SAVE Charles Mamou, Texas


​2019

​The innocence case of Charles Mamou draws international attention at the
​World Peace Center exhibition





Who is Charles Mamou?

Charles Mamou is the father of 5 daughters, who used to take good care of his kids. He was also the father figure to her younger sister, for whom he  pawned his chain to let her buy college books and also prevented her from dropping out of high school. Mamou was basically the big brother to the family and he would take care of his brothers and sisters like a parent would. Their home was poor and there were times when there was
no food to eat. He was respectful and cared for his family and would do anything for anybody. At age 21, feeling the weight of responsibilities, he engaged in drug dealing activities. He says:
I've made mistakes, but I was always raised with the awareness of owning mistakes I make.
No matter how bad they may have been, I OWED my mistakes.(...) I was a loving son, a providing father, a friend to the friendly; and above all a man of love and respect. I had dreams that I had yet to dream, that now won't come true.  (...) There was never evidence used against me to convict me. There was no evidence because I didn't do what they allege.
At the zoo, Baton Rouge

Case summary


Mr. Mamou’s case centers around his claim of actual innocence: that he did not kidnap and murder Mary Carmouche. The State’s case relied on testimony from admitted participants in a scheme to rob and shoot him in a drug deal gone bad that occurred in Houston on December 6, 1998. The deal turned sour as the purported sellers never possessed any drugs and the purported buyers, Mr. Mamou and an associate, never had the funds to purchase the drugs.

A shooting occurred when the deal went bad and a man was fatally shot.  Charles Mamou was never charged with this shooting, as it was clear the victim was out to kill Mamou and happened to get shot himself.  Mamou was only charged with the murder of Mary Carmouche, who unbeknownst to Mamou, was sitting in the back of the other car when he left the scene of the drug deal in that car, as the car he arrived in had already left.  Mr Mamou has denied any involvement with killing Ms. Carmouche and he has no prior criminal record for any violent conviction.

The purported drug sellers were armed and intended to shoot and kill Mamou to obtain what they thought was his money. The testimony of these State’s witnesses was particularly unreliable in view of the fact that they stood to be charged with serious crimes themselves, yet the defense never seriously investigated any deals they may have made with the prosecution in return for their testimony against Mr. Mamou, or any coercion which they were subjected to in order for them to implicate Mr. Mamou.  Only one gave testimony which purported to show that Mr. Mamou had admitted his involvement in the Carmouche murder, which Mr. Mamou has consistently denied.

The State also offered testimony linking Charles Mamou to the Carmouche murder based on "junk science" ballistics which has been since discredited.
The State's expert who gave this testimony has also been discredited in another recent Texas capital case, which resulted in a reversal of that case.  


What Charles Mamou says
State experts have now come forward admitting that
they used false testimony to convict me, and in any other situation,
perhaps that would mean something, but it means nothing if I can't hire a Ballistics expert to prove with credibility that the measure of testimony was damaging. Without the funding to buy the expert, I can guarantee you Injustice will win once again (...) I will not regain my freedom, and I will be murdered by the State. So please, if anyone wants to be apart of the righteous side of the history of humanity, please help me to obtain the funds needed. If I was not innocent, these words by me would never be read by you. Charles Mamou
With his Nun friends
What his lawyer says

The State built its case through five (5) witnesses. All gave self-serving testimony that implicated Mr. Mamou in the drug deal, a deal in which they were all involved. However, only one gave testimony which purported to show that Mr. Mamou had admitted his involvement in the Carmouche murder, which Mr. Mamou has consistently denied. It is entirely unreasonable to believe that these witnesses, who were themselves all engaged in serious criminal activities, testified for the State and implicated themselves in serious crimes, including drug dealing and/or murder, without any inducements for them to do so. Mr. Mamou’s case for actual innocence was never investigated or presented at trial.
What his brother Carl says
When I was younger around 10 or 11 I looked at Charles not as my brother but as my father.
He always did look out for me. From taking me shopping for school clothes or just everyday wear to attending my football games, coming to school to check up on me to make sure my grades where good and on point. He did everything a good father would do for his son. My dad was not around and did not do one single thing for me but my brother did. Charles showed me how to always be responsible for my actions and to always respect God's greatest and most precious creation which is women. As well as to always take care of and be there for family, because in the end that's all you have. To take care of my kids because that's what real men do and to always take care of our mother. I miss him so much. I remember when I was 14 I told Charles that I wanted to be just like him and his response was "No be better then me do not live the life I live there is some much more you can do with your life." You see Charles was a drug dealer and he did not want me to follow in has foot steps. He wanted me to continue with my education and to be the best man I could be. Although he is in the situation he's in, I will always look up to him because I know truly the man he is at heart.
Contact Charles Mamou's attorney

A. Richard Ellis, Attorney at Law
75 Magee Ave.
Mill Valley, CA 94941
(415) 389-6771
FAX (415) 389-0251


Résumé en français:
Charles Mamou est le père de 5 filles - un père aimant qui prenait soin d'elles,ainsi que du reste de sa famille.  A 21 ans, sous le poids de ses responsabilités familiales, il s'est engagé dans le commerce de la drogue. Le 6 décembre 1998, une affaire entre traffiquants tourne mal. Charles Mamou en fait partie. Il est accusé du kidnapping et du meurtre de Mary Carmouche, qui était assisté à l'arrière d'un des véhicules sur la scène du crime.  Charles Mamou a toujours maintenu son innocence dans ce meurtre. Jusque là, il n'avait aucun casier judiciaire pour crime violent. Son dossier repose sur un seul témoignage, selon lequel Charles Mamou aurait avoué le meurtre. Selon son avocat Richard Ellis, la Partie Civile a pu le faire condamner grâce à une expertise scientifique relevant de la pseudo-science ("junk science"). L'expert qui a realisé l'expertise à l'époque a été également discrédité.
Nous avons besoin de trouver idéalement $10 000 (au minimum $5000) d'ici fin mars afin de faire mener une contre expertise.Sans ses fonds, l'avocat devra essentiellement reposer sur des articles d'académiciens, qui, bien entendu, seraient moins convainquants qu'une expertise individuelle en bonne et due forme.

Charles Mamou dit:
J' ai fait des erreurs, et j'en suis conscient. Quelque soit leur gravité, je reconnais toujours mes erreurs (...) J' étais un fils aimant, un père prévoyant, un ami pour ceux qui me témoignaient leur amitié.(...) J' avais des rêves qui ne se réaliseront pas. (...) Il n'y a jamais eu de preuves pour me condamner. Il n'y avait aucune preuve contre moi parce que je n' ai pas fait ce qu'ils allèguent." Charles Mamou

Nous vous remercions d'envoyer vos fonds, aussi modestes soient-ils à Lutte Pour La Justice.
Nous souhaitons également lever la question de la nécessité de créer un fonds d'urgence pour des cas comme celui-ci. Merci de nous contacter.

Find out more

Walk in Those shoes  - A blog held by one of Charles Mamou's supporters, regularly updated.
Charles Mamou is supported by Black Lives Matter (Austin)