Free Shohn Huckabee

Give a minute to save Shohn- Email US State Department

2011-06-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here's the direct link to the State Department. Please email them for Shohn. Remind them that nearly 3,000 people signed the petition calling for his release, and that he is an American citizen victimized by the very corrupt and failing systems that our own State Department is fully apprised.

http://contact-us.state.gov/cgi-bin/state.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php?p_sid=cwJs4Lxk&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD05Myw5MyZwX3Byb2RzPSZwX2NhdHM9JnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTE!

Email Kay Bailey Hutchison NOW

2011-06-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Shohn's case is being reviewed right now, with final decision due on Monday, July 4 relating to overturning the unjustified conviction and sentencing, after being unjustifiably detained, tortured, and framed by the Mexican Army and the corrupt justice system in Cd. Juarez in December of 2009.
Just 2 weeks ago the US granted political asylum for a Cd Juarez citizen precisely because of the dangers presented to ordinary citizens by the Mexican Army, federal police, and archaic, arbitrary judicial system.

Please call and email Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson NOW. We can't imagine that she hasn't taken Shohn's case to heart, calling for a review and response from her counterparts and official policy makers. Shohn Huckabee is innocent of all charges, the testimony and evidence speaks for itself. Let her know you fully expect that that the United States, through any and all channels,do all in its power to see that Shohn is exonerated and freed immediately. Let her know that nearly 3,000 people signed a petition demanding support from our government and policy makers, and he deserves to come home now

The decision about Shohn's freedom is to be made on Independence Day, Monday, July 4th! Email Senator Bailey Hutchinson. Please do all you can to get him home, now.
Kay Bailey Hutchinson
http://hutchison.senate.gov/?p=email_kay
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
500 Chestnut Street
Suite 1570
Abilene, Texas 79602
325-676-2839
325-676-2937 (FAX)

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
961 Federal Building
300 East 8th Street
Austin, Texas 78701
512-916-5834
512-916-5839 (FAX)

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
10440 N. Central Expressway
Suite 1160
Dallas, Texas 75231
214-361-3500
214-361-3502 (FAX)

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
1906 G East Tyler St
Harlingen, Texas 78550
956-425-2253
956-412-1468 (FAX)

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
1919 Smith Street
Suite 800
Houston, Texas 77002
713-653-3456
713-209-3459 (FAX)

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
3133 General Hudnell Drive
Suite 120
San Antonio, Texas 78226
210-340-2885
210-349-6753 (FAX)

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison
284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-4304
202-224-5922
202-224-0776 (FAX)
202-224-5903 (TDD

Update June 14th: Report on meeting with Magistrate

2011-06-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

Kevin is returning from Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico after today's meeting with the Magistrate who will issue final judgement on Shohn's Appeal. He met with him for two hours and was told that the decision will be issued within a week. He is guardedly hopeful that the facts and supporting documentation he was able to present allowed a clearer insight and understanding of the flawed process that caused Shohn to be victimized and wrongfully imprisoned. Importantly, he was provided a certified interpreter.
Please, please, send the l etter to the Magistrate, it is of vital importance that he know we are watching this closely and care deeply about fair and impartial justice. Scroll down this page, copy and paste either the English or Spanish version of the letter into an email, sign, state location, and send to confianza_ciudadana@hotmail.com
That is the office of the Human Rights Ombudsman for Cd. Juarez, and they are forwarding our mail on to the Magistrate.
Your prayers and solidarity are greatly cherished.
Thank you all!

Remember to send emails to the Magistrate deciding Shohn's case

2011-06-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

Please don't forget to take a minute and copy the letter below in Spanish or English and email it on to the Magistrate NOW. There will not be another opportunity to do this. Send it now to confianza_ciudadana@hotmail.com.
Just type your name on the bottom, and anything else you want to add. Write a note in English, send the English version if you want. Show your support now.
Thank you all very much!

