Feb. 8 CALIFORNIA: Inmate speaks out from death row----TELEPHONE ADDRESS TO BELMONT AUDIENCE Time is running out for Stanley "Tookie" Williams. The death row inmate is in the midst of a last, vigorous appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to spare his life. But he took time Monday to speak publicly -- via telephone from San Quentin Prison -- to an audience of about 100 members of the public gathered at a small auditorium in Belmont. Williams' life accomplishments seem to touch the extremes of the good and evil that human beings can reach. On the one hand, Williams was convicted of killing 4 people and is responsible for starting one of the most violent street gangs in history -- the Crips. Yet, from the confines of his closet of a prison cell, Williams, 51, has campaigned heartily to keep kids away from gangs. He has spoken to roomfuls of young people over the phone and written several children's books describing the prison life that awaits them if they turn to violence. His work inspired a Swiss parliament member, as well as Notre Dame de Namur University Professor Phil Gasper, to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Williams' life even was the subject of a made-for-TV movie last year starring Oscar nominee Jamie Foxx. The title? "Redemption." On Monday night, Williams' session at Notre Dame de Namur was moderated by Gasper, who has given Williams his 5th Nobel Peace Prize nomination. In his 15-minute call -- all the prison permitted -- Williams discussed how he felt since his latest appeals setback as well as his accomplishments since his 1981 conviction. "Having dealt with the California courts for over 20 years, I've become quite acclimated with disappointment," he said. "I have faith. That's what keeps me going." Williams said he wrote his many anti-gang children's books because, "I definitely didn't want any youngster out there to follow in my footsteps. I felt I was obligated to write the books." Prosecutors believe that whatever Williams has accomplished in the realm of violence prevention doesn't excuse what he did in 1979. That year, a jury later found, Williams shot 7-Eleven clerk Albert Owens to death for $120. His associates claimed he later mimicked the sound of Owens dying to friends. During another robbery 2 weeks later, Williams shot and killed motel owners Yen-I-Yang and Thsai-Shai Yang, as well as their daughter, Yee Chen Lin. A jury found him guilty of all four murders in 1981 and sentenced him to death. Williams continues to maintain his innocence. "A lot has been made about the fact that he's the founder of the Crips gang," said Nathan Barankin, a spokesman for the California attorney general's office. "But he was not convicted of founding the Crips gang. . . . The reason why Mr. Williams is on death row is because he murdered 4 innocent people after stealing money from them." Through the years, Williams has challenged his conviction on a variety of grounds. He has claimed to have brain damage, and his most recent appeal argued that the makeup of the jury that convicted him was skewed because it did not contain any African-Americans. Last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reconsider its earlier ruling that Williams' death sentence was legally sound. Williams has until mid-April to file his appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and if that fails, Schwarzenegger is his only hope. Schwarzenegger denied clemency to the last death row inmate facing lethal injection, double-murderer Donald Beardslee, who was executed Jan. 19. On Monday, Williams said his work has made a difference and he received "numerous letters" every day from reformed gang members and youths seeking his help. He also talked about the concept of redemption. "Even the most wretched can change," he said. "I can tell you what redemption means for me. It's a process of mea culpa, being able to acknowledge one's faults and vowing not to repeat them and reaching out to others. "I do what I can. I try my best." (source: Mercury News) OHIO: Challenge to Death-Row Briton's Appeal US prosecutors will challenge the appeal court decision to overturn the conviction of death row Briton Kenny Richey, it emerged today. Richey, who has been facing execution for 18 years, was told last month that he must be retried within 90 days or set free as he received incompetent counsel at trial. The 40-year-old Scot has been on death row in Ohio since being convicted of killing 2-year-old Cynthia Collins in an arson attack in 1986. But Attorney General Jim Petro today filed the states motion to rehear Richeys controversial case and said it was seeking an extra 14 days to prepare its challenge. Mr Petro claimed the three-judge panel failed to follow the standard of review contained in the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA). He is seeking a rehearing of the case before the entire Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which can consist of 12 judges. A statement from the Attorney Generals office said: "The AEDPA is a federal law that requires courts to apply a deferential standard of review when reviewing state convictions and sentences. "Attorney General Petro believes that the panel failed to apply that deference in overturning Richeys conviction." (source: The Scotsman) TENNESSEE: Former officer, now an inmate, alleges cover-up in Workman case A retired Memphis police officer now in federal prison claims her former colleagues covered up details of the fatal shooting for which Philip Workman faces execution. Charlotte Creasy claims a police officer actually killed Lt. Ronald Oliver in 1981, not Workman, who was convicted of the crime. She quotes a hysterical woman at the shooting scene with her family as saying she saw "a white officer shoot the policeman." Workman has been on death row since 1982 for the slaying of Oliver after a robbery at a fast-food restaurant in Memphis. Workman has long claimed that another officer killed Oliver by friendly fire. Creasy is now behind bars for providing bogus driving certificates to undocumented immigrants through a Memphis driving school that she owned. State attorneys declined to comment for NewsChannel5 in Nashville, which broadcast the accusation yesterday. Workman has twice been within hours of execution. His execution is currently on hold pending the resolution of federal appeals of a separate Tennessee case. He has exhausted his appeals in state court. Creasy's assertions came in a letter to a death-penalty opposition group. Workman's lawyers have since filed sworn statements from her and others in federal court. (source: Associated Press)
