EeneyMinnieMoe
Philosopher
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2007
- Messages
- 7,221
Very sad story. Very, very sad.
HOST: Montel Williams
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Montel Williams, Diane Rappoport
SYLVIA BROWNE: UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
Announcer: Today on MONTEL, can psychic Sylvia Browne solve unsolved crimes?
Shanna's mother was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
SHANNA (18, At Age 11, Her Mother Was Killed In A Hit-And-Run Accident): I want to know if the person is somebody that we know.
Announcer: Amy's convinced her brother's in jail for a murder he didn't commit.
AMY (Her 21-Year-Old Brother Is Serving 25 Years In Prison For Manslaughter): The weapon has never been found.
Ms. SYLVIA BROWNE (World Renowned Psychic): Someone by the name of Keith still has this gun.
Announcer: And what put Marcella's brother in a coma?
Ms. BROWNE: Somebody slipped him a really bad drug.
Announcer: Sylvia Browne: Unsolved Mysteries. Don't go away. That's coming up right now on MONTEL.
...
WILLIAMS: My first guest says that her 21-year-old brother is in prison right now for murder, and a murder that he did not commit. I want you to take a look at this.
(Excerpt from videotape)
AMY: On April 18th, my brother attended a party with some of his friends. There was a little altercation at the party, and he decided to leave and drop some friends off. On his way back to the party, he heard that there was a shooting at the party while he was gone. He went back to the party to find out he was the one being pointed at as the shooter. My brother started yelling at them, 'I didn't do anything. I wasn't here.' Went down to the police station, gave his statement of what happened that night. They asked if he would volunteer a gun residue test. He said yes, on his hands. The gun residue tests on his hands and on his clothes were all negative. Two days later, Ryan was arrested for the murder of the 17-year-old boy who was shot on the garage rooftop at the party that happened two nights prior. There's no evidence but one boy as a witness saying they saw my brother do it. Never found a weapon. The jury found my brother guilty. He is serving a 25-year prison sentence, and he has only served three and a half years so far.
(End of excerpt)
Ms. BROWNE: But he didn't do it.
WILLIAMS: Not only that, but the--the only person that eyewitnessed him died.
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: He's dead three years later. Please welcome Amy to the show.
Amy, before--before Sylvia even gives you an answer, that's part of the information. Not only did the person who was the only eyewitness died of a drug overdose?
AMY: Yes, he overdosed three years to the day.
WILLIAMS: And then all of the other people who the prosecution had as witnesses all changed their story and said your brother did not do it.
AMY: Right.
WILLIAMS: So they basically nailed your brother on circumstantial evidence.
AMY: Yeah, there's no evidence, no gun.
Ms. BROWNE: It wasn't even circumstantial.
WILLIAMS: It was just whatever--hearsay.
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah, absolutely.
WILLIAMS: So the question you have for Sylvia is?
AMY: We want to know where the weapon is. The weapon has never been found. Is it still anywhere that we can find it and use it as evidence?
WILLIAMS: And the reason why they need new evidence is because he will not even get an appeal until there is something...
Ms. BROWNE: Until they get this in the evidence...
WILLIAMS: ...new evidence or a reason for an appeal.
Ms. BROWNE: The evidence is with someone by the name of Keith who h--still has this gun in his possession. It's wrapped in a white shirt. It's in a paper box, and it's--it's--it's in his closet.
WILLIAMS: Handgun or rifle?
AMY: We don't...
Ms. BROWNE: Well, it looks like a handgun to me.
AMY: Really?
WILLIAMS: What do you say?
AMY: I was gonna say 'cause we didn't know if it was a rifle or if it was a handgun. We just knew that it was a .22-caliber. We didn't know...
Ms. BROWNE: .22, yeah, that's a handgun.
WILLIAMS: It could be a rifle. That's a really cheap hunting rifle, but it could be. But did they say...
Ms. BROWNE: But he was shot at such close range, Montel.
WILLIAMS: Did they know that? Was this boy shot at close range?
AMY: They don't know. They're saying my brother stood in between two houses and was supposedly a sniper and shot him.
WILLIAMS: And your brother had never messed with guns, never touched a gun.
AMY: Oh, no, no, we never had guns in our house. He--we just never had any. We didn't like them. We didn't use them.