Update- Urgent letter for Shohn to Mexican Magistrate

2011-06-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Since we can not confirm the fax number we have for the Magistrate's office, we are going to take a different approach, much easier for all of you.
Please email the Spanish language letter to the Magistrate, just copy and paste into an email, sign your name and include your city/state if you like and send it to the confianza_ciudadana@hotmail.com
Please do this now and ask all to do the same. Post it on Facebook. We need to get this to the Magistrate's attention now. The final decision could come as early as Wednesday.
Thank you and sorry for any inconvenience.

Urgent email to Judge for SHohn- Spanish

2011-06-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

Send to the email address below
Confianza Ciudadana
confianza_ciudadana@hotmail.com

Favor de enviar este mensaje al Magistrado. Muy amable y mil gracias.

Attn: Magistrado Eucebio Avila Lopez
Primer Tribunal Colegiado de Circuito del Centro Auxiliar de la Quinta Región (Culiacán)

Honorable Magistrado Ávila López:

Por medio de la presente escribimos en apoyo a Shohn Huckabee, un joven de 24 años, dueño de una pequeña empresa cuya vida ahora sufre los daños irrevocables de una convicción y encarcelamiento por un crimen que ni el, ni su empleado, Carlos Guillermo Quijas, cometieron.

Creemos que, usted, al emplear su jurisprudencia en una revisión propia, y a fondo, al aplicar su discreción jurídica podrá determinar que, después de 17 meses de un encarcelamiento dictado sin causas y bajo prejuicio, en sus manos radica la habilidad de restaurar no solo la libertad de Shohn, sino también la de su desafortunado empleado.

Hoy en día, se da por hecho que en los procesos penales una convicción se dictamina solamente después de analizar evidencia obtenida de manera legítima por una autoridad acusatoria. Lo anterior no sucedió en el caso que ahora espera su sabia revisión. En algún momento se decía que es mejor liberar a diez hombres culpables que condenar a un inocente. Dado que, con el paso de los años, nuestro mundo ha sido victima de la violencia que atraviesa el planeta cabe mencionar que una sociedad se mide por el trato que se le otorga a los menos afortunados así como la justicia garantizada por su sistema jurídico. La privación de la libertad debe ser solo después de la culminación de un proceso legítimo; entendiendo que la presunción de inocencia no solo es el cimiento de la justicia sino es la base fundamental de una sociedad democrática.

El caso que ahora se le presenta es un ejemplo de los errores inaceptables que pueden plagiar al sistema jurídico. Estamos concientes de las pruebas, o falta de las mismas, que encontrará al examinar el caso a detalle, mismas que en nuestros corazones y mentes, creemos hablarán por si mismas, o como algunos dirían - res ipsa loquitor.

¿Por qué sucedió? Es un caso en donde la justicia estuvo omisa; no existió un manejo legitimo de la evidencia, los testigos de la autoridad acusatoria se contradijeron, el juicio en sí fue llevado a cabo de forma displicente con falta al respeto al proceso y al sistema – por razones desconocidas se manejó con rapidez y pareció existir presión por obtener la sentencia reiterando que, por lo menos en este caso, la corte mexicana no obró con justicia. Le suplicamos examinar el caso con la diligencia que se merece. Imploramos que actúe en el nombre de libertad, justicia y como autoridad moral- finalmente mostrando una acto de gran humanidad.

Respetuosamente,

Urgent Email regarding Shohn's final Appeal

2011-06-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

Please print the Spanish translation posted below, sign with name and place of residence (city/state) and email it to confianza_ciudadana@hotmail.com
This in English can be emailed to elected officials here in the US. I"ll post email addresses here in following post.

