10 20 256 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/de98b1403237654e15c7a6f443f80ee0.jpg be7b0d99e5b4c6fbe6fb4b2cc55cece7 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/8affbde699646ecdade956cbd0367746.jpg 495525e8fca2740755ba49729ddd63c3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Text Any textual data included in the document [title] A phony trial and a crucial issue: Justice [author] By Tony Proscio If you didn't know the players, you might have mistaken this for a romantic morality play: The tale of the Penitent Liar racing to the gallows to rescue the wrongly Convicted Man, just as the Crusading Lawyer lunges to stay the executioner's upraised hand. Great stuff. Standing room only. Free hankies with every performance. Trouble is, history is a lousy screenwriter. The case of the State of Florida vs. Joseph Spaziano-- the 20-year-old murder trial under examination in a Seminole County courtroom-- has all the makings of a first-rate tearjerker. The man about to be executed could well be innocent. The testimony that put him on death row is almost certainly false. And his "trial" was a mockery of the Constitution. It's an alarming story of American justice. But as a box-office blockbuster, it's got one giant problem: The cast stinks. The Wrongly Condemned Man. "Crazy Joe" Spaziano, is no Tom Hanks. He's a tough, scary-looking biker with a monster rap sheet and enough enemies (including several members of his own family) to overflow a medium-sized courtroom. The False-but-Penitent Witness isn't Brad Pitt, all doe-eyed remorse and misguided innocence. He's Tony DiLisio, a fast-talking former acidhead who seems to live permanently on the edge of hysteria. Twenty years ago, as a drugged-out teenager, he succumbed to police entreaties and two sessions of shamelessly suggestive hypnosis to accuse Spaziano, a former buddy, of torture and murder. A born-again Christian, he now admits that he was lying when his hand first rested on the Bible. Still, after days of anguished deliberation, a jury reluctantly believed his fabrication, and Spaziano headed for the electric chair. And the original Crusading Lawyer is no Jimmy Stewart. He's an angry ideologue who writes legal briefs that read like temper tantrums, a guy who insists on referring to his adversaries (including federal appellate judges) by the unprintable names of private body parts. These are not people you're likely to fall in love with. No one is going to become engrossed in this story for its glamour. In fact, many people seem to have missed the point of it entirely, apparently because it consists largely of small-town grotesques with often dark, imponderable motives. All of this may explain how surprised I was when Jim Leusner, a reporter for The Orlando Sentinel, approached me last week outside Judge O.H. Eaton Jr.'s courtroom in Seminole County, during a break in the Spaziano hearing. to ask me this remarkable question: "Has The Herald lost its objectivity on this story?" Huh? Lost its objectivity? For what? Because its reporters and editors were somehow enthralled by the allure of these magnetic personalities? Entranced by their Gandhi-like serenity? Blinded by their charm? What element of this story, I wanted to ask him, would have caused The Herald suddenly to shed its principles? No matter how little one might think of this newspaper--and I happen to think quite highly of it-- what possible motive could there be for casting ethics aside in this of all cases? What he meant, I suppose, is that Lori Rozsa, The Herald's lead reporter on this story, was the first journalist to pierce through to DiLisio's conscience and hear him admit his 20-year-old lie. On June 9, Rozsa went to DiLisio's Pensacola home seeking his view of his flimsy 1975 testimony. After getting the door slammed in her face, she used the salesman's classic stratagem she thrust her foot past the doorjamb. DiLisio soon gave in and finally told her what he previously had told only his pastor. He lied and had sent a man to probable death. That was dramatic (and top-notch) reporting. It demonstrated Rozsa's skill and determination. It yielded a Page One story. What it did not do is alter The Herald's interest in the case of Florida vs Spaziano. Well before Rozsa ever went to Pensacola--in fact, before her editor was even convinced that it was worth the trip--The Herald already had prepared an editorial saying that Spaziano's trial was a hopelessly [image-Proscio] [image caption- Tony Proscio was the Herald's associate editor from 1992-95. Now New York City's deputy commissioner of homeless services he wrote this article for the Herald] [end of Page one] [beginning of Page two] deficient basis for executing him. Why? Because we had read the transcripts of the trial and of DiLisio's abracadabra "hypnosis." Because we looked for corroboration, physical evidence, convincing testimony, and found absolutely none. Before the witness had recanted anything, before any Herald reporter had met him or even contemplated meeting him, keen observers of the legal system inside and outside the paper already had smelled the constitutional stench of a shamefully bad trial. The Florida Supreme Court, intrigued by DiLisio's recantation and Rozsa's reporting, eventually ordered the current hearing. As a result, Judge Eaton is expected to decide today or sometime very soon whether he believes what DiLisio says today, or what he said 20 years ago. Yet in all this high legal drama, the heart and soul of this horrendous matter seems to have been lost. Namely: The case against Spaziano smelled to high heaven before The Herald ran the first story on it. It was a phony prosecution, based on a single witness with a disastrous drug habit, several clear motives to lie, a story that took weeks (and two sessions of hypnotic suggestion) to concoct and a number of assertions that contradicted the known evidence. Were there two bodies or one? Were they side-by-side or piled one atop the other? Were they both young, or was one of them noticeably elderly? Were they covered or in plain view? Were they in a dump or an orange grove? Did Spaziano boast of murdering them or merely hint of committing other, similar murders? All of that depends on when the teenage DiLisio was talking, and to whom. Yet the whole prosecution of Joe Spaziano rested on this one troubled kid's twisted, incredible tale. Don't believe me. Believe the state's prosecutor at trial: "If you don't believe Tony DiLisio," he told the jury then, "the only possible verdict was not guilty." Eventually jurors reached the wrong conclusion. But don't blame them: No one ever told them about the hypnosis or the contradictions. Whether to believe Tony DiLisio is a crucial issue, but it's not the fundamental issue. The fundamental issue has nothing to do with DiLisio, or with Lori Rozsa, or with The Herald. It has to do with the electric chair, with justice and with this simple question: Does Florida dare -- does any decent society dare-- to electrocute a human being based on a trial like the one they gave Joe Spaziano 20 years ago? And if so, why bother with trials at all? That's what I should have said to Sentinel reporter Jim Leusner. Sometimes, though, the truest things don't come to your mind right away. Sometimes, you have to think things through awhile to get them right. Sometimes, the truth can take 20 years to tell. [image-Rozsa] [image caption- Rozsa] [end of Page two] Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Nameroff, Griffin Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource A phony trial and a crucial issue: Justice Subject The topic of the resource False testimony Witnesses Description An account of the resource On January 21, 1996, the Miami Herald reported that Tony DiLisio admitted to lying in his testimony in the Spaziano trial twenty years prior. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Proscio, Tony Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Proscio, Tony. "A phony trial and a crucial issue: Justice." Miami Herald, January 21, 1996, C1. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996-01-21 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Language A language of the resource English Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPGs 300DPI Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Miami, FL https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/9662e0863e428d79995822efd0f8462f.jpg 91590859b177ccc8079d3c05b841825c https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/339c47adb770336fa6fc2fc7b9586ddf.jpg 38fc64de0fde654871518c2f4fde8aeb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 3, 1995 Text Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Miller, Gillian Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Text Any textual data included in the document A Vermont lawyer whose newspaper essay helped win a stay of execution for convicted killer Joseph Spaziano is back on the case, objecting to plans to give the key witness a lie-detector test. Michael Mello, who represented Spaziano for a decade during appeals after his 1976 conviction, said he dropped the case in January because of illness but has recovered sooner than he expected. He rejoined the case Friday. Mello’s impassioned essay, which ran earlier this month in The Orlando Sentinel and several other newspapers insisted that Spaziano did not torture and kill 18-year-old Orlando hospital clerk Laura Lynn Harberts in August 1973 and dump her body near Altamonte Springs beside another body that was never identified. The essay questioned the credibility of Anthony Dilisio, who testified during the 1976 trial in Sanford that Spaziano took him to see the bodies. The boy hung out and used drugs with Spaziano and other members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang. Last week, Dilisio, who lives in the Florida Panhandle, began wavering about his hypnosis-enhanced testimony in interviews with reporters. His lawyer says police manipulated the young Dilisio, and that he is now sure Spaziano never took him to the dump to see any bodies. The uproar prompted Gov. Lawton Chiles to stay Spaziano’s June 27 execution pending a review by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. However, Chiles’ chief legal adviser, Dexter Douglass, said Friday that Dilisio did not recant last week when questioned about his testimony by FDLE agents. Investigators are considering giving Dilisio a lie-detector test. Mello faxed a letter to the governor Friday, saying Dilisio is not “an appropriate subject for a reliable polygraph examination.” Mello said Saturday that he fears such a test would be invalid because Dilisio’s story has changed and because of possible lingering effects of the witness’s drug use as a youth. Dilisio’s decision to talk publicly about the case after 20 years took Mello by surprise. The attorney said he and other advocates for Spaziano have tried unsuccessfully to talk to the witness. “I’d given up on Dilisio. I really had,” Mello said. “I didn’t think anyone would get any further with Dilisio than I had.” In his published essay June 4, Mello complained that Dilisio’s story was tainted by hypnosis. Years after the 1976 trial, hypnosis-induced testimony was ruled inadmissible in court, although that ruling is not retroactive to Spaziano’s case. But not all of Dilisio’s information was given under hypnosis. In a 1975 police interview two days before he was hypnotized, Dilisio said Spaziano had told him about mutilating and dumping “two girls” in an orange grove. In the interview, Dilisio said: “… he’s killed a lot of girls … Just to do it. Go out and do it.” The 16-year-old boy agreed during the interview to be hypnotized and subsequently provided prosecutors with more details. In addition to his murder conviction, Spaziano is serving a life sentence for raping a 16-year-old Orange County girl, slashing her eyes and leaving her in the woods. She survived but lost most of the sight in one eye. Mello also calls that conviction questionable. The girl, now an adult with children, is disappointed that Spaziano’s execution was stayed, her mother said. “She thinks he should go,” the woman said. “She always said she wanted to be the one to throw the switch … He left her for dead.” Douglass said Friday he has seen no evidence that Spaziano was wrongly convicted of murder. But Mello is delighted that the case is being reviewed and remains optimistic. After six unsuccessful appeals, “I thought Joe was a goner this time,” he said. Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Essay-writing lawyer rejoins killer's case Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Taylor, Beth Quinn, Christopher Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-18-06 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPGs 300 DPI Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Orlando, FL Subject The topic of the resource Lie-dector test Criminal Defense Lawyer Description An account of the resource Two newspaper articles from the Orlando Sentinel published on Sunday June 18th, 1995. The articles focused on how Michael Mello re-entered the case of Joseph Spaziano. Mello also opposed giving Anthony Dilisio, a witness in the Joseph Spaziano case a lie-dector polygraph test. This was because the events of the case would have happen twenty plus years in the past and the witness (Dilisio) could have trouble recalling the correct events without any outside influence. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Taylor, Beth and Christopher Quinn. "Essay-writing lawyer rejoins killer's case." Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, FL), Jun. 18, 1995. Taylor Beth and Christopher Quinn. "Main witness wavering about his trial testimony." Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, FL), Jun. 18, 1995. Anthony Dilisio Joe Spaziano Michael Mello https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/c8cc675c93ee871afae46da140419629.jpg 1a1759ad70f0a87e71f7d754a1eeaf99 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Text Any textual data included in the document Spaziano's lawyer says state lied Michael Mello claims Gov. Chiles' office misrepresented a key witness' videotaped statement. The governor's office denies the charge. By Diane Rado TALLAHASSEE – A war of words has erupted and last-ditch paperwork mounts at the court-house as convicted killer Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano heads toward death in Florida's electric chair. Spaziano's attorney has asked the Florida Supreme Court to halt the Sept. 21 execution and make public a secret police investigation that led to a new death warrant for Spaziano. In a series of motions filed this week, attorney Michael Mello also accuses Gov. Lawton Chiles' office of lying, possibly tampering with evidence and selectively leaking information about the case, among other things. The governor's office denies the charges and is appalled by a recent memo written by Mello. The memo, addressed to colleagues in Florida who deal with death cases, is a blunt, sometimes vulgar assessment about strategy on the Spaziano case. Among other things, Mello describes the U.S. Supreme Court as "those robed a--h----," and former Gov. Bob Graham, now a U.S. senator, as "the original wimp who transformed himself into a national political force and who did so on the charred bodies of our clients." "As a lawyer, I was appalled. As a human being, I found it impossible to believe somebody could be this way," said Dexter Douglass, the governor's general counsel who got a copy of the Aug. 27 memo from Mello. Mello isn't apologizing for the memo. "It's a candid and blunt assessment of an extraordinarily difficult tactical and moral decision that I had to make and that Joe Spaziano had to make," Mello said in an interview Thursday. The memo describes a decision not to take Spaziano's case to the federal courts because Spaziano is not likely to get a stay of execution there. Mello generally says about the federal courts, "F--- ' em." In the end, Mello says, Chiles should bear responsibility for executing Spaziano, not the courts. "I want him to know that, no matter how much good he did in the Senate and in the governor's mansion, it will all be eclipsed by this; it will all be outweighed by his killing this man." Controversy has been growing since this summer over Spaziano, the Outlaws motorcycle gang member condemned to die for the 1973 rape and murder or Orlando hospital clerk Laura Lynn Harberts. The star witness in the case, Anthony Dilisio, recanted his testimony, telling reporters he lied when he said Spaziano had shown him the bodies of Harberts and another woman at a dump. Chiles canceled Spaziano's execution June 27 and asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate. The FDLE investigation persuaded Chiles to sign a fifth death warrant for Spaziano last week, but the governor's office has refused to release the investigation. Mello asked the Florida Supreme Court this week to force the release of the investigation. He said he has already discovered that the governor's general counsel, Douglass, lied to reporters about the contents of a videotaped interview of Dilisio on June 14. In the interview, according to a transcript Mello filed with the court, Dilisio doesn't remember a lot of details about the trial. But he does recant his previous testimony about Spaziano bringing him to the dump where the women's bodies were. He said police manipulated him and brought him there. "I had never been there in my life until they brought me there. And they made it look like that a guy that they arrested, Crazy Joe, brought me there," Dilisio said. Mello says in his court motions that Douglass told reporters that Dilisio did not recant his testimony in the videotape – a statement he characterizes as a lie. "The obvious question becomes: If Chiles' office lied about the videotape, why should we believe any of their other new "evidence" – especially when they insist on cloaking it in secrecy," Mello wrote. Douglass said he has not lied about the Spaziano case. "I could be mistaken, but I didn't lie. I'm sure it's all a matter of interpretation," Douglass said. "I'm not getting into any arguments with this man (Mello)," Douglass added. Mello obtained a copy of the videotape through an independent source and sent it to the Supreme Court sealed. Now, he has informed the court he no longer wants the tape sealed because the governor's office or the FDLE leaked into the Orlando Sentinel, which has written editorials in favor of Spaziano's execution. As a result, the court will release the tape for viewing today. [[1976 headshot of spaziano-image]] Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano is scheduled to be executed Sept. 21. Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Cavolt, Jessica Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Spaziano's lawyer says state lied Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rado, Diane Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-09-01 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Language A language of the resource English Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 1 JPG 300 DPI Description An account of the resource Michael Mello, Spaziano's lawyer accuses Governor Chiles' office of lying and possibly tampering with evidence. Star witness in the case recants statement. Subject The topic of the resource Joe Spaziano Capital Punishment Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rado, Diane. “Spaziano's lawyer says state lied.” St. Petersburg Times, September 1, 1995. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tallahassee, FL Anthony Dilisio capital punishment death penalty Gov. Lawton Chiles Spaziano https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/e44562e3d27c75a9d0797075351661e1.jpg 3de09cd734e1fc3586abddc893c062a1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Text Any textual data included in the document Spaziano prepares for death -Even though a witness in his case retracted key testimony, the convicted murderer reportedly fears the worst. By Diane Rado TALLAHASSEE - He has been on Florida's death row for nearly 20 years, outliving four death warrants and steadfastly proclaiming his innocence. But even Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano knows the end is near. Despite a stunning recantation of testimony from a star witness in his case, Spaziano is preparing for death in Florida's electric chair on Spet. 21, his attorney says. "He's trying to take care of unfinished business; trying to make things right with some of his family members he's had fallings out with; trying to make provisions for his daughter (Now in her 20s)," said his attorney Michael Mello, who speaks to his client every day, twice a day, at 3 and 7 p.m. Gov. Lawton Chiles has signed a fifth death warrant for Spaziano, the Outlaws motorcycle gang member condemned to die for the 1973 rape and murder of Orlando hospital clerk Laura Lynn Harberts, 18. Her mutilated body was found partly covered with leaves and trash in a dump in Seminole County. Only one person, WIllie Darden, his made it past the fifth warrant. Darden was executed on his seventh warrant in March 1988. Spaziano knows that. "He alternates between sort of jocularity, joking around, and sort of what I characterize as white hot terror," Mello said Friday. "He talks about dying, how he wants his brothers and sisters in the (Outlaws) club to be there. He talks a lot about his family, his mother." Mello said he has asked Spaziano's ex-wife to gather all the letters she has received from Spaziano over the years and send him all those in which Spaziano declares his innocence. Mello said e doesn't know yet what he will do with the letters. Controversy over the Spaziano case has grown this summer, since witness Anthony Dilisio recanted his testimony of 20 years ago. Dilisio is telling reporters he now couldn't recall Spaziano taking him to the dump and showing him bodies of Harberts and another woman. The testimony was a key link between Spaziano and the crime scene. Chiles canceled Spaziano's execution June 27 and ased the Florida Department of Law Enforecement to investigate. The controversy grew. In fear that witnesses interviewed could be in danger, the governor refused to make public the FDLE report, which hi aides said reinforced Dilisio's original story and linked Spaziano to the murder victim. Mello has asked the Supreme Court to open the secret investigation, allow a new hearing on the case and halt Spaziano's execution. The motions are pending. Friday, the Supreme Court allowed the release of videotaped FDLE interview of Dilisio. In the interview, DIlisio clearly recants his prior testimony on the case and says police, not Spaziano, brought hiim to the dump where the women's bodies were found. Dilisio, now 38, sits next to his lawyer in the tape, wearing a print shirt and speaking articulately, sometimes passionately, about the last 20 years of feeling angry, guilty, and afraid of retribution for testifying against Spaziano. He was just a kid at the time of the Harberts murder, he says, taken out of juvenile detention and treated like a "king" by authorities when then manipulated him, hypnotized him, and possibly drugged him to get crucial testimony against Spaziano. "I'm just totally disgusted you know, I'm just trying to look at this. I've got kids right now. I can't imagine somebody doing this to them. Something to my kids, using them, you know, for their own game like I feel was done to me," Dilisio says, "I coudln't imagine. It's insanity." He says the case changed his life. "This has been a pretty dramatic experience in my life. And I, and I mean I wish that it'd never happen to me, but it did happen to me. Okay, it did, it happened. And I'm tired of carrying it around." Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Palomo, Francisco Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Spaziano prepares for death Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-09-02 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 1 JPG 300 DPI Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Florida Subject The topic of the resource Capital punishment Spaziano, Joe Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rado, Diane Description An account of the resource Spaziano prepares for his execution by trying to mend relationships with family and making provisions for his daughter. Controversy over his case has grown since key witness Anthony Dilisio recanted his testimony. Dilisio speaks about his feelings of anger, guilt, and fear of retribution for testifying. https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/101e67a8d4176eaaee3ea7807a71203a.jpg fc7b13024720bfe3545645213ec1cc54 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Text Any textual data included in the document [header] Spaziano's attorney asks court to halt execution By Diane Rado Times Staff Writer [start of the first column] Tallahassee – The attorney for Joseph “Crazy Joe” Spaziano appealed to Florida’s highest court on Thursday for a last-minute chance to prove his client’s innocence. “Mr. Spaziano is innocent, factually innocent, and I want to be very clear about that,” attorney Michael Mello argued before the Florida Supreme Court. “I believe if I had the opportunity to prove Mr. Spaziano’s innocence to a jury he would be acquitted.” Spaziano is scheduled to be executed Sept. 21 for the 1973 murder of Orlando hospital clerk Laura Lynn Harberts, 18. Thursday’s hearing was sometimes passionate and philosophical about the issues that arise as the clock ticks down toward an execution. Among other things, Mello has asked the court to halt the execution, make public a secret police investigation that led to a fifth death warrant for Spaziano, and give Spaziano a new hearing based on the recantation of testimony from the state’s star witness of some 20 years ago. “If they’ve (the state) got the evidence, if it’s so great, let them present it to the jury. If they want to convict him, if they want to kill ‘em, let them do it the old-fashioned way,” Mello said. The state objected to a stay of execution and questioned whether Mello should be arguing before the Supreme Court at all. Justices also asked Mello whether the proper avenue would be to send the case back to the trial court to determine whether a new trial is necessary. For that to occur, Mello would need to present new evidence and the reason why that evidence has not been presented before. Mello said he does have new critical evidence: a recantation from Anthony DiLisio, who told reporters and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement this summer that it was police – not Spaziano – who took him to a dump where Harbert’s body was found. DiLisio now says he was [end of the first column] [start of the second column] manipulated, hypnotized, and possibly drugged by police when he gave his earlier testimony, which provided a crucial link between Spaziano and the crime scene. Justice Ben Overton questioned whether DiLisio had actually recanted under oath. Mello said he did provide the court a videotape of the FDLE’s interview of DiLisio this summer. But a transcript of that tape does not indicate DiLisio was under oath. Mello told the justices that the governor’s office may have a different version of the videotape. Gov. Lawton Chiles has refused to release the FDLE investigation of Spaziano that led to a fifth death warrant, fearing that witnesses would be in danger. “That doesn’t mean you can’t go to him and get an affidavit does it?” Overton asked. Mello argued that he needs resources to represent Spaziano, specifically to hire an investigator who could talk to DiLisio and look into other aspects of the case. Assistant attorney general Margene Roper said she doesn’t believe DiLisio’s recantation and that it would be inappropriate at this stage to provide funding for further investigation of the case. Any investigation should have been completed by now, she said. But Justice Gerald Kogan said: “Apparently there is an allegation out there – and a strong one – that the prime witness against the defendant in this particular case has recanted his testimony. “What do we do as a court? Do we sit back and say, okay, you know, counsel didn’t do the job they should have done . . . so tough, Mr. Spaziano, we’re going to electrocute you because all of these things should have been done before.” Kogan also noted that Spaziano had no luck with clemency. “The fact of the matter is, the governor has already investigated this. The governor has a report that the governor refuses to release to anybody . . .” Kogan said. The Supreme Court can act at any time on Mello’s motions. [end of the second column] [Under image at center of page] Michael Mello told the Supreme Court his client is innocent of murder. