NEWS
JULY 2018
NEW ENGLISH VERSION OF TV REPORTAGE ON
THE INNOCENCE CASE OF TONY MEDINA
(By Finnish Journalist Paula Vilén)
I was 21 when I was arrested.
I have been incarcerated longer now than I was alive in the free world
Tony Medina
When a police officer initiates criminal investigations in police reports,
he told of eyewitnesses who said the shooter was African American. Medina is not African American. We want to know who these eyewitnesses are and where their opinions are.
Jm Marcus, Defence Attorney for Tony Medina
Before dreaming that Tony came to the door and said:
Mom, guess what? All the charges have been overturned and the right one was found!
Of course I can not see the dreams I just can not see.
Golda Medina, mother
Who is Tony Medina
Tony Medina got involved with the gang when he was 12 years old. At the time, he wanted to be accepted, and he ended up falling into the same trap too many street kids fall into. However, after a few years, he had decided he wanted to change -- something he had no time to do, as he was found guilty of capital murder in a crime in which he has always maintained his innocence. He says:
Tony Medina got involved with the gang when he was 12 years old. At the time, he wanted to be accepted, and he ended up falling into the same trap too many street kids fall into. However, after a few years, he had decided he wanted to change -- something he had no time to do, as he was found guilty of capital murder in a crime in which he has always maintained his innocence. He says:
I knew I needed to change!
While I was incarcerated for 11 months in 1994 - 1995 I’d had 2 gorgeous children, a son and a daughter. They needed me to be there as a father for them, as my father had been there for me. So I followed my heart and made good on the decision to leave the gang behind for good. (...)
All I want is a second chance at life. A chance to be a father to my (now) 3 children. A chance to have a life. A chance to find that someone special to share life with, to be treated as a human being again (...).
Case summary
In the early morning hours of January 1, 1996, a passenger in a blue car opened fire into a group of people, most of whom were teenagers, outside of a residence in Houston, Texas. When the car was gone, two children laid dead: A nine-year-old boy and fifteen-year-old girl. An eighteen-year-old girl had also sustained a gunshot to her side. The police crime scene investigation revealed bullet strikes on the gate enclosing the front door, bullet strikes in cars that were parked in the driveway, and eight spent cartridge casings in the road. None of the persons in the area could identify or describe the shooter, but the victims’ family was sure that the assailants were members of the La Raza 13 or LRZ gang.
READ case summary provided by Tony Medina's supporters
| tonys_script_jan_2016.doc |
Latest legal filings (2019)
| 179132121777.pdf |
What his lawyer says
In Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390, 417 (1993), the Supreme Court assumed without deciding that the execution of an innocent person would violate the constitution. (...). Evidence used to convict Mr. Medina and sentence him to death is unreliable and was obtained in a manner that offends the constitution for the reasons set forth in Mr. Medina’s claims attacking his convictions and sentence. State post-conviction and federal habeas corpus counsel have mustered persuasive case that Mr. Medina is factually and legally innocent. His execution, therefore, would violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. As part of their arguments, they point towards another possible suspect and argue that:
. Homicide Police Detectives used promises, coercion, threats, and physical violence to extract statements identifying Mr. Medina as the shooter from kids as young as 13 years old
. Forensic evidence emerges proving that the other suspect (and perhaps his friends) hid the murder weapon and then lied in his statements to the police
. Defense counsel failed to conduct any rudimentary investigation and is known as a "Lawyer Known Best for losing Capital Cases"
. A Pervasive Pattern of Police and Prosecutorial Misconduct Violated Mr. Medina’s Right to Due Process
In Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390, 417 (1993), the Supreme Court assumed without deciding that the execution of an innocent person would violate the constitution. (...). Evidence used to convict Mr. Medina and sentence him to death is unreliable and was obtained in a manner that offends the constitution for the reasons set forth in Mr. Medina’s claims attacking his convictions and sentence. State post-conviction and federal habeas corpus counsel have mustered persuasive case that Mr. Medina is factually and legally innocent. His execution, therefore, would violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. As part of their arguments, they point towards another possible suspect and argue that:
. Homicide Police Detectives used promises, coercion, threats, and physical violence to extract statements identifying Mr. Medina as the shooter from kids as young as 13 years old
. Forensic evidence emerges proving that the other suspect (and perhaps his friends) hid the murder weapon and then lied in his statements to the police
. Defense counsel failed to conduct any rudimentary investigation and is known as a "Lawyer Known Best for losing Capital Cases"
. A Pervasive Pattern of Police and Prosecutorial Misconduct Violated Mr. Medina’s Right to Due Process
What his Mum says
My son, Anthony Medina is sitting on Texas Death Row for a crime someone else committed.
He has lived in a concrete box for the last 19 years of his life. He has missed seeing his children and his nieces and nephews growing up. Only when I could take some of them to see him has he been allowed to see and get to know the future generation of his family. I pray everyday that the justice system will work correctly and let my son come home and be reunited with all of his family.
Golda Medina, mother of Anthony Medina
WATCH Golda Medina speaks about her son on death row
Extract from The Road to Livingston (2013)
Extract from The Road to Livingston (2013)
What his supporters say
Peter Bellamy
Please look carefully at the opportunities, however great or small, to help Tony Medina survive this unwarranted attack on his life. Do it today, and tomorrow may bring the news we and Tony long to hear ... that the courts are prepared to listen to his appeals and will reconsider the judgment of guilt. Tony Medina is innocent of murder.
David Atwood, founder of the Texas Coalition Against the Death Penalty
If the politicians of our state had courage and integrity, they would abolish the death penalty.This step would prevent fatal errors and save the state millions of dollars that could be applied to programs that truly reduce violent crime.
