May 2008 Volume 8, Number 1. Victims of Crime and Leniency

Transcription

1 VOCAL N E W S L E T T E R May 2008 Volume 8, Number 1 Victims of Crime and Leniency A NOTE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MIRIAM SHEHANE Last Tuesday, I was asked to attend a hearing in Blount County, on a Jacob Emanuel Folsom (aka Jacob Daniel Osborn), who was found incompetent to stand trial by reason of insanity for stalking and making threatening and harassing phone calls to his victims. Folsom/Osborn was sent to Taylor Harden Medical Facility on January 10, This hearing went before Judge Steven King to determine if Folsom/Osborn was now safe enough to be transferred to much less secure facility, Dutton Group Home, some miles away. The defendant/patient could very well walk off the premises of this facility and it is so isolated that he could be out of state before authorities could track his whereabouts. On December 3, 2003, Folsom/Osborn legally changed his name from Osborn to Folsom because he is convinced he is related to the Governor Folsom family. This defendant/patient is relatively stable when taking his medication, but herein lies the problem. He has a history of not taking it. He even called his last victim while in the secure facility. When he is off his medication, he has a fixation on young, blonde women and has stated that by using his alien penis he will impregnate them to bring alien progeny into the world. I was appalled at the Department of Mental Health and Retardation s position in this case. The State of Alabama is charged with protecting crime victims and yet you have the State versus State arguing whether a mentally ill offender should be released from a secure facility in such a short time. Their main argument was due to Folsom/Osborn s non-adherence to medications in the past, that he be given his medications by injection for a very short period. (I believe maybe three weeks.) Given the volatile actions of this defendant when he is not medicated and the fear his actions cause his victims, I question the judgment of Judge King s ruling that he be released. We have once again allowed the State of Alabama to fail the crime victim. It s just another case of releasing due to overcrowding at the expense of those innocent victims who expected more from our judicial system.. THANK YOU DAVID BARBER, JEFFERSON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY for sponsoring our second room at the VOCAL State Headquarters! Mr. Barber has shown great compassion and concern for victims by providing another room where families can stay while attending parole hearings. Thank you for your generosity! ANNUAL PRAYER BREAKFAST The United States Attorney s Office, Northern District of Alabama, and Birmingham Police Department hosted their 5 th annual prayer breakfast and awards ceremony in Birmingham on April 17 th during National Crime Victims Rights Week. Two Organization of the Year Awards were given: VOCAL, Dothan Chapter, accepted by Pat Jones; and VOCAL, Jefferson County Chapter, accepted by Wanda Jones for Carol Melton. The Victim Assistance Volunteer of the Year Award went to Carol Melton and Victim Assistance Law Enforcement Officer of the Year to Sgt. Phil Moss. This was great for VOCAL to receive three of the four awards. We do have great victim advocates. Shelly Linderman and Joyce Miller were also there to support us. Pictured left to right: Pat Jones, Carol Melton, Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper, Wanda Jones, and Lynette McGowens AngHou_NL.indd 1 5/20/08 9:55:40 AM

2 PAGE 2 VOCAL NEWSLETTER MAY 2008 CHAPTER NEWS JEFFERSON COUNTY CHAPTER Roebuck Precinct, Red Lane Road, Birmingham, 1st Thursday of each month, 3 p.m. Chapter President: Carol Melton, (205) ; carolmeltonb@bellsouth.net Chapter Mailing Address: Birmingham Police Dept., 600 Red Lane Road, Birmingham, AL Phone: or Our first meeting at the East Precinct was very nice. We were welcomed by Annie Brown who is Crime Prevention Officer. We had a good turnout and everyone loved the new meeting place. Robbie Priest, the new Victim Service Officer for Birmingham, was our guest. Chapter members went to the Tipton trial in Decatur on March 4. Trials in Decatur are very different than Jefferson County. It was more of a good ole boy atmosphere and total disrespect was shown to the victim. We also went to court to support the Attorney General and Jeanette Carr for a Rule 32 for Steven Pile. He was one of the men who killed five at the Changing Times Bar in We still haven t heard the decision of the Judge. In March we attended a trial for a child sex offender. This turned out to be a plea for a split sentence. The