Petition for my son--wrongfully convicted

[April May]

Originally Posted by ginsiebel

I just signed the petition. I am #525. My prayers are with you. It broke my heart to hear your story. It brought tears to my eyes. You and your son are in my prayers.
Gin

Thank you so much! We now have 956 signatures and periodically send the printout along with letters to our new governor, Gov. Pat Quinn (IL).

Paul has spent half his life in prison--yes, it's been that long. He was arrested in 1993. It's a battle that we are still engaged in. We have yet another lawyer working to free him, so your prayers are greatly appreciated.

With such a corrupt system, only God can make a way for us.

[April May]

Originally Posted by annie715

I dont know if it is too late to sign the petition, I really hope not!! Our legal system is such a JOKE!!! I cant believe that they gave him life!! Your lawyers are also a JOKE!! Is there anyway there is a legal loophole you can go through since the lawyers were not doing their jobs the right way?? You and your family are in my prays, I pray that he gets out!!!!

No loopholes. Paul's new lawyer will be filing what is called a successive post conviction petition. Recently, a man in the next cell to my son's was freed after wrongfully serving 20 years in prison. The 12 year old boy who testified against him grew up and confessed that the police forced him to wrongly identify the man as the shooter.

Corrupt police and incompetent lawyers = wrongful convictions
That's the way it is in the U.S.
Yes, I am very bitter and angry. It is hard not to be.

I am so grateful for all the prayers and support.

The online petition was written to our former governor, who was arrested and ousted from office! We are still using the same one, but periodically send it to Gov. Pat Quinn who understands the situation. We spoke before the IL Prisoner Review Board in July 2010. They made a recommendation to Gov. Quinn but it is a secret vote. Thousands of petitions are filed every year, so we are just waiting.... Truly, the wheels of justice turn slowly....

[April May]

Originally Posted by optomisticmom

Hang in there and keep your faith in God strong. God listens to us and helps us--I know! My son has been in prison for 12 years--he also has LWOP. About 4 years ago, my son was dying in prison due to medical neglect and abuse by the guards. They would not tell me what was wrong with my son and I was helpless--seeing my son just wasting away! I prayed a lot and God directed me to a criminal justice advocator and a well-known Senator who helped get my son out of that awful prison and had him tranferred where he received the medical attention that he needed. My son is experiencing some emotional issues due to his past illness, but he is much healthier and I thank God for that! I am praying now that I will find a way to get my son's sentence commuted. I really understand what you must be going through. Try to be good to yourself and take care of yourself because your son needs you. Write and talk to as many officials as you can--the governor, senators, advocators. I know that there are a lot of people going to prison with a LWOP sentence who do not deserve to get such a cruel and unusual punishment and until all the families stand up and say that we are not tolerating this anymore, the DAs will continue to send our sons/daughter to prison with cruel and unusual punishment sentences. Especially if the person is only 18 yrs. old--they are still children--they still think like a child. My son was only 18 and now he is 32. He has grown up and look what he has! It is not fair and families of inmates all over the United States need to unite and change the justice system. We can do it--there are many of us and we have the resources. Anyways, I will keep you and your son in my prayers and trust in God, he will show you the way. God Bless You!

Thank you! I'm so sorry about your son too. After watching other trials on TV and how those people were set free, it makes me want to push for all trials to be televised! Public opinion will change WHEN the public knows what injustices are really happening in courtrooms today!

Most judges are elected, therefore they are like politicians and never want to appear to be "soft on crime." The judge in my son's case lost the next election and is no longer a judge. Some of the jurors cried after convicting my son when they learned that "the other guy" was acquitted. My son was held accountable for what that "other guy" did!

Prosecutors are not elected, but seem to get raises by the number of convictions they can get.

Our judicial system needs revamping, for sure.

UPDATE: There are 956 signatures on the petition now. Illinois has a new governor, Gov. Pat Quinn, and all signatures have been sent to him.

Thank you for your support and prayers. It really means so much to us.

[freemattmees]

i will sign my brother in law was also wrongly convicted by his own father.

[Dawn2012]

God is real! everyone faces Him! He forgives everyone including those in prison. Humans hurt Jesus! He forgave us!

