100 signatures reached
To: Gavin Newsom
FREE Sean O'Brien
Commute the sentence of Sean O'Brien, wrongfully convicted in El Dorado County California adult court at age 16 and sentenced to Life without the possibility of parole for a crime with which he had no involvement. Please bring him home immediately to the safety of his family and to begin to live the life he deserves.
Why is this important?
Sean has spent 18 long years in prison; that's over half his life! He was taken from his family at age 16, sentenced to life in prison, and forced to grow up behind bars. The state of California has no physical evidence against Sean, he was wrongfully convicted based solely on the testimony of so-called witnesses who were cooperating with the police and took a plea deal in order to avoid the death penalty. Sean was interrogated at age 16 without being read his Miranda rights and without an adult present on his behalf, but has always maintained his innocence. In 2015, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Sean's favor based on Ineffective Assistance of Counsel and granted him an Evidentiary Hearing. In January 2017, Sean proved his innocence in Federal Court at his Evidentiary Hearing; including the fact that the state's key witness lied under oath at Sean's trial.
The State of California does not dispute the evidence Sean has proving his innocence. Yet, he is still behind bars.
Sean is a hard working college student with a 4.0 GPA, two classes away from obtaining two Associates degrees. He made the 2018 Bakersfield College Dean's list and was accepted into Project Rebound at Sacramento State University so he can continue his education upon re-entry. He is actively involved in many positive programs and is Parliamentarian of the Men's Advisory Council. Sean is an Inside Organizer for Initiate Justice and he is an advocate with Anti-Recidivism Coalition. He tutors and mentors other inmates and was recommended for resentencing by California Department of Corrections in 2019. He has hundreds of letters of recommendation from officers, college professors, prison staff, advocacy groups, and family. He has remained disciplinary free for 17 years and he had no priors. Sean has worked hard to prove he is not only innocent, but deserves to life a life outside the prison walls. He has proven he does not deserve to be incarcerated, and his rightful freedom should be restored.
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How it will be delivered
We will mail it to Governor Newsom to include in his commutation packet and ask for his immediate release