child was nine when he sexually abused her. The same week we went back to court with Mona Lee. Mona s son was murdered by John Ashley and Caley Taylor, who was the defendant in this trial. Mike Anderton did a great job prosecuting the case. Carley gave the parting shot. The jury came up with two felony murder charges. Sentencing will be June 20. John Ashley was scheduled for a trial in May, but it has been continued to August. Tammy Givens with the Sheriff s Dept. had good news at her trial; the defendant received the death penalty. The trial for the Alexander family did not turn out as well. Marcus Alexander, age 17, went to the Pinson Irvin basketball game and several fights broke out. Marcus did not have a gun, was not drinking or on drugs. The defendant shot him several times with a thirtytwo caliber. He and another boy with a sawed off shot gun, both underage, and still the jury would not come up with any kind of verdict. They took a whole forty-five minutes to decide this. The prosecution again did a great job and we were shocked. They made the defendant look like a Philadelphia lawyer. The witnesses did a good job; but there should to be a school for jurors. We have a fund raiser going on for Belk Charity Days, trying to raise money to provide food and drinks for families when they go to court. Mr. Barber lets us use the conference room and everything around the courthouse is so expensive for families of victims. Victims Rights week was very busy. On the 13 th we were interviewed by Channel 42 at Bradford Park. Then we had thirty victims go to Church at the Guiding Light. Bishop Jim Lowe recognized VOCAL and Angel-House. On Monday Margie Caslin, Wanda Jones, and I went to Samford University with Professor Jim Slack. We spoke to about fifteen students on the death penalty. Jim said we would have our work cut out for us because the students were liberal and wanted to let everyone out. When we left they had a totally different attitude. Jim was very pleased with what we told them. On Tuesday they were making a trip to death row at Donaldson Prison. The next day was the Governor s Conference and Angel House did a great job with it. On the way home we received a message that Mona Lees Dad had passed so we went to the funeral home that evening. On Thursday we attended the U.S. Attorney Alice Martins Prayer Breakfast. Lynnette McGowens as usual did a great job of organizing the event. Sunny with Silent Witness was there; she is a dynamic speaker. Chief Roper also attended and is really doing great work in Birmingham. Members who attended were Connie Walrond, Cheryl Wood, Margie Caslin, Albert Howell, Billy Jack Logan Wanda Jones, Carol Melton, Majeeda Amadodeen, Joyce Miller, Shelly Linderman, and Pat Jones. SHELBY COUNTY CHAPTER Owens House, Columbiana, 2nd Saturday of each month, 2 p.m. Chapter President: Johnnie Doss Page, (205) Chapter Mailing Address: P. O. Box 32, Columbiana, Alabama The Shelby County Chapter held its annual Candlelight Vigil on April 14. Attorney General Troy King was the keynote speaker. Also in attendance to show their support for crime victims in Shelby County were Sheriff Chris Curry and Chief Assistant District Attorney Bill Bostick. Chapter members also attended the State Vigil on April 18 and were presented with a check for $1,000 from District Attorney Douglas Valeska (20 th Circuit). Members wish to express their gratitude to DA Valeska for his continued support of VOCAL and the victims we serve. Attending the Governor s Conference on April 15 were: Bob & Cecilia Hilyer, Johnnie Page, Donnie Spears, Monica Spears, and Mitzie Wheat. SHOALS CHAPTER SOUTHEAST CHAPTER Christian Faith Church, 640 County Road 323, Florence, 2nd Tuesday of each month, 6:30 p.m. Chapter President: Denny Kimbrel, (256) ; bamafnatk@aol.com Chapter Mailing Address: 442 County Road 111, Killen, Alabama Wiregrass Angel House, 111 N. St. Andrews Street, Dothan 2nd Monday of each month, 6:30 p.m. Chapter President: Pat Jones, (334) ; gary399@centurytel.net Chapter Mailing Address: 406 Hickory Grove Road, Dothan, Alabama AngHou_NL.indd 2 5/20/08 9:55:41 AM