WILLIAMS: Will this be solved, and will an innocent young man get out of jail?
Ms. BROWNE: I--but I still think there's going to be an appeal because someone's going to come forward, a--some lawyer, district attorney, somebody's gonna take this on because this is so abhorrent. It's because no one saw him. He could pass a lie detector test. I mean, this is so stupid, it isn't even--it's hearsay, like Montel said.
WILLIAMS: Here's a young man in jail for three years.
Ms. BROWNE: In jail for--for something he didn't...
AMY: Do you see him getting out anytime soon?
Ms. BROWNE: Yes, but I think it's gonna take two years for the appeal.
AMY: Two more years.
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: And then two years--how long after the appeal?
Ms. BROWNE: No, two years for the--somebody's gonna pick this case up, and he'll be released in about two years--two years and two months.
AMY: Thank you very much.
...
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
March 23, 2000, Thursday, AM cycle
Man gets 25 years in prison for manslaughter convicted in party death
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 364 words
DATELINE: DANIELSON, Conn.
A 20-year-old Plainfield man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the April 1998 shooting death of a Plainfield teen-ager at a party.
Ryan Thompson, who was convicted Jan. 27 of manslaughter with a firearm in the April 18, 1998 death of Rob McCaffery, was sentenced Thursday in Danielson Superior Court.
"I'm not an angel, but I'm not a bad person," Thompson told Judge Samuel Sferrazza. "I could not be guilty of such a horrible crime."
McCaffery's family pleaded for the maximum sentence of 40 years, claiming Thompson showed no remorse for killing his classmate. Robert McCaffery Sr. and Nancy McCaffery, have said they believe Thompson deserves life in prison for the killing of their son.
Sferrazza said he considered many factors in making his decision before sentencing Thompson in what he called a "senseless and needless death."
Following the sentencing, Thompson filed a motion for an appeal and a new attorney.
Attorney Arthur Meisler had defended Thompson since his arrest on April 19, 1998. But Thompson's father, Scott Thompson, said the family can no longer afford a private attorney and is seeking a public defender to continue the case.
Earlier this month, parents and friends of Thompson launched a campaign to free the man they say is innocent. Thompson maintains his innocence. The group called Friends of Ryan Thompson has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of who they say is McCaffery's killer.
Scott Thompson says a runaway investigation by state police made his son a second victim of the shooting.
The shooting occurred after Thompson and his friends were tossed out of a party. Jared Gilkenson and David Stebbins Jr. originally told police they saw Thompson with a gun, but later recanted that statement.
During the trial, Stebbins' sister, Brandy Stebbins testified that she did not see a gun at the party and the .22-caliber rifle allegedly used to shoot McCaffery was not in her car when she drove Thompson, Gilkenson and two other teens to the party.
Last month, police charged Gilkenson, David Stebbins and Brandy Stebbins, with perjury and hindering prosecution.
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
April 17, 2002, Wednesday, BC cycle
New trial ordered in fatal shooting case
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 264 words
DATELINE: HARTFORD, Conn.
Citing prosecutorial misconduct, the state Appellate Court on Wednesday threw out the manslaughter conviction of a Plainfield man for a fatal shooting at a house party.
The court concluded that Assistant State's Attorney Vincent Dooley's comments during closing argument in the trial of Ryan Thompson "exceeded all bounds of acceptable conduct."
Thompson was convicted in January 2000 of manslaughter with a firearm for the 1998 shooting death of Rob McCaffery, 17, outside a house party in Plainfield.
The court said remarks by Dooley in his closing arguments that two friends of Thompson who testifed for the defense had "reserved a place in hell for themselves" were unacceptable.
The friends had signed written statements implicating Thompson, but testified during the trial that he was innocent.
During the trial in Danielson Superior Court, prosecutors said Thompson was not invited to the party and became involved in a fight with several guests before the shooting. McCaffery, 17, was shot while sitting on the roof of a garage.
While the court said prosecutors have to be given some latitude in closing arguments, such "zeal of counsel in the heat of argument ... cannot go unbridled."
The Appellate Court also said the judge in the trial was wrong to allow a state police sergeant to give testimony that was a favorable opinion on the credibility of the main prosecution witness.
Thompson was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He had rejected a plea bargain that would have allowed him to plead guilty to manslaughter in return for a 17-year sentence.
