15-YEAR-OLD LATINO HONOR STUDENT SERVING THREE
LIFE SENTENCES FOR CRIME HE DID NOT COMMIT
"There is no crueler tyranny than that which is exercised
under cover of law, and with the colors of justice?"
—U.S. v. Jannottie, 673 F.2d 578, 614 (3d Cir. 1982)—
Efren was tried and convicted only three months after his arrest on March 15, 1989 and convicted by 11 White jurors and one Black juror in a city whose racial composition was 95% White. The judge, prosecutor, and all the investigating police were also all White. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Berrien County ranks among the top 25 most segregated metropolitan areas in the country. It is also important to note that all the youth in Berrien County who have received life without parole (LWOP) sentences have been children of color. Efren is also the only Latino youth in Berrien County history to receive a LWOP sentence. The case against Efren was entirely circumstantial and based primarily on the statements of other youth who received reduced charges and sentences from the prosecutor in exchange for their incentivized testimony. Asst. Prosecuting Attorney Michael Sepic knowingly committed professional misconduct when he allowed a man, who would later become the jury foreman, to be seated on the jury who worked with the aunt of the victim's widow in Efren's case. The information about the juror's connection to the aunt was brought to Sepic's attention on two occasions, once before the trial began and once after it began by the victim's widow. Sepic has openly acknowledged that he knew this information, most recently at Efren's December 4, 2008 public hearing. Appellate courts have held these acts of unprofessional and conspiracy by Sepic were "harmless error." There was no physical evidence linking Efren to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the crime, and Efren was home with his parents and two brothers when the crime occurred. Despite all this Efren was sentenced to two life without parole sentences and one parolable life sentence. He is now 36-years-old. The Berrien County Prosecutor's Office and police investigating the crime provided false and erroneous information to the media in an attempt to convict Efren in the media before trial. Their unethical conduct and betrayal of the public trust infected every level of the legal process and contributed to Efren's unlawful conviction. Efren has received letters of support from notable scholars and activists across the country including Dr. Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez, Director, Institute for MultiRacial Justice, author, and activist; Dr. Carlos Munoz, Jr., Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley, author and activist; Dr. Rodolfo Acuña, historian, educator and Chicano studies scholar; Dr. Jorge Chinea, Director of Chicano-Boricua Studies Department, Wayne State University, author and activist; Juana Alicia, muralist, printmaker, educator, and activist; Favianna Rodriguez, political printmaker, digital artist, activist; Dr. Martha Grace Duncan, Professor of Law, Emory University, and author; Dr. Walter Garcia-Kawamoto, Journal of Adolescent Research, Manuscript Consulting Editor; Elena Herrada, Director of Centro Obrero, activist, and writer; Elisha Miranda aka E-Fierce, filmmaker, writer, and activist; and others. Efren also enjoys the support of world renowned wrongful convictions expert Paul Ciolino, a veteran private investigator. Ciolino is the author of numerous articles in professional publications and the book "In the Company of Giants: The Ultimate Investigation Guide for Legal Professionals, Activists, Journalists & the Wrongfully Convicted". In addition he co-wrote the best-selling and critically acclaimed textbooks "Advanced Forensic Criminal Defense Investigations" and "Advanced Forensic Civil Investigations". Ciolino is chief investigative advisor to Northwestern University Law School's Center on Wrongful Convictions, the Medill School of Journalism, and DePaul University Center for Justice in Capital Cases. In 2003, when former Illinois governor George Ryan granted clemency and pardons to 167 death row inmates, he cited Ciolino's investigative work, which helped free five innocent men, as one of the reasons for the en masse commutations. According to Ciolino, "There is not one shred of credible evidence to suggest that Efren was involved in the murder. No weapon, no eyewitnesses, no physical evidence, no motive, no prior conduct to suggest that a 15-year-old student athlete, and honor role student with zero criminal background, would have planned, participated or committed this murder. The community and jury were sold a bill of goods based on the words of drug dealers and thieves." Letters of support from these individuals can be viewed in the "General Information" tab on the above-left-hand-side of this page. The National Lawyers Guild has also endorsed our efforts to free Efren. The National Lawyers Guild is a membership of progressive civil rights attorneys. It is dedicated to the need for basic and progressive change in the structure of our political and economic system. Through its members — lawyers, law students, jailhouse lawyers and legal workers united in chapters and committees — the Guild works locally, nationally and internationally as an effective political and social force in the service of the people. Tuesday, February 10, 2009, the Berkeley City Council (California) voted to condemn the life without parole sentences imposed on Efren as human rights violations in contravention with several international