[patticake]

governor@governor.ms.us.com ..." to agree with time served judgement for mike muscolino k2799." this is what we are asking everyone that knows mike or of his situation to do. thanks if you can.

Mike was 19, He is 32 and has served 12 yrs now of a 20 yr sentence.

[freemattmees]

Originally Posted by Dawn2012

God is real! everyone faces Him! He forgives everyone including those in prison. Humans hurt Jesus! He forgave us!

i like the way you think. One of my church family members his name is Jason he got convicted and the church we were at thought we shouldn't support him or his family. My father along with a couple of other people started a new church where everyone can just be a happy family

[ATH]

Signed!
good luck and best wishes for you!

[prayn4change]

I just signed the petition! How many signatures are needed?

[NikNak88]

I was going to sign but it seems you have to use your FACEBOOK info and I do not have a FACEBOOK account. If there is another way to sign, let me know so I can do so. Thanks.

Sent from my iPad using PrisonTalk

[April May]

Originally Posted by patticake

governor@governor.ms.us.com ..." to agree with time served judgement for mike muscolino k2799." this is what we are asking everyone that knows mike or of his situation to do. thanks if you can.

Mike was 19, He is 32 and has served 12 yrs now of a 20 yr sentence.

Do you have an online petition to sign? What is the link?

I sympathize with you, and Mike. My son, Paul, had just turned 18 and is now 37....more than half his life has been spent in a tiny cell at Illinois' worst prison: Stateville.

We also are hoping that our governor will do the right thing and grant his Clemency Petition. Paul not only asks for his freedom, but an official exoneration of wrongdoing. His current petition has been on Governor Quinn's desk for 1-1/2 years....waiting....hoping... and praying. It is not "politically correct" for politicians to help prisoners. The general population still has a "lock 'em up" attitude because they are sick and tired of crime.

I am always glad to read of a wrongfully convicted man finally getting exonerated and freed. I always hope these reports will change public opinion. Too many innocent men are in prison today.

[April May]

Originally Posted by NikNak88

I was going to sign but it seems you have to use your FACEBOOK info and I do not have a FACEBOOK account. If there is another way to sign, let me know so I can do so. Thanks.

Sent from my iPad using PrisonTalk

No, you don't have to go through Facebook! The website to sign Paul's petition is:

www.petitiononline.com/paulmod/

Unfortunately the site omitted our new governor's name! The signatures and plea are mailed periodically to Gov. Pat Quinn. We have no way to post the update.

Thank you!

[April May]

I want to thank everyone for signing Paul's petition. Illinois new governor is Gov. Pat Quinn, and the signatures are printed and mailed to him periodically, along with letters of support for his Clemency Petition.

Meanwhile we set up a Facebook page, and to help keep Paul's sanity, he is writing a journal about his life in prison. You can read his well written blog at:
http://paulmodrowski.blogspot.com/

We are all amazed to learn that thousands of people from around the world are following his blog! The majority of followers are from the U.S., but many log in from Europe, Russia, and even South America!

Paul writes weekly from his tiny cell inside Stateville prison--and reports on events On the Inside ! It is well written and insightful even to people who have no family inside a prison. There are links on that blog to the online petition.

[billysbutton]

SIGNED!!!!! good luck!!!!!

[April May]

Thank you so much! The petition site was bought out by another company, and the management is horrible and nonresponsive to my emails. It's as though the petition site is running on its own. I am not at all happy with it. Additionally, some try to sign it and it just freezes and won't let you.

So I'm glad you were able to add your signature to it. Every few months I print it out and send it along with another letter to Gov. Quinn.

I read in the newspaper that he granted 52 petitions on Easter. Sadly, Paul's was not one of them. The story said that Quinn is still processing the petitions left behind by the former governor who went to prison! (Blagojevich--did you catch that in the news?! He was sentenced to 14 years in a very nice federal prison, where I highly doubt he has to eat soy beans to stay alive.)

[April May]

Originally Posted by prayn4change

I just signed the petition! How many signatures are needed?

Thank you so much! There is no number of signatures--I just keep printing the list and mailing it to the new governor every few months along with a personal letter.

I am reminded of a Bible story about a man who keeps pestering his neighbor until the neighbor gives him what he wants! And another story from the Bible about a woman who keeps going to court pestering the judge, and finally to get rid of her, he grants her request! so....