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
October 21, 2003, Tuesday, BC cycle
High court upholds manslaughter conviction for party death
BYLINE: By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 338 words
DATELINE: HARTFORD, Conn.
The state's highest court upheld a Plainfield man's manslaughter conviction Monday despite noting frequent misconduct by the prosecutor.
In a 4-1 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Ryan Thompson, who shot a 17-year-old outside a house party in 1998. The Appellate Court had overturned the conviction last year, citing prosecutorial misconduct.
The high court acknowledged Monday that Assistant State's Attorney Vincent Dooley should not have told jurors that a witness might face criminal charges, referred to Thompson as a killer or said that two witnesses who recanted their confession had "reserved a place in hell for themselves."
But the court said the comments did not prejudice the jury and did not warrant overturning the conviction.
"Although the misconduct was frequent, it was not, for the most part, severe," Justice David M. Borden wrote.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Joette Katz said Thompson deserved a new trial.
Thompson, 23, was sentenced in 2000 to 25 years in prison for shooting Robert McCaffery in the head. Two witnesses, Jared Gilkenson and David Stebbins Jr., said they saw Thompson with a gun but later recanted, saying they were pressured by police.
"We're deeply disappointed that the court came up with that ruling," said Scott Thompson, Ryan's father. "We're still going to continue fighting for our son's freedom, who is innocent and incarcerated."
A group of supporters has offered a $15,000 reward for information proving that someone else committed the crime, Scott Thompson said.
Thompson said he spoke with his son after Monday's ruling. He said Ryan had taken the news well and was in relatively good spirits.
Dooley said he was pleased with the ruling. He said he recognized and apologized for his mistakes, but said Thompson was not denied a fair trial.
Thompson has filed a petition arguing that he is being illegally imprisoned, Dooley said. The petition, known as a writ of habeas corpus, would be heard by a Superior Court judge.
Edit: I've sent all coverage of this to Robert but you can read the appeal online, by Googling "State vs. Ryan Thompson."
Here's another link: http://www.projo.com/words/story617.htm
God, I'm good. Why am I not doing this for a living?
HOST: Montel Williams
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Montel Williams, Diane Rappoport
SYLVIA BROWNE: UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
Announcer: Today on MONTEL, can psychic Sylvia Browne solve unsolved crimes?
Shanna's mother was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
SHANNA (18, At Age 11, Her Mother Was Killed In A Hit-And-Run Accident): I want to know if the person is somebody that we know.
Announcer: Amy's convinced her brother's in jail for a murder he didn't commit.
AMY (Her 21-Year-Old Brother Is Serving 25 Years In Prison For Manslaughter): The weapon has never been found.
Ms. SYLVIA BROWNE (World Renowned Psychic): Someone by the name of Keith still has this gun.
Announcer: And what put Marcella's brother in a coma?
Ms. BROWNE: Somebody slipped him a really bad drug.
Announcer: Sylvia Browne: Unsolved Mysteries. Don't go away. That's coming up right now on MONTEL.
...
WILLIAMS: My first guest says that her 21-year-old brother is in prison right now for murder, and a murder that he did not commit. I want you to take a look at this.
(Excerpt from videotape)
AMY: On April 18th, my brother attended a party with some of his friends. There was a little altercation at the party, and he decided to leave and drop some friends off. On his way back to the party, he heard that there was a shooting at the party while he was gone. He went back to the party to find out he was the one being pointed at as the shooter. My brother started yelling at them, 'I didn't do anything. I wasn't here.' Went down to the police station, gave his statement of what happened that night. They asked if he would volunteer a gun residue test. He said yes, on his hands. The gun residue tests on his hands and on his clothes were all negative. Two days later, Ryan was arrested for the murder of the 17-year-old boy who was shot on the garage rooftop at the party that happened two nights prior. There's no evidence but one boy as a witness saying they saw my brother do it. Never found a weapon. The jury found my brother guilty. He is serving a 25-year prison sentence, and he has only served three and a half years so far.
(End of excerpt)
Ms. BROWNE: But he didn't do it.
WILLIAMS: Not only that, but the--the only person that eyewitnessed him died.
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: He's dead three years later. Please welcome Amy to the show.
Amy, before--before Sylvia even gives you an answer, that's part of the information. Not only did the person who was the only eyewitness died of a drug overdose?
