The National Organization of Victims of “Juvenile Lifers” – NOVJL
www.jlwopvictims.org
MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release October 28, 2009
CONTACT:
Daniel Horowitz 510-326-6957
Jennifer Bishop Jenkins 847-331-2704
VICTIMS OF JUVENILE KILLERS AND
VIOLENT TEENS TELL THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY REGARDING UPCOMING HIGH PROFILE SUPREME COURT CASE
Washington D.C. – On November 9, 2009 the Supreme Court of the United States will be hearing oral arguments on two of the most highly watched cases of this term, Sullivan v Florida and Graham v Florida. Up to now, a well-funded propaganda campaign on behalf of the juvenile killers and violent teens has dominated media coverage of the issue of juvenile life without parole prison sentences. Concerned victims’ families have organized, and are making themselves available to tell the truth about these horrific crimes, the offenders, and the associated prison sentences being debated nationally. The Juvenile Life without Parole (JLWOP) sentence has been under attack by offender advocacy groups ever since the Supreme Court decided the Roper v Simmons case in 2005 barring the execution of offenders under age 18.
Victims’ families will be at the Court on November 9, and can be arranged for media availability by calling Jennifer Bishop Jenkins, listed above. Also, victims’ family members in more than a dozen states around the nation have agreed to be available for the news media during this entire process. They share their powerful stories in a very articulate manner, providing facts and counterpoint to the campaign of misinformation that accompanies reports by offender advocates.
The Heritage Foundation at www.heritage.org has also published an important report on the issue of JLWOP sentencing, Adult Time for Adult Crime, and its author Charles “Cully” Stimson, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation is also available to the media to share his extensive legal expertise.
For more information, see our website at www.jlwopvictims.org or contact NOVJL President Daniel Horowitz, or NOVJL founder Jennifer Bishop Jenkins above to arrange victims’ families to speak in the media. Daniel Horowitz is a nationally renowned defense attorney who is a frequent guest analyst on national news media, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox and other stations.
###
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Kristina Grill
That's my sister, Krissy, as I called her. This is the last picture I have of her, it was taken at school about a week before she was killed. It came in the mail from the school about two weeks after the funeral. She never saw it, but you can...
As the holiday of Halloween draws near, it felt like the right time to tell my own family experience with a Juvenile serving Life without Parole. I distinctly recall throwing away the candy she collected trick or treating a week before she was murdered, so the two stay together in my mind.
It was a difficult time for my 15 year old sister. She had been secretly seeing a boy from school, as she was sure my family would not accept him. They were together for several months before he broke it off. Unfortunately, by the time he broke it off, she was pregnant. She carried that secret for a few months, and finally decided she had to tell my Mom the truth. I remember being 15 and thinking that if you ignored stuff that bothered you it would just go away. This wasn't that kind of problem...
My sister set up a meeting in a school yard with her former boyfriend, who she still loved, to talk about the baby. She had resolved that she would meet with him, and then tell our Mom that night. That never happened, we found out about the pregnancy, and the boyfriend from the Pittsburgh Police Department. We found out the details from her diary, which also led them to her murderer.
Her killer, also 15 at the time, brought a kitchen knife to the meeting. He would later tell police he planned to kill himself after the meeting. I don't know what was said at that meeting, I've often wondered how she spent those last few minutes of her life before he attacked her.
At some point, he lashed out at her with the knife he "just happened to have with him". He proceeded to stab her 11 times about the neck area and punched and kicked her repeatedly. After he had stabbed her to the point that she would bleed to death in that school yard, he zipped up her jacket, watched her 'twitching' on the ground and departed for home. A seven year old neighborhood boy would find my sister dead in that school yard and go tell his Mom.
When my Mom reported her missing that evening, her friends lied about where she was. They thought they were doing her a favor. Shortly after calling the Police, they came to my Mother's home with a ring my sister had been wearing to do a preliminary ID. That is the moment, the point where all the air is sucked out of your life and it sort of becomes like you are watching a movie. We then had to decide who would go do the identification, thankfully my sister's step mother volunteered. The media was calling our homes and knocking on doors looking for quotes. We had to keep the funeral quiet to avoid news cameras at the grave site.
The strain and emotional impact this had on my Mother was just too much. She was just 54 years old when I buried her with my sister.It was 9 months after my sister's death, and one day before the trial started.
The trial process is intended to help you find closure and justice. In some ways that is true. But, the reality is, it is just day after day of pain and revisiting the most painful thing you've ever experienced. Shortly after the preliminary hearings, the District Attorney told us she'd be pursuing adult charges and a life sentence due to the violence and premeditation of the crime.
