyler during his initial trial was so ineffective he was granted a second trial. During Mr. Tyler's post-conviction appeal, a sworn affidavit by Mr. Head that again confirmed he was the murderer was inexplicably lost by the court during the proceedings.

Everyone can agree that our criminal justice system must be administered fairly and accurately – especially in the context of the death penalty. Executive clemency is especially warranted when the system proves it failed to provide equitable and precise decisions. The clemency phase is Mr Tyler's last chance to receive a fair sentence.

Governor Kasich, I know these are incredibly difficult decisions for any governor to make, and I appreciate your leadership. In this case, which is so riddled with grave doubt and inconsistencies, I respectably ask you to grant executive clemency to Arthur Tyler.

Sincerely, 

_______________ 

postscriptum: an essay by Arthur Tyler, This I Believe [click]

postscriptum ii: 7 p.m. 29 April 2014: "The Ohio Parole Board recommended to Gov. John Kasich today that convicted killer Arthur Tyler’s death sentence should be commuted to time served, making him immediately eligible for release from prison" [click]