Fax:
Tel: From US- 011 52 667 846 5757
Attn: Magistrado Eucebio Avila Lopez
Primer Tribunal Colegiado de Circuito del Centro Auxiliar de la Quinta Región (Culiacán)

Honorable Judge EUCEBIO ÁVILA LÓPEZ:

We write in support of Shohn Huckabee, now 24, a young, self employed small business owner whose life has been dramatically and irrevocably impacted by a conviction and imprisonment for a crime that neither he, nor his employee Carlos Guillermo Quijas, in fact committed.

At the outset, we feel that your cool reflection and proper exercise of judicial discretion will restore not only Shohn's freedom, but also that of his unfortunate employee after some 17 months of unjust imprisonment without cause and with great prejudice.

It is a given that in any penal proceeding in the civilized world, a conviction can be had only on legal evidence that has been properly obtained by the charging authority. This was not done in the case that awaits your decision. There was a time when it was said that it was better that ten guilty men go free rather than to incarcerate one who is innocent. Given that over time our world has become more brutalized by the violence that seems to be sweeping the globe, it bears mention that a society is measured by how it treats the least fortunate and by the fairness of its penal system. To take one's freedom has been authorized across the world only on a showing of due process. The presumption of innocence is the basis of a fair trial and of a democratic society.

The case in bar is a singular example of a system gone grievously and unacceptably wrong. We are aware of the evidence, or lack thereof, that you will find on a close examination of the file before you. We will not belabor it, for we believe in our hearts and minds that the evidence speaks for itself - res ipsa loquitor, as some would say.

Why? Because there is no showing of a proper chain of custodial evidence, the prosecution's witnesses contradicted themselves, the trial itself was conducted in a seemingly lackadaisical manner, in short - because for reasons not known to us, there was a rush to judgment and justice in Mexico was in this instance not served. We urge you to examine the file with great care. We urge you that in an act of great humanity, you act in the name of freedom, justice, and moral authority.

Respectfully,

Urgent Action - Send fax and emails now to Mexican Judge and US officials

2011-06-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

Friends:

Shohn Huckabee, an American citizen who was wrongfully and illegally detained, tortured, and charged by the Mexican Army in Cd. Juarez. He has been imprisoned for 17 months. His final appeal on based on the preponderance of evidence and witness testimony that clearly reveals his innocence will be decided by a Magistrate this week. If his wrongful conviction is not overturned, he will have to come back to serve his sentence as a convicted felon in the US. He has endured 17 months in prison out of his belief that justice would prevail, because he is innocent. We desperately request that you take a few minutes to sign the letters and fax the Spanish leter to the Judge immediately.
Time is of the essence, as the final decision will be made this week.
We will confirm the fax number to the Tribunal Court in Mexico tomorrow, Sunday morning, and post it here for you. Please take action to free Shohn now. We will also post the email to Texas elected officials and Hillary Clinton, as the US State Department is responsible for policies and diplomatic efforts on behalf of US ciizens.

Please call Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson

2011-06-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

Senator Kay Bailey of Texas received nearly 3,000 petitions respectfully asking that she take any and all action to investigate the events that led to Shohn's torture and wrongful conviction in Mexico, and to work to free him.
Now, we each need to take 5 minutes to help save Shohn. Senator Bailey needs to hear from us right now and to know that we are serious, and that Shohn is in great peril and we are running out of time. His case has been transferred over 1,000 miles away and he has no representation. It will be decided next week.
I just called her office in Austin, and they have notes about the case, but will refer my message to Washington. Call any office in Texas, and call Washington to let her know that we expect her to do her best for an innocent son of her own state before it's too late.
Here's a link to all her phone numbers throughout Texas and Washington:
http://hutchison.senate.gov/?p=agency_assistance

Urgent Request- Critical Shohn needs your help now!