We sat through juror selection, trying to find people who hadn't heard all of this on the news and formed an opinion. And then the trial began. I can still vividly describe the images of my sister's body that the coroner used during his testimony. I actually had nightmares about it for months after the trial ended. The police explained that they were able to identify shoe prints on her pregnant belly from her killer. He, had gone home, showered, and went about his day after leaving her, with his child inside her, to bleed to death in the school yard.
In the end, after several weeks in court, he was found guilty, and subsequently sentenced to Life without Parole. We all walked away with the relief that the justice system had provided the best they could for us to move on. We believed that we would never have to revisit the judicial process for her case. We thought we could try to find our way out of the emotional abyss this had created. We accepted the word of the justice system that he would never be free.
As I write this, the momentum and media focus on the 'poor' kids serving these sentences is rampant. Both the Federal and State governments are investigating changes to these laws that allow life sentences to Juveniles offenders. It is perfectly understandable that people who have never heard a coroner describe their loved ones last moments might support this kind of action. If it must be that the courts will go that way, it is morally imperative that any such decision not be retroactive. We had our verdict, and it was just, we should not have to testify and relive that pain every year, or every so many years in order to preserve what the law promised us to be.
I pray that no one else ever has to go through this experience, and if they do that the justice system is there to offer them what is just.
As the holiday of Halloween draws near, it felt like the right time to tell my own family experience with a Juvenile serving Life without Parole. I distinctly recall throwing away the candy she collected trick or treating a week before she was murdered, so the two stay together in my mind.
It was a difficult time for my 15 year old sister. She had been secretly seeing a boy from school, as she was sure my family would not accept him. They were together for several months before he broke it off. Unfortunately, by the time he broke it off, she was pregnant. She carried that secret for a few months, and finally decided she had to tell my Mom the truth. I remember being 15 and thinking that if you ignored stuff that bothered you it would just go away. This wasn't that kind of problem...
My sister set up a meeting in a school yard with her former boyfriend, who she still loved, to talk about the baby. She had resolved that she would meet with him, and then tell our Mom that night. That never happened, we found out about the pregnancy, and the boyfriend from the Pittsburgh Police Department. We found out the details from her diary, which also led them to her murderer.
Her killer, also 15 at the time, brought a kitchen knife to the meeting. He would later tell police he planned to kill himself after the meeting. I don't know what was said at that meeting, I've often wondered how she spent those last few minutes of her life before he attacked her.
At some point, he lashed out at her with the knife he "just happened to have with him". He proceeded to stab her 11 times about the neck area and punched and kicked her repeatedly. After he had stabbed her to the point that she would bleed to death in that school yard, he zipped up her jacket, watched her 'twitching' on the ground and departed for home. A seven year old neighborhood boy would find my sister dead in that school yard and go tell his Mom.
When my Mom reported her missing that evening, her friends lied about where she was. They thought they were doing her a favor. Shortly after calling the Police, they came to my Mother's home with a ring my sister had been wearing to do a preliminary ID. That is the moment, the point where all the air is sucked out of your life and it sort of becomes like you are watching a movie. We then had to decide who would go do the identification, thankfully my sister's step mother volunteered. The media was calling our homes and knocking on doors looking for quotes. We had to keep the funeral quiet to avoid news cameras at the grave site.
The strain and emotional impact this had on my Mother was just too much. She was just 54 years old when I buried her with my sister.It was 9 months after my sister's death, and one day before the trial started.
The trial process is intended to help you find closure and justice. In some ways that is true. But, the reality is, it is just day after day of pain and revisiting the most painful thing you've ever experienced. Shortly after the preliminary hearings, the District Attorney told us she'd be pursuing adult charges and a life sentence due to the violence and premeditation of the crime.
We sat through juror selection, trying to find people who hadn't heard all of this on the news and formed an opinion. And then the trial began. I can still vividly describe the images of my sister's body that the coroner used during his testimony. I actually had nightmares about it for months after the trial ended. The police explained that they were able to identify shoe prints on her pregnant belly from her killer. He, had gone home, showered, and went about his day after leaving her, with his child inside her, to bleed to death in the school yard.
In the end, after several weeks in court, he was found guilty, and subsequently sentenced to Life without Parole. We all walked away with the relief that the justice system had provided the best they could for us to move on. We believed that we would never have to revisit the judicial process for her case. We thought we could try to find our way out of the emotional abyss this had created. We accepted the word of the justice system that he would never be free.
