Having met in Columbus on April 19-21, 2013, to re-examine the history of the
uprising in April 1993 and the judicial proceedings that followed, we conclude:
1. No one should be executed for alleged conduct during the rebellion! The State relied on the unreliable testimony of prisoner informants, obtained in exchange for substantial benefits. The State also concedes that it does not know who were the hands-on killers of Officer Vallandingham and the other victims. Investigators and prosecutors pursued a strategy of targeting prisoners who served as spokespersons and negotiators, in violation of the settlement agreement. There was no physical evidence except for the testimony of medical examiners, which repeatedly contradicted prosecution theories. For these and other facts, see below.
2. Twenty years is enough! With regard to all verdicts of guilt, capital and non-capital, additional years of punishment should be set aside. See below.
3. The State should permit media access, including face-to-face video and audio recording, to Lucasville defendants so that prisoners can tell their side of the story and make public what their juries didn’t hear!
4. Ohio should consider the example of Governor Carey of New York who, a little more than five years after the Attica disturbance, issued a proclamation of amnesty! There is overwhelming evidence that the State shares responsibility, along with the prisoners, for the deaths that occurred.
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