Holtzclaw Press Release - Feb. 7, 2022
DANIEL HOLTZCLAW UPDATES!
Accuser recants allegation; Tulsa officer urges Parole Board to right wrongs; Daniel Holtzclaw challenges his scandal-plagued trial judge
ACCUSER TABITHA BARNES: “HE DIDN’T TOUCH ME. HE DIDN’T TOUCH ME. HE DID NOT TOUCH ME”
TULSA POLICE OFFICER JASON ANGEL TO PAROLE BOARD: “DANIEL IS INNOCENT OF ALL ALLEGATIONS”
DANIEL HOLTZCLAW: “DIG DEEPER;” “REOPEN ALL OF HENDERSON’S CASES
Enid, OK – Former Oklahoma City Police Department officer Daniel Holtzclaw and his dedicated team of supporters are releasing never-before-seen video evidence and support letters (here and here) to the public today as the state Pardon and Parole Board meets this week to consider Count 5 of Daniel’s wrongful conviction in 2015.
Count 5 dealt with sexual misconduct allegations by accuser Tabitha Barnes. In stunning, newly-published video deposition testimony from 2018, revealed by Holtzclaw’s team for the first time this week, Barnes repeatedly denied that Daniel ever laid a hand on her – despite claiming under oath at trial and in her federal lawsuit complaint that he touched her breasts.
Barnes told lawyers during her civil suit deposition that Daniel “didn’t touch me,” “He didn’t touch me,” and, “He did not touch me.” Daniel’s team has posted the deposition transcript pages online.
Disgraced former trial judge Timothy Henderson allowed Barnes to testify while high on PCP. Co-lead OCPD detective Rocky Gregory admitted Barnes had “kind of a fried brain” outside of the jury’s hearing. She was under the influence of Ambien when first interviewed by police. Alarmingly, trial prosecutor Gayland Gieger told Henderson that Barnes “refused to testify and tried to leave the courthouse,” but was “detained” by Oklahoma City Police “for disorderly conduct and public intoxication,” leading her to be forced back on the stand.
Daniel’s father, Eric Holtzclaw, reminded the board in a newly-released letter that fallen former trial judge Henderson presided over improper secret hearings in 2017 concerning crucial DNA evidence in Daniel’s case. Henderson shielded OCPD DNA Lab Manager Campbell Ruddock’s written review of OCPD forensic analyst Elaine Taylor’s error-filled DNA testimony, which numerous scientific experts believe should be grounds for a retrial. Oklahoma City officials still refuse to release the Ruddock review.
Henderson barred Daniel and his lawyers from participating in the secret hearings. His pro-prosecution rulings related to the closed proceedings “overlap with the time when he now admits he was sexually involved with an assistant district attorney” who has made sexual assault allegations against him.
Eric also explained that OCPD’s misrepresentations of the DNA evidence not only deprived Daniel of a fair trial, but also caused investigators to succumb to tunnel vision and railroad him in the first place. After a traffic stop allegation, detectives were unaware that the tiny quantity of unknown female DNA found on the fly of Daniel’s pants has a valid, non-sexual explanation: innocent DNA transfer via Daniel’s hands after pat-searches and restroom breaks. Convinced the DNA meant Daniel was guilty, “OCPD detectives ignored evidence of his innocence and crafted a case to match their false narrative by procuring additional wrongful allegations as they searched for the source of the DNA.” Barnes was one of the women caught in this net.
Tulsa Police Department detective Jason Angel appealed to the Pardon and Parole Board in a separate letter. He revealed that “dozens of Tulsa Police officers share my belief that Daniel Holtzclaw is innocent of all allegations.” Angel—who also has served the past 8 years as a field training officer and special ops team member—thoroughly dissected the “dishonest investigation” that led to Daniel’s wrongful conviction. Angel urged the board “to look at the evidence objectively” on Count 5 and realize that “Daniel is innocent of that count before you, as well as all others.”
Nearly 65,000 individuals worldwide have signed a Change.org petition to “Free Daniel Holtzclaw.” Daniel’s team will continue to release new videos and revelations demonstrating Daniel’s innocence and wrongful conviction.
Keeping hope alive from behind bars, Daniel issued this statement:
“Now that an accuser has recanted and my unfair trial judge resigned after sexual assault allegations from female attorneys, I hope and pray more people finally see I truly was railroaded and wrongfully convicted. I upheld my oath of office by protecting and serving my community, while Judge Henderson was allegedly abusing women and violating his oath. It’s time to reopen every one of Henderson’s cases, including mine, that was impacted by his sexual misconduct. To the media: please dig deeper into my case in light of the Henderson scandal and continued suppression of vital evidence. To my supporters: thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping my case alive!”