Another Visit to "Kevin"

Click on the picture to see all of it.

I visited my friend "Kevin" again on Friday. He had the prison photographer take a few pictures. He gave me this one to take with me, and I scanned it. It's not as nice as the original, but I think it's not that bad.

The more I find out about "Kevin"'s story, the more I'm inclined to believe that he was wrongly convicted. Unfortunately, his case would be nearly impossible to overturn.

For one thing, he has never claimed total innocence. He has always admitted to one improper act committed when he was 13. But he was convicted of many acts that I believe were committed by his brother.

His second conviction happened when he was 18. I now strongly suspect that he was the victim of a false accusation. But even if the alleged victim recanted, it's unlikely his conviction would be thrown out.

Kevin is now 23. His best chance for release is probably to admit to having done thing that he did not do. If he does not, he may spend the rest of his life behind bars. There is likely a conflict between the truth and the record. Unfortunately, truth matters little in a court of law. If "Kevin" doesn't play the game, he will be labeled "in denial" and have no hope of release.

I can provide "Kevin" with no legal help. All I can do is try to be his friend. But he needs more friends.

I have found a couple of people who write to him. But he needs more. Because I have no car, I can only afford to visit him at most once a month. I can't publish "Kevin"'s actual name. But if you think you might be willing to write or visit, email me at bobchatelle@gmail.com and we can talk about it.

-Bob

Greetings Again

Dear Friend of Justice,

We still await the Appeals Court decision on the Baran case.

Bee is holding up quite well. His partner David is still recovering from his major surgery. Once he has recovered, a second operation will be scheduled. David, of course, will be unable to work for some time. Bee has returned to work, but he had to take a lot of time off to care for David. This has caused a lot of financial problems for them. Supporters and John Swomley, Bee's lawyer, have been quite generous. If you'd like to help out as well, you can send a donation to:

The Bernard Baran Justice Committee
POB 190663
Roxbury MA 02119

David was well enough, I'm happy to report, to drive both of them out to western Massachusetts to attend the wedding of Bee's wonderful niece, Crystal. Bee gave her away at the altar.

Jim and I, unfortunately, were not able to attend because we were still on our vacation in Europe. If you'd like to see some photos of our trip, click this link.

I hope to post again soon with good news.

-Bob Chatelle