2011-06-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Nearly 3,000 people from all around the US signed the petition Justice for Shohn Huckabee. We have had no meaningful or recognizable response from the elected officials who received the petition directly by fax.
A very sensitive and important development has occurred in the issues affecting Shohn's final constitutional appeal. His case was transferred to a court in Culiacan, Sinaloa, an eight hour plane trip away from El Paso. He has no legal representation there before the Magistrates who will most likely decide his appeal NEXT WEEK. This is the difference between his being freed to return home without carrying an unjust conviction on his record for the rest of his life. Shohn is innocent and has nothing to hide. He is clearly a victim of the corruption and medieval system of justice.
We need you to please fax a letter to the Magistrate who will decide his case next week. We will post a sample in Spanish that you can use here later today. If you can not dial Mexico from your home fax, please go to a Fedex Kinko's or other mail service to fax the letter to the judge asking for full consideration of the preponderance of the evidence demonstrating Shohn's innocence. We need to show them that we care and are closely following the just resolution of Shohn's case.
Please email us at khuckabee@aol.com or prettyskies@gmail.com for any additional information you might need. If you would like to go ahead and send a message of your own now, in English or Spanish , please address it to:
ATTN: Magistrado EUCEBIO ÁVILA LÓPEZ
Fax: from US dial 011 52 667 846 5713

Today, June 8, without any warning, Carlos Quijas his co defendant was removed from the cell they share with two others at 5:00 AM and sent to the airport and flown to a very isolated prison island off the Pacific coast. This is illegal. There is no way to communicate with him, or to get him money to pay for food and toiletries out there. It is illegal to transfer prisoners who have an appeal underway. We don't know what the message is within this plot.

Some news

2011-06-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

We got news last night that the judge is going to make a decision on Shohn's case in the next 15 days. We pray that this will be the decision that we are all looking for. Keep those prayers a coming. We will prevail in this fight.
Tammy

Update

2011-05-14T15:44:00.001-07:00

I know that you all have been waiting once again for some new news. Not a lot has changed except that we now know that his case has been assigned to a judge with the last name of Molina. Yes, it is a panel of three judges that see the case. According to the lawyer these judges meet once a week to discuss the cases that they have been given individually. Kevin says that he doesn't feel that it is going to be very long before a decision is made. But, this is Mexico so anything can happen. Gustavo asked Kevin to come back in two weeks to get another update.

Nick Cassey with the Wall Street Journal wrote another article to talk about the letter that Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson sent to Hilary Rodham Clinton. Here is a copy of that Article for you to read.

By NICHOLAS CASEY

A Texas senator urged Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to look into torture allegations made by two Americans in a Mexican prison, calling their accusations "very troubling" in a recent letter.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R., Texas) wrote to Mrs. Clinton about thecases of Shohn Huckabee and Carlos Quijas, two Americans convicted of drug crimes who say Mexican soldiers abused them during an interrogation in 2009. The letter is dated May 11.

"The allegations of torture and the denial of basic due process to United States citizens, Shohn Huckabee and Carlos Quijas, are very troubling," Ms. Hutchison wrote. "It is my hope, especially in the midst of Mexico's war on drugs, the U.S. consulate can help to ensure that U.S. citizens are treated humanely and fairly."

Any high level attention of the case could cause new frictions between Washington and Mexico City over how Mexico is waging the drug war. Under the terms of the Merida Initiative, the U.S.'s $1.4 billion drug assistance package for Mexico and Central America, Mexico stands to lose a portion of funding if there is evidence of human rights violations in its pursuit of drug traffickers.

Mssrs. Huckabee and Quijas were convicted last year for attempting to smuggle two suitcases of marijuana. Each is serving a five-year sentence in Ciudad Juárez, across the border from El Paso, Texas and are appealing the decision.

The two men say when they were detained near the border, soldiers beat them with rifle butts, shocked them with an electricity machine and threatened to kill them during an interrogation. Three witnesses in the trial testified they saw soldiers put suitcases in the vehicle driven by the two Americans. One of the witnesses was killed by unknown attackers after giving testimony.

Their story was the subject of an investigation last year by The WallStreet Journal and marked some of the first credible allegations of abuse of Americans by the Mexican military since the drug war began in 2006. More than 5,000 complaints from Mexicans have been filed toMexico's human rights commission against the military, many of themalleging torture.

