Attorneys With the Innocence Project at Santa Clara University Work to Free California Man; Five Witnesses Recant Testimony That Convicted John Stoll of Child Molestation.News Editors/Legal Writers SANTA CLARA Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 23, 2004 A Bakersfield man, in prison since 1985, has a chance at regaining his freedom, because of the hard work of the attorneys of the Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern Innocence Project
The Innocence Project refers to a number of non-profit legal clinics in the United States. The most well known is based at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University in New York City. at Santa Clara University School of Law The Santa Clara University School of Law is a private, non-profit law school located in Santa Clara, California. It was founded in 1912 as a part of Santa Clara University, and is known for its diverse student body and excellent reputations in high tech and public service law. and the California Innocence Project at California Western School of Law Founded in 1924, California Western School of Law (popularly known as California Western or Cal Western) is a private, non-profit law school located in San Diego, California. . John Andrew
The Reverend Canon John G.B. Andrew, D.D., O.B.E. (born January 10, 1931 in Yorkshire, England) is a British-American Anglican clergyman and the Rector Emeritus of St. Stoll was convicted of 17 counts of child molestation Child molestation is a crime involving a range of indecent or sexual activities between an adult and a child, usually under the age of 14. In psychiatric terms, these acts are sometimes known as pedophilia. in 1984. But five witnesses who testified as children have recanted their trial testimony of 20 years ago. Kern County Superior Court Judge John Kelley will rule on the new evidence on Fri., April 30 and decide if Stoll was wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn't commit. Beginning in Jan. 2004, four of Stoll's six former accusers recanted their trial testimony that Stoll, a former building contractor, had molested mo·lest tr.v. mo·lest·ed, mo·lest·ing, mo·lests 1. To disturb, interfere with, or annoy. 2. To subject to unwanted or improper sexual activity. them. A fifth witness has testified that he has little memory of his childhood and no memory of Stoll molesting him or anyone else. One young man, Stoll's son, the sixth and final witness, still maintains he was molested by Stoll. The men took the stand in a Kern County Superior Court room and said that the stories of sexual abuse they told as children were lies, and that they were coerced by law enforcement officials into making false allegations against Stoll when they were boys, ages 6 to 8. The Northern California Innocence Project and the California Innocence Project are representing Stoll and presenting the newly discovered evidence NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE. That evidence which, after diligent search for it, was not discovered until after the trial of a cause. 2. In general a new trial will be granted on the ground that new, important, and material evidence has been discovered since the supporting his claim of innocence. "The tragedy of this case is the large number of people who were victimized by the actions of Kern County officials -- children, their families, and, most profoundly, John Stoll," said Linda Starr, legal director of the Northern California Innocence Project. "It's time to take the first step toward restoring the community's faith in justice by reversing John Stoll's conviction." The Stoll case was one of eight Kern County multi-offender, multi-victim sex ring cases in the mid-1980s. Though 40 people were convicted in the prosecutions, the convictions of a vast majority have been reversed over the years due to witness recantations, prosecutorial misconduct, and improper child witness interviewing techniques, which lead to unreliable testimony. If Stoll is not released from prison, he will be eligible for parole in nine months on Jan 15, 2005. "These witnesses were forced to tell lies that robbed a man of 20 years of his life and robbed them of their innocence," said Kathleen "Cookie" Ridolfi, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law and executive director of the Northern California Innocence Project. "The children grew up knowing an innocent man was sent to prison because of something they did. John Stoll is a victim but so are the boys and their families. The biggest crime of it all is the District Attorney's continued refusal to assume responsibility for any of it. Without accountability, we won't learn from the mistakes, we'll just keep making them." The Northern California Innocence Project and the California Innocence Project are part of the National Innocence Network of similar projects nationwide. Innocence Project students work alongside practicing criminal defense lawyers to seek the release of wrongfully convicted inmates who maintain their factual innocence. The Northern California Innocence Project, based at both Santa Clara University School of Law and Golden Gate University, handles Northern California cases, while the project at California Western School of Law takes on Southern California cases. MEDIA: To request an interview with Kathleen Ridolfi or Linda Starr, contact SCU SCU Santa Clara University SCU Southern Cross University (New South Wales, Australia) SCU Southern California University of Health Sciences (Whittier, California) SCU Serious Crimes Unit SCU Special Care Unit media relations at 408-554-5125 / 408-420-8127. About SCU School of Law The SCU School of Law, founded in 1912, combines a tradition of excellence with a commitment to ethics, diversity, and social justice, and is fully accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. by the American Bar Association American Bar Association (ABA), voluntary organization of lawyers admitted to the bar of any state. Founded (1878) largely through the efforts of the Connecticut Bar Association, it is devoted to improving the administration of justice, seeking uniformity of law . Many of its 968 students work in criminal and civil community law clinics, and may earn certificates in intellectual property law, international law, or public interest law. Law degrees may be combined with an MBA MBA abbr. Master of Business Administration Noun 1. MBA - a master's degree in business Master in Business, Master in Business Administration or master's degree in taxation, and the law school offers lawyers master's degrees in international law and intellectual property law. About Santa Clara University Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 8,047 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus masters and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the third-highest graduation rate among all U.S. masters' universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is online at www.scu.edu. |
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