Friends, Part of Mike Pence’s response to Donald Trump’s obscenity was, “The other part of my faith is, I believe in grace. I’ve received it. I believe in it. I believe in forgiveness.” I am not one to question a person’s profession of faith. But I am certainly willing to question a person’s consistency with the faith he professes. Governor Pence, please tell us how what you are saying here applies to Trump, but not to Keith Cooper. (A new editorial from today’s Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette makes much the same point: http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/editorials/Saving-grace-15713009.) As “Keith Cooper” trended on Facebook for 3 straight days this past weekend, this petition got a good boost in signatures. If you are interested in giving additional help by either writing emails or by placing phone calls, we have suggestions. We can use everyone’s help, even if some of these suggestions are actions we have taken before. I believe that our phone calls pressured Governor Pence to respond, even though what he told Keith Cooper’s lawyer was that he wouldn’t issue a pardon. As you have signed this petition, if you are willing to help us to keep the pressure on, I think we will see a pardon eventually given. We will try to reach three people and two organizations: Curtis Hill, Mike Pence, Eric Holcomb, the Indiana GOP, and the Indiana Debate Commission. We would welcome your efforts to reach any or all of them. Curtis Hill For those of you who have signed the petition recently, Curtis Hill is the lead prosecutor of Elkhart County, Indiana and the GOP candidate to be Indiana’s next Attorney General. Hill arranged the deal with Keith Cooper in 2006 to be released from prison if he would agree to drop his appeal of his conviction. Hill offered Cooper this deal after the conviction of Cooper’s co-defendant Christopher Parrish was overturned by the Indiana Court of Appeals in December 2005. The deal also came after the tests of the DNA on the hat recovered at the crime scene pointed to Johlanis Ervin, an inmate in a Michigan prison for a 2002 murder. These test results reached the prosecutor’s office in March 2006, and the deal with Cooper was completed in April 2006. I have posted several previous updates detailing Hill’s involvement in this case: 1. https://www.change.org/p/indiana-governor-pardon-an-innocent-man/u/17703065 2. https://www.change.org/p/indiana-governor-pardon-an-innocent-man/u/17729729 3. https://www.change.org/p/indiana-governor-pardon-an-innocent-man/u/17964257 4. https://www.change.org/p/indiana-governor-pardon-an-innocent-man/u/18049052 Curtis Hill may be called upon to do several thing for Keith Cooper. First, he can follow the example of the Keith Cooper’s original prosecutor, Michael Christofeno. Earlier this year, Christofeno wrote a letter to Mike Pence, repudiating his 1997 prosecution and supporting a pardon for Cooper. Call upon Curtis Hill to contact Pence with his support for a pardon for Cooper. Hill can do this no matter what his position is on a new trial for Cooper. You may also assert that Cooper deserves a new trial and call on Hill not to oppose a trial. Furthermore, we may ask Hill not to make Cooper’s lawyer go through an evidentiary hearing prior to a new trial. (An evidentiary hearing tests to see if the evidence to be presented at a retrial is new. This could delay a trial.) You may call the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office at 574-296-1888 or email them through this link: http://www.elkhartcountyprosecutor.com/contact. You may also contact Hill’s campaign for Attorney General with this email address: info@curtishillforindiana.com Mike Pence The key message for Mike Pence is that he should pardon Keith Cooper, regardless of what his legal counsel stated three weeks ago. Pence has no legal obligation to wait to pardon Keith Cooper. You may also point out that his Democratic opponent, Tim Kaine, has pardoned several Virginia citizens on the basis of their actual innocence. And certainly, point out the contradiction between Pence "forgiving" Trump of his obscenity while doing nothing for Keith Cooper. You may call the office of the governor at 317-232-4567. You may email him using this link: http://www.in.gov/gov/2752.htm. Select the topic “Governor, Office of the.” Eric Holcomb Many commentators have said that what Pence has really done with his legal counsel’s letter is to punt the pardon to the next governor. I am not willing to let Pence off the hook. However, there is the chance that he will just never agree to pardon Keith Cooper. More shame to him. However, why leave anything to chance? The Democratic candidate to be Indiana’s next governor, John Gregg, has pledged to pardon Keith Cooper if he is elected. Eric Holcomb is the GOP candidate, and so far he has made no such pledge. The most that he has said about Keith Cooper’s case was revealed yesterday in a tweet to Nikki Kelly of the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette: “I would hope if elected governor I could resolve it quickly." What does this mean? It is not a pledge to pardon Keith Cooper. Holcomb seems to be trying to find an ambiguity where none exists. Either he will commit to pardon Keith Cooper, or he won’t. Therefore, we want to call upon Holcomb to pledge to pardon Cooper if he is elected. His contact information: Lieutenant Governor’s office phone number: 317-232-4545 Office email at this link: http://www.in.gov/lg/2333.htm Campaign Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HolcombForIndiana/ Campaign email link: https://action.holcombforindiana.com/comment/contact-us_20160830/?_ga=1.128379468.1924021185.1472068066 The Indiana Republican Party Both Eric Holcomb and Curtis Hill are GOP candidates, yet neither of their campaign websites publish campaign phone numbers. Consider calling upon the Indiana GOP to support a pardon for Keith Cooper. Their candidates can be asked and expected to support justice for an innocent man. Call upon the Indiana GOP to tell their candidates that they must support a pardon for Keith Cooper. Their phone number is 317-635-7561 and their email is info@indgop.org. The Indiana Debate Commission There will be one more gubernatorial debate this election season. According to the commission’s website, “Topics of the Oct. 25 debate will focus on health and social issues.” Indiana residents may submit questions to be asked at the debate. I would recommend phrasing the question to associate justice for Keith Cooper with the state of race relations in Indiana. Please send your question to http://indianadebatecommission.com/submit-your-debate-question/. In a Twitter conversation yesterday, a spokesman for Governor Pence admitted that public pressure provoked the letter of September 20 from Pence's legal counsel. Well, if the pressure is working, let's keep it going! Your help is always appreciated. Sooner or later, we will get Keith Cooper his pardon, and I think it will be sooner with your help. Jack Heller