Hello family and friends,
We wish to thank you for signing this petition in support of Rodger Lee Watkins and his family in seeking justice on his behalf. Spending our first Thanksgiving without him and his infectious smile was incredibly difficult. While we were without him, Julie Haq remained at home under house arrest.
At the last court hearing, Ms. Haq's attorney requested an open plea directly to the judge as a plea was not offered by the District Attorney (DA). YOUR SIGNATURE helped and allowed for the DA to feel pressure to do the right thing. However, it remained the right of the defendant to request a plea from the Judge and Judge Judith L. Meyers granted one.
Ms. Haq will be sentenced on 12/13/24 to four years in prison. As a family, we will be giving verbal Victim Impact Statements to the court on the 13th. So what can you do now you may ask?
1) If you'd like to write an impact statement you can and it will be submitted to the court. Please e-mail it directly to us before 6pm on 12/12/24. You can e-mail your letter to Abel at abel.pacheco.jr@gmail.com. It doesn’t matter how short or long it is, it will be forwarded to the court. The judge still has authority to sentence her to county jail as opposed to state prison, and as a family we’re asking that she surrender herself to be sent to state prison.
2) Attend the sentencing hearing. It will be an incredibly difficult day for the family and everyone that knew Rodger. Your support is welcomed at the court:
- Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse - Department 20 (People of CA vs Julie Afaq Haq - 24LBCF00565) in Long Beach on Friday, December 13th, 2024, at 8:30AM.
As the criminal proceedings near the end, we will continue to grieve and reflect on what to do next. Our hope is that Rodger’s life did not go in vain and that others may be saved from this grief & pain. With time we will each determine what that looks like.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for signing this petition and supporting our effort to seek justice.
The Family of Rodger Lee Watkins