Reverse Spin, Spinning out of control?

Edgar Co. – ECWd’s

From the Investigating Innocence Organization comes an interesting twist that should not surprise anyone in Edgar County. 

Conflict of interest!

Yes, that common phrase that permeates our public offices in this county has raised its ugly head again and this time it could have huge ramifications on a man’s future.

Below is the press release information we just received.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Chicago, IL.  Investigating Innocence will be holding a press conference after it delivers a letter on Friday morning to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan calling for the removal of the office of the Illinois State Appellate Prosecutor from the Paris, IL Rhoads homicide case.  

TIME/DATE:   Friday Nov. 15, 2013, at 10:30 a.m.

 Location: James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 

The office of the Illinois State Appellate Prosecutors (ILSAP) still retains prosecutorial control over the Rhoads homicide case, and have been one of the purveyors of injustice in this case.  After Randy Steidl filed a federal civil lawsuit it was ILSAP attorneys who directed agents of the Illinois State Police (an agency sued by Steidl) to interview cellmates who bunked with Steidl in an effort to recruit jailhouse snitches who might testify about a jailhouse confession.  Ironically, this use of unreliable witnesses was cited by the Governor’s Commission on Capital Punishment as one of the causes of why death row inmates, like Randy Steidl, were falsely convicted.  ILSAP also is the agency who appeared before the Prisoner Review Board to oppose pardons for both Steidl and Whitlock. 

ILSAP has a glaring conflict of interest in that it hired  Dan Curry, owner of Reverse Spin in Wheaton, IL, at the same time that Curry was being paid a monthly retainer to represent the wealthy Paris business man to do damage control from the 48 Hours story that re-aired in 2008.  Curry worked to persuade 48 Hours not to publicly identify his client in the story that it re-aired in 2008.  The episode featured former ISP Lt. Michale Callahan’s, who declared Steidl and Whitlock were innocent, and how he had been prevented from investigating a wealthy Paris business man because the case was Too Politically Sensitive.

On July 23, 2013, Investigating Innocence filed an affidavit with the Illinois Prisoner Review Board with new evidence identifying Tommy Lynn Sells as the person who may have been checked into the Hotel France in Paris at 1 a.m. under the alias “Richard Smith” hours before Dyke and Karen Rhoads were murdered.

Dan Curry and Reverse Spin have recently launched a website What Really Happened in Paris, IL attacking the evidence presented in the affidavit that was filed with Gov. Quinn.  Investigating Innocence will be delivering a letter to Attorney General Lisa Madigan calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to further investigate this new evidence.

For more information contact Bill Clutter (217)899-4353

Kelly A. Thompson

Executive Director

Investigating Innocence

1032 S. 2nd Street

Springfield, IL 62704

www.InvestigatingInnocence.org