treaties. They join the 192 nations in the world who have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and universally condemned the imposition of life without parole sentences for children. City councils in other municipalities will now begin following the model set in Berkeley. Click here to read more about this historic resolution and read our press release. This site is maintained by the The Injustice Must End (TIME) Committee who is working to exonerate Efren and working to generate support for his campaign for justice. Efren can not access the Internet. If you would like to send him a message you can do so by sending us an e-mail at info@4Efren.com which we will print and forward to him for a response, or you can write him directly at: Efren Paredes, Jr. Efren Receives Public Hearing Thursday, December 4, 2008 a public hearing to consider a commutation request for Efren was convened by the Michigan Parole Board at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility, T-100 Training Building, in Jackson, Michigan. The Parole Board heard testimony from those who support Efren's release, as well as those opposing it. They will be making a recommendation to the Governor's Office about Efren's release in the coming weeks. The Governor will render the final decision. Generally these decisions are made within a few months, but there is no official timetable. To view some of the articles about the hearing can visit the three following links: Necalli Ollin (Freelance Journalist) - The Michigan Citizen - The Associated Press New Legislation Seeking to Abolish Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences Introduced in Michigan Senate January
29, 2009 members of the Michigan Senate introduced four new bills which
seek to abolish juvenile life without parole sentences in Michigan. If passed, the legislation would give juveniles who receive these sentences the opportunity for parole consideration. Passage of the bills in itself would not release any of them. Click here to learn more about this on our web site. Write a Letter Supporting Efren's Release Click here for suggestions about how to write a support letter for Efren requesting that he be granted a pardon or commutation. Some of Efren's support letters, including one authored by world renowned private investigator and wrongful convictions expert, Paul Ciolino, are available for viewing on the General Information tab of this site. Download Free Efren Poster and New One-Page Campaign Flyer Click here to download a copy of the 8-1/2" x 11" Free Efren poster. Click here to download a copy of our latest one-page Free Efren campaign flyer. You are encouraged to circulate these items widely in your networks via e-mail, Facebook, MySpace, and post links to them on your web sites and blogs. You can also print these items and take to social justice events for distribution. Make a Secure Online Donation to the Efren Paredes, Jr. Defense Fund Click below to make to make a secure online PayPal donation to the Efren Paredes, Jr. Defense Fund. These funds will be used to defray the cost of attorney fees, as well as private investigation, public relations, experts, and other services we can use to assist our efforts to free Efren. Please affix your electronic
signature to the following petition to the Governor of the State of Michigan to support Efren's release. Print Versions of Petition Form for Efren in English
Learn about innocent 15-year-old Latino former high school honor student named Efren Paredes, Jr. who was wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he did not commit; a crime to which others plead guilty. The crime occurred in St. Joseph, Michigan (Berrien County), USA.
#203116
3510 N. Elm Road
Jackson, MI 49201
Online Petition for Efren
and Spanish
You can download two versions of our print petition form to gather signatures in support of Efren's release. Information about where to mail the forms once complete appear on each petition form.
Print Petition Form (in English) Print Petition Form (in Spanish)
Commutation Postcard Campaign to Michigan Governor
You are invited to download a copy of the postcard currently being mailed to the Governor of the State of Michigan urging her to support our efforts to have Efren's sentence commuted. The postcards, which come four on a page, can be printed double-sided on cardstock for people to sign and mail in. Click here to download a PDF version of the file.
The Injustice Must End (TIME) Blog
To stay abreast of the latest information related to the injustice surrounding Efren's case or read messages written by Efren and others opposed to social injustice, you are encouraged to visit our blog at: http://4Efren.blogspot.com. You can view the feed from that blog by clicking on the 4Efren Blog tab at the left.
MySpace Page
Please visit our MySpace page and request to be added to Efren's list of friends to express your support for Efren's cause. You are encouraged to ask others to do so as well. This will help us circulate information about the injustice done to Efren and generate much needed support. You can visit our MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/4Efren.
Facebook Page
Please visit Efren's Facebook page and request to be added to Efren's list of friends to express your support for Efren's cause. You are encouraged to ask others to do so as well. This will help us circulate information about the injustice done to Efren and generate much needed support. You can visit Efren's Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/p/Efren_Tlecoz_Paredes/665781653.
