Wrongful conviction

Wrongful conviction

Started
March 24, 2020
Petition to
Signatures: 2,799Next Goal: 5,000
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Why this petition matters

Started by Shiloh Rafferty

To whom it may concern,
I am writing you today to advocate for Patrick Shane Rafferty. Mr Rafferty was tried and convicted for a heinous crime that evidence proves he did not commit. He has exhausted his appeals, been turned down by the Innocence Project due to lack of DNA evidence, and been turned away by the Wrongful Conviction Project due to a possible conflict of interest as one of his co-defendants previously applied. Mr Rafferty had lost all hope and resigned himself to his current situation, which is why I am writing this letter. Most of what I am writing in this letter is taken from Mr Raffertys application for the wrongful conviction project, court documents from all cases involved in this crime, and Mr Raffertys own words.
The co-defendants in this case are Derek Shutt, William Kramer, Jason Keenan, and Lisa Penix. All four co-defendants testified against Mr Rafferty in exchange for more lenient sentences. Mr Rafferty contends he was informed of the crime after it happened by Ms Penix and that due to her unreliable history he thought it to be a prank. Months after the crime occurred Mr Rafferty moved back to Louisiana, which is where he was living and working as a productive member of society at the time the investigation began. While living in Louisiana he received a call from friends in Ohio that he had been on the news regarding the crime and he immediately reached out to the detectives in the case. He remained in contact with the police even through hurricane Katrina. During the investigation Ms Penix went on the run and was later found in another state. At the time she was found she tested positive for methamphetamines and was in a psychiatric crisis.
A surveillance video from a BP gas station in West Virginia shows that Mr Rafferty was not present. Upon watching said video you can see that there is no person in the rear passenger seat, which is where the co-defendants claimed Mr Rafferty was seated. You can see Mr Kramer both retrieve and replace a gas can from this exact place in the car. In court the co-defendants claim Mr Rafferty entered the gas station behind Mr Kramer and walked toward the restroom. In this video you can see that the person entering the gas station behind Mr Kramer is actually the driver of a pick up truck on the other side of the gas pump. This can be seen in both the external and internal portion of the video by watching through the glass doors. At no time during the video is anyone besides Mr Kramer seen getting out of the vehicle used in the commission of this crime.
During and after his trial Mr Rafferty also requested to take a polygraph test to prove his innocence. Mr Rafferty was told this was only admissible if requested by the prosecution. There were numerous witnesses willing to testify to not only the co-defendants admissions of guilt, but also to their collusion to place the blame on Mr Rafferty. Some of these witnesses were Jeremy Lance, Jacky Robinson, James Weiss, Noah Powell, and Allen Paxton. Noah Powell was the cellmate of Mr Shutt and testified that Mr Shutt confessed to being the perpetrator of the murder and did testify to this.
Mr Shutt, Mr Kramer, and Mr Keenan were kept in holding cells and transported together on numerous occasions. At one point in Ms Penix' trial the co-defendants were asked about their statements changing and having identical wording. When asked if this was a coincidence Mr Shutt started "no." Mr Rafferty was described by one co-defendant as "being 149 pounds soaking wet," yet Mr Shutt claimed in court that he was so frightened by this man nearly half his size that he willingly handed over his loaded gun, a pocket knife, and assisted in the commission of this act.
With the high number of wrongful convictions in America today, I beg someone to please look at all the facts in this case. Mr Rafferty was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on a case with no physical evidence and only the unreliable testimony of his co-defendants. All his co-defendants were given more lenient sentences in exchange for their testimony. No innocent person should have to spend their life in prison based on these circumstances. 

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Signatures: 2,799Next Goal: 5,000
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