Shania Romain

Professor Hall 

English 

November 14th  2019

 

What can I find out about Rodney Reed’s Case ? What Can it tell us about Wrongful Convictions ?

 

In America you will definitely find many cases of the wrongfully convicted. Many of the times Prosecutors believe that they have reached the final verdict in hearing that case and nothing else matters.To be  wrongfully convicted is not okay and shows the failure in our legal system. This is especially difficult if you are not guilty and someone speaks up for the crime you served time for. Following the Rodney Reed’s case you see hand for hand how the system fails us every day .

 

The Innocence Project is a non profit organization founded in 1992 by Peter Neufeild and Barry Scneck at Cardozo School of Law, in New York City . Their main focus is to help put a stop to the wrongfully convicted .They try to help exonerate epeople . They have men Caucasian and  African American especially like Rodney Reed himself who may be up there on death row waiting just to be heard . They have very few women . This source helps people from all over and tries to change the legal system . “ The Innocence Project mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated and to bring reform to they system responsible for their unjust imprisonment “ This is the Innocence Project’s mission . We need more projects like this because wrongful conviction cases are reaching an all time high and thank God for non profits like these who go out of their way to help people like Rodney Reed who is in a predicament in a State that will give the death penalty without blinking an eye . Rodney Red is also African American so the system may be more harsh on him . the Innocence Projects gets that and this is why they are non profit . They pick their cases from the most severe they won’t just pick anybody .

 

The Innocence Project is built for the incarcerated like Rodney Reed whm the judge turns their back on . The Innocence Project raises a voice for them because the system failed these people and the Innocence Project holds the system accountable. This is a great investment to society because not only do they exonerate but they also help the exoneree for their “Support “ part of the program it states ‘ Our Social Work department supports exonerees as they rebuild their lives post – release . This project has been a boon or blessing to those they “ release  from wrongful convictions like Rodney Reed. Rodney Reeds’ cases front and center on the Innocent Project’s page where it states “ Urgent stop the November 20 execution of Rodney Reed .”. There are 53072 signatures . It gives information that states “ we have less than 7 days to save Rodney Reed’s life .If 16 Texas senators are urging the Governor to stop the execution of this man then some thing is wrong and sadly you find things like this common in the great nation of America .

 

Urgent: Stop the November 20 execution of Rodney Reed 

 

There is an interview with the infamous Dr . Phil who is a television personality and host of the Dr. Phil show for 25 years . He has a doctorate in clinical psychology and has many books like ‘Life strategies . Dr . Phil is known for dealing with real life issues in his own way by welcoming helping or exposing people . In this case he exposed the Rodney Reed case which was close to being a dead end . In the interview with Rodney Reed and Dr. Phil you get more of an understdning of what  Rodney Reed is going through and the case at hand top to bottom.On October 11th 2019 Dr Phil aired a two part segment where he gets to the root of the case of Rodney Reed who has been on death row 21 and a half years for murder and rape . We learned despite many piles of evidence that support his innocence Rodney Reed is still on death row . In this interview it gets deeper into Rodney Reed’s case where he answered the questions with honesty and he states ‘ they have the truth they know the truth ‘’ Rodney Reed left no tables turned in answering the questions . He  answered with honesty which left Dr Phil to conclude his innocence . We learn that Rodney Reed has an alibi witness that can greatly show that he wasnt there the time of murder. At 4:55 am Rodney Reed was at his parents house talking with other people the alibi went home and returned to Rodney Reed’s place . The women 19 year old Stacey Stites was already dead and dumped by 4 am and found by the road . One full year after Stacey Stites was found dead they arrest Rodney Reed for Rape and murder .“ I didn’t do this crime and here they are trying to take my life”says Rodney Reed .