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Spencer, Jacob Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Spaziano's attorney asks court to halt execution Description An account of the resource Joe Spaziano's attorney, Michael Mello, appeals the Florida Supreme Court to halt the execution. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rado, Diane Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tallahassee, Florida Subject The topic of the resource Spaziano, Joe Capital punishment Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rado, Diane. “Spaziano's attorney asks court to halt execution.” September 8, 1995. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-09-08 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPGs 300 DPI capital punishment death penalty Joe Spaziano https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/8154b8cb1cc3d8aee0c2809d0b0ffd88.jpg 2d796725c4c18e27d8d5bf734b5f8ca0 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/b7ed72a36546f9a0250a12f14350179f.jpg 9457806e511c2fe63bb4f4a2fa155296 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Text Any textual data included in the document [Page one] [Heading] Around Florida Lawyer backs out of condemned man’s hearing [Subheading, page one] The move leaves Joseph Spaziano unrepresented only nine days before his scheduled execution. [Caption on left picture] Joseph Spaziano’s scheduled execution for the 1973 murder of an Orlando hospital clerk is only nine days away. [Column one] By Diane Rado Times Staff Writer [Beginning of column one] TALLAHASSEE- With death in the electric chair nine days away, Joseph “Crazy Joe” Spaziano is caught in a bizarre fight over who will represent him. He may have no attorney at all for a crucial hearing on his case at the end of the week. Michael Mello, the Vermont law professor who has represented Spaziano this summer, refuses to attend the hearing, calling it “a sham.” He says he’ll file a Bar complaint against state lawyers if they try to intervene in the case. On Monday, Spaziano turned away the lawyers who tried to visit him from the office of Capital Collateral Representative, [End of column one] [Beginning of column two] the state agency that defend death row inmates. “He refused to meet with them,” said Mello. “Then they called him on the phone and tried to cajole him into letting him meet with them and into letting them represent him. He said go away.” Michael Minerva, the head of CCR, said he wouldn’t comment Monday on any “attorney-client communications.” The attorney general’s office, representing the state’s interest in a death warrant against Spaziano, described the situation at typical as the clock ticks toward execution. “This is just the predictable stall,” said Deputy Attorney General Pete Antonacci. “We see it before every execution.” In the past, the Florida Supreme Court has halted an execution when a death row inmate was left without an attorney to adequately represent him. But both Mello and CCR said they are not trying to create that situation. “If they (state prosecutors) believe that, they’re stupid,” said Mello. [End of column two] [Beginning of column three] In an affidavit filed Monday with the Supreme Court, Minerva wrote: “I must also address the distasteful suspicion that I or others at CCR in any way conspired with Mr. Mello or anyone else to precipitate a crisis in counsel for Mr. Spaziano in these proceedings. We did not.” Court documents filed over the weekend indicate friction between CCR and Mello, who previously worked for CCR and represented Spaziano before moving from Florida in 1987: Mello refuses to give CCR any of these boxes of files on the Spaziano case; Mello even filed a letter with the Supreme Court from Spaziano’s mother, Rose. “My children and I are united in wanting you to represent my son Joe in his attorney,” she wrote. “We do not want the CCR to represent him.” CCR acknowledges that it turned down an earlier request from Mello to help on the Spaziano case. “I was reasonably sure we would not agree on how to represent Mr. Spaziano,” Minerva wrote. “Mr. Mello was [End of column three] [End of page one] [Beginning of page two] [Beginning of column four] suspicious and distrustful of CCR. We would not be able to cooperate in a way that co-counsel should and I feel that our disagreeing would not be in Mr. Spaziano’s best interest.’ Mello said in an interview Monday that he doesn’t feel CCR has adequately investigated Spaziano’s claims of innocence in the past and continues to have a conflict of interest in the case. He says CCR investigators tried to threaten and intimidate Anthony DiLisio, the witness who has recanted key testimony against Spaziano. CCR has denied allegations. Both sides agree on one thing; Neither has time to adequately prepare for a hearing on the recanted testimony that is to be held Friday in Seminole County, where Spaziano was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1973 murder of Orlando hospital clerk Laura Lynn Harberts. Both CCR and Mello have asked the Supreme Court to stay Spaziano’s execution. [End of column four] [Caption on right picture] Michael Mello, Joseph Spaziano’s attorney, has said he won’t attend a crucial hearing on the case at the end of the week. [End of page two] Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Andrewlevich, Erin Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lawyer backs out of condemned man's hearing Subject The topic of the resource Spaziano, Joe. Capital punishment. Description An account of the resource Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano is left without representation in the upcoming trial against him. In his appeal to a death sentence, his lawyer, Michael Mello, stepped down in protest of this trial, arguing that is it a sham. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rado, Diane Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-09-12 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tallahassee, FL Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPGs 300 DPI Capital punishment. Joseph Spaziano Michael Mello https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/ccff6589f32697e08f158eb02fd330ac.jpg 995b72520bb0aeb0f0546fc0d5fc8436 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/3981b912e66909a5af0d7f13a04b2d0b.jpg 8eb559f1677078cbf4e919053d6f8514 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Text Any textual data included in the document [Start of the first page] [Heading] Justices Grant Stay to Spaziano [subheading] The execution of the convicted killer is halted, in part because of a fight over who should represent him. By Diane Rado Times Staff Writer [start of the first column] TALLAHASSEE- The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday halted Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano's execution, making him only the second death row inmate in history to survive a fifth death warrant. The indefinite stay was a gift of life for Spaziano, who celebrated his 50th birthday Tuesday. It was another setback for Art Harberts, who has waited some 20 years to see the man convicted of killing his daughter put to death. But Harberts hasn't lost hope. [Image of Spaziano] "I think maybe people don't have much faith in the justice system," he said. "I know it grinds slowly, but I'm quite sure that, eventually, justice will be served." Spaziano was headed to Florida's electric chair Sept. 21 for the 1973 rape and murder of Laura Lynn Harberts, an 18-year-old Orlando hospital clerk. Her mutilated body was found partly covered with leaves and trash in a dump in Seminole County. Instead, Spaziano will get a chance to Please see Spaziano 4B [end of the first page] [Start of the second page] Spaziano from 1B prove his innocence. The Supreme Court issued a stay pending the outcome of a hearing in Seminole County to be held by Nov. 15. The hearing will focus on a stunning recantation from Anthony DiLisio the state's star witness, some 20 years ago who tied Soaziano to the crime scene. DiLisio told the newspaper reporters and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement this summer that it was police-not Spaziano-who took him to the dump where Harberts' body was found and that the police manipulated, hypnotized and possibly drugged him to get testimony against Spaziano.  Controversy has been growing ever since, but it was a bizarre, last-minute fight over who will represent Spaziano that led to the stay. Michael Mello, Spaziano's attorney this summer, refused to attend a crucial hearing on the case originally scheduled for this Friday and refused to hand over hos files to the office of Capital Collateral Representative, the agency that defends death row inmates who don't have counsel. When CCR tried to visit Spaziano on Monday, he turned them away. Mello told CCR not to interfere in the case. [image] [Caption] Michael Mello refused to attend a hearing that had been set for Friday.  The Supreme Court wasn't pleased. Justices had said in an opinion just last week that CCR has the primary responsibility for the Spaziano case. "The fair administration of justices in Florida cannot proceed with such flagrant disregard of this court's procedures and directions," Tuesday's opinion states. In view of Mello's refusal to attend the hearing, among other factors, "we find that he has effectively withdrawn from representing Spaziano," the court wrote. Becuase Mello also has said he is not a trial attorney and doesn't have the resources to prepare for a new hearing, "We find that he is not competent to continue this representation." Justices ordered Mello to immediatelty deliver his files to CCR. "We direct that CCR shall act as Spaziano's counsel without Mell's assistance or interference," the court-ordered. Mello said Tuesday that he will appeal the ruling to the US Supreme Court. "I think it violates due process and equal protection to order a death row prisoner to be saddled with an inept public defender office that has a track record of botching the investigation in this very case," Mello said. "I think it's a little hypocritical of the court to trash me and then stick Hoe with this quack public defender." Mello has accused CCR of among other things, threatening and intimidating DILisio before the recantation. CCR has denied the allegation. Martin McClain, chief assistant at CCR, acknowledged Tuesday that Spaziano doesn't want the agency as his attorney. "We're willing to do it and we want to do a good job, but it's difficult to be forced upon someone who doesn't want you," McClain said. The opinion Tuesday does give leeway for a volunteer lawyer to take over the case, and Mello said he has been talking to Florida law firms that may be willing to step in. The stay was no surprise to thise who have watched recent flap over who will represent Spaziano. "The way it was set up by Mello and the CCR's reaction, it was pretty clrar that the court was left with very little alternatice said Dexter Douglas, general counsel for Gov. Lawton Chiles. "We'll honor the stay until they (Supreme Court justices) life it and at that time, a new warrant will most probably be issued unless there is some change in the situation," Douglass said. The evidentiary hearing could lead to a new trial for Spaziano. Only Willie Darden has survived past the fifth death warrant. He was electrocuted in March 1988 on his seventh warrant. Spaziano had just finished a cist with his mother and sister Tuesday afternoon when Mello called him at Florida State Prison with news of the stay. "I said, 'Happy birthday,'" said Mello. " There was a few seconds of silence. Then he said, 'Thank God, thank you." In Jacksonville, Laura Lynn Harberts' father wasn't surprised; He said he expected a stay after controversy over DiLisio's recantation, He lives with constant reminders of his daughter he said, and gets discouraged that the man conivcted of killing her still is alive. But he doesn't hate Spaziano. "I learned a long time ago that it doesn't do any food to hate somebody," Harberts said. "The hate eats you up." [end of article] Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Justices grant stay to Spaziano Subject The topic of the resource Capital punishment Description An account of the resource The Florida State Supreme Court halted Joseph Spaziano's execution. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rado, Diane Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived St. Petersburg Times Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-13-09 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPGs 300 DPI Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Florida https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/dd4b7cecbcbe741e23da57cc64b9a276.jpg 4443a2c4be8e54f4b35250fc8bef3776 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/a874f6476e2df09098ccabc869c4e7f7.jpg 56833d5f9dcb4e3c1ac56cf397deb7ee https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/2e8ac087052af749d881073bac3c6c15.jpg 2556b1b940aeb62e264b522fe1250a09 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Text Any textual data included in the document FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY [spacing] Page 19 Citation [spacing] Search Result [spacing] Rank 9 of 63 [spacing] Database 4/14/96 LATIMES 27 [spacing] ALLNEWS 4/14/96 L.A. Times 27 1996 WL 5259955 (Publication page references are not available for this document.) [centered] Los Angeles Times Copyright, The Times Mirror Company; Los Angeles Times 1996 all rights reserved [centered] Sunday, April 14, 1996 [centered] PART-A; Advance Desk [centered] Parents Jailed for Refusing to Testify Against Son, 25; Courts: Vermont couple cite 'parent-child privilege' to justify silence at rape case inquest. [centered] WILSON RING [centered] ASSOCIATED PRESS Arthur and Geneva Yandow have gone to jail in hopes of keeping their son out of one. The couple refuse to testify at a prosecutor's inquest in a rape case in which the suspect is their 25-year-old son. The Yandows claim that "parent-child privilege" gives them the legal and moral authority to refuse. So far, the courts and the couple's church disagree. "My clients are absolutely adamant that they will not testify," lawyer Paul Volk said Wednesday. "They believe morally and based on their religious values they will not destroy their family and betray their son." Craig Yandow, who lives with his parents and works in his father's construction business, has not been charged in the Feb. 14 attack, in which a woman was raped, beaten and left in the cold, unconscious and