Joseph Parton has been in jail fighting for his life after being accused of the most horrible crime. Despite the fact that the alleged victim drastically changed her story no less than four times and was witnessed being fed answers in court, Judge Hammond refused to drop the case. Forensic experts tore through the home for evidence and DNA but found everything clean. Two rape kits that tested normal, multiple eye witnesses, and an alibi further point to his innocence. He was taking care of his sick mother when he was taken, and she has been in poor health waiting for him to come home. Despite the evidence in his favor and lack of evidence against him, prosecutors are determined to take him away from his family forever, and all efforts to bring the evidence before a judge have been refused until now. Please sign to set Joseph free so he can be with his family. His sentencing is on July 19 and goes before Judge Kirkpatrick. We need Joseph to get a suspended sentence or go free so he can return safe to his family.

On March 2020, Aurora’s brother Wolfe briefly went missing outside of the home. After he was found, the police questioned both children. There was no evidence to suspect the children had come under any harm, and Aurora repeatedly stated that she “felt safe at home.” The police reported that they had no reason to believe anything was wrong. Records show that Oklahoma DHS filed charges for rape against their father, Joseph Parton at this time, despite having no evidence or reason for suspicion. Two weeks later, the children were interrogated a second time, in spite of the fact that they had already been questioned. Interrogators are skilled with getting answers they want from adults with carefully bated questions, and most adults don’t withstand interrogation for long, let alone children. While Wolfe’s account stayed the same, teenage Aurora began telling a story about how, throughout the years, she had been raped by her father. Her new story suspiciously matched the charges DHS had filed two weeks prior. Later, the interrogators questioned Wolfe a third time, but not Aurora. His account still hadn’t changed.

The children were removed from the home. Joseph’s wife, who has confessed to multiple affairs, left him almost immediately into the arms of a conveniently waiting suitor. Joseph was devastated having lost his family, and he attempted suicide, but fortunately, the gun did not fire. He began taking care of his sick mother who had to be bedridden. Judge Hammond issued a warrant without probable cause, which is illegal. Joseph was arrested on May 24. His bail was priced illegally high, at over $800,000. The maximum allowed bail per charge is $15,000 and, at the time, Joseph had seven alleged charges. In Oklahoma County Jail, prisoners are barely given enough food to survive, their living conditions are infested with bedbugs and roaches, there is no way to see outside, and they are almost never allowed to leave their cell, which is smaller than an average-sized child’s bedroom and can house as many as three inmates. Joseph lost his hair, his skin began to turn yellow, and his ribs began to stick out from malnutrition. Despite his dire living conditions, he spent his time encouraging others, teaching younger inmates, and leading a prayer group. He never complained to his family about his living conditions and he frequently called to keep their spirits up. At the time, I was struggling with an increasingly abusive marriage and was facing the terrifying choice of divorce or suicide, a choice I agonized over a long time. Joseph was the one who convicted me that my life was worth saving and has been a constant empathetic support as I struggle with PTSD from prolonged severe emotional abuse.

In court, Aurora kept changing her testimony. She had long had a reputation for lying to get others in trouble. She claimed she wasn’t being fed despite doctors claiming she had no signs of malnourishment, Joseph had taught her how to cook, and there was plenty of food in the home. She also claimed she was raped in the kitchen while her brother cleaned the dishes. Wolfe’s testimony and DNA evidence deny this claim. She also got details wrong about the homes they had lived in in the past, such as talking about a bedroom in a studio apartment that didn’t have a bedroom. While giving her testimony, the DA lead Aurora with yes or no questions: “Was it this way?” or “Did it happen like this?” Her mother’s family was witnessed in the back of the courtroom maintaining eye contact with her and nodding or shaking their head depending on the question. When they were called out, the questions had to change to more open-ended questions. After this, Aurora’s testimony changed completely once again, contradicting herself numerous times. When confronted with the new testimony, Judge Hammond told the prosecution to amend the charges again. Rather than dismiss the case for what was clearly a false testimony, the judge decided instead to change the charges based on the new story. This happened several times, and Joseph rarely knew how many or what charges were against him because they would change so frequently. Unfortunately, the children's’ mother chose not to fight for their custody, despite having a job, adequate home, and supportive family.