3 MAY 2008 VOCAL NEWSLETTER th PAGE 3 The month of March was moving into storage for us. We had to be out of our building by March 17. We are excited about getting into the new Wiregrass Angel House and hope to move in sometime in May. Thanks to all who made the golf tournament a success. We were on two television stations about the tournament and victims rights week. Pat attended a trial in Eufaula with Doris and Jennifer Hancock, owners of a Verizon store which was robbed last year. The defendant was found guilty of robbery. Tilly, Vivian, and Bonnie attended the trial of a child whose father had sexually abused her. This ended in a hung jury. It is so sad that things like this happen in our world. Our candlelight vigil was great. We had approximately 200 people to attend. Attorney General Troy King was our guest speaker. Long stem red roses were given to each family as they lit their candle in memory of their loved ones. Balloons were released after the service. Awards were given as follows: Victim Service Officer Marcia Ethridge, Henry County DA s Office; Pat Riley Jones Award Elizabeth and Margaret Valenza; Media Award Brandon Hudson from WDHN-TV; Doug Valeska Award District Attorney Ben Reeves of Barbour and Bullock Counties; Humanitarian Award Dr. Julia Alexander and Dr. Jonas Salna; Miriam Shehane Award Chief Assistant District Attorney Gary Maxwell of Houston and Henry Counties and Chief Deputy Donald Valenza of Houston County Sheriff s Office; Law Enforcement Awards Investigator Bill Rafferty from the Houston County Sheriff Office, Sgt. Tim Ward, Lt. Tony Luker, Sgt. Brian Cherry, Sgt. Frank Meredith, all from the Dothan Police Department; Trooper Kevin Cook from the Department of Public Safety. Two awards were given for support of Dale and Geneva Counties for law enforcement: Chief Investigator Harvey Mathis and Sgt. William Merritt from the Department of Public Safety. DA Doug Valeska gave our chapter $l,000 at our vigil and another $1,000 at the state vigil. Thank you DA Valeska for the great support that you give to crime victims both in the courtroom and out of the courtroom. DA Kirke Adams presented State VOCAL with a donation. Representative Billy Beasley from Barbour County presented State VOCAL with a donation and gave us an update about VOCAL being in the General Fund and about a new bill being introduced into the House that will be called the Quenette Shehane Act. Our sympathy goes out to Gary Maxwell whose father, Raymond, died in March. Also to Joe Carothers, whose wife, Barbara died in April. NEW VOCAL CHAPTER The state is fortunate to have two men in Selma that are interested in starting a VOCAL chapter. Chris Peterson and Isaac Lamar have started laying the foundation to start a chapter. Chris Peterson contacted the mayor and probate judge in Selma to issue a proclamation during Victims Rights Week for the city and county. He will be announcing the first meeting soon. It will be held in the YMCA. Pictured left to right: Pat Jones, Chairman of the State Board; Probate Judge Kim Ballard; District Attorney Michael Jackson; Chris Peterson; and Isaac Lamar AngHou_NL.indd 3 Pictured left to right: Isaac Lamar, Pat Jones, Mayor James Perkins, and Chris Peterson 5/20/08 9:55:42 AM

4 PAGE 4 VOCAL NEWSLETTER MAY TH ANNUAL GOVERNOR S CONFERENCE The 8 th Annual Governor s Conference for law enforcement training was held Tuesday April 15 th at the Embassy Suites in Montgomery, Alabama. There were 262 in attendance for this event. Our speakers taught how to testify in court, how to tell if your suspect is lying, how to use power point to assist in presenting your case, and how to utilize cell towers to know the location of the suspect and to corroborate or destroy their alibi; and the importance of back angle photography. VICAP also taught the importance of their software to track serial killers and the importance of reporting that another agency might need. A special thank you to Lt. Keith Barnett for making this once again a great conference. Mr. John Gillis, the Director of the Office of Victims of Crime in Washington DC, was our keynote speaker for State Awards Luncheon. The following were the recipients of our State Awards for Tim Tyler of the 15 th Judicial Circuit received the State Prosecutor of the Year Award; Representative Locy Baker of the 85 th District received The Miriam Shehane Award; Chief John Powell of the Dothan Police Department received the State Law Enforcement Officer of the Year; Janette Carr from the Alabama Attorney General s Office received the Victim Service Officer Award; and The Honorable Thomas Head of the 12 th Judicial Circuit received the King Solomon Award for Judicial Excellence AngHou_NL.indd 4 5/20/08 9:55:43 AM