God's advice is to "keep on asking...keep on seeking" - and hopefully we all keep on praying!

[NatesGurl]

Tried to sign :-( I would have been 986 but after I filled in all the information and hit Sign Petition it grey'd out and the hour glass just sits and spins I'll try to remember to try again tomorrow night

[April May]

Originally Posted by Abraann

Same here

I am now aware of this problem, but the people who took over the ONLINE PETITION site are unresponsive to all my emails.

I think it is being managed by change.org but I am not sure.

Thank you for trying to sign. A big thank you to everyone who did get to sign! It has nearly 1,000 signatures, but we hoped to get more. Now, this will be impossible unless change.org gets more responsive to complaints!

I will update if and when I hear from the site.
Meanwhile, any one can read Paul's blog. He writes weekly stories from his prison cell at Stateville (in Crestwood, IL). You can read any story by clicking the title in the Table of Contents. You can also read about what happened to him in the sidebars of the blog. The link to his blog is
http://paulmodrowski.blogspot.com

If you click on his photo, it is supposed to take you to the online petition to the governor. That still works, but obviously no one can sign it!

There is also a link to email Governor Quinn near the top of the blog. Love this technology! Perhaps everyone should just send an email directly to the governor and tell him that you support Paul's exoneration and freedom!

[April May]

Originally Posted by NatesGurl

Tried to sign :-( I would have been 986 but after I filled in all the information and hit Sign Petition it grey'd out and the hour glass just sits and spins I'll try to remember to try again tomorrow night

I see that the new managers of the petition site are not doing their jobs. I sent them several emails but they don't respond !

Perhaps (please) people can just send an email directly to Gov. Quinn? On my son's blog, there is a link for an email near the top of the page. Paul's blog can be reached here:
http://paulmodrowski.blogspot.com
Paul is writing a weekly story about his life in prison. He is still at Stateville, a maximum-security prison.

He was arrested just a few months after his 18th birthday, and this year he will be 38 years old. We've hired so many lawyers over the years, and each one screws up some way. The current lawyer has been working on his case for 3 years now and may soon (?) finish and file a "successive post conviction petition".

May God bless us all and bring true justice to this world! AMEN

[mridgeman]

How on earth did she get involved with these people? I dont understand how she got in trouble if she didn't associate with those people??

[StayNStrong]

April May,
I'm #988. Just signed your petition. Keep the faith...God's ways are perfect. God is seldom early, and Never late. Believing with you for Paul's clemency and subsequent release!

[April May]

Hooray! Somehow, some way, the petition has been repaired and you can now sign it!

[April May]

Originally Posted by mridgeman

How on earth did she get involved with these people? I dont understand how she got in trouble if she didn't associate with those people??

Your post must have been put in the wrong place--but I don't know how that could happen!

IF you meant this to be for Paul's situation:
First, he's a man, my son, not a girl !
Second, who knows why our kids hang out with "those people"?!

I bet we all warn our children not to hang out with "bad" people, or the "wrong" crowd. Most don't listen to us!

[Mrs.Cuadras]

i signed #994. I hope everything turns out in your favor. My husband was also unlawfully accussed of his charges.. now he has to be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life when he finishes serving his time. I will keep you and your son in my prayers.. along with my husband. god bless you!

[kountryedge]

After reading your note about the happenings to your son, I decided to see who this "Blagojevich" guy is. And this is what I found out when I typed in my Google Search (Gov. Blagojevich) "I don't think the situation with your son is no longer in this mans hands....


News for Gov. Blagojevich
Blagojevich 'totally bored' with prison, his former lawyer says

Chicago Sun-Times‎ - 3 hours ago

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, 55, who seemed to optimistically bound into prison three months ago, is bored out of his skull.

“He’s totally bored,” said Blago’s former attorney, Sam Adam Jr.

“He’s till working in the kitchen doing the pots and pans ... and what he’d really like to do is teach,” said Adam.

◆The buckshot: “But (the prison) has yet to do the switch,” Adam told Sneed.

◆Translation: It’s now past the federal prison’s rule of new inmates being assigned menial tasks for a the first 90 days. Blago, who wants to teach Shakespeare or ancient Greek philosophy or mythology, entered prison March 15 to begin serving his 14-year sentence.