This year, interest in the allegations of the Americans has grown. In April, the city of El Paso passed a resolution saying the U.S.consulate had not conducted "a vigorous review of the facts" and calling for the State Department to look into the case."

The Mexican justice system presumes that all suspects are guilty and that the burden is on the suspects to prove innocence," the resolution said. Sen. Hutchison included a copy of the document in her letter to Mrs. Clinton.

A State Department spokesman said Sen. Hutchison's letter would receive a "high priority," and said all allegations of abuse are investigated by the department. He did not comment specifically on the case of the Americans, citing privacy concerns.

The Mexican military did not immediately comment on Hutchison's letter. In past interviews, the military has said it did not abuse the men or plant evidence and that their account is false.

Contacted Thursday, Mr. Huckabee's father Kevin said that his son had not received a fair trial because proceedings had been difficult for his son who did not speak Spanish and often did not have a translator."This is not due process," he said.

Write to Nicholas Casey at nicholas.casey@wsj.com

Keep talking to people that matter. We will win this war. Pray that all involved in this situation will look deeper into this horrible ordeal. We now have lost even more days that he can never retrieve with his family.

Tammy

Keystone

2011-05-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture when he did some work at Keystone. Shohn was always a big supporter of Keystone Heritage Park. He did a lot of work there and supported all their activities. He worked with most of the Board of Directors and was loved by all. He liked working for the cause of preservation of our natural resources.

Enjoy this photo.

Update

2011-04-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

I know that many of you have been checking daily to see if there are any updates. Well here it is. We are still waiting for the Tribunal to make a decision on Shohn's case. The paperwork was submitted to the Tribunal on April 19th. The process could take up to six months. There is a new Amparo law that states that if the case has blatant errors, the Tribunal may move the case to the front of the line. As you all know there are blatant errors, so we are praying that it will get moved to the front soon. Also, Gustavo De La Rosa is going to try to put some pressure on the court to hear the case earlier. We still need to keep the signatures going on the Petition.

Kevin is in the middle of drafting a letter in response to Congressman Reyes's letter. He should finish it this weekend.

At this time, we just need to be in prayer that the Tribunal will see the case quickly. Everyday that Shohn is there is a day that he cannot get back in his life. He has missed so much with his family. Every holiday is such an empty day in our hearts because he is not there with us. Shohn can't recover the days that the Mexican army has taken from him, but he will begin to live his life again when he is released. We plan to make every day count. You never know when something can happen and cause you life to change in the blink of an eye. I know God has a plan for Shohn and for our entire family. We are continuing to follow his lead and know that Shohn will be home soon. Shohn's birthday is May 7th and Randi's is May 8th. It looks as though once again he will be spending his birthday in Cereso. What a tragedy.

Thanks to all who have prayed and posted the petition link. We could not have done this without all of you. Also, to all those who have donated again we say Thank You. Some have donated their time, some have donated money, and some have donated goods and services. Again we can never say Thank You enough. You have blessed our family in ways you will never know. We could not have made this last 17 months without all of the support we have received. God has shown us our true extended family and it is enormous.