half-naked. A jacket identical to the one the younger Yandow owns--blue, with "Saint John's Bay" on the back--was found at the scene. Also, Yandow had injuries "consistent with those a rapist would sustain from a struggling victim," prosecutors said in court papers. District Judge Edward Cashman jailed the Yandows on March 28 for contempt of court after the couple refused his order to testify. There is no limit to how long they can be held. The judge set a hearing for April 27. Once it becomes clear that jail won't change their minds, the [end page one] [begin page two] judge will have to release them, Volk said. Prosecutors have not said what they hope to learn from the couple. Craig Yandow's attorney, Andrew Mikell, refused to answer questions about the case of say where his client is now. "He is concerned about his parents' situation," Mikell said. "Until he is charged, it's tough for me to do or say anything." The state Supreme Court ruled 5 to 0 last month that, because Craig Yandow is a competent adult, his parents cannot claim parent-child privilege. Similarly, the Rev Walter Miller, a canon lawyer for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, which includes all of Vermont, said no church doctrine would allow the Yandows to refuse to help prosecutors. If the couple were to ask their parish priest for advice, only one answer would be possible, he said: "you'd be telling them to cooperate. This son of theirs is not a child." But Volk said the Supreme Court ignored a number of legal precedents to the contrary. And he pointed out a section of the Catholic Church's catechism that lays out family responsibilities: "The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order." Volk said legal precedents in his favor include a 1979 case in which a court in New York state suppressed grand jury testimony of the father of a 23-year-old vehicular homicide suspect, citing parent-child privilege. But Vermont prosecutors said in court papers that it appeared that New York's highest court overruled that decision in a separate 1994 case. They said courts nationwide "have overwhelmingly rejected parent-child privilege." "Nearly all have concluded that the legal system's demand for truth, especially in a criminal proceeding, should not yield to a family's momentary desire for loyalty or harmony," prosecutors told Vermont's high court. Michael Mello, a constitutional law professor at the Vermont Law School, said parent-child privilege is an unusual argument. "It presents both dimensions of a fairly new, very interesting and extremely foundational question: the legitimacy of whether there is in fact parent-child privilege," Mello said. "Even if there is not, can a parent's refusal to become a police informant against her son [result in her being] incarcerated indefinitely? It's a family values issue." [centered] ---- INDEX REFERENCE S---- STORY ORIGIN: WILLISTON, VT. NEWS CATEGORY: WIRE REGION: United States (US) EDITION: BULLDOG EDITION Word Count: 605 4/14/96 LATIMES 27 END OF DOCUMENT Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Weinstein, Samuel Student Editor of the Digital Item Dickinson, Terra Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Parents Jailed for Refusing to Testify Against Son Subject The topic of the resource Court Case Parent-Child Privilege Punishment Description An account of the resource A description of the consequences faced by the parents of a man on trial for rape. The parents refused to testify against their son citing parent-Child Privilege. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ring, Wilson Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Ring, Wilson. "Parents Jailed for Refusing to Testify Against Son, 25; Courts: Vermont couple cite 'parent-child privilege' to justify silence at rape case inquest." L.A. Times. April 14, 1996, 3. Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996-04-14 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 3 JPGs 300 DPI Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Williston, VT court case Michael Mello Parent-Child Privilege rape https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/c27f079ec679f973dcb5e76efb5469b3.jpg cea8aac56ade6d68632806af385a2f6a https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/79471df0b1d314cf6fb13e13b61ea286.jpg 7aef70ef80901ac8ef7ba9bd64ad3ac0 Text Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Vol. No./Issue No. Volume and issue number for the newspaper (if available) vol. 46, issue 304 Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Hiznay, Max Text Any textual data included in the document MONTPELIER -- One man killed a feder-al prison guard in Atlanta. Another kidnapped a young girl in Texas and killed her in Arkansas. There are a handful of drug killers And then there is Timothy McVeigh, the man convicted of the Oklahoma City bombing. What all the cases have in common is the defendants have all been ordered executed by the federal government. The U.S. government hasn't put anyone to death in almost 35 years and no execution date has been set in any of the pending cases. And none of the 15 men now facing federal execution committed crimes in states that didn't have their own death penalties. Nevertheless, the case of Chris Dean, the Indiana man accused of sending a pipe bomb to Vermont last month that killed a Fair Haven teenager, could be added to that list. Vermont doesn't have a death penalty law and is unlikely to get one at any time soon. But, because Dean is accused of a capital crime under federal law, the state's opinion on the death penalty doesn't matter. The crime Dean is charged with, "trans-porting in interstate commerce an explosive device with intent that it would be used to kill or injure and death resulting," carries the possible death penalty. It's only the beginning, and a lot has to happen before Attorney General Janet Reno decides whether or not to seek the death penalty against Dean. But no one involved in the case can forget. "It changes everything. It absolutely changes everything," said Michael Mello, a professor at Vermont Law School who worked for years in Florida on death penalty cases and has written two books on the subject. "What it should bring is a sense of terror for defense attorneys, prosecutors and the judge." Those differences are already evident in the Dean case. Instead of having one court-appointed lawyer, he has two. The prosecu-tors used the possible death penalty to get 60 extra days to seek an indictment from a grand jury. {end page} [start page] And when Dean first appeared in court Friday, U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions III started at square one, reading the 35-year-old truck driver from Pierceton, Ind., his rights. Dean is charged with sending the pipe bomb to 17-year-old Christopher Marquis to avenge a CB radio deal gone bad after it was arranged via the Internet. Marquis' mother was seriously injured in the blast. Dean appeared in court yesterday and was ordered held without bail pending trial. Student Editor of the Digital Item Hiznay, Max Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Possible Death Penalty Affects Approaches to Bomb Trial Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ring, Wilson Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 299, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1998-04-09 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Valley News Subject The topic of the resource Mello, Michael ___________________________ Capital punishment--United States Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPGs 300 DPI Description An account of the resource A recent bombing done by an Indiana man killed one and injured another Vermont resident. The perpetrator Chris Dean is being held without bond and is subject to Federal laws surrounding the death penalty. This has ignited a debate in Vermont as the state has no death penalty. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Ring, Wilson. “Possible Death Penalty Affects Approaches To Bomb Trial.” Valley News Vol 46 No. 304. (Montpelier, VT). April 9, 1998. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Fredericksburg, VA bombing court case death penalty https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/0773693afe182357745689c07bdfda94.jpg 5d21060d8cc9491394a6b6895616558e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 1, 1976-1979 Text Text Any textual data included in the document Men at MWC: Second Class? Male students at Mary Washington College are faced with the problem of trying to overcome their status as second-class citizens. There are several areas in which female favoritism is obvious; in other areas the problem may be one more of attitude than provable discrimination. Nonetheless, the “place” of the male student at Mary Washington College remains a problem today, seven years after the College opened its’ doors to men. Some female students will cling to the finishing-school image of Mary Washington. They seem to long for the days when MWC was an exclusive, upper-crust, women’s school. Fortunately, the number of these backward-thinking students is small, and ever-decreasing. Concrete examples of female favoritism do exist, however. The French and Spanish houses are closed to qualified males who might wish to live there, as is males are thus being denied an equal opportunity for intense study in the subject of their choice. Does the College wish to say that women have more of a right than men to study French and Spanish? Dormitories provide another situation in which females are favored over males. Upperclassmen have no choice but to live in coed dorms if they live on campus. Women, however may live in either coed or single-sex dorms. Most men do not seem to mind coed dorms; however, in the interest of fairness, they should have a choice. The question of what would happen to Anne Fairfax annex in the unlikely event that a male were elected to a high SA office arouses ones curiosity. Would he be allowed to live there amongst-gasp!-women? Not Likely! Athletics presents another problem. Males are excluded from tennis, swimming and volleyball teams, among others. The College should stand by its’ claim that it “does not discriminate on the basis of…sex.” All qualified athletes should be given an equal chance to earn a position on an athletic team (including soccer, currently an all-male sport a MWC), complete and total fairness must be practiced. Males at Mary Washington are still a numerical minority. This is no excuse, however, for tradition or policy to stand in the way of a qualified male wishing to participate in the school-sponsored activity of his choice. Mary Washington College is supported by the taxpayers of Virginia, both male and female. The students of MWC, both male and female, deserve equal opportunity and fair competition for each position. If Mary Washington is to succeed in its’ mission to serve all student, fairness is a must. “Our republic and its press will rise or fail together.” Joseph Pulitzer. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Vol. No./Issue No. Volume and issue number for the newspaper (if available) Vol. 1, Issue 2 Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Loughery, Nate Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Men at MWC: Second Class? Subject The topic of the resource Discrimination Description An account of the resource Students argue the state of gender equality among the students at MWC seven years after it was made coed. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rodriguez, Chico Webb, Gary Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rodriguez, Chico and Gary Webb, "Men at MWC: Second Class?" Prometheus, Volume 1, Issue 2, pages 2 and 11, October 17, 1977, News Clippings, Box 1, April 19, 1976-October, 1979, Michael A. Mello Papers, 1957-2008, Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977-10-17 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 1 JPG 300 dpi Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Fredericksburg, VA discrimination education favoritism male students second-class https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/b3e7299702f701899ea2492ef3485081.jpg c7d1d88464d3a51929568eae2e43ac4b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 25 Innocent People Executed Since 1900, ACLU Study Claims Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Michael Romaner Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Florida Times-Union Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Thursday, November 14, 1985 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/437dba2c13cf3299fe2780eaff20cb37.jpg ab8011cab891ba2be2184cde22fe635d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 2, 1983-1994 Text Text Any textual data included in the document GAINESVILLE – The American Civil Liberties Union is hoping to rekindle the death-penalty debate with the release of a study yesterday claiming that at least 343 innocent people have been convicted of murder and other capital crimes since 1900. Professors Hugo Adam Bedau of Tufts University, a longtime opponent of capital punishment, and Michael L. Radelet of the University of Florida said they were convinced that of the 7,000 individuals executed in this century, 25 were erroneously convicted – including a man executed in Florida last year. Radelet said he and Bedau had to use their own judgment in determining innocence because “the states never admit putting a man to death by mistake.” The list include such famous defendants as Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, anarchists who were executed in 1927 for killing a paymaster and his guard; Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, executed in 1953 after the conviction for selling atomic secrets to the Soviet Union; and Bruno Richard Hauptmann, electrocuted in 1936 for the murder of the infant son of aviator Charles A. Lindbergh. All three cases spawned a host of contradictory studies of whether the convictions were justified. The research, presented yesterday to a national conference of criminologists in San Diego, also listed 19 people on Death Row it said came within 72 hours of being executed when their innocence was discovered. And many other victims of injustices spent years in prison in capital cases, the professors said. “Since 1900, there have been innocent people on Death Row nearly every year,” Radelet said. “Based on that, I would bet every cent I’ve got that there are innocent