Message From Efren's Mother, Velia Koppenhoefer

Dear Friends, I am writing inviting you to answer this important call to action to support the release of my son, Efren Paredes, Jr. Efren will be resentenced in the coming months, or possibly in the coming weeks, depending on when the resentencing judge schedules the hearing date. The only remaining delay now is a Michigan Supreme Court decision about a procedural matter regarding the resentencing process. That decision could occur any day. Efren is nearing his 45th birthday on April 4. It will be the 30th birthday he has spent in prison thus far. He has spent every birthday since age 15 behind bars and has yet to spend a moment as an adult in society. The majority of his teenage years, all his 20's, all his 30's, and half of his 40's (i.e., two-thirds of his entire life) have been spent in prison. The last of Efren's co-defendants in the case he was convicted of, who was two years older than Efren at the time of his arrest, was released 13 years ago. The disparity of the sentences Efren received compared to the sentences that others in his case received are not only unconstitutional, but extreme and inhumane by international standards. Many similarly situated prisoners sentenced to die in prison when they were juveniles ("juvenile lifers") have been resentenced over the past year and safely paroled back to their communities across the state. I, and many others, believe that Efren is equally deserving of receiving that opportunity. In the next few months producers will be releasing a documentary film about Efren's case and his experience serving decades behind bars as a juvenile lifer. Upon completion of the film it will begin being screened widely across the country and internationally. Please join the chorus of voices across the country who support Efren's release by signing and sharing this petition with everyone in your network via social media, email listserv, posting its link on blogs and websites, etc. You are welcome to also share this message with those in your network. Upon signing the petition the website will send an email to Efren's sentencing judge expressing support for his release. In addition to signing the petition I am asking you to please copy the text of the support letter and paste it into a letter to send to the sentencing judge via U.S. Mail. The support letter and judge's address are available on the petition page. You are welcome to revise the letter to share additional helpful information as well. People can access this petition by using the shortcut link: www.TinyURL.com/Efren1016. Thank you for your time and consideration. It is our prayer that Efren can realize his physical freedom once again after nearly three long decades of incarceration. The world will benefit tremendously by his release. Sincerely, Velia Koppenhoefer Facebook: www.fb.com/Free.Efren Blog: www.4Efren.blogspot.com Website: www.4Efren.com Email: EfrenUncaged@gmail.com