As I write this, the momentum and media focus on the 'poor' kids serving these sentences is rampant. Both the Federal and State governments are investigating changes to these laws that allow life sentences to Juveniles offenders. It is perfectly understandable that people who have never heard a coroner describe their loved ones last moments might support this kind of action. If it must be that the courts will go that way, it is morally imperative that any such decision not be retroactive. We had our verdict, and it was just, we should not have to testify and relive that pain every year, or every so many years in order to preserve what the law promised us to be.
I pray that no one else ever has to go through this experience, and if they do that the justice system is there to offer them what is just.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Elizabeth Olten
This is Elizabeth Olten in an undated photo provided by the Sherif's Department. She was 9 years old when she left this earth at the hands of a juvenile murderer.
It all started on a Wednesday evening, when Elizabeth never came home after leaving a friends house on foot. The police were called after she never showed up. The family described her as shy, and that she was afraid of the dark. Their immediate reaction was that something bad had happened, and they were correct.
There are still many details to come in this case. The police were able to track the killer through 'written evidence' that has yet to be revealed.
On October 24th, 2009 a 15 year old was arrested as a suspect in the murder of this 9 year old girl. Under current law, the suspect will start out in the Juvenile system and if warranted, be moved to the adult system. The charges are First Degree Murder.
This 9 year old will never have another birthday, never see another day, and has family and loved ones who have to deal with that void everyday. This 9 year old was taken from this earth by a 15 year old individual who should and shall be held accountable for their actions.
It all started on a Wednesday evening, when Elizabeth never came home after leaving a friends house on foot. The police were called after she never showed up. The family described her as shy, and that she was afraid of the dark. Their immediate reaction was that something bad had happened, and they were correct.
There are still many details to come in this case. The police were able to track the killer through 'written evidence' that has yet to be revealed.
On October 24th, 2009 a 15 year old was arrested as a suspect in the murder of this 9 year old girl. Under current law, the suspect will start out in the Juvenile system and if warranted, be moved to the adult system. The charges are First Degree Murder.
This 9 year old will never have another birthday, never see another day, and has family and loved ones who have to deal with that void everyday. This 9 year old was taken from this earth by a 15 year old individual who should and shall be held accountable for their actions.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Adult Time for Adult Crime: Eric Hancock » The Foundry
Adult Time for Adult Crime: Eric Hancock » The Foundry
The Heritage Foundation is spotlighting Juvenilles serving LWOP. Take a look. This particular crime also happens to be in Pittsburgh.
The Heritage Foundation is spotlighting Juvenilles serving LWOP. Take a look. This particular crime also happens to be in Pittsburgh.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Richard, Nancy, and Baby Langert
Meet Richard and Nancy Langert, a young twenty something couple with everything to live for. In addition to their love for each other, they were expecting their first child...
The concept of a random act of violence is a frightening one. The more terrifying version is a world where a stranger breaks in to your home and murders you, just because.
It was a time to celebrate, Nancy 25 and Richard 28, were expecting their first child. Upon returning home from a Saturday night out, they were ambushed by their killer. He proceeded to handcuff Richard and force the couple in to the basement of their home. In that basement, the killer shot Richard point-blank in the back of his head with a 357 Magnum.
At that point, the killer turned the gun on Nancy and her unborn child. As she crossed her arms to cover her unborn baby, the killer fired twice directly in to her belly. The impact of those shots was so powerful that the unborn baby was, as described by the coroner, exploded. The sex of the unborn baby couldn't be determined.
Nancy was left in that basement to bleed to death. Evidence suggests that while she bled to death, she tried to make it upstairs to phone for help, made noise to try to draw help, and finally crawled to where her husband lay dead. In her own blood she drew a heart and the letter u with the last of her life here on earth.
Love You.
The perpetrator of this crime was 16 at the time of this crime. It took several months for the police to locate the killer, because he had no real ties to the couple. Once he was identified, police found the gun he used to kill the couple, press clippings about the murder, and poems about killing them. He was subsequently tried and sentenced to Life without Parole.
The reason this individual chose to kill Nancy and Richard? They lived across the street from a Police station. The killer killed them because he wanted to see what it would feel like to shoot someone. He wanted to execute this sinister plan across the street from the police station because he could do it right under the Police's nose.
It is incomprehensible the grief this family must have suffered at the hands of what can only be described as a monster. Is it really a compelling argument to ponder whether this individual was fully developed mentally? That he somehow did not understand the consequences of his actions?
As the Supreme Court decision comes closer regarding juvenile sentencing, we all need to remain aware and vigilant that this type of perpetrator is impacted by decisions that examine what you may consider lesser crimes.
