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11-1-99

To Whom This May Concern,

My name is Elzie Ball and I am an inmate on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, LA.  I am requesting in this letter that anyone who reads it is interested in developing a fruitful friendship or relationship to write me at the enclosed address.  I would like to extend holiday greetings and best wishes to all.  Anyone who want to know about how I became to be placed on death feel free to ask and I will respond.  If you do respond, I am willing to explain the details of how an innocent man fell victim to racial injustice, police misconduct and prosecutorial persuasion of witness and expert testimony.  I have been falsely accused, tried and convicted for a crime I did not commit.  Like I said I am very willing to discuss it.  I am accused of killing someone in the perpetration of an armed robbery.  I am a living witness, there are innocent people on the death rows of America.
Also, I want to share my experience with others.  I am eager to share and talk about how I survive everyday amongst the so-called lowest of the low, according to society.  It is a struggle to survive everyday.  There is so much to be said about Capital Punishment and all the politics and suffering it causes.  I mainly want to help others and give awareness to them,  especially young people to help deter them from going down the wrong road.  I want to create some type of program to give advice to young adolescents or anyone who I can help save.  If I save one, its one less who doesn't have to be thrusted into the bowels of the penal system.
I love people and I am in the need of real true friends.  I am a flexible person and believe in spiritual attraction.  Happy holidays and peace and sincere blessings throughout the new millennium.  My intentions are genuine and sincere.

(PS) HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE

Love, Peace and Prosperity
Respectfully Yours,

ELZIE BALL  79472
UD CELL 12  Death Row
Louisiana State Penitentiary
Angola LA,  70712  USA

Elzie Ball is a 45 year old black male, a husband, father and grandfather. Elzie previously lived in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana where there are indications that this was an arrest made, or connected with grounds of racial discrimination. Indeed Elzie has been arrested, tried and sentenced to death, for a crime which he did not do.

At about 10am on 15 May 1996, a black male wearing a baseball cap is alleged to have entered a predominantly white bar. He ordered a drink. At that time, the owners [Herman and Elsie Depew] were preparing for the day's business.

According to testimony, the black man introduced himself to Elsie and Herman Depew as Joe, then proceeded to play the video poker machine.

According to testimony, a man arrived to collect monies from the cigarette vending machine, then left the bar.

Whilst Elsie served Joe drinks, Herman continued to do odd jobs, both inside and outside the bar.

The mail was delivered by a black man, who was able to get a good look at Joe before leaving the bar.

Some time later, Elmwood Kisball and Toby Therio [two video poker machine vendors] arrived to empty the video machines. They were introduced to Joe.

Kisball left the bar to go down the street to empty machines in another place.

Since Herman had by now left the bar to do some errands, this left Elsie, Toby and Joe in the bar.

Later, Herman returned to the bar, followed shortly by Kisball, upon which both Kisball and Theriot left the bar.

A patron and part-time bar worker called Steve Combs and barmaid Jerrie Twinns arrived to take over.

Combs sat next to the black man, who introduced himself as Joe.

Joe ordered a drink and said to give Combs whatever he was drinking. They talked for a while.

Herman and Elsie left the bar. This left Twinns, Combs and Joe in the bar.

After talking a short while, Joe pulls out a gun and demands money. He commands Combs to go to the mens rest-room, and directs Twinns to where the money was.

At this moment in time, a Budweiser beer delivery man arrives, and Joe orders him into the mens rest-room. But the door is locked, so Joe orders him into the ladies room.

Instead, the delivery man attacks Joe, trying to disarm him.

A scuffle over the gun ensues, resulting in the delivery man being shot twice.

Although injured, the delivery man was able to get up and instruct Twinns, the barmaid, to dial 911, before he goes out of the door, collapsing on the sidewalk.

Joe proceeds to take the money and left in a maroon 4 door sedan.

There were some witnesses to this incident. There was a black male and his girlfriend who were in LaFaniere Park, when they heard the shots. They looked across the street to see a black man wearing a cap, holding a money bag in his hand, walking to his car, then drive off.

At the same time, another witness, a white male by the name of Mr. Lazarine, was in a parked van eating his lunch, when he noticed a white male walk out of the bar and fall to the ground.

Mr. Lazarine gave pursuit to the perpetrator he saw come out of the bar with the money bag. He also called 911, whereupon the dispatcher asked for a description of the said perpetrator. Mr. Lazarine replied that he did not know if the man was black or white. Mr. Lazarine loses the perpetrator whilst in pursuit.