 

Dr Phil doesn’t just interview anyone,however he handpicked this interview because he wanted to help exonerate the innocent Rodney Reed. However Dr Phil , from interviewing Rodney Reed  like the rest of the world believes that he is innocent and he was failed by the legal system. According to the speaker, retired NYPD detective SRGT Kevin Ganin who spoke on Dr. Phil’s show who has been solving this case since it started 1996 states “The only evidence linking Rodney Reed to Stacey’s murder are three sperm cells found inside of her “  Stacey Stites did however have an affair with Rodney Reed although engaged to a police officer Jimmy Fennel. He believes that Rodney reed was wrongfully convicted. We also learn from this speaker that at “2;45 in the morning Stacey took her boyfriend’s truck headed to work in a grocery mart . They believe Rodney Reed came on foot where he strangled her and raped her in a wooded area  using a leather belt , He also states that Prosecutors are saying Rodney took the truck to a high school and abandoned it . The only piece of evidence used to prosecute Rodney Reed is the three sperm cells in her body and they want to give him the death penalty . This is not okay because , more dna should have been found.Rodney Reed’s DNA should have been on the leather belt or while strangling her bruises and cuts in her neck  or something else .In this interview we learn that medical experts are saying according to Dr. Phil “ It is medically impossible for Rodeny Reed to have been the killer “. 

 

The Free Rodney Reed website is designated specially for Rodney Reed.This website can tell you everything you need to know about Rodney Reed . As of Right now , this man has 6 days before he gets a decision on whether he will be executed . Rodney Reed is being treated unfairly by the legal system and as a black man this is very common  Unfortunately , he had to serve 21 long and hard years not knowing when he was going to die or not at any time . An innocent man may be executed for something he didn’t even do . According to the website , “ Mountains of evidence exonerates Rodney Reed . All of that evidence was kept from the white jury that convicted him . Instead the evidnece implicates the victim’s fiance Jimmy Fennell who has a history of violence against women including being convicted for kidnapping and sexual assault soon after Rodney was wrongly sent to prison . A black man always gets the harsher treatment . A black man always get the lethal injection before a white man does . THIS IS NOT OKAY .This man is innocent . These people have to look at the facts .This is the 21st century and racism is STILL at an all time high .Before they listen to a blackman’s plea they are so quick to shove him in a prison cell when the facts are right under their noses. This is almost like we still live back in the days when different races couldnt be together and it’s not okay. This man has been through enough he needs to be exonerated.

 

Rodney Reed’s is a resident of Texas state where the death penalty reigns . Their laws are more strict than ever . It may be very hard to come out of a death penalty case. However on the FreeRodney Reed website it states ‘Governor Greg Abott has stopped an execution before. He can again “. Governor Greg Abott staff number is also located on the site for people to call and voice their concerns  regarding the case You can call and advocate on behalf of Rodney Reed,who is very much innocent . the website instructs you to tell them you called and tell them to delay Rodney Reed’s execution.

 

Rodney Reed has been on death row for 21 years and he almost got the lethal injection . According to the Sixth Amendment “ In all criminal prosecutions ,the accused shall enjoy  the right to a speedy and public trial ,by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime have been committed “ ( law.cornell.edu) In Rodneys Reed’s case this grants him a new trial , for his case to be this long is unfair . He was awaiting to hear if he would die or not . Rodney Reed has maintained his innocence for 21 years and before bringing an uproar to the cruel and unfair justice system he might have died and there is no evidence to prosecute him despite mountains of evidence concluding that he is not guilty .Fennel , who was law enforcement and  Stites fiance admitted to the murder of Stacey Stites and it is clear and evidnet that Rodney Reed did not infact do it .Stites contradicted his original testimony and managed to manipulate the timeline of Stites murder .

 

The court ignored new forensic evidence because they knew the Jury would retaliate in a different result which is wrong on so many levels. According to the Sixth Amendment , courts would have to start the trial over and that means going from the beginning where Rodney Reed’s case would have been dismissed had they did it the right way . The witness would not have been able to stand because of new evidence but instead the court ignored it . Rodney Reed deserves a new trial because the state was about to execute the accused . 

 

Overall I learned more about wrongful convictions and how America has a really messed up legal system. A man who just for having an affair may be executed for something he has not done . He already has enough time wasted and now his entire existence might be gone as well . The justice system is entirely corrupted and I see why I want to work with the law even more so that I can have an impact on things like this.