5 MAY 2008 VOCAL NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 WIREGRASS ANGEL HOUSEGOLF TOURNAMENT On Thursday April 3 rd Wiregrass Angel House held its first fundraiser, a charity golf classic. Over 85 golfers participated and we raised over $54, for our new Angel House in Dothan, Alabama. A Special thank you to Donald Valenza, Chief Deputy of the Houston County Sheriff s Office and Gary Maxwell, Chief Assistant District Attorney for the 20 th Judicial Circuit, for taking on the task of organizing and implementing every aspect of the event. We would also like to recognize Ben Reeves-District Attorney for 3 rd Judicial Circuit, Kirke Adams- District Attorney for the 33 rd Judicial Circuit, Gary MacAliley-District Attorney for the 12 th Judicial Circuit, and Doug Valeska-District Attorney of the 20 th Judicial Circuit for the generous financial support during our golf tournament. Thank you to the following sponsors that helped us make our first golf tournament become an annual event! Action Buick -Pontiac GMC Andrews Bridal Shop Art Solomon Photography BAMA RV BankSouth Beasley Pharmacy Bevis, Eberhart, Smith, Walker & Stewart, P.C. Bondy's Ford Byrd, Lewis, and Jones, LLC Chick Fila Colonial Bank Compass Bank David K. Hogg- Attorney at Law Don Riley Heating and Air Doug Bates DSI Security Services Emerald Coast RV Emfinger Steel Flowers Insurance Agency Hardwick, Hause, Segrest, & Walding Hathcock Roofing and Remodeling Herman Cobb Herndon Oil Holland Manufacturing Company Jack Blumenfield James Bowman Realty, Inc. James Brazier-Houston County Sheriff's Office Jeff Stout Johnston, Hinesley, Flowers, Clenney, and Turner, P.C. Keith Kuhl Kenneth Everett KFC/Taco Bell Law Offices of Lee and McInish, P.C. Lewis, Brackin, Flowers, & Johnson Lewis-Smith Supply Matthew C. Lamere, Attorney at Law Medford Lincoln-Mercury MidSouth Bank Morris, Cary, Andrews, Talmadge, & Driggers, LLC Motley, Motley, & Yarbrough, LLC Paul Long Pawn City of Dothan, Inc. Rakeshkumar Patel Randy C. Brackin Regions Bank Rolen's Bakery Rufus R. Smith, Jr. Attorney at Law Saliba Construction Company ScreenTech Sheriff Andy Hughes- Houston County Sherrer, Jones, and Terry, P.C. Slingluff United Insurance Smith & McGee, P.C. Solomon Chevrolet and Cadillac Southeast Vein and Laser Center Southern Heritage Funeral Home/ John Watson Southern Outdoor Sports Super Pawn Center The Law Office of David Rousseau The Law Offices of William C. Maddox Village Cleaners West Main Jewelry & Loan Denise Bates Arthur Medley Mike Schmitz Automotive Bill Rafferty Thomas K. Brantley, Attorney Parkman, Adams, and White Buffalo Rock Matthew C. Lamere, Attorney at Law AngHou_NL.indd 5 5/20/08 9:55:43 AM

6 PAGE 6 VOCAL NEWSLETTER MAY 2008 A SURVIVOR STORY Sheriff Neal Grantham Unless one has walked in a victim s shoes and cried a victim s tears, one cannot begin to feel a victim s pain. Anytime a loved one is murdered, a family dies, for the life they knew before will never be the same. Long after the tragic event, a family will still feel the pain and agony of losing a loved one to a heinous crime. The torment and torture of a lengthy capital appeal process victimizes the survivors time and time again. Although the judicial system was built to protect the innocent, it is sometimes a long drawn out process that seems to never end. Often, a murderer is given the chance to live a whole life without having to pay for the crime they committed. Families often have to wait years and years before justice is ever served. For over twenty-nine years my family has watched justice be denied year after year. For over twenty-nine years, I have not been able to refer to Neil s murderer by any other name than murderer. My ordeal began in the early morning hours of March 1, 1979, when my brother, Coffee County Sheriff Neil Grantham, made a routine stop at the Coffee County Jail to check on the status of the prisoners. Neil was a warm and loving family man and an honest and dedicated lawman; however, on this bright spring morning another man, an angry man, waited in front of the jail. This man was consumed with angry at a judicial system which had convicted and sentenced him to prison for drugs charges. It made no difference that his conviction happened before Neil became sheriff. This man had parked in the sheriff s parking space with his car pulled up to the fence surrounding the jail, and he sat in his car with the engine idling waiting for Sheriff Grantham to arrive. Since his parking space was occupied, Neil parked across the street and walked behind the parked cars toward the jail. Neil was unarmed as he approached the jail and as the man exited his car and walked toward him, Neil greeted the man and wished him a good morning. The man replied by pulling a gun and firing several shots at Neil s chest. As Neil laid on the ground grasping for breath, the man held the gun at Neil s temple and pulled the trigger killing Neil instantly. The jailer, who was standing at the door of the jail, witnessed the ordeal. He ran back inside to get a gun, and as the individual fled the scene in his car, the jailer fired several shots, piercing the car. When