The concept of a random act of violence is a frightening one. The more terrifying version is a world where a stranger breaks in to your home and murders you, just because.
It was a time to celebrate, Nancy 25 and Richard 28, were expecting their first child. Upon returning home from a Saturday night out, they were ambushed by their killer. He proceeded to handcuff Richard and force the couple in to the basement of their home. In that basement, the killer shot Richard point-blank in the back of his head with a 357 Magnum.
At that point, the killer turned the gun on Nancy and her unborn child. As she crossed her arms to cover her unborn baby, the killer fired twice directly in to her belly. The impact of those shots was so powerful that the unborn baby was, as described by the coroner, exploded. The sex of the unborn baby couldn't be determined.
Nancy was left in that basement to bleed to death. Evidence suggests that while she bled to death, she tried to make it upstairs to phone for help, made noise to try to draw help, and finally crawled to where her husband lay dead. In her own blood she drew a heart and the letter u with the last of her life here on earth.
Love You.
The perpetrator of this crime was 16 at the time of this crime. It took several months for the police to locate the killer, because he had no real ties to the couple. Once he was identified, police found the gun he used to kill the couple, press clippings about the murder, and poems about killing them. He was subsequently tried and sentenced to Life without Parole.
The reason this individual chose to kill Nancy and Richard? They lived across the street from a Police station. The killer killed them because he wanted to see what it would feel like to shoot someone. He wanted to execute this sinister plan across the street from the police station because he could do it right under the Police's nose.
It is incomprehensible the grief this family must have suffered at the hands of what can only be described as a monster. Is it really a compelling argument to ponder whether this individual was fully developed mentally? That he somehow did not understand the consequences of his actions?
As the Supreme Court decision comes closer regarding juvenile sentencing, we all need to remain aware and vigilant that this type of perpetrator is impacted by decisions that examine what you may consider lesser crimes.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Alan and Diane Johnson
Meet Alan and Diane Johnson....
A happily married husband and wife from Idaho with 2 children. Their lives came to a brutal and tragic end on September 2, 2003. When police arrived at the home they found to quote one officer "There was blood and hair on the carpet. It was on the ceiling. It was on all the walls. There was part of a skull cap in the hallway." They had been shot to death in their beds with a Winchester Rifle. Alan Johnson was shot in the chest, while Diane was shot in the head. Their killer leaving their bedroom a bloody testament to the rage it took to commit this crime.
The individual sentenced to 2 life terms in prison for killing this couple was 16 at the time of the crimes. She is a Juvenile offender serving a life sentence. She is also the daughter of these victims. She had a dispute over her personal life, that police say led her to cold blooded murder.
Police found her pink bath robe along with gloves in the trash while investigating the crime. After this 'child' had shot her parents point blank, she hid this evidence in the trash. Family members described her as upset that police had cut her nails after the murder. She was fixated on getting her nails done for the funeral service, rather than grieving the murders.
This family has lost two of its members to murder, and then had to see another sentenced to life in prison. At the time of the sentencing the family told the media that they were satisfied that a life sentence without parole was appropriate for the crime. If there was a change to retrospective sentencing of juvenile offenders, it is possible that this family would have to rip open all of these wounds and revisit this gruesome and troubling part of their lives.
A happily married husband and wife from Idaho with 2 children. Their lives came to a brutal and tragic end on September 2, 2003. When police arrived at the home they found to quote one officer "There was blood and hair on the carpet. It was on the ceiling. It was on all the walls. There was part of a skull cap in the hallway." They had been shot to death in their beds with a Winchester Rifle. Alan Johnson was shot in the chest, while Diane was shot in the head. Their killer leaving their bedroom a bloody testament to the rage it took to commit this crime.
The individual sentenced to 2 life terms in prison for killing this couple was 16 at the time of the crimes. She is a Juvenile offender serving a life sentence. She is also the daughter of these victims. She had a dispute over her personal life, that police say led her to cold blooded murder.
Police found her pink bath robe along with gloves in the trash while investigating the crime. After this 'child' had shot her parents point blank, she hid this evidence in the trash. Family members described her as upset that police had cut her nails after the murder. She was fixated on getting her nails done for the funeral service, rather than grieving the murders.
This family has lost two of its members to murder, and then had to see another sentenced to life in prison. At the time of the sentencing the family told the media that they were satisfied that a life sentence without parole was appropriate for the crime. If there was a change to retrospective sentencing of juvenile offenders, it is possible that this family would have to rip open all of these wounds and revisit this gruesome and troubling part of their lives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)