Photographs and Video Fund Raiser for Efren
You can view more photographs of Efren during trial by clicking on the Efren
Photographs/Videos tab. Also included in that tab are current photographs of Efren with friends and family, photographs of TIME Committee meetings and events, a video of a fundraiser held for Efren last October, and videos of support recently created for Efren.
What are Efren's Plans Upon Release?
For those wondering what Efren plans on doing when he is released you can read about his plans by clicking here.
Presentations About Efren's Case
To date we have made presentations at churches, colleges, community centers, organization meetings, schools, public libraries and homes. Anyone interested in having a member of The Injustice Must End (TIME) Committee do a presentation about Efren's case can click here to send an e-mail request. You request will be forwarded to the appropriate member for follow up.
Please include the following information to better help us determine which TIME Committee member can be scheduled to do the presentation:
• Date and time you would like the presentation to be made;
• Location where presentation will be made (include street address, city, zip code);
• Size of location where presentation will be made (e.g., classroom, church, library, home, etc.);
• If you have a digital projector to show a PowerPoint presentation;
• If you have a microphone and sound system; and
• How many people you expect to attend the presentation.
The importance of these presentations can not be underscored enough. Through discussing Efren's case, and casting light on the facts surrounding his wrongful conviction, we are not only creating much needed dialogue about Efren's case, we are also:
• Discussing systemic problems that exist in the criminal justice system;
• Bringing attention to needed changes in the way juveniles are treated in adult courts and prisons;
• Educating people about the facts in Efren's case, and correcting the lies and inaccurate information that have been circulated about Efren's case;
• Helping other families who are also going through similar experiences;
• Helping prevent this horrible experience from occurring to other families;
• Teaching others how to build a strong grassroots campaign to generate attention and support for a cause; and
• Helping the community heal by creating unity and developing real solutions to problems that plague the community.
PowerPoint Presentation About Efren's Case
We now have a PowerPoint presentation that is available about Efren's wrongful conviction for people to download and view. The file can be downloaded by clicking on the following link: http://www.mediafire.com/?c1t3ein5bi0.
To view the presentation unzip the file and and click on the file pptview.exe in the folder. After that click on the file JusticeforEfrenParedes,Jr3.ppt and the presentation will begin. You are encouraged to view the presentation and share it with others.
The Injustice Must End (TIME) and Juvenile Life Without Parole Discussion Boards
You are invited to join the dialogue in our discussion boards and share your views about Efren's case, wrongful convictions, and juvenile life without parole sentencing.
You can discuss any of these issues on the TIME discussion board. The JLWOP discussion board will be used exclusively to discuss the issue of juvenile life without parole sentencing. TIME would like to express that it opposes the imposition of life without parole sentences on juveniles.
To join the TIME discussion board click here. To view all the posts made to the TIME discussion board click here.
To join the JLWOP discussion board click here. To view all the posts made to the JLWOP discussion board click here.
Berrien County Prosecutor, Local Police and Media Maliciously Present False Forensic Evidence to the Public
The Berrien County Prosecutor, police and media colluded to present false and misleading evidence against Efren through the media prior to and during his trial. They reported that Efren was found to be in possession of a bloody T-shirt in his room at the time of his arrest, and that the shoes he wore the evening of the crime had blood in/on them. This was widely reported in the print, television, and radio media.
This information was categorically false. Click here to view the actual forensic lab results about these items when they were tested. Neither the T-shirt or shoes contained blood nor any other trace evidence linking Efren to any crime. The alleged "bloody T-shirt" falsely reported about was a shoe polish rag.
Sadly, the public has believed this and many other lies falsely manufacted by the Berrien County Prosecutor, local police, and the media against. This is only two of the many things we can prove were maliciously used to wrongly convict Efren.
Media Contacts
Click here to contact Efren's family or The Injustice Must End (TIME) Committee via e-mail. Members of the media are welcome to submit any inquiries they have related to Efren's case, or our campaign to free him, in writing for a response. Written responses will minimize inaccuracies or mistakes when quoting our responses in published stories.
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Please begin reviewing information about Efren's wrongful incarceration by clicking on the General Information tab located on the above-left-hand-side of this page.
Page Last Updated 6-10-09 @ 5:37 PM