An Innocent Man Fights for Release From Prison
West Palm Beach, Fla. — Jamie Clark sits in prison, convicted of a crime from a tragic and unavoidable accident that occurred in October 2006. Clark’s innocence is backed up by the only eyewitness and hard evidence — evidence that was either withheld, disallowed or falsely refuted by a court whose judge has worked hand in hand with the prosecution.
In several articles, the US~Observer has outlined the facts of the case, including:
- Eyewitness testimony withheld: Prosecutors filed a motion in limine preventing that testimony, which was upheld by the judge.
- Selective prosecution: In four nearly identical cases, others were not prosecuted. Clark was.
- Withheld exculpatory evidence from defense: Car black box data, obtained by the prosecution, was not properly shared with the defense prior to Clark’s conviction.
- “Expert” testimony: The State relied on a reconstruction “expert” who had reconstructed only one accident prior to Clark’s. The court upheld that the State’s findings were more accurate than the defense expert, a nationally recognized reconstruction instructor who has reconstructed thousands of accidents.
Clark recently appealed his Sept. 15, 2011, conviction after discovering a Brady and Giglio violation: the court withheld evidence not provided to the defense at trial and permitted false testimony. Clark’s motion for a new trial was denied by Judge John Kastrenakes of the 15th Circuit Court, who was also the original trial judge. Kastrenakes was a prosecutor for nearly 30 years before his judgeship.
Investigative reporter for the US~Observer, Joseph Snook, asserts: “The judge and the prosecutor have worked to keep their prosecution statistics high while turning a blind eye to justice. The many facts in this case all show, beyond doubt, that Jamie Clark was falsely convicted. This has been a continuous mishandling of justice.”
Clark is appealing the current ruling, as well as his conviction at trial.
The US~Observer is continuing its investigation and coverage of the Clark case and asks all media outlets to look hard at the facts. Clark’s case highlights the growing problem with wrongful convictions in the United States.
If you would like to contact Joseph Snook regarding the Clark case, he can be reached at theUS~Observer by calling 541-474-7885 or writing joe@usobserver.com.
Check out the Facebook page “Jamie Clark Deserves Justice.”
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