"A woman who saw her sister shot to death in 1994 has joined a
growing chorus of celebrities, politicians and online petitioners
calling for Ohio Gov. John Kasich to consider clemency for a woman convicted in relation to a Dayton murder. Holly Holbrook wrote in an April letter to Kasich that Tyra
Patterson wasn’t involved in the robbery and shooting of her sister,
Michelle Lai, on Sept. 20, 1994. Patterson has served 22 years in prison
for the crime. “I no longer believe that Tyra participated in the robbery that
led to Michelle’s murder,” Holbrook’s letter reads. “I believe it is
wrong for Tyra to stay locked up.” Holbrook wrote that the night of the murder she told police
Patterson wasn’t involved, but changed her mind later after Patterson
confessed — a confession Patterson claims was coerced. “For a long time I didn’t want to publicly support Tyra’s
release because I was fearful and anxious about how my family would
respond,” Holbrook wrote to the governor. “But I’ve decided that what’re
more important is that I tell the truth about how I feel.”
Public support for Patterson has grown in recent years. Others who have publicly called for her release (including through an online video titled “I Am Tyra Patterson”) include:
- Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns
- Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters
- Former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro
- Actress Alfre Woodard
- Former U.S. congresswoman Jean Schmidt
- Civil rights activist Michelle Alexander
- Mad Men TV show creator Matthew Weiner
- Actor Colman Domingo
- Ohio Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering
- Ohio Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Springboro
- Several of the jurors who voted to convict Pattersson;.........
While Patterson didn’t pull the trigger, she confessed to
stealing a necklace from a passenger in the car with Lei during the
melee that led up to the shooting. She was convicted of aggravated
murder and initially sentenced to 43 years in prison — longer than the
shooter — but departing Gov. Ted Strickland commuted her sentence on his
last day in office in 2011, making her eligible for parole.
Patterson later said that she picked up the necklace from the
ground after someone else ripped it off during the fight, and ran off
with it after the shooting started. She said her videotaped confession
followed hours of non-videotaped interrogation that threatened to charge
her with murder if she didn’t confess to the robbery. Several of the jurors from the case said they would not have
voted to convict Patterson if they knew she had been the one to call 911
after the shooting. One of the jurors, Nancy Day, has gathered 236,000 signatures for an online petition urging Kasich to grant clemency.
Some of the people involved in the 1994 incident agree with
Patterson, saying she was standing 15 feet away and even tried to stop
the fight. But other witnesses, including the woman who was wearing the
necklace, said Patterson physically attacked them and egged on the
shooter. David Singleton, executive director of the Ohio Justice & Policy Center, believes mounting evidence proves that Patterson was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He says Patterson fell prey to a criminal justice system that
pressures people to confess to crimes they didn’t commit. Then when she
refused to take a plea and instead tried to prove her innocence at trial
— which Singleton said ultimately failed due to inadequate defense
attorneys — she faced a harsher penalty than others, he said. “To us, it’s very clear that this is a case of wrongful
conviction,” he said. “She is actually innocent, and she needs to come
home.”"
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime--law/witness-sister-victim-actors-pols-seek-clemency-1994-murder/Zvm9ZP40tBCB19u2Y9692K/
