By: Diane Benjamin
When a former State Attorney, Charles Reynard, prosecuted two cases that have been overturned – one being the BEAMAN case – why not look at another one of his convictions?
I’ve had email exchanges for quite a while with a supporter of Jamie Snow who was convicted of murder in 2000 in a “cold case” from 1991.
The case is very complicated, but now The Exoneration Project wants answers.
Read this post for claims made in Snow’s defense: http://www.groundreport.com/jason-chambers-posts-misinformation-on-facebook-to-defend-his-opposition-to-dna-testing-in-jamie-snow-case/
The only thing being asked for is DNA testing – at THEIR expense.
They are accusing the current States Attorney – Jason Chambers – of blocking their efforts. He even took to Facebook to defend not allowing tests.
This is a link to the petition, now with more than 19,000 signatures: https://www.change.org/p/mclean-county-state-s-attorney-jason-chambers-allow-dna-testing-that-could-prove-innocence
It is my understanding that Snow was convicted based on eye-witness testimony – none of which saw him commit the crime. I don’t know all the facts of the case, but a supporter told me one recanted and another picked different guys out of line-ups when the crime happened.
Since the only thing being asked for is DNA testing, and NOT at the County’s expense, why not allow it Jason?
I hear fingerprints were found at the scene and never run through the FBI database.
The Beaman case was a huge miscarriage of justice. Why not make sure Snow isn’t Beaman 2.0?
There are now too many heavy-hitters involved to not allow testing. Maybe it will show nothing, maybe it will point to Snow or somebody else. Truth matters. After the Beaman fiasco, everybody deserves to know the truth.
Since it will cost the County ZERO, why not Jason?
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You can be assured if they think you committed a crime they would go all out expense wise to convict you by providing an endless number of test results. When the shoe is on the other foot to test for your innocence you can forget it. Not only that this guy is the gate keeper. There is something seriously wrong with this picture.
I suspect the reason not to test is the possibility of opening a flood gate of cases to allow the same privilege. I could not imagine what it would cost the States Attorney’s to defend their side of a conviction again.
I remember seeing Chambers name on the primary ballot. He didn’t get any vote from me that is for sure. I wasn’t the only one according to the vote results. That should tell you something.
Didn’t even look at that. Am I right that only 83.89% of those voting in the Republican primary actually checked his name? I’m not very good at math. http://webapp.mcleancountyil.gov/webapps/CountyClerk/eresults/results-1.htm
That means almost 3000 people voting in the Republican primary made a conscience effort to skip his name? Man, an independent needs to run against him. I HATE that he’s running unopposed.
No matter the complexity of the case, the bottom line is that Jason Chambers is willing to spend tax payer dollars FIGHTING testing, when he could just agree to it and let someone else pay for it. According to his Facebook posts, he’s just trying to justify why he won’t test it, but it’s BS. He says it won’t prove anything, etc. How does he even know that? Unless there is something more we don’t know about here. There’s no reason not to test it. And why is he responding on Facebook anyway? Jeez.
Wasn’t the Highly respected Jeff Pelo the first officer on the scene? Wonder IF they’ll get him out of the “pokey” to testify? This is NOT Reynards ONLY mess up.
Yep. When Pelo testified he had been named “Officer of the Year” in 2000. And he wasn’t the only one who went to prison after this case was “closed.” Jamie’s appointed attorney went to prison for bilking an elderly woman of her life savings. Here’s a video of some of the evidence we’ve discovered in FOIA (although there is more now). But Chambers continues to ignore it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNDF-66V74o It’s insane. Chambers doesn’t tell everyone this stuff. He keeps saying that there is not enough “new evidence.”
Lets get a write-in for States Attorney. Jason, quit protecting possible screw-ups by Reynard and the BPD. This test won’t cost the taxpayers. Maybe Jason is afraid Snow js innocent and will sue Mclean Country and win.
Yes!! I thought about advocating with supporters for writing in Snow, McNeil or Whalen as a statement. But we would get behind a REAL candidate. He needs competition!
reynard is/was such a fraud