authorities arrived on the scene the jailer identified the suspect, and when he was apprehended he had in his possession the murder weapon, the get-a-way car riddled with bullet holes from the jailer s gun, and a hit list containing names of several popular individuals in Coffee County. Sheriff Neil Grantham s name was at the bottom of the hit list. As this terrible event was unfolding, at the county jail a few miles away, I had no idea of the horrid that was to come. About 6:45 am that morning, I heard the end of a news bulletin on a local radio station. I thought I heard the announcer say, Sheriff Neil Grantham has been shot. I knew I must have heard wrong, but then my phone rang and I was told to get to the hospital. As I was rushing to the local hospital, another bulletin came over the radio and I heard, Sheriff Neil Grantham is dead. I still did not believe what I had heard; it just could not be true. I ran inside the hospital searching for my family wanting someone to tell me it was not true. Instead I was told me my father had had a heart attack and was in the emergency room, and one of my sisters might have had a stroke and was being admitted to the hospital. My other sister had collapsed and was also being admitted. At that moment I knew my family would never be the same. Everything had changed, and my nightmare had begun. This was a day no one should have to experience. The events of that day were so horrible, I could not visualize how I could survive. As I sat in the hospital chapel, I thought of my mother who had died many years before, and remembered one of her favorite verses, Romans 8:28 which states All things work together for good for those who love the Lord. I sat there and prayed that something good would come from the tragic events of that day. I prayed for justice, and I prayed that Neil did not die in vain. In the natural it did not seem possible that anything good could come from such tragedy, but I had to believe; after all Neil gave his life for our judicial system. His life was important, and I could not bear the thought that Neil died for nothing. I was very naïve, for I thought once I survived the funeral and the grieving period the worst would be over. Little did I know that the horror had just begun. Neil s chief deputy came to me and told me what had happened. When I learned that Neil s murdered had just been released from prison on January 19 th just 40 days before because of the Alabama good Time Law, I was horrified. The very system that Neil gave his life for had actually opened the door for his murderer. I made a vow then and there that Neil would get justice and that the system would tell his family and the citizens of Coffee County that the life of Sheriff Neil Grantham was valuable and that his life was worth more than the life of a premeditated cold blooded murderer. Little did I know that over twenty-nine years later that I would still be fighting for justice. It was over two years before Neil s murderer went to trial. He never denied killing Neil, but his plea was not guilty by reason of insanity. This plea infuriated me as the definition of legal insanity was the inability to know right from wrong. After all he fled the scene so he had to know what he did was wrong, and he had planned the crime down to the smallest detail. Just like me, the jury did not believe his insanity plea. He was convicted and sentenced to die for his crime on June 30, I remember being so relieved and thinking this was the end of my fight for justice. Unfortunately my fight had just begun for the appeals nightmare became a reality. I had always believed the judicial system protected the innocent and punished the guilty. During the trial I realized the innocent were the ones who were punished. I could not believe the unfairness of the judicial system. Why did the defense have two jury strikes for only one for the prosecution? Why did the defendant get to sit at the table with his defense attorneys while Neil s family was banished to the back of the court room? I saw and heard so many irregularities that I thought to myself someone should do something about this for this is not right. It just never occurred for me to be the someone. As the trial unfolded my family continued to unravel. I had to change jobs as I worked right next to the county jail. My office window overlooked the spot where my brother died. My daddy just gave up. He had lost a son to a drunk driver many years before and now another son had been brutally murdered. He realized that justice was going to be slow if ever at all. As he lay on his death bed, he asked me to promise that I would be at the execution if there ever was one. I gave him my word, and then he died. Today I wonder if I will ever be able to keep that promise. Will I live long enough? As the years went by, I continued to pray. I could not give up. It was important that the system for which Neil gave his life recognized the value of his life and the value of all law enforcement. In 1995 I got a glimmer of hope for that was when I met my AngHou_NL.indd 6 5/20/08 9:55:44 AM

