FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty
 http://www.ccadp.org
416 693 9112
email:info@ccadp.org
http://members.tripod.com/~ccadp/jimmydennis.html
 

November 14, 1998

Execution Date Set For Innocent Man

Philadelphia, PA,—

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge yesterday  signed the execution warrant for James Dennis, an innocent man on death row at SCI Greene maximum security prison, setting the date for his execution as January 7, 1999.

  Dennis was falsely accused and wrongfully convicted in the 1991 robbery and shooting of 17 year old Chedell Williams, a high profile case in Philadelphia at the time.

For lack of a proper investigation, the Philadelphia Police/District Attorney's office constructed a weak case against Dennis based on coerced testimony, inconsistent eyewitness accounts, and  suppressed evidence that would have revealed the flaws in the prosecutions argument.  There was never any physical evidence tying Dennis to the crime scene or the crime, and no murder weapon was ever recovered.  Anyone taking even a brief look into the case will see the overwhelming
evidence that substantiates the innocence of James Dennis.

It is the responsibility of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge to closely  evaluate the circumstances and case histories, before signing execution warrants.  It is obvious this was not done in the case of James Dennis.

International attention is now focusing on the Pennsylvania Justice system, and pressure mounting on local authorities to take a second look at the Dennis case to ensure that this innocent man is not executed.