Free Rodney K. Stanberry

Below is a letter posted on Change.org.  You can sign the petition here.  Or you can write a letter in your own words.  We appreciate your continued support. Rodney K. Stanberry's parole hearing will take place on Wednesday, August 28th, 2013.

Again, here is a petition posted on Change.org regarding his parole hearing: http://www.change.org/petitions/the-alabama-board-of-pardons-and-paroles-grant-parole-to-rodney-k-stanberry

To:
Members of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles
Mobile District Attorney Ashley Rich, Mobile County District Attorney's Office

Please Grant Parole to Rodney K. Stanberry


July 2013

Dear Members of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles:



We, the undersigned, respectfully request that Rodney K. Stanberry (192084) is granted parole when he comes before you this year. We understand that the role of the parole board is not to entertain claims of innocence, but an inmate being innocent is detrimental to his being granted parole because his refusal to admit to guilt for crimes not committed is interpreted as a lack of remorse and/or an inability to be rehabilitated. In Rodney K. Stanberry’s case, he is very sorry about what happened to the victim and has much sympathy for her family, as this is a very painful ordeal that should not be taken lightly. But he is not guilty so he is perceived to not be remorseful. In this article published in the Boston Review, subtitled “Why One Man’s Innocence Is So Hard to Prove”, you will get a deeper understanding of his case (http://www.bostonreview.net/us/who-shot-valerie-finley). A hard copy of this article will be provided to you.



Also, know that Rodney, who did not have a criminal record and who was gainfully employed, went to the police after the crimes took place, without being asked and without being a suspect, the very next day to share with them all of the information he knew to help detain the people he believed to have been involved. Further, as you can read in the attached blog http://freerodneystanberry.com/blog/2013/02/20/gun-control-what-happened-when-a-gun-enthusiast-tried-to-stop-the-sale-of-weapons-the-case-of-rodney-k-stanberry/), Rodney tried to prevent guns falling into the wrong hands. If his words were heeded, the vicious crime may never have occurred.

A local paper in Mobile, Alabama where these crimes occurred has called for an Innocence Project in Alabama and stated that Rodney’s case should be included among those investigated (http://classic.lagniappemobile.com/article.asp?articleID=5978). This same paper carried an investigative report about Rodney’s case (“Time Served, Or Justice Denied in Alabama” http://classic.lagniappemobile.com/article.asp?articleID=2332.). There isn’t an Innocence Project in Alabama, but you all on the parole board can look more closely at his case, his prison record, the support system and job opportunities he has available to him and make a decision that justice for the victim, society and the wrongfully convicted is not served by keeping an innocent man in prison. Rodney was employed with the same company from 1989 until he began his prison sentence in 1997. This shows the level of his character as his supervisor and co-workers remained by his side through his arrest, conviction, and prison sentence. His former supervisor stood before you during Rodney’s previous parole hearing again vouching for his character, his work ethic, and his firm belief that Rodney is innocent, based on evidence showing that he was at work when the crimes were committed, along with other evidence pointing to Rodney's innocence, including a confession by another individual that exonerated Rodney.



We fully respect the job you have and the fact that you have to review many cases each day. But we ask you, how many cases do you review with an individual coming before you maintaining his innocence? The guilty will come before you not pleading innocence, but saying that they are guilty, remorseful and will not commit another crime. The innocent, for the most part, will not do this for they did not commit the crime for which they are accused. We ask that you to grant Rodney K. Stanberry (192084) parole when his case comes before you this year.

Sincerely,

http://freerodneystanberry.com/blog/2013/06/03/innocent-and-the-parole-board-the-case-of-rodney-k-stanberry/

 http://www.change.org/petitions/the-alabama-board-of-pardons-and-paroles-grant-parole-to-rodney-k-stanberry