2011-04-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

The online petition that so many of you have signed is nearing the half way point of our initial goal of 5,000. We have just about 2300 signatures. We would like you to continue to promote it with your neighbors, co workers, friends, and faith communities.
Also, if you can, please write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Calls to your local TV station to ask them to cover the story and developments are very important right now.
We are about to enter a very important phase, where Shohn's attorney will present the case for a Tribunal review, 3 judges will look at the case and the Constitutional Appeal for the violation of individual guarantees and the right to due process and consider the all important perspective of the presumption of innocence. Three federal circuit court judges will actually have to ponder the facts and evidence, review the testimony of his absolutely impartial witnesses, and consider Shohn's case from the perspective of the Presumption of Innocence, which includes and implies the factor and consideration of reasonable doubt. This, in fact, represents a quantum leap towards democracy in Mexico.
Mexican law begins with the presumption of guilt. There is a well know expression in Mexico -For my friends, whatever they want, for the rest, the Law- Any and everyone charged, or not even charged but detained while charges are being considered, can be held in secret detention (arraigo) or prison for years, because they have been declared probably guilty without a hearing before any investigation or a case is presented, regardless of circumstances. The names of the officials, investigators, or others involved with are kept secret in many cases. We do not know the name of the person (military legal staff) who actually drafted the initial charges against Shohn. The two soldiers who signed it do not know his name, either, according to their testimony. Those two soldiers would not even look Shohn in the eye, their heads were bowed down, as he questioned them about why they assaulted him, stole his cash, wedding ring, cell phone, and other work related articles in the truck, then took him to be tortured, and then dropped him off with charges of being in possession of two suitcases of marjuana. His truck, supposedly 'secured' by the federal police in their own parking lot, was returned months later, missing the stereo, lights, spare tire, battery, set of subwoofers, amplifier and a Dodge Ram emblem.

Submission of Paperwork

2011-04-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

Please pray that today will be the day that the paperwork can be finished. Shohn is getting a little antsy and is hopeful that a transfer will not come down with his name on it. When the Amparo paperwork is filed then they will not transfer him. The papers are just a few hours away from being finished. Pray that God will open up those hours today and allow the final paperwork to be submitted. We have to continue to move forward and keep this in the limelight. For those who do not know about transfers, that means that they could transfer him to another prison in Mexico. If this happens we cannot get food to him, clean clothes, and other necessities of daily living. This would put a huge burden on our family. We want to keep him in Juarez. Thanks to all for your continued support. And once again thanks for the donations that are coming in. We are overwhelmed by all the support we are receiving. Tammy

Donations

2011-04-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is a very hard post for me to write, but we are at the end of our resources for money. We are going to have to pay some court filing fees in the next couple of days and we would love to have enough donations to help pay the fees. If 100 people would give 10 dollars we would be able to pay those fees. We have tried to this point not to ask for any donations, but it seems as though we are going to need a little bit of help. Thanks so much for the donations that we got today and the ones that have already come in. All you have to do is click the donate button on the left. Thanks again for all the prayers and signatures. Tammy and Kevin

A Debt of Gratitude

2011-04-10T20:04:00.001-07:00

We can never express how much everyone's outpouring of love and compassion to our family means to us. Thank you so much for your money donations, your printing donations, and all your time that you have dedicated to this cause. We are just overwhelmed. We hope someday to get to meet everyone of you that have had an impact on our son's life. Thanks again. Kevin and Tammy and all our family.

Story

2011-04-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a one-on-one interview with Shohn on ABC-7. http://www.kvia.com/video/27474346/index.html

2011-04-04T11:53:00.003-07:00

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2011/0401/UN-questions-Mexican-Army-s-role-in-drug-war Here is an article that came out today about the UN requesting the Mexican army to withdraw from the streets.

Thank You

2011-04-02T07:01:00.001-07:00

Thank you to all who have signed the petition and donated money to this cause. We are so appreciative for all the help from everyone. We can truly see how God is working in this case. It is amazing to see how far reaching all of the signatures are. I don't think we have one single state that is not represented. Thanks again to everyone. We cannot begin to thank everyone enough. Love Tammy and Kevin

Press Conference April 6th El Paso

2011-03-31T18:35:00.000-07:00

A binationally represented press conference to announce and address developments in Shohn's case and related issues will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, April 6, at the First Presbyterian Church of El Paso, located at 1320 Murchison Drive. Pastor Dr. Robert Reno has kindly offered to provide the church facility and will also be available for the conference. All interested are welcome to attend. Your interest and support is greatly appreciated.
More on this event will follow soon. Thank you!

