PIERCE Anthony

NOM : PIERCE

PRÉNOM : Anthony

NATIONALITÉ : Américaine

DATE D'ARRESTATION: 4 août 1977

DATE D'INCARCERATION: août 1977, âgé de 18 ans (né le 20/07/1959)


L'AFFAIRE :
Anthony Pierce a été accusé d’homicide. Il n’a cessé de clamer son innocence. Lors de son premier procès (il y en a eu 3), les témoignages d’experts en balistique, montrant qu’il n’avait pas tiré avec une arme à feu, l’absence de ses empreintes digitales, éléments démontrant tous son innocence, n’ont pas été pris en compte par le premier juge qui s’est occupé de l’affaire. Anthony estime que ses possibilités et droits à une défense loyale n’ont pas été respectés. Comme de nombreux condamnés, il est pauvre et d’origine afro-américaine.

SITUATION ACTUELLE :
Un premier appel a été rejeté en 1990. Actuellement, son dossier est étudié par la Cour d’Etat ; ses avocats, commis par l’Etat, font valoir qu’il s’agit d’un cas protégé par la « réclamation d’Atkins » (« Atkins claims ») : en 2002, la Cour Suprême des USA a prohibé l’exécution des personnes mentalement retardées, tout en laissant aux états le choix d’appliquer cette décision.

Mais le 19 avril 2010, une cour d'appel fédérale a cependant demandé un nouveau procès. Pour plus d'informations, vous pouvez consulter cet article en anglais:

Longtime Texas death row inmate wins appeal

A federal appeals court Monday ordered a new sentencing trial for one of the longest-serving inmates on Texas death row.

The ruling by 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans leaves intact the capital murder conviction for 50-year-old Anthony Leroy Pierce but orders a new punishment trial. Pierce has been on Texas' death row for 32 years. Only 3 prisoners have been there longer.

Pierce has been tried 3 times for the Aug. 4, 1977, robbery and murder of Fred Johnson, a 40-year-old Houston fried chicken restaurant manager. Pierce's first 2 capital murder convictions were overturned on appeal.

The appeals court declined to consider Pierce's claims of ineffective trial counsel and mental retardation making him ineligible for execution.

In a 7-page dissent, however, Circuit Judge James L. Dennis said he would have ordered an evidentiary hearing on Pierce's retardation claim.

In ordering a new sentencing trial, the 3-judge federal panel said the Harris County jury in Pierce's third trial in 1986 was kept from considering mitigating evidence as required by law. Such evidence could have persuaded jurors he didn't deserve a death sentence.

A message left with a spokeswoman for the Harris County district attorney's office was not returned Monday night. Paul Mansur, 1 of Pierce's attorneys, said he had not finished reviewing the ruling the declined to comment Monday night.

An employee at the fast-food restaurant testified she recognized Pierce as the gunman. A 12-year-old boy walking by the restaurant testified Pierce was the gunman he saw inside the place and then running away. The robbery netted about $80.

A Texas Department of Criminal Justice summary of his case indicates that after the shooting, Pierce went to a bar and stabbed a man and that he was arrested in front of his apartment a few hours later while bragging about the attacks to friends.

The conviction from Pierce's 1st trial was thrown out by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals because of a jury selection problem. A similar jury problem got his 2nd trial result tossed on appeal. He was tried a 3rd time in 1986.

Besides his capital murder conviction, Pierce has been convicted of manslaughter for fatally stabbing a fellow death row inmate in August 1979. According to prison records, the victim in that killing was Edward King, 37, who had been condemned for the slaying of a Dallas police officer.

Source: Associated Press



MOBILISATION ACTUELLE ET SOUTIEN :
Un fonds de défense a été créé pour venir en aide à Anthony Pierce ; voici le message qu'il a adressé à ce sujet:

Greetings to You all,

My name is Yatombi Ikei, born Anthony Pierce on July 20,1959 in Houston, Harris County, Texas and presently reside on death row and have been since 1978.

Shortly after my 18th birthday, I was picked up to the robbery/murder of a fast food restaurant manager for which I plead not guilty to and believe that a close examination of the facts in this case would thus support me.

Without making a long drawn out pitch, I need the type of legal aid that will truly represent my interest and pursue my much deserve freedom. Unfortunately, the type of legal aid I’m speaking of will cost and therefore I am appealing to your humanity to donate whatever you can towards this endeavour or whatever you deem necessary. I also invite you to visit the enclose site and read up on the case yourself and see if its worth your paying attention to and thus supporting within your means – I be most grateful because like two prominent figures of our times once stated that “there is nothing more sadly conceived than injustice”; and “injustice anywhere treatens justice everywhere….”. dixit Charles Dickens and Dr. Martin Luher King 1 – this rings true to this day.

I thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Yatombi Ikei

You can read my case on :
http://www.iippi.org/inmates/texas/anthonypierce.html


A defense fund has been open with the help of
- Caroline BALSIGER

- Annyck GUILLARD


N° of the account :
CENTEA BANK
Nossegem – Belgium
860-1020952-09
I-BAN : BE52 8601 0209 5209
BIC : SPAABE22


The funds are foreseen to pay a civil firm to help me to prove my innocence.




I realize that with the holidays approaching, many of you may not have the time or resources to invest in someone’s personal plight. Nevertheless, please allow me to tell you exactly what you will be purchasing, for whose cause before making up your mind.


For a quick history note : Namibia was once a colony of Great-Britain and later Germany. Today it is more of a colony of most of the Western Hemisphere, including the U.S. who continue to plunder Namibia of all of its natural resources such as : lead, copper, gold, diamonds and uranium. Though Namibia is considered as an Independent Nation, it is anything but independent. The country is now being preyed upon by economical vultures, who buy up some of Namibia’s debt then turn around and hit them with an 80 to 90 % interest rate that will keep them in debt and makes it impossible to become fully independent.

So I had written this Poetry Book to raise funds to fight my injustice at the hands of the U.S. judiciary, particularly Houston, Harris County, Texas, as well as to help some children in Namibia, via little Laimy, to progress in a true Independent nation.

Now the book itself has little stories of my adolescent years as to give the reader an idea of myself. However, sometimes I am using a language that some may find offensive, but – believe me, no offense was intended. If nevertheless you would feel totally disappointed, please remember that by buying this book you have served two worthy causes.

Thank you all and have a wonderful holiday season.

Respectfully Yours,
Yatombi Ikei

How to buy the book:
Order the book with an e-mail to info@alive-gegen-todesstrafe.de
Please write your full address, the title of the book and how many copies you like to get. Then pay the bill of 11 € to the following account.
ALIVE e.V.
Deutsche Bank 24 Bocholt
IBAN: DE44 4287 0024 0310 0088 00
BIC DEUTDEDB428



Pour lui écrire directement :
Anthony PIERCE
#000587
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, Texas 77351
USA

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