Ron's Lawyers to File Amended Brady Motion Friday, February 21

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This is an announcement sent out around an important new legal challenge to Ron's wrongful conviction: 

On Friday, February 21, lawyers for Ronald Kliner will submit an amended motion that could result in the overturn of his wrongful conviction for the 1988 Palatine murder of Dana Rinaldi, raising the possibility that Ron will get his first taste of freedom after 27 years of incarceration.

The amended motion provides additional information and evidence that further demonstrate Brady violations by the prosecution, who at the time of Ron's trial, withheld information that would have raised serious doubts in jurors' minds concerning the character and truthfulness of their key witness, former Chicago Police Department officer John F. Apel. This information includes the fact that at the time of the trial, Apel was under investigation by CPD Internal Affairs and was being sued for embezzling an elderly woman's estate. Had this information been available to the defense to present in court, it's very likely that Ron would never have been convicted.

The importance of Apel to the prosecution was directly related to the weakness of the their case. There was no physical evidence tying Ron to the crime. In fact, later DNA tests consistently excluded Ron from the crime scene. A witness who saw one of the suspects failed to identify Ron in court. The closest to a first-hand account tying Ron to the crime came from the the victim's husband, the very same man who had his wife killed for insurance money, took a plea deal and turned state's evidence to escape the death penalty, and who's testimony was so unreliable that even the trial judge remarked that “exceptionally arduous to ascertain when defendant was truthful and when he was not.”

The remaining tool in the prosecution's case was testimony from three individuals with grudges against Ron, each of whom claimed that Ron blurted out his guilt to them. Apel was one of those three witnesses.

With a case that boiled down to he-said/she said testimony from individuals with questionable motives, the fact that Apel held the status of Chicago police officer would likely have given his words more credibility to the jurors. In this light, the question is begged - did the prosecution's withholding of critical information make the difference between between conviction and acquittal. This Friday, Ron's lawyers intend to argue that point.

Court Information:
When:
Friday, February 21, 2020
9:30 AM

Where:
Judge Marc W. Martin
Third Municipal District Courthouse
2121 Euclid Avenue
Room 110*
Rolling Meadows , IL 60008

*Rooms sometimes change so also check the assigned rooms at the courthouse

For more information please contact Ron's attorney:

Tara Thompson
Exoneration Project
Loevy & Loevy
(312) 243-5900

You can also get more information on Ronald Kliner's case at:
Free Ronald Kliner

Sincerely,
Virus X
Friends of Ronald Kliner