2011-03-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

I remember when Breanne and Shohn were 16 and 14 and they had a lawn mowing business. They spent their summer days doing yard work for about three different summers. Shohn employed Breanne to drive him around because she had the driver's license. He only paid her on Fridays. They have lots of fun stories to tell about their yard business. Oh the fond memories. Mom

A Word from Shohn

2011-03-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hello to all. First I want to thank everyone for their interest and concern in my imprisonment. I appreciate all the help that we can get. I have been in prison in Cereso in Cuidad Juarez for almost a year and four months now. There has not been one day that I have been here that I have not wanted to be home. I miss my family greatly and couldn't have imagined ever being away from them this long. Without the opportunities to see my family, I couldn’t have made it through the time here. This prison is a ticking time bomb and ready to go off at anytime. Luckily it has only gone off one time since I have been here. Gun fire between the rival gangs rang out back and forth inside the walls of the jail. Not to mention the killing of inmates by inmates. In the time I have been here about 15 inmates have been killed by other inmates. Some were beaten, other given drugs and other hanged. This includes two that have happened fifty feet from where I sleep every night. I do not say this to scare anyone, but I just want you to know how much of a hell this place is and express my desire to leave and leave quickly. This has not just been hard for me but for my wife and family. I ask that anyone and everyone that can help will and show that we can begin to help a corrupted judicial system. With all of your help and pressure on the Mexican government, I believe I can be set free and begin to help all the people that I have met and learned their stories here. I do agree there are some guilty people here but after a year of being around these people I know that the crimes the Mexican Army has accused them of are false. I can count way over a hundred cases of people who have been picked up by the army and crimes placed on them. It all follows a very similar pattern. The people will be yanked out of their homes or cars and hauled off to the military base. Once there the torture begins. The ways of torture vary from hitting with rifle punching and electrical shocks. People have described having plastic bags over their heads until they pass out. If they bite a hole in the bag to breathe they get two more bags put over their heads. The army believes through this torture they are going to get confessions and names of more people to pick up. The army then falsifies evidence of drugs weapons and murders to show that they are working and making a difference in the city and country. While all this is going on they simply wave by the vehicles loaded with drugs or full of Secarios and guns headed to the next job. They imprison the innocent and allow the guilty to keep working. The ease of convicting the people they pick up is easy for the judicial system. From the moment you are picked up you are already guilty and from inside these walls it is difficult to prove your own innocence. The judges would rather avoid the conflict and just pass on the normal sentence and move on with their day instead of really focusing on the evidence of innocence is presented. I thank you for your support and I know with everyone’s help I can be set free and with this we can start to help this country an change the normal presumed guilty mentality this country has. Thank you and I will stay strong and hopefully this nightmare will be over soon.

A Message from His Wife

2011-03-29T11:34:00.001-07:00

I first met Shohn in the fall of 2006. Already at 19 years old he was a young man that had his life together. As we got to know each other I began to see more and more how much family meant to him. I have to admit it was the way he loved and respected his family that first made me fall for him. About a week before Christmas I finally let my guard down and became his girlfriend. When he asked me to marry him a year and a half later, I was absolutely thrilled and I said yes with all of my heart. How could I deny the man who had helped heal my heart and show me what love really could be? I not only learned love through Shohn, but he also taught me the true meaning of God's grace and forgiveness. Shohn would give the shirt off his back to help someone. And he has proved this several times in the past when his friends ran upon tough times. When Shohn was first imprisoned, I didn't know if I could handle being away from him. His strong spirit, however, has helped me stay strong. I couldn't understand how he was keeping me strong. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? It's time for us to rally together, not just as friends and family, but as human beings. I of course want my husband home and safe, but we need to make sure that this never happens to another innocent human being again. Never had I thought that I would be so educated about the poverty and corruption stricken city of Juarez. All I can ask for is my husband's release and safe return, but maybe we can help heal the city of Juarez as well. *Randi*=