AMY: Yes, he overdosed three years to the day.
WILLIAMS: And then all of the other people who the prosecution had as witnesses all changed their story and said your brother did not do it.
AMY: Right.
WILLIAMS: So they basically nailed your brother on circumstantial evidence.
AMY: Yeah, there's no evidence, no gun.
Ms. BROWNE: It wasn't even circumstantial.
WILLIAMS: It was just whatever--hearsay.
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah, absolutely.
WILLIAMS: So the question you have for Sylvia is?
AMY: We want to know where the weapon is. The weapon has never been found. Is it still anywhere that we can find it and use it as evidence?
WILLIAMS: And the reason why they need new evidence is because he will not even get an appeal until there is something...
Ms. BROWNE: Until they get this in the evidence...
WILLIAMS: ...new evidence or a reason for an appeal.
Ms. BROWNE: The evidence is with someone by the name of Keith who h--still has this gun in his possession. It's wrapped in a white shirt. It's in a paper box, and it's--it's--it's in his closet.
WILLIAMS: Handgun or rifle?
AMY: We don't...
Ms. BROWNE: Well, it looks like a handgun to me.
AMY: Really?
WILLIAMS: What do you say?
AMY: I was gonna say 'cause we didn't know if it was a rifle or if it was a handgun. We just knew that it was a .22-caliber. We didn't know...
Ms. BROWNE: .22, yeah, that's a handgun.
WILLIAMS: It could be a rifle. That's a really cheap hunting rifle, but it could be. But did they say...
Ms. BROWNE: But he was shot at such close range, Montel.
WILLIAMS: Did they know that? Was this boy shot at close range?
AMY: They don't know. They're saying my brother stood in between two houses and was supposedly a sniper and shot him.
WILLIAMS: And your brother had never messed with guns, never touched a gun.
AMY: Oh, no, no, we never had guns in our house. He--we just never had any. We didn't like them. We didn't use them.
WILLIAMS: Will this be solved, and will an innocent young man get out of jail?
Ms. BROWNE: I--but I still think there's going to be an appeal because someone's going to come forward, a--some lawyer, district attorney, somebody's gonna take this on because this is so abhorrent. It's because no one saw him. He could pass a lie detector test. I mean, this is so stupid, it isn't even--it's hearsay, like Montel said.
WILLIAMS: Here's a young man in jail for three years.
Ms. BROWNE: In jail for--for something he didn't...
AMY: Do you see him getting out anytime soon?
Ms. BROWNE: Yes, but I think it's gonna take two years for the appeal.
AMY: Two more years.
Ms. BROWNE: Yeah.
WILLIAMS: And then two years--how long after the appeal?
Ms. BROWNE: No, two years for the--somebody's gonna pick this case up, and he'll be released in about two years--two years and two months.
AMY: Thank you very much.
...
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
March 23, 2000, Thursday, AM cycle
Man gets 25 years in prison for manslaughter convicted in party death
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 364 words
DATELINE: DANIELSON, Conn.
A 20-year-old Plainfield man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the April 1998 shooting death of a Plainfield teen-ager at a party.
Ryan Thompson, who was convicted Jan. 27 of manslaughter with a firearm in the April 18, 1998 death of Rob McCaffery, was sentenced Thursday in Danielson Superior Court.
"I'm not an angel, but I'm not a bad person," Thompson told Judge Samuel Sferrazza. "I could not be guilty of such a horrible crime."
McCaffery's family pleaded for the maximum sentence of 40 years, claiming Thompson showed no remorse for killing his classmate. Robert McCaffery Sr. and Nancy McCaffery, have said they believe Thompson deserves life in prison for the killing of their son.
Sferrazza said he considered many factors in making his decision before sentencing Thompson in what he called a "senseless and needless death."
Following the sentencing, Thompson filed a motion for an appeal and a new attorney.
Attorney Arthur Meisler had defended Thompson since his arrest on April 19, 1998. But Thompson's father, Scott Thompson, said the family can no longer afford a private attorney and is seeking a public defender to continue the case.
Earlier this month, parents and friends of Thompson launched a campaign to free the man they say is innocent. Thompson maintains his innocence. The group called Friends of Ryan Thompson has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of who they say is McCaffery's killer.