Further evidence against Aurora’s claims are that Joseph had always kept his home open to anyone who needed a place to stay, most of whom stayed for months or years. At different times, they housed multiple friends, Joseph’s wife’s brother, Joseph’s brother, father, and mother. There was almost never a period of time where only the four family members lived in the home, and all people who stayed in the home and are still living claim they suspected no abuse of any kind.

When I was Aurora’s age, I had two different friends fabricate rape stories. They were soon found to be made up for attention, as confessed by the friends. These cases never made it before a judge. The difference is that responsible adults took charge of the situation to find out the truth through careful discernment of the situation. That didn’t happen with Aurora’s story. Rather, it seems as if her story was used as a convenience to get a bigger paycheck or get out of an unwanted marriage and family obligations. She was never encouraged to tell the truth but was rewarded with lots of positive attention for the lies. Positive attention is incredibly important for a young teenage girl. As someone who studied child psychology in college and has become very familiar with the psychological and physiological effects of abuse, especially prolonged abuse, Aurora seems to show no signs of abuse, whether physical or emotional. She speaks as one who is glad to have a captive audience, not as one who struggles as she remembers horrific events. Even if she wanted to tell the truth, she is probably too terrified that she will get in a lot of trouble, so she continues to tangle a web of lies. While the truth is clear to many, and her testimony is the only evidence they have against Joseph in this case, he remains locked up. Joseph is in danger of being locked up the rest of his life despite the overwhelming evidence in his favor because of the testimony of a confused girl that has been manipulated.

The Parton family has suffered greatly as a result of these charges against Joseph. His mother remains in poor health as no one has the time or money to care for her. His father passed away in February 2021 in grief that he lost his son and grandchildren. Joseph was not allowed to attend his father’s memorial. One family member received a threat from Joseph’s now ex-wife’s family. A threat for a crime that never happened against a child she willingly gave up. All attempts to present the evidence of Joseph’s innocence have been tossed aside. Judges and lawyers refuse to listen, and a jury trial would prove to be impartial, as Joseph’s ex-wife counts as a witness and, though she has no reason to suspect him of this crime, as she has stated in her testimonies, she is determined to sabotage his freedom. Meanwhile, Wolfe never consented to being taken from his family and placed in a foster home, but his testimony was ignored in favor of his more dramatic sister.

Joseph is also in danger of being put on the sex offender list, which many lawmakers complain is overpopulated. It was made to protect and warn families of dangerous criminals, but many say it has become over saturated with people who aren’t dangerous, making it more difficult to discern what is safe. People registered as sex offenders have no right to privacy, are subject to badgering and shame, and the stigma stays with them the rest of their life, whether they are guilty of the crime or not. It drastically affects where and how they are allowed to live and prevents them from enjoying the benefits of our constitutional freedom. It would also legally separate Joseph from most of the family members who want to see him home. I could lose my children for the crime of associating with the person who saved my life.

We don’t want revenge against DHS, Judge Hammond, or Joseph’s ex-wife or any of her family, and certainly not Aurora. We don’t seek vengeance, we just need Joseph to come home. We ask for Judge Kirkpatrick to seek the truth and consider the pain the family has endured. This country was built by people who believed in freedom, hope, and justice. “Better to let a hundred guilty men go free than to let one innocent person suffer.” Now our freedom has been turned on its head, and the testimony of one person is ruled in favor while the testimony of four is tossed aside. Not in the name of freedom or justice or human rights. In the name of convenience? In the name of drama? Whichever it is, we feel our constitutional rights as American citizens has been ignored. We plea for the exoneration and the release to freedom for our brother, son, family, and friend Joseph Parton.