people on Death Row today.” About 1,600 prisoners are on Death Row in the United States according to the American Civil Liberties Union. “These horrible facts are dramatic proof of the ongoing fallibility of our death-sentencing laws,” said Henry Schwarzschild, director of the ACLU’s capital punishment project. “Judges, legislators and the American public are entitled to know about the unavoidable risk of executing the innocent.” Radelet and Bedau, author of The Death Penalty in America, have spent the last three years examining convictions in capital crimes. “I admit in many of these cases that had I sat on the jury, I would have found the guy guilty, also,” Radelet said yesterday. “Jurors, like the rest of us, are human beings. And human beings make mistakes.” The Radelet-Bedau study –ts 343 convictions, all but 25 of which were later overturned – not because of legal technicalities, Radelet said, but because innocence was established. Lawyers representing Death Row inmates already are preparing to use the study as a basis for defending their clients. Michael Mello, an attorney with a newly created office in Tallahassee that represents Florida’s indigent Death Row population, said yesterday he intended to file an appeal next week, based on the study, on behalf of Joe Spaziano. Gov. Bob Graham signed a death warrant last week for Spaziano, who was convicted of killing a Seminole County woman. He is scheduled to be executed Dec. 3. “Up until Mike’s study, we suspected intuitively that there were a lot of miscarriages of justice,” Mello said. “But what we now have is documentation of that.” But challenges of that documentation are likely. Last year, James Adams was executed for the murder of a Florida rancher. Radelet and Bedau contend that Adams was innocent. His case is the only instance cited in the study of an innocent man being executed in the last 20 years. Among evidence presented in the study was a statement from a witness who said he saw someone fleeing the rancher’s house and that person “was positively not Adams.” The study also indicates that hair found clutched in the victim’s hand did not match Adams’ hair. “Much of this exculpatory information was not discovered until the case was examined by a skilled investigator the month before Adams’ execution. Governor Graham, however, refused to grant even a short stay to try to resolve these questions,” the study said. Radelet said it was a difficult decision for him to include the Adams case in the study. He said he expected backlash from it, but “I really believe that James Adams was innocent.” Art Wiedinger, assistant general counsel to Graham, said he was surprised that the Adams case was included in the report. He said Graham took extreme care in handling the case and reviewed the materials Radelet referred to. “They did supply memorandum, I think, the week before the execution, and based on that review, the governor felt there was no basis to overturn the conviction,” Wiedinger said. He said that not having read the study he had no opinion on whether it might alter popular opinion on the death penalty. But he said U.S. and Florida law require the exercise of extreme caution in capital cases. “Given all those safeguards, I think that meets all the problems.” Ernest van den Haag, a Fordham University professor and one of the nation’s leading authors promoting the death penalty, said yesterday from his New York home that it should be no surprise to anyone that innocent people have been executed. “Trucks do run over innocent people once in a while. We continue to drive trucks because we feel the advantages outweigh the costs,” he said. “I should say the same is true in justice. The advantages of having the death sentence outweigh the costs of making an occasional mistake.” Van den Haag also said he did not expect the study to result in any policy changes – “none whatsoever, because anyone with common sense knows that mistakes will be made.” Radelet said he hoped the study eventually would bring about the abolition of the death penalty. But he said he would be pleased if people “will remember that the possibility of convicting innocent people is very real.” This report contains material from wire services. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 25 Innocent People Executed Since 1900, ACLU Study Claims Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Romaner, Michael Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Florida Times-Union Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985-11- 14 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Florida Subject The topic of the resource Death penalty Capital punishment--Florida. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 jpg 300 dpi Language A language of the resource English ACLU Florida https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/5610a6453d79eddaeb82d9f6ce824c1b.jpg bfd33fcd8302b711a9b49f3c2015c564 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/c19b485d412c41dff3c25e2fd86769cf.jpg 8d1b7685b8bf6a836aa3338fd7a26784 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Text Any textual data included in the document [start page one] [heading] A witness Says He Lied, But the Execution Is On [subheading] Florida Says Case Review Raises No Doubt By Larry Rother [start of the first column] MIAMI, Sept. 30- At his trial, no physical evidence linked Joseph Spaziano to the murder of a young Orlando woman, only a drug-addled teenager's lurid testimony about being taken to a garbage dump and shown the sexually mutilated decomposing remains of the victim. That was all the jurors needed to convict him. But now, 20 years later, with Mr. Spaziano's death warrant already signed and the electric chair waiting, that witness, Tony DiLisio, has come forward to say he lied. He fabricated the story, he asserts, to please police investigators, who planted details of his testimony in his memory during hypnosis and promised to spring him from a drug rehabilitation center if he cooperated "I've been bound up in lies, and I finally made a decision to do what's right," Mr, Dilisio, a 38-year-old automobile restore and lay preacher who lives in Pensacola, Fla., said in a telephone interview. "I've been shaking inside for the last 20 years, and it finally came tome to speak the truth. I had a path I had to choose because the man was going to be expected in two weeks." But despite Mt. DiLisio's recanting his story and other irregularities that have been documented but lawyers, private investigators, and [start of the second column] newspaper reporters, reexamining the Soaxiano case, Florida is pressing ahead with its effort to electrocute Mr. Spaziano. Earlier this month, Gov. Lawton Chiles denied that "there has been no rush to judgment on this thing," and assailed Mr. Spaziano's lawyer, saying his tactics "look pretty manufactured to me."  By his own admission, Mr. Spaziano was anything but a model citizen when he was arrest for the 1973  torture-murder of Laura Lynn Harberts, an 18-year-old hospital clerk. President of the Orlando chapter of the Outlaws motorcycle gang, Mr. Spaziano earned the nickname Crazy Joe from his erratic behavior after a truck ran over his head in his hometown of Rochester. He was also well-known in Central Florida as a marijuana dealer, fence, and pimp. But transcripts of the trial reveal that the prosection's case against Mr. Spaziano rested not on his notoriety but almost exclusively on the account of Mt DiLisio, who was a 16- [start of the third column] year-old biker wannabe at the time of the killing. "If we cant get in the testimony of Tony Dilisio, we'd have absolutely no case whatsoever," one prosecutor told the judge on the case at the time. What the jurors were not told was that Mr. DiLiso's testimony had been induced by hypnosis. Nor was the panel informed that his only visit to the murder site was conducted by police, who were frustrated at his inability to recall even the most basic details of the killing under hypnosis. In 1985, a decade after Mt. Spaziano was convicted, the Florida Supreme Court ruled the testimony derived from memories refreshed by hypnosis is so intrinsically suspect as to be inadmissible in court. But, in an effort to avoid a series of lengthy and costly retrials the decision was not applied retroactively, and Mr. Spaziano's conviction stood. "They should have ordered a new trail back the," argued Michael Mello, a lawyer who, until recently, had been representing Mr. Spaziano since the case was handed over to him the day he joined the public defender's office more than a decade ago."This is the only capital case I am aware of in which the critical testimony was the product of hypnosis." Mr. Mello now teaches law at the Vermont Law School in South Royalton, VT., and had continued to handle the Spaziano case on a pro bono basis until the Florida Supreme Court removed him from the case, criticizing him got what the justices called his "flagrant disregard of this Court's procedures and directions." Mr. Mello said in a telephone interview that he had represented more than 70 condemned men but that Mr. Spaziano is the only one he was absolutely convinced was innocent.  According to affidavits Mr. Mello has obtained from the jurors in the case, Mr. Spaziano's conviction was obtained despite lingering doubts, [end page one] [start page two] [start of the fourth column] But as Justice Gerald Kogan a member of the Florida Supreme Court who has criticized what he calls the state's "unseemly rush to execute a man," noyed recently, judges in Florida no longer have authority. Instead, the "jury's vote for life imprisonment would be legally binding today," and Mr. Spaziano would automatically be spared the electric chair even if convicted. At the time he was being questioned, Mr. DiLisio was a frequent user of LSD and marijuana who had been sentenced to a drug rehabilitation center and was largely estranged from his family. Police detective took him to see Joe B. McCawley, a hypnotist whose work had been previously discredited in another notorious Florida murder trial.  During an initial hypnosis session, the transcript reveals, Mr. DiLisio was not helpful, talking of hearing Mr. Spaziano brag about hiding stolen motorcycles at an orange grove by a lake but supplying no useful details about the Jarberts killing. But two days later after police took him to the garbage dump to "refresh" his memory. Mr. DiLisio [Image of Joseph Spaziano- Associated Press] was again put into a light trance and questioned. This time, after some prodding, was asked about a corpse he said: "I think I saw one," but then described the remains as that of "an old woman" before Mr. McCawley furnished him with the correct details. Mr. DiLisio said that he has known all along that "what I did was bad," but thought that because perjury laws "I would have to go to prison for it if I ever brought the truth forward." He now accuses the police of brainwashing and manipulation him, describing himself as a frightened and confused teen-ager, eager  [start of the fifth column] for attention and affection and eager to get out of juvenile detention at any cost. "I was like a fog on a leash, with a bone in front of me," he said. "They liked what I did, and it gave me gratification that I was cooperating with them. I was a disturbed child at that time." Following the public outcry about the case as a result of Mr. DiLisio's recantation in June, Gov. Lawton Chiles issued an indefinite stay of execution pending investigation by the Florida Police Department of Law Enforcement. On Aug. 24, though he signed another death warrant, saying that "this exhaustive review removes any doubt in my mind about the case."  Since the death penalty was restored in Florida in 1978, 34 people have died in the electric chair, making the state second only to Texas in the number of executions. During his successful reelection campaign last year, Mr. Chiles, a populist Democrat, was stung on television ads sponsored by a conservative opponent, Republican Jeb Bush, that accused him of being soft on the more 300 convicted killer sitting on the state's death row. Just after Labor Day the Florida Supreme Cout rejected, by a 4-3 voted, a request for an indefinite stay of execution and approved a Sept. 21 execution for Mr. Spaziano in the electric chair at the Florida State prision in Starke, But less than a week later the court partially reversed itself, ordering a hearing on the new evidence by Nov. 15. Mr. Spaziano's case is now being handled by a state agency that presents indigent inmates on death row, and by a Miami law firm. To help the proceedings along, Mr. DiLision has agreed to take a polygraph test, be injected with truth serum to yo cooperate in any other fashion that is requested. "I don't know whether Jow Spaziano is guilty or innocent," Mr. DiLisio said. "but I know that I lied then and that the only thing I have to gain now is a clear conscience. I'm not defensive, I'm not confused. I have no fear, and as long as I speak the truth at all times, I can stand strong, and the truth will prevail." [end of page two] [end of article] Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource A witness says he lied, but the execution is on Subject The topic of the resource Death Penalty Witnesses Description An account of the resource A witness in the Spaziano case says that he lied and fabricated the story of Spaziano murdering a young Orlando women. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rother, Larry Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The New York Times Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-10-01 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 300 dpi 2 JPGs Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Miami, Fl https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/33b6e6aed71ca4fe06d0146b121aa685.jpg 90ecb76dc483b4b7d97949279eba5764 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Polygraph exam is postponed in 22-year-old case Key witness faces new inquiry Subject The topic of the resource Spaziano, Joe Mello, Michael Description An account of the resource The polygraph examination of the key witness against Joe Spaziano in his rape and murder convictions is postponed. The rape victim's mother believes in Spaziano's guilt, but Spaziano's former lawyer is returning to his case because of his faith in Spaziano's innocence. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lori Rozsa Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Herald Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1994-06-17 Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Florida Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 1 jpeg Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 3, 1995 Text Text Any textual data included in the document State investigators on Friday postponed a polygraph examination of the key witness in a 22-year-old murder case so they could more carefully review the case file. Next week, a lie-detection expert with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will examine Tony Dilisio, whose testimony led to the conviction of "Crazy Joe" Spaziano for the 1973 milder of Laura Lynn Harberts. Spaziano was scheduled to be executed June 27, but Gov. Lawton Chiles issued an indefinite stay this week after Dilisio recanted, saying his statements implication Spaziano two decades ago were not true. Also on Friday, Vermont La professor Michael Mello took over Spaziano's case. Mello represented Spaziano fir 11 years during a series of appeals, but quit in January for health reasons, Several newspapers two weeks ago ran Mello's impassioned plea on behalf of Spaziano. "The reason I'm getting back into it is the same reason I stayed in as long as I had," Mello said. "I'm absolutely convinced of Joe's innocence." Others were outraged about the stay. Spaziano was serving a life sentence for rape when he was convicted of the murder. Dilisio also testified in the rape trial. But the rape victim's mother said she has no doubts that Dilisio was telling the truth back then, and that Spaziano is dangerous man. "My daughter thought she wouldn't live," said the women who asked not to be identified, "He's then who stabbed her, who did the worst of it." The rape victim at the time could original identify Spaziano in lineup, and she said her main assailant had long red hair, though Spaziano's is black. "That man should be executed," the victim's mother said. Dilisio, the common denominator in both cases, said he's looking forward to the polygraph examination. Mello wonders if he's a good candidate for a polygraph because of his memory lapses and the hypnosis he underwent as a teenager. "It won't be hard for me; I'll just be telling the truth," Dilisio said. "It's easy when you tell the truth. It's as simple as that." Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Polygraph exam is postponed in 22-year-old case Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Language A language of the resource English Subject The topic of the resource Spaziano, Joe Mello, Michael Description An account of the resource The polygraph examination of Tony Dilisio, the key witness in both the rape and the murder trials of Joe Spaziano, is postponed. The rape victim's mother believes that Spaziano is guilty. Michael Mello, Spaziano's former lawyer, has returned to the case because he believes in Spaziano's innocence. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rozsa, Lori Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Herald Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-06-17 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 1 JPG 300 DPI https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/b601b5abc245366976383213c71e6251.jpg ed4d5c1d0b0224cadd80de606b5df972 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/98035e18bb07a601bc72b80256cf124b.jpg f7d7a5f70976067084c001ff0d21bfff Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 3, 1995 Text Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Libka, Darby Text Any textual data included in the document ORLANDO - As his attorney makes a plea for clemency, investigators with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are deepening their investigation into the 22-year-old murder case against condemned pris-oner Joseph “Crazy Joe” Spaziano. Gov. Lawton Chiles is being asked to absolve Spaziano of the charges that have kept him on Death Row since 1976. The former motorcycle gang leader was scheduled to be executed Tuesday, but Chiles granted an indefinite stay June 15 after the state’s main witness recanted key testimony. That witness, Anthony Dilisio of Pensacola, now says that what he testified two decades ago wasn’t true. He said he was coerced by the police- and his father- to make damning statements against Spaziano. Dilisio told The Herald this week that his memory is clearer about the time in his life when, as a teenager, he was the star witness in a sensational murder trial and a rape trial. He has offered to take a lie detector test, but the FDLE, which had scheduled one two weeks ago, has not contacted him since. Police and Dilisio said it was his father, Ralph Dilisio, who told investigators in 1974 to question him about the so-called “Garbage Dump Murders” involving five bodies found around a rural dumping ground near Orlando. Spaziano was having an affair with Dilisio’s step-mother, and Ralph Dilisio told police Spaziano has raped the woman. Ralph Dilisio who died in 1991, had told friends in the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office that Spaziano had bragged to him and his son about raping and mutilating women in the Orlando area. Police found the young Dilisio at a Key witness says his dad had grudge drug rehabilitation center. “I can now remember the room, the people. I can draw you a picture of it,” said Dilisio, who said that for 20 years he has erased from his mind his troubled teenage years. “My dad was out to get Joe because of my stepmother,” Dilisio said. “I remember the police told me my dad said this, and my dad said that, and was it true? He was the first one to tell me about it.” Officers had Dilisio, then 16, hypnotized him to help him remember details that said he’d suppressed because the memories were so traumatic. Under hypnosis, Dilisio told a macabre tale of Spaziano taking him out to a dump two years earlier and showing him two women’s bodies. One body was that of Orlando hospital clerk Laura Lynn Harberts, 18. The other was never identified. “I can remember them telling me how important this case is,” Dilisio said. In a 1974 rape trial in which Spaziano was convicted and sentenced to life, and in the 1976 murder trial in which he was convicted and sentenced to death, Dilisio was the key witness. He testified that Spaziano not only bragged about raping and killing women, but showed him the two bodies at the dump. Dilisio, now a lay preacher and auto restorer, now says it was all a fantasy. He said the first time he saw the dump was when police took him there, and he never saw any bodies. “That’s a bunch of crap,” he said. He said he doesn’t know whether Spaziano is guilty or innocent, but only that his trial testimony was unreliable. He said nobody threatened or coerced him to make the statements he’s now making. FDLE investigators videotaped an interview with Dilisio two weeks ago, which hasn’t been made public. “He told them he never went to the dump with Spaziano,” said Dilisio’s attorney, Kelly McGraw, who sat in on the interview with FDLE agents. “I don’t see how they can say that’s not a change.” Spaziano’s attorney, Vermont law school Professor Michael Mello, said he’s looking forward to reviewing the FDLE report, although investigators say it won’t be presented to the gover-nor any time soon. “My concern is that FDLE is picking back over case files and information that was so useless and unreliable that even a gung-ho prosecutor who was out the nail the president of the Orlando chapter of the Outlaws didn’t see fit to even try to get into evidence.” Mello sent a new clemency plea to Chiles this week, asking him to free Spaziano because the rape and murder cases against him were fraught with errors and were based largely on Dilisio’s now-questionable testimony. But investigators say they’re sure they got the right man all those years ago. “Everybody was solidly convinced,” said retired Seminole County sheriff’s officer Ray Parker, who now reviews old cases from the department. “There’s not a doubt in the world he did it.” Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Governor asked to free 'Crazy Joe' Subject The topic of the resource Capital punishment Testimony Chiles, Lawton, 1930-1998 Description An account of the resource This is an article describing the admittance that a testimony previously given in trial of Joe Spaziano was false. Spaziano's lawyer Michael Mello has asked the governor to free Spaziano, while the police are certain that Spaziano is still the culprit. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rozsa, Lori Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Herald Section B, 5B Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-06-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPGs 300 dpi Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant FL "Crazy Joe" Spaziano Anthony Dilisio attorney Florida Florida Death Row Lawton Chiles Michael A. Mello murder Ralph Dilisio rape testimony witness https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/2ec0d8d66ae9c84dd0e5b8f4baaf6009.jpg 6881f289078ddc30345de42ed45cb6df https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/96c3c5d8eafa567f2d08e6aa65d1f7c1.jpg 4f12b7d0179c7df0e2a0b378bd7f82f2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Text Any textual data included in the document [First Page] [heading] 'Crazy Joe' is granted a reprieve Death Row inmate to get new hearing By Lori Rozsa Herald Staff Writer [Start of the first column] The Florida Supreme Court issued an indefinite stay for condemned biker "Crazy Joe" Spaziano Tuesday --- nine days before his scheduled execution. Spaziano, who turned 50 on Tuesday, was visiting with his mother and sister on Death row when the news came in. He had already shaved his head in preparation for his death date with the electric chair a week from Thursday. "His overriding emotion was relief," said his attorney, Mike Mello, a volatile Vermont law professor. "But I think it's more the absence of terror and fear than the presence of anything like joy." The Supreme Court justices set a Nov. 15 deadline for a hearing on new evidence in the 20-year-old murder case. Tony DiLisio, the state's star witness in the 1976 murder trial, recanted his testimony this summer, saying he lied when he testified Crazy Joe showed him the body of Laura Lynn Harberts at an Altamonte Springs dump in 1973. Harberts was a a hospital records clerk. DiLisio, then 16, was the only witness to link Spaziano to the crime. The justices also kicked Mello off the case, citing his "flagrant disregard of this Court's procedures and directions." The court ordered the state office that represents indigent Death Row inmates, called Capital Collateral Representative, to represent Spaziano --- adding that volunteer help from a pri- [end of the first column] [Start of the second column] [Image with caption] DEATH ROW: Joseph Spaziano was to be executed Sept 21. [End Image Caption] vate law firm would also be welcome. A dispute between Mello and the CCR, as it's known, is at the heart of Tuesday's stay of execution. The decision comes four days after the justices refused to issue a stay, and ordered the evidentiary hearing to take place Friday. Last week the court ordered Mello to work with the CCR, which has represented Spaziano in the past. But Mello refused. After a flurry of motions where both criticized each other, the justices said it was obvious Spaziano [End page one] [Beginning of page two] [Heading] 'Crazy Joe' Spaziano wins indefinite stay of execution Top state court agrees to hear new evidence Spaziano, from 1A [start of the third column] needed more than a few days to sort out who is representing him. "We envisioned a spirit of cooperation between CCR and Mello that would guarantee the best representation for Spaziano," the justices said in Tuesday's opinion. "Unfortunately, the events of this past weekend make it clear that such cooperation does not exist." Catching up Marty McClain chief assistant at CCR, said his office has a lot of work to do on the case. They represented Spaziano until June. He said their first priority is to get a copy of a secret report on DiLisio that was prepared by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement at the request of Gov. Lawton Chiles. CCR investigators were questioned by the FDLE, and they told the agency about their unsuccessful attempts to get a statement from DiLisio. It is because of that cooperation with the FDLE that Mello said the CCR should not be permitted to represent Spaziano. Chiles stayed Spaziano's last execution date after DiLisio told The Herald that what he said in the murder trial and in a rape trial wasn't true. But after reading the FDLE report, Chiles issued another [end of the third column] [start of the fourth column] [Above image by Associated Press. Caption] KICKED OFF CASE: Mike Mello, a Vermont law professor. death warrant, saying he was convinced DiLisio is lying now, and was telling the truth at the trials. Chiles has refused to release that report, citing the need to protect witnesses who were guaranteed anonymity by the FDLE. "Obviously, this report contains statements of witnesses with material information," McClain said. "We need to know what that is. If the the information indicates Mr. Spaziano is innocent, we're entitled to that. If it's adverse to Mr. Spaziano, we need to know if that person is to be believed." Chiles blasts lawyer Just as the Supreme Court was issuing its decision Tuesdays afternoon, Chiles was holding a [end of the fourth column] [start of the fifth column] [Quote text box above from Mello] 'His overriding emotion was relief. But I think it's more the absence of terror and fear than the presence of anything like joy.' Mike Mello, Joseph Spaziano's attorney. [end quote box]. press conference across the street. He strongly criticized Mello. "I don't think he's serving his client," Chiles said. "I don;t think he's serving justice in general with what he's doing." But Mello said he accomplished what he set out to do---earn a stay and more time to investigate the new twists in the case. And he said he will not leave the case, though he acknowledges he needs help. "My top priority right now is to get a major Florida law firm willing to sign on as a pro bono counsel," Mello said. "We need to get that secret FDLE report. And we need to track down every piece of paper in all of the cases they've tried to pin on Joe." Ron Sachs, spokesman for Chiles, said the Supreme Court's stay doesn't change the governor's mind about Spaziano's guilt. "He remains convinced, waveringly so, about this case," Sachs said. Herald Staff Writer Mark Silva Contributed to this report. [end of article] Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Hampton, Samantha Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 'Crazy Joe' is granted a reprieve Subject The topic of the resource Spaziano, Joe Death row--United States Chiles, Lawton, 1930-1998 Description An account of the resource Joe Spaziano is granted a new hearing on his murder trial. Nine days before his execution date, the Florida Supreme Court has decided to hold Spaziano indefinitely to allow new evidence to be shown. Mello is kicked off the Spaziano case due Mello having issues following the court procedures and directions. The only witness to the murder trial, Tony DiLisio, has retracted his testimony linking Spaziano to the murder. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rozsa, Lori Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Rozsa, Lori. The Miami Herald Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-09-13 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPGs 300 DPI Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Miami, FL Lawton Chiles https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/b9fc78f92a58be3c2ae7a345438c4c2a.jpg 226ce3452cdaa3faabd35a8919d9660a https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/37e86978698d98446ad7f4abc759424c.jpg 8b481af85e64870e725ca63d8119b9a0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 4 Text Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Letter Text Any textual data included in the document JAMES M. RUSS* TAD A. YATES *CERTIFIED CRIMINAL TRIAL AND CRIMINAL APPELLATE LAWYER BY THE FLORIDA BAR BOARD OF CERTIFICATION *CERTIFIED CRIMINAL TRIAL ADVOCATE BY THE NATIONAL BOARD OF TRIAL ADVOCACY LAW OFFICES OF JAMES M. RUSS PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION TINKER BUILDING 18 WEST PINE STREET ORLANDO, FLORIDA ZIP CODE 32801-2697 (407) 849 - 6050 FAX (407) 849 - 6059 LEGAL ASSISTANTS LORI A. LAKEMAN M. CHERIE HECKFORD January 19, 1996 PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL Michael Mello, Esquire Vermont Law School Chelsea Street South Royalton, Vermont Re: State of Florida v. Spaziano Case No. 75-430-CFA, Circuit Court, Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, Seminole County, Florida Dear Professor Mello: Enclosed is Mr. Spaziano’s January 18, 1996 memorandum to Circuit Judge Eaton, which essentially summarizes his evidentiary earring which was held between January 8 and January 15, 1996, in the Circuit Court, Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, Seminole County, Florida. But for your courage and fortitude, which were evidenced in your 1995 actions on behalf of Mr. Spaziano, there is no question but that he would be dead today. I write to thank you for the courageous efforts you made on his behalf, in the face of criticism by both the Florida Supreme Court and the legal profession. I also write to thank you for the excellent materials which you created during the Summer of 1995 which were filed in the Florida Supreme court, and which you shared with us. These materials were of immeasurable help to all of us in coming to an early understanding of this case under then-existing severe time pressure. As you can see from the enclosed legal memorandum, at the evidentiary hearing the points and the witnesses you previously developed were presented to Judge Eaton in support of the motion for new trial. Also enclosed is a copy of the State’s Memorandum of Law, which arrived at my office as i was dictating this letter. Michael Mello, Esquire January 19, 1996 Page 2 Judge Eaton will probably rule in this case shortly after you receive this letter and legal memorandum. Irrespective of Judge Eaton’s decision, I want to record in this letter my professional admiration for you and my appreciation for everything you have done. Very truly yours, James M Russ (signature) James M. Russ JMR:ch Enclosures Mr. Spaziano’s Memorandum of Law on Evidence of Newly Discovered Evidence and Recantation State’s Memorandum of Law Cc: Steven Hanlon, Esquire Holland & Knight 315 South Calhoun Street Tallahassee, Florida 32301 w/o enclosures Gregg Thomas, Esquire Holland & Knight 400 North Ashley Drive, Suit 2300 Post Office Box 1288 Tampa, Florida 33602 w/o enclosures Chesterfield H. Smith, Esquire Holland & Knight Post Office Box 015441 Miami, Florida 33101-5441 w/o enclosures Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Van Doren, Jamie Student Editor of the Digital Item Dickinson, Terra Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Re: State of Florida v. Spaziano Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1996-01-19 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPGs 300 DPI Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource James M. Russ, an Orlando, Florida lawyer sends Mello his “professional admiration” for his work on the Spaziano case, as well as a memorandum by Spaziano to Judge Eaton and the State of Florida’s Memorandum of Law. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Florida Maine Subject The topic of the resource Spaziano, Joe Trials Litigation Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Russ, James M. James M Russ State of Florida v Spaziano https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/1df19b43d9a143269f9138a2b80c7aff.jpg 0159d45e19dafe691231411ce755d86c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 3, 1995 Text Text Any textual data included in the document A lawyer for death row inmate Joseph “Crazy Joe” Spaziano has blasted state investigators, calling efforts to reinvestigate his client’s 2-decade-old murder and rape convictions a “whitewash.” In a letter to Gov. Lawton Chiles’ general counsel, Vermont attorney Michael Mello said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is not conducting an objective, honest and competent “search for the truth.” Spaziano, who asked for clemency this week, received a reprieve from a scheduled June 27 execution after questions arose about the reliability of a key witness in his two cases. “Isn’t it enough that the state of Florida framed Mr. Spaziano twice already?” Mello asked in his letter to lawyer Dexter Douglass. Officials in Chiles’ office were unavailable for comment Friday. But FDLE spokeswoman Liz Hirst said her agency saw the letter, which was dated Thursday, but will not trade barbs with Mello. “That’s not productive or in anyone’s best interest,” Hirst said. “We are not really going to get into an issue with Spaziano’s attorney. That’s not the point of what FDLE is doing. What we are doing is a complete, fair and objective review under the direction of the governor.” Hirst said she expects FDLE will investigate for several more weeks before issuing a report to Chiles. As part of that report, Chiles is expected to view a videotaped statement from the key witness, Anthony Dilisio, 37, of Pensacola. Dilisio, now a lay minister, has told reporters in recent weeks that his testimony was manufactured by police. It is unclear what he told the FDLE about his 20-year-old testimony, which was enhanced by hypnosis. The videotape has not been released, angering Mello, who claims FDLE is sandbagging because the video shows Dilisio recanting. “If Mr. Dilisio is a flake, he’s your flake,” Mello wrote. Mello also criticized Douglass’ comments to The Orlando Sentinel that there was more evidence in the case than just Dilisio’s testimony. “If FDLE has dredged up – or manufactured – new witnesses against Mr. Spaziano, why didn't those witnesses testify at trial? The prosecution’s case was weak enough as it was,” Mello said. At the 1976 trial in Sanford, Dilisio, then 18, testified that Spaziano showed him the mutilated body of the woman he was accused of murdering in Seminole County. A year earlier, Dilisio also testified in a separate case that Spaziano bragged about raping a 16-year-old Orange County girl, slashing her neck and eyes, choking her and leaving her for dead. The Outlaws motorcycle club member was given a life term for the 1974 rape and sentenced to death for the first-degree torture-murder of Laura Harbert, an 18-year-old hospital clerk. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. LaRowe, Morgan Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Spaziano's lawyer slams state probe Subject The topic of the resource Spaziano, Joe Mello, Michael Description An account of the resource Michael Mello confronts the FDLE on their weak case against Joe Spaziano. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Salamone, Debbie Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Salamone, Debbie. "Spaziano's lawyer slams state probe." The Orlando Sentinel. July 1, 1995. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-09-01 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 1 JPG 300 dpi Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Florida Dilisio FDLE Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles Joe Spaziano Michael Mello https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/37ab0bd363ed4521f11e328ee953538d.jpg dff1090559915c06f6b221667860c56a https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/396e4840126874148ce2920bd17bfdd1.jpg f2c0569057338a231411959972489f46 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 1, 1976-1979 Text Text Any textual data included in the document For the past ten to twenty years there has been a constant rise in awareness of religious cults in the United States. There are the Hare Krishna's, scientologists, Zen Buddhists, and many others. Yet one stands out as the largest and perhaps the most controversial-the members of the Unification Church, commonly referred to as "Moonies". The Unification Church was founded by Sun Myung Moon. Moon claims that he decided to form the church after a vision of Jesus appeared to him on Easter morning, 1936, while meditating on a mountain. In the vision, Jesus told Moon to go forth and finish the job that he, Jesus, had started. From that point on, Moon worked at building his following to to what is now a membership of several million which spans the world. The basic belief of the Unification Church is published in the Divine Principle, a book written by Moon. The Unification Church claims that there have been three stages in the history of human development, the first Adam, the second Adam, and the Lord of the Second Advent. The first Adam refers to the Adam of Genesis. Moon claims that the spiritual downfall of humanity was a result of Eve's having had sexual intercourse with Lucifer. Then, in an attempt to redeem herself with God, she had intercourse with Adam. This constituted the physical downfall of man. The Second Adam, according to Moon was Jesus. Moon claims that Jesus was no more the son of God than the rest of humanity. However, he claims that Jesus was intuned to God and was aware of his desires. Jesus' mission was to complete the job Adam and Eve began, forming the kingdom of Heaven and Earth. Yet, before he could accomplish this, he was crucified. We now come to the last stage-the Lord of the second advent. According to Moon, this person was born in Korea around 1920 and is already married. His job is the same as that of the first two Adams. Despite the fact that Moon fits the above stated description, neither he nor the Divine Principle pubicaly claim that Sun Myung Moon is the Lord of the second advent. Although the theology of Moon is controversial, it is more the method Moon uses to indoctrinate his members that invites criticism. They are first asked to attend a weekend retreat where they are bombarded with love, brotherhood, and teachings of the church. Constantly accompanied by dedicated believers, they are always kept busy and given little time to sleep. Afterwards, it is strongly suggested that they attend an intensified, week-long version of their initial experience. The end of the second retreat leaves potential members exhausted and saturated with Moon's ideas. Many will become believers. Once they join the church, there are a great many of demands placed on them by Moon (i.e. selling flowers, prosleytizing). They are expected to comply with all demands without question. In an interview with Time Magazine in June 1976, Moon stated, "I am a thinker, I am your brain when you join the effort with me you can do everything in utter obedience to me. Because what I am doing is not done at random, but what I am doing is under God's complaint". Another major area of controversy is the way in which children reject their parents once they join the movement. Moon, in the same Time article explained "You must start over again your new life, from that point denying your past families, friends, neighbors and relatives". Moon goes on to claim that he and his wife are the true parents of his followers. Sun Myung Moon is indeed a very controversial man. Not only does he challenge the authoritative position of Jesus Christ but seems even to imply that he himself is a Divine Figure. What is most interesting, however, is the nature of the prevailing arguments against Moon. The majority are concerned with Moon's indoctrination techniques and the power he wields over the lives of his followers. Few involve objections to his theological doctrines. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Ivancic, Bailey Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Unification Church: Faith or Mind Control? Subject The topic of the resource religious groups Description An account of the resource Describes the controversy surrounding Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Samuel, Jordan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Newspaper Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1978-01 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPG 300 dpi Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context mello: 36 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Fredericksburg, VA religion Sun Myung Moon Unification Church https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/fd1b1badc4a0fc48d720fc2c9c62453b.jpg 269f6951f51410b4cce205efc518713d https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/4b8f7fadd91c920e02cd431d39fb16be.jpg 732655f90b0a243b3d7d041cd9e2a279 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 1, 1976-1979 Text Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Garcia, Lauren Text Any textual data included in the document Carmichael urges au..to to push 'people's revolution By Karen L. Scrivo While 300 students occupied the Kent State University administration building Wednesday night, across campus national black activist Stokely Carmichael advocated a "people's revolution." Speaking to about 1,000 persons at the Student Center Ballroom, a fiery Carmichael damned capitalism and predicted the inevitability of socialism in America. "Socialism is an economic system whose motive is not progress, but to serve humanity," Carmichael shouted. The material manifestation of socialism, Carmichael pointed out, is that the people own the means of production. "When you're talking about revolution, you're talking about changes," he said, "and everything is changing all the time." The goal of socialism, as Carmichael sees it, is to achieve equality for all. "Capitalism is powerful, but it is no match for the people," Carmichael intoned. Drawing on the revolutionary lives of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, Carmichael said the revolutionary process could be repeated. Peace is impossible under capitalism, he said. "Capitalism reinforces the animal instincts of human beings and encourages the strong to devour the weak. "Any conscious man or woman, who is strong, has a responsibility to help the weak become strong," Carmichael said. He charged that capitalism utilized the negative aspects of Christianity to sell the message that human beings are basically evil and incapable of transforming themselves. "Men and women are capable of being greedy, but they are also capable of being altruistic," Carmichael said. Speaking about the student movement in the 1960's, he said that the 'enemy,' which he called the capitalists, sought to disperse the energies of the movement. "The FBI destroyed the movement by sending students down different paths like drugs, back to nature and mysticism," he said. He advocated an African revolution movement within the U.S. black population. Tying them to their roots in the African continent, Carmichael said. "Only when Africa is free, will we be free. On the backs of Africans, capitalism has existed and sustained itself. Stokely Carmichael, nationally known black activist, came to the student sit-in in Rockwell Hall Wednesday night after his scheduled speech to about 1,000 in the Student Center Ballroom. Carmichael told the students "to keep the fires burning to help the struggling masses of humanity." Carmichael spoke to the sit-in crowd only about five minutes before leaving. His talk was sponsored by the KSU Student Caucus, the student government, which...student money to pay...by Ernie Mastroianni. Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Carmichael Urges Audience to Push 'People's' Revolution Subject The topic of the resource Socialism and Society Capitalism--United States--History Description An account of the resource A newspaper article about black activist Stokely Carmichael who started a "people's revolution". Carmichael spoke to 1,000 people at Kent State University saying that capitalism is going away and that socialism is coming to America. He saw socialism as the means of gaining equality for everyone. He said that under capitalism, peace could not occur. He spoke about the student movement of the 1960s saying that capitalists wanted to disperse the movement's energies. The FBI ended the movement by making students turn to drugs and mysticism. He also said that when Africa is free that America will be free. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Scrivo, Karen L. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Newspaper Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Kent, OH Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 2 JPG 300 dpi Capitalism Kent State University Socialism https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/c58727cab10cc6be35369fc1df32b3ce.jpg 3ba8f8e3cd3f3b354bd43fba9d5a2441 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/6cfc6306341121ec7adfbd2454302439.jpg c29562143d2329d7893d3fcfe3ba7dcc https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/f974d14c7a89e7a6ef4d3cd443463e15.jpg 97c1fb0bab02c1d7988432e654faf009 https://hist299.umwhistory.org/files/original/4a903968060fa7976b45731d69e115f7.jpg b4b0270bee0b349bc2661e7919468a9c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Michael A. Mello Papers, Series 1 News Clippings, Binder 1, 1976-1979 Text Text Any textual data included in the document FROM LEFT, Kent Statue University President Glenn A. Olds and Trustee Chairman George Janik answered questions from students, who came to Rockwell Hall, where trustees were having a special meeting Wednesday. Locked out of the corridor leading to the trustees' conference room, about 300 students staged an eight hour unplanned sit-in, demanding to present their views. Olds went out into the hot, crowded hallway to talk to the students after hinges were removed from one of the locked doors. Olds stayed with the students most of the eight hours, leaving at 1 a.m. when the sit-in broke up. Janik talked to the group at 6 p.m. for about 20 minutes after the trustees adjourned. (R-C Photo by Ernie Mastroianni) KSU protest mood recalls 1960 By CHRIS VASCO And KAREN L. SCRIVO The chants of the 300 demonstrators were "Stop the Gym" instead of "Stop the War." But the mood at Kent State University Wednesday was the same as it had been in the early May seven years ago - a mood of protest. The 300 were opposing what they felt was "desecration" of the site of the May 4, 1970 student killings, by a proposed new physical education building. And, armed with the pledge of fasting by black activist Dick Gregory, until the project is halted and a pledge by activist attorney William Kunstler to return to defend any jailed for trying to stop construction, the 300 occupied for eight hours portions of the administration building, Rockwell Hall. The sit-in started in a second floor hallway at Rockwell Hall at 5 p.m. Wednesday following the May 4 rally and speeches in Memorial Gymnasium, and a march by about 1,500 KSU students, Vietnam veterans, and Kent State graduates through Kent. It ended at 1 a.m. today with Dean Kahler, one of the nine students wounded in the 1970 shootings, reading from his wheelchair a list of eight demands the group had for the KSU administration. No arrests were made. The group demanded that the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Building not be built on the proposed site near the scene of the shootings. The Demonstrators contented the building site, jutting from Memorial Gymnasium into the hill of the practice football field about 300 feet "desecrated" the area of the killings. University officials contend the site is not near the shooting site in the Prentice Hall parking lot. They plan to make aerial photos of the site available for student scrutiny. Among other demands were future canceling of May 4th classes, "amnesty" for those who missed classes May 4, maintaining the KSU Center for Peaceful Change (CPC), which has recently been threatened with budget cuts, and official naming of four KSU buildings for the four slain students and "justice" for the 1970 shootings. The group planned a rally tonight, at 9 at an as-yet-undecided location in the Student Center, to discuss the demands further .A rally is also planned for May 12, the date of the next meeting of the Kent State Board of Trustees. The Promise of the consideration of the demands by KSU officials, a meeting between several of the demonstrators and trustee Chairman Georg Janik, scheduled for Friday and a public show of strength for the group and its demands were the occupation's tangible results. The group, consisting of students representing various political groups, KSU graduates, and Vietnam Veterans splintered from the main march group to confront the Board of Trustees, holding a special meeting in Rockwell. The group, shouting "Stop the Gym," entered Rockwell, and tried to find the trustees, meeting in executive session. When the trustees couldn't be located, the demonstrators demanded one meet them. At 5:45 p.m. President Glenn A. Olds appeared before the students in the second floor hallway which they occupied initially. The group complained of the building site, and lack of student input in the process. Olds tried to explain that students were involved in the site selection process, and that the site wasn't near the shooting site. Olds also attempted to answer questions about the proposed CPC cut, saying no final decision had been made. Olds, who came to KSU following the 1970 shootings with the charge of helping KSU recover, found himself in the familiar setting of a verbal confrontation with students. Olds left and brought Janik to the group. Janik told the demonstrators that the site had already been voted upon, but the construction bids were yet to be awarded. Janik said he would welcome student input at the May 12 meeting. While the group became loud at times, and some jeers were directed toward the president, the confrontation was orderly. The 300 demonstrators decided to move to expanded quarters in the first floor advising and orientation center and managed to work open the locked door at 7:45 p.m. Most doors of Rockwell were locked to avoid the spread of the crowd into administrative offices. KSU police officers had been brought to the scene in the eventuality of a disturbance. Some members of the group prepared for a long siege by bringing some natural food, fruit juice and water. When the group moved to the first floor, and dispatched people to advise the media of the incident, Dr. Dennis P. Carey assistant director of the CPC, attempted to move the demonstration to the Student Center, where scheduled May 4th workshops were taking place. Carey told the group that he felt a sit-in at Rockwell was a "wrong power move" because it could invite negative publicity, as a "break-in" and would be more effective at the time of the HPER building excavation. While Carey said he had experience with demonstration strategy, he was shouted down by various demonstrators, who began talk of an all-night protest. The demonstrators continually argued among themselves whether to maintain the sin-in until morning. The group's morale, suffering from the heat was bolstered twice during the incident- once when rumors of a national television mention of the incident filtered to the group, and when Stokely Carmichael, following his 8 p.m. speech, came to Rockwell to address the demonstrators. "You've got to struggle, struggle, struggle, struggle, against injustice. Keep the home fires burning," he said, pounding his fist, as the demonstrators leaped to their feet in applause. Dean Kahler, Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, also confined to a wheelchair, Bill Arthrell, Alan Canfora and Chic Canfora, all arrested during the 1970 campus disturbances, and Student Caucus members Nancy Grim, Criag Glassner and Scott Marburger were prominent speakers during the eight hours. Olds, present throughout the occupation, told the group that, as long as the demonstration remained peaceful, the group would be allowed to stay until morning, when classes would resume. He did say the students would be evicted by police in the morning. Olds ordered KSU police to guard the two main entrances on each side of the building, where about 100 spectators milled about, sang and chanted. No one was to be admitted, or readmitted if they left. The Kent City Police, and the Portage County Sheriff's Office were on alert. When discussion finally created the list of demands, and the group was confident its cause had been heard, decided to march out of Rockwell, read the demands and a statement, and disperse. No arrests were made. "Walk out here, swagger out of here with your chin up high. Reflect upon this heavy, heavy day. Be jovial, be excited," Kovic said as the group was leaving. "For seven years we've been intimidated, and frightened, but we've been reborn," he said as the group Cheered. Kahler said, "It was a great emotional victory. We've shown that the students at KSU don't have to be shot to achieve our goals and purpose. The truth demands justice, and we urge all to support our demands." And as the door of Rockwell Hall were set to close behind demonstrators eight hours after they had opened to them, President Olds, leaving KSU in September said; "I'm tired. But it seems fitting that I'm leaving the way I came in." A TIGHTLY PACKED crowd of about 1,500 students, waving red and black flags, marched from the Kent State University campus down East Main Street, left on new S. R. 59, south on DePeyster Street and up East Summit Street in Kent Wednesday afternoon, following the noon campus rally to remember May 4, 1970 when four students were shot fatally on campus by Ohio National Guard bullets. About 100 of the marchers broke ranks and marched into downtown Kent before Kent City Police herded them down South Water Street and back to Summit. The May 4 Task Force had received a parade permit from the city for the planned route on S.R. 59, assuring the city the march would be peaceful. (R-C Photo by Ernie Mastroianni) Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data News Paper Article Contributor of the Digital Item Person submitting the digital item to the collection. Friedmann, Michael Student Editor of the Digital Item Williams, Megan Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource KSU Protest Mood Recalls 1970 Subject The topic of the resource Student Protest Description An account of the resource Coverage of the 1977 Kent State University student protests over building a Health Center where students were shot during the 1970 protest. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Vasco, Chris Scrivo, Karen L. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 298, University of Mary Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 5, 1977 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The materials in this online collection are held by Special Collections, Simpson Library, University of Mary Washington and are available for educational use. For this purpose only, you may reproduce materials without prior permission on the condition that you provide attribution of the source. Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Kent, OH Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 4 JPG 300 dpi 1977 Kent Kent University Student Protest