7 MAY 2008 VOCAL NEWSLETTER PAGE 7 inspiration, my hero Miriam Shehane. Many years before while I sat in court room thinking someone should do something about the injustice to victims, Miriam was doing something. She did not sit back and wait; she began a fight for justice, a fight for victims rights. She co-founded Victims of Crime and Leniency (VOCAL). Because of Miriam and VOCAL, today there are 23 Victim Rights Laws. I began to walk the halls of the State House with Miriam fighting for the Direct Capital Appeals Bill. I thought if I could have just a small impact on the passage of that bill, then Neil would not die in vain that some good would have come from his death. Unfortunately things did not work out the way we had hoped. On April 23, 1997, the defense filed an appeal with the United States Middle District Court in Montgomery. Years went by and the court did not rule. In 2003, six years later, the attorney general s office told me nothing could be done to make the court rule. In 2004, Coffee County held a memorial service to mark the 25 th anniversary of the murder of Coffee County Sheriff Neil Grantham. After eight years, the Middle District court still had not ruled. I was devastated and then I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I thought I might die without ever getting justice for Neil. After all I had been praying for twenty-six years with no answer. I could just not fathom how something good could come from such a tragedy. So in April 2005 during National Crime Victim s Week, it was with a very heavy heart that I attended a VOCAL function to hear Attorney General Troy King speak. I knew General King was a different attorney general for he had a great compassion for victims. I just did not know why. General King s voice was filled with passion as he spoke about justice for victims. He told how an event when he was just 10 years old had left such a vivid impression on him that the event was seared into his brain. The day was March 1, 1979, and he was standing outside his father s office watching a tragic event at the other end of the block at the Coffee County Jail. He recalled seeing Sheriff Grantham s blood fill the gutters in front of his dad s office. He said, In the time since Sheriff Grantham s murderer has been on death row, I have had the time to finish high school, college, law school and become the State Attorney General. The events of that day in 1979 had molded him into a champion of law enforcement, a crusader for victims of crime, and a defender of our children and our elderly. I had no idea he was there that tragic day. As I listened I was covered with a sense of peace. For twenty-six years I had prayed for a miracle, and I realized God had answered my prayers. God had been working behind the scenes molding a ten year old boy into a champion of righteousness. Not only had I received a miracle, but every victim across the State of Alabama had received a miracle. At that moment, I knew Neil had not died in vain for something good had Victims of Crime and Leniency Established in 1982 A 501c3 Non-Profit Organization Miriam Shehane, Executive Director Angel House & Wiregrass Angel House Projects by V.O.C.A.L. Shelly Linderman, Project Director VOCAL is an advocacy group for victims rights consisting of concerned citizens, victims of crime and their families, law enforcement officers, attorneys, and others interested in reducing crime and improving the plight of its victims. VOCAL Angel House 422 South Court Street P.O. Box 4449 Montgomery, AL (334) Fax: (334) vocalonline@yahoo.com Website: Wiregrass Angel House P.O. Box 7133 Dothan, AL (334) Fax: (334) Chapters include Jefferson, Shelby, Shoals, Southeast, and Tuscaloosa The VOCAL NEWSLETTER is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September, and November. Annual VOCAL membership dues include subscription. Send news items to Mitzie Wheat, Editor, at the VOCAL address or to mwheat@bellsouth.net. come from the tragedy of his death. God had not only sent me a miracle, but he had sent us all a miracle and that miracle was Attorney General King. Later that day on my way home I thought about a favorite parable from my childhood about St. George the dragon slayer. I remembered the story of how