Shortly afterwards, the Police arrive. Mr. Lazarine tells the patrol man that the perpetrator is just up ahead.

Other officers arrive to support the search.

Upon arrival at the crime scene, a Police Officer by the name of Officer Rogers, tries to revive the victim until EMT arrives.

Officer Rogers then proceeded to secure the crime scene, by putting up police tape, and then started talking to witness Steve Combs.

Combs described the perpetrator as being a black male, 6' tall, approximately 170lbs, wearing short pants, a short sleeved shirt and having ‘home-made' tattoos on both of his arms.

This was the only witness that Officer Rogers said he had interviewed.

The investigation was then taken over by Detective Russell Lloyds of the Gretna Detective Bureau.

There was a total of 19 fingerprints lifted from 3 glasses, a paper cup and a video poker ticket.

Blood samples were taken from the area around where the scuffle between the victim and perpetrator had occurred.

Combs accompanied Police to their Head Quarters, and assisted them in drawing a composite identi-kit sketch of the perpetrator, based upon the description he gave the Police Officer earlier that day.

Despite the sketch being broadcast on TV and printed in the newspapers, there was nothing that lead to an arrest.

After approximately 8 days of publicity, the last sketch appeared in the newspaper, of a black man with a baseball cap on, with his head tilted to the side, revealing a pony-tail hair style, the pony-tail was sticking out of the back of the cap.

Allegedly, this sketch was drawn by Combs, who claimed he couldn't get the perpetrator out of his mind. He drew his own sketch with the encouragement of Elsie Depew. Combs is supposed to have left the sketch at the bar, unsigned and undated.

Allegedly, an anonymous informant was said to have overhead Elzie Ball bragging in a bar, to others, about committing the said crime.

This informant said the sketch resembled Elzie Ball and called Crime Stoppers to collect an $11,000 reward.

In another report, it was said that this informant went to the Police Head Quarters and gave this information in person. This was never contested, because of the confidentiality of ‘privileged' information.

Upon receipt of Elzie Ball's name, the Police obtained a picture of Elzie from the Drivers License Department.

The Police positioned Elzie Ball's picture alongside 5 other photographs. It should be noted that whilst Elzie Ball's picture was a black and white one, all other photographs placed in the subsequent photographic line-up were all color pictures.

In this photographic line-up, it is alleged that Elzie was positively identified by Herman and Elsie Depew, and their barmaid Jerri Twinns.

There were 2 further tentative identifications, with Combs being 85% positive and Toby Theriot being 85-90% positive.

From the information gathered, Russell Lloyd, Lead Investigator, filed an affidavit for a warrant to secure Elzie Ball's arrest.

Elzie Ball was arrested and taken to Gretna Detective Bureau, and interrogated by Detective Lloyd and 3 other Officers.

Detective Lloyd tried to intimidate Elzie by using racial threats, to obtain a signed confession.

The Officers asked Elzie to lay his fingers flat, so they could examine them. What the Officers were looking for were any cuts or power residue that would connect Elzie to blood DNA. The fact that there were no cuts nor power burns on Elzie's fingers, this issue was laid to rest.

Photographs were taken of Elzie's hands, and Elzie standing against a wall.

Approximately 2½ hours later, Elzie was taken to Jefferson Parish Correctional Center for booking in, on one count of First Degree Murder and Armed Robbery charges.

Elzie Ball is in desperate need of any assistance, financial or otherwise in order to prove his innocence.  Help make a difference, and contact Elzie today.

Dear Friends,  My name is Elzie Ball and am an inmate on death  row at the Louisiana State  Penitentiary at Angola, Louisiana. I have  been incarcerated since May 24, 1996 and on death row since August 22,  1997. I am on death row for a crime I did not commit and have no  knowledge of. I am accused of a murder that was supposed to have occurred in the process of an armed robbery. I am very eager and willing to discuss it, because I was framed and conspired against, by police who were hungry for an arrest, because of pressure from the public and  politicians. Like I said, I am very eager to discuss it. I am in drastic need  of correspondence and a friend to share ideals, beliefs and concepts with. I have an interest in all subjects. I love science, politics, music, astrology,  art, romance and am very flexible. I can relate to almost anything.  I am confined to a cell 23 hours a day and have plenty of time to write and correspond with an interested person.     Thanks in advance for your time.

                      Elzie Ball # 79472
        Main Prison UC, Cell-12 Death Row
            Louisiana State Penetentiary
               Angola, Louisiana, 70712
 

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