• Synopses: Samuel Siatta is a Marine Corps Veteran with severe PTSD who, before seeking treatment, self medicated with Alcohol then mistakenly walked into someone else's house. He was then stabbed by the homeowner 9 times. Since the incident, he has sought mental health treatment with the VA and attended weekly counselling sessions. The aftermath of this incident was a trial that gave no weight and little acknowledgement to his PTSD. The States Attorney refused to reduce the charges from 'Home Invasion', which requires proving intent to be charged, to Breaking and Entering (a lesser offense). The States Attorney even went so far as to compare PTSD to a breakup. Sam now faces 30 years in prison. Please read through and sign the petition below to show our Governor that we would rather support our Veterans who are suffering from PTSD than condemn them for it. If Sam goes to prison, he will no longer be able to receive proper services.

Full Petition:

“Lance Corporal Siatta’s incredible courage, combined with his unique training and expert marksman proficiency, have repeatedly proven vital to his squad and the platoon’s success in multiple engagements with the enemy. Without regard for his own safety, Lance Corporal has repeatedly exposed himself from accurate enemy fire with three confirmed enemy kills and as many as seven  to ten more, Lance Corporal Siatta played a key role in bringing stability to his platoon and company’s battlespace."
                               -NAVMC 11533 (EF) Summary of Action Report

Dear Governor Rauner,

 This is a petition on behalf of the above referenced Veteran, Mr. Samuel Siatta.  Samuel is a a Marine Veteran diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) who was recently found guilty of Home Invasion and now faces up to 30 years in prison.

This petition is meant to bring awareness to the injustice that has occurred before and during his trial. It will highlight the history, root and relevance of Samuel’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the lack of recognition of a clinically diagnosed psychological condition by the State's Attorney in McLean County, IL.

The term “hero” is so loosely used that the definition has been diminished. As you will see in this petition, the actions taken by Samuel while serving his country fall nothing short of the most sincere definition of the word.

Samuel joined the Marine Corps in 2008 during the height of American military action in Afghanistan. He volunteered for infantry and was assigned to the Second Battalion, Second Marine Regiment out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In October of 2009, he was sent to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

During his deployment, Samuel was appointed designated marksman for his squad. This position requires consistent, accurate and immediate response to frequent life threatening situations. Taking life is never a matter to be taken lightly. In the fires of combat, his actions were concise and without hesitation. He displayed the qualities of a Marine of the highest caliber. Samuel performed his duties exceptionally earning the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “V” Device for valorous actions.

In post military life, his heroic actions weigh heavy on his heart.

With no knowledge of the tools and services available to him, Samuel began to fall into a deep depression which degraded his livelihood. Unaware that there was even anything wrong he dealt with his issues the way so many Veterans do by burying them deep and numbing the pain with alcohol. Samuel had become consumed by his past.  A heroic past which saved so many, but was destroying him.

On the night of the incident, Samuel had been drinking heavily and entered the wrong house. After a confrontation with a resident Samuel was removed from the house in an ambulance with nine stab wounds; seven in the front of his body, four of which were on his neck and head, and two on his back. None of the injuries sustained by Sam were defensive in nature. The prosecuting attorney revealed that in the confrontation, someone was allegedly hit by a frying pan; this was used to establish hostile intent. Logic would point towards the pan being used as a defensive tool to keep from getting stabbed as the homeowner testified to possessing the knife before he confronted Samuel.

A Marine Corps Combat Veteran, such as Samuel, intended harm the prosecuting attorney’s theory by which he entered the home maliciously and selecting a frying pan from the kitchen as a weapon of choice is absurd. This is a case of a self medicating Marine getting turned around in a relatively new neighborhood and entering the wrong house. As indicated by the wounds, Samuel was far too intoxicated to defend himself, let alone pose a threat to anyone in the house. There is no link between Samuel and the residents of the house.  His level of intoxication was so high that hours after he was taken to the hospital with significant loss of blood, his BAC was measured at .233%. There is neither proof nor reasonable conclusion indicating that Samuel entered the house with intent to do harm.

Throughout the hearings, there were several examples of how the system which was supposed to protect him failed to live up to basic expectations. First, there was never any effort made to investigate the incident beyond the police reports; Second, the prosecuting attorney was allowed to remove two individuals from the jury specifically because they were Veterans; Third, key character references were completely neglected; Last, the strategy used to defend Samuel was one which painted him to the jury as a brutal killer.

The McLean County judicial system made no effort to understand the effects of Combat Induced Post Traumatic Stress. The prosecuting attorney compared excessive drinking caused by PTSD to breaking up with a boyfriend or losing a job. This clearly demonstrates that the closed-minded view portrayed in these proceedings is the same view that causes veterans to avoid treatment. Samuel was drinking due to the actions he took while defending our country and his men. He is not at fault for his inability to seek treatment earlier; it is society’s fault for placing a stigma on ‘damaged Veterans.'

Since the incident in April of 2014, Samuel has been in receipt of weekly treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services. PTSD expertise was not admitted during trial. There are also letters from his former Marine Corps command staff stating their unwavering support which were never seen during the trial.

I ask you, Governor, to look into this matter and ensure that America does not turn her back on yet another Heroic Veteran. Any materials referenced in this letter can be provided for you upon request. Samuel Siatta is an American Hero. I ask that you do what the courts refused and look at Samuel Siatta as a Veteran in need of help, not condemnation. This Warrior should be the subject of articles in the Marine Corps Times, not on trial. We as a country need to show that we help our Veterans heal from Post Traumatic Stress, not condemn them to prison because of it. If you grant clemency for this Veteran, it will show the country that ‘Supporting our Troops’ is more than a bumper sticker - It means that Illinois will go the extra mile to protect those who have protected us.