St. George defended the righteous cause of good versus evil. I knew Attorney General Troy King was my St. George. That morning which had started out as a low point in my life now was the beginning of a new life. In August of 2006 even though I did not have the paid experience of a victim service officer for I only had twenty-seven years of pain experience as a victim, I joined with Attorney General King and became one of his victim service officers. I know God has led me here. I know I have found my purpose in life. I am thankful to God that I have the opportunity each day to help victims across Alabama who feel hopeless and in pain. Each time I help someone else I know something good has come from that tragic day back in Just the other day, I had a victim tell me she was sorry for the tragedy that had brought me to the Attorney General s Office but she knew God had put me here because he knew one day she was going to need me. It had never occurred to me that I could be the answer to someone s prayers. What about justice for Neil? In May 2006, General King filed a mandamus with the 11 th Circuit in Atlanta asking that the Middle District Court be forced to rule on the appeal that had laid dormant in that court for over nine years. On April 9, 2007, almost ten years to the day, Judge Myron Thompson of the Middle District ruled. He vacated the death penalty and stated Neil s murderer had to be re-sentenced to life without parole. After twenty-eight years of appeals, Judge Thompson pulled the rug out from under my family. His ruling was a disservice to law enforcement officers for he ruled at the time of the offense state law did not allow for Neil s murderer to be sentenced to death for killing a law enforcement officer in the line of duty. Attorney General King has filed an appeal with the 11 th Circuit asking them to overrule Judge Thompson s ruling and keep Neil s murderer on death row. We are awaiting the 11 th Circuit s ruling. Three other inmates have been on death row longer than Neil s murderer. As victims we may not understand our situation, and our loss may be unbearable, but we cannot give up. We have to reach out to other victims for we never know when we might be the answer to someone s prayers. We have to believe and pray for a miracle. After all I prayed for a miracle and God sent me a dragon slayer. by Jeanette Carr, sister of Sheriff Neal Grantham AngHou_NL.indd 7 5/20/08 9:55:44 AM

8 PAGE 8 VOCAL NEWSLETTER MAY 2008 DONATIONS VOCAL appreciates the faithful contributors who support our efforts in assisting crime victims. Your donations make it possible for us to provide more services and support to victims and is tax deductible. District Attorney Kirke Adams Alabama Power Company Representative Billy Beasley Jay Love District Attorney Douglas Valeska Pea Riner Electric District Attorney David Barber VICTIM CONTACTS Governor Bob Riley State Capitol Montgomery, AL Patricia C. Simpkins Dir., Constituent Services (334) Attorney General s Ofc. of Victim Assistance State House 11 South Union Street Montgomery, AL VSO Janette Carr VSO Doris Hancock (334) Memorial for Johnnie Carr Miriam Shehane Memorial for Gertrude Culpepper Doug & Judy Powell Memorial for William B. Kilpatrick Will & Nell Fannin Memorials for Gary Maxwell Miriam Shehane Memorials for Conni McClenny - Cheryl Wood & Constance Walrond Department of Corrections Richard Allen, Commissioner P.O. Box South Ripley Street Montgomery, AL VSO Janet Findley LeJeune (334) State inmate parole info , Option 4 Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission Dr. Cassie Jones Director P.O. Box 1548 Montgomery, AL State of Alabama Board of Pardons & Paroles Cynthia Dillard, Director P.O. Box VSO Debra Bonds Montgomery, AL (334) Fax (334) STATEWIDE VIGIL The 20 th Annual Candlelight Vigil was held Friday April 18 to commemorate National Crime Victims Rights Week. Over 300 victims, families, prosecutors from Montgomery County DA s Office the Houston and Henry County DA s office, and other dignitaries attended. Special music was performed by the RES Singers and Valorie Lawson of WSFA-TV was the mistress of ceremonies. Attorney General Troy King was the keynote speaker. A victims tribute was shown as a memorial to victims that have been murdered. A special thank you goes to Alabama Crime Victim s Compensation, Sheriff D.T. Marshall, Troy King, Douglas Valeska, Cassie Jones, and Valorie Lawson for making our vigil a meaningful experience for all who attended. Visit our website at VOCAL/Angel House P.O. Box 4449 Montgomery, AL NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID MONTGOMERY AL PERMIT NO AngHou_NL.indd 8 5/20/08 9:55:45 AM