Scott Thompson says a runaway investigation by state police made his son a second victim of the shooting.
The shooting occurred after Thompson and his friends were tossed out of a party. Jared Gilkenson and David Stebbins Jr. originally told police they saw Thompson with a gun, but later recanted that statement.
During the trial, Stebbins' sister, Brandy Stebbins testified that she did not see a gun at the party and the .22-caliber rifle allegedly used to shoot McCaffery was not in her car when she drove Thompson, Gilkenson and two other teens to the party.
Last month, police charged Gilkenson, David Stebbins and Brandy Stebbins, with perjury and hindering prosecution.
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
April 17, 2002, Wednesday, BC cycle
New trial ordered in fatal shooting case
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 264 words
DATELINE: HARTFORD, Conn.
Citing prosecutorial misconduct, the state Appellate Court on Wednesday threw out the manslaughter conviction of a Plainfield man for a fatal shooting at a house party.
The court concluded that Assistant State's Attorney Vincent Dooley's comments during closing argument in the trial of Ryan Thompson "exceeded all bounds of acceptable conduct."
Thompson was convicted in January 2000 of manslaughter with a firearm for the 1998 shooting death of Rob McCaffery, 17, outside a house party in Plainfield.
The court said remarks by Dooley in his closing arguments that two friends of Thompson who testifed for the defense had "reserved a place in hell for themselves" were unacceptable.
The friends had signed written statements implicating Thompson, but testified during the trial that he was innocent.
During the trial in Danielson Superior Court, prosecutors said Thompson was not invited to the party and became involved in a fight with several guests before the shooting. McCaffery, 17, was shot while sitting on the roof of a garage.
While the court said prosecutors have to be given some latitude in closing arguments, such "zeal of counsel in the heat of argument ... cannot go unbridled."
The Appellate Court also said the judge in the trial was wrong to allow a state police sergeant to give testimony that was a favorable opinion on the credibility of the main prosecution witness.
Thompson was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He had rejected a plea bargain that would have allowed him to plead guilty to manslaughter in return for a 17-year sentence.
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
October 21, 2003, Tuesday, BC cycle
High court upholds manslaughter conviction for party death
BYLINE: By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 338 words
DATELINE: HARTFORD, Conn.
The state's highest court upheld a Plainfield man's manslaughter conviction Monday despite noting frequent misconduct by the prosecutor.
In a 4-1 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Ryan Thompson, who shot a 17-year-old outside a house party in 1998. The Appellate Court had overturned the conviction last year, citing prosecutorial misconduct.
The high court acknowledged Monday that Assistant State's Attorney Vincent Dooley should not have told jurors that a witness might face criminal charges, referred to Thompson as a killer or said that two witnesses who recanted their confession had "reserved a place in hell for themselves."
But the court said the comments did not prejudice the jury and did not warrant overturning the conviction.
"Although the misconduct was frequent, it was not, for the most part, severe," Justice David M. Borden wrote.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Joette Katz said Thompson deserved a new trial.
Thompson, 23, was sentenced in 2000 to 25 years in prison for shooting Robert McCaffery in the head. Two witnesses, Jared Gilkenson and David Stebbins Jr., said they saw Thompson with a gun but later recanted, saying they were pressured by police.
"We're deeply disappointed that the court came up with that ruling," said Scott Thompson, Ryan's father. "We're still going to continue fighting for our son's freedom, who is innocent and incarcerated."
A group of supporters has offered a $15,000 reward for information proving that someone else committed the crime, Scott Thompson said.
Thompson said he spoke with his son after Monday's ruling. He said Ryan had taken the news well and was in relatively good spirits.
Dooley said he was pleased with the ruling. He said he recognized and apologized for his mistakes, but said Thompson was not denied a fair trial.
Thompson has filed a petition arguing that he is being illegally imprisoned, Dooley said. The petition, known as a writ of habeas corpus, would be heard by a Superior Court judge.
Edit: I've sent all coverage of this to Robert but you can read the appeal online, by Googling "State vs. Ryan Thompson."
Here's another link: http://www.projo.com/words/story617.htm
God, I'm good. Why am I not doing this for a living?
Last edited:
And recommend that either Alyson Hannigan or Amy Adams or, last choice, Lindsey Lohan play the role of the female sidekick in the film adaptation. 
.
