PRESS RELEASE
on behalf of
SAM REESE SHEPPARD
CONTACT: Abe Bonowitz, 561-371-5204
July 1, 2004
SHEPPARD'S SON ISSUES STATEMENT
Sam Reese Sheppard, the surviving child of Dr. Samuel Holmes Sheppard and
Marilyn Reese Sheppard, today issued the following statement to the news
media, on his web page and to his supporters and friends. This statement
is released in recognition of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the murder
of Sam's mother, which began a nightmare that in some ways continues today,
and which has driven Sam Reese Sheppard in a lifelong pursuit of the truth.
Sam Reese Sheppard, whose father was wrongly convicted in the murder of his
mother in the famous 1954 case commonly thought to be the inspiration for
the film and television programs, "The Fugitive," is still active in both
the Sheppard case and in his work with efforts to abolish the death penalty.
However, at this time Sam Reese Sheppard is NOT entertaining interview
requests. Please refer to the following statement. Feel free to publish
it in full or in part.
Attorney Terry Gilbert, who represented the Sheppard Estate in the civil
trial in 2000, is available for comment at 216-241-1430.
Thank you.
***********
STATEMENT FROM SAM REESE SHEPPARD
Regarding the 50th Anniversary of the Murder of Marilyn Reese Sheppard
Through difficult times my parents loved and cherished one another. I
remember and honor them.
Fifty years ago, in the early morning hours of July 4, 1954, Marilyn Reese
Sheppard (pregnant with her second child) and Dr. Samuel Holmes Sheppard's
lives were shattered by a still uncertain assailant. My mother was
murdered. My father was beaten, knocked unconscious twice and left for dead.
In an unfair trial, later called a "Mockery of Justice" by the U. S.
Supreme Court, the State asked for the death penalty for Dr. Sam. I was
seven years old. The jury compromised and wrongfully convicted my father of
second degree murder. He spent ten years in prison until his conviction
was overturned.
A second trial, this time a fair trial, found him "not guilty" but he could
not find peace in a world poisoned against him. Three years ago in a
third, civil trial, despite stronger evidence than ever before presented in
this case, I was unable to force Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio to
right this historical wrong.
I believe that in the court of public opinion we have shown the certainty
of the innocence of my father, Dr. Sam H. Sheppard. But without official
state sanction it appears that this case will be a legendary American
murder case that goes unsolved.
To this day the Government has failed to properly investigate this open
murder case, refusing to acknowledge two suspects much more viable than my
father ever was. As happens today, when the wrong person is convicted, the
true murderer goes free - often to kill again.
If this can happen to my family, it can happen to anyone. My family was
not poor and "on the wrong side of the tracks." Too many innocents are
still in prison today. Too many victims' families are left in search of
the truth. Too many families of the accused are shattered and left to pick
up the pieces on their own.
I am heartened by the fact that the Sheppard murder case is studied in
schools and universities all over the world. Thousands of internet users
visit www.SAMREESESHEPPARD.org - joining me in my search for the truth. I
hope that the memory of my loved ones and the historical lessons exhibited
in this case will one day lead to reform of a judicial system that
continues to operate in dishonor and disrepute.
Those who truly want Justice must continue to work for a legal system that
upholds principles of fairness, and accuracy. Let us not allow another 50
years to go by without fully implementing changes to the legal system that
will prevent wrongful convictions and bring about an end to the death
penalty.
I remember and honor my parents, Marilyn Reese Sheppard, and Dr. Samuel
Holmes Sheppard.
Sam Reese Sheppard
June, 2004
**************
Sent by Abe Bonowitz for Sam Reese Sheppard
"In recording for my boy what I have been subjected
to, it will be necessary to make known American injustice
perpetrated not by the laws of our land, but by those who
have sworn themselves to uphold those laws... A frightening
breach of American rights has taken place, and the important
point is that the breach has happened here in America, not
who it has happened to."
1955, Dr. Sam Sheppard
From his prison journal
Please visit http://www.samreesesheppard.org
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YES FRIENDS!
There is an Alternative to the Death Penalty
Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
(CUADP) works to end the death penalty in the United
States through aggressive campaigns of public education
and the promotion of tactical grassroots activism.
Visit <http://www.cuadp.org> or call 800-973-6548
PMB 335, 2603 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy
Gainesville, FL 32609
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