Paul Modrowski, who was wrongfully convicted of the murder of Dean
Fawcett, is seeking release from prison. Modrowski, autistic, and
then 18 years old, was convicted of Murder 1 on an "accountability"
theory for supposedly lending his car to the supposed killer - who was
acquitted. Modrowski was then sentenced to life in prison with no
possibility of parole. He has been in prison for about 15 years and
needs your help. You can sign a petition at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/paulmod/
Modrowski filed a Clemency petition that he wrote himself. A hearing
was held by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, where Paul was
represented by his mother, Linda. The Review Board then sent the
petition on to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
If you want to encourage Governor Blagojevich to sign the Clemency
petition, you can sign this petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/paulmod/
The Fawcett murder got mixed up in infamous Brown's Chicken massacre
murders in Palatine, Illinois, that took place nearby in time and
place. The Brown's Chicken massacre appeared "unsolvable," but two
strong suspects, James Degorski and Juan Luna, were finally arrested
in 2002. Luna has been convicted and Degorski should go to trial in
2008.
Fed by fear and media frenzy, Paul Modrowski was considered a "prime
suspect" in the 1993 Brown's Chicken Massacre in Palatine, Illinois --
but not for any good reason. This was highly publicized to the point
where people assumed Modrowski was guilty of the Palatine killings.
Those involved in the legal process against Paul Modrowski in the
Fawcett murder case may have believed that they had to secure that
conviction and long sentence in order to have leverage in solving the
Palatine massacre murders or to appear as if they had at least gotten
the restaurant killer on something. This was probably more true after
the acquittal of Robert Faraci, who also stood accused of murdering
Dean Fawcett.
1) Essentially, Paul Modrowski was convicted of loaning his car for
the murder. The only evidence about this was the testimony of a
police officer, who said Modrowski confessed these things to him.
There was no written or signed confession, no confession on tape or
video. Paul Modrowski is autistic and was held for several days and
mistreated before "confessing." He was not given an attorney and
signed no waiver giving up that right. The officer claimed Modrowski
confessed, yet did not write a re****t about that till weeks later.
ALL of this should call its truth seriously into question.
2) The State's Attorney used the theory of "accountability" to say
that Modrowski was guilty of Murder 1 because he supposedly lent his
car to the other defendant, Robert Faraci, who was acquitted by his
separate jury.
3) The judge sentenced Modrowski to LIFE IN PRISON WITH NO POSSIBILITY
OF PAROLE. He has been in prison for about 15 years now and cannot
get out unless Governor Blagojevich signs the Clemency petition. If
this bothers you, sign the petition at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/paulmod/
4 ) Paul Modrowski probably would have been freed or at least retried
after some level of appeal, but his appeals were bollixed up by
lawyers having personal problems. His appeals were half-written, sent
in without mandatory affidavits, filed one day late, etc. The "one
day late" issue went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which said
that prisoners should know what their lawyers are doing and should
file a second set of papers on their own to be sure it is done right.
Obviously, this makes no sense.
5 ) Paul Modrowski's trial probably would have gone much differently
if he had been afforded the rules that are now mandatory in Illinois
death penalty cases, such as the requirement of a lawyer qualified to
try death penalty cases and full discovery procedures. Crucial
materials were withheld from the defense and STILL have not been given
to Modrowski--but the prosecution and judge saw them!
6) The meager physical evidence in the crime was found in the
Barrington woods months after Dean Fawcett's murder, when Robert
Faraci was arrested, as opposed to being located there when first
searched at the time the body was found. The woods went from having
no evidence during a thorough search when the body was found, to
having pieces of odd evidence once an arrest was made. The evidence
makes little sense. A broken saw and shovel were supposedly used to
dismember a body, yet showed not even microscopic traces of blood or
skin tissue. Why would someone dismembering a body take the head and
arms with them, but leave behind a saw and shovel? None of this adds
up to reliable evidence.
Sign the petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/paulmod/
Thanks, Sue Basko suebasko@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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