To: Greg Abbott, Texas Attorney General, Patricia Lykos, Harris County District Attorney, Rodney Ellis, Senator, and John Whitmire, Senator
Justice for Jerome
We demand a full investigation into the legal ethics & practices of Texas attorney James Leitner and for Jerome's case file to be located and turned over to him! We ask that Harris County District Attorney, Patricia Lykos, investigate all of James Leitner's cases from 2003-2007!
Why is this important?
Family and friends of Jerome DeVon Wilson, (THE ICEBERG MOVEMENT), are gathering signatures on this petition structured to request that his matter, Harris County cause #925,625, be looked into. The public has an interest in this case in that it involves a public official, and society at large should put the 'big eye' on Harris County's criminal justice system yet again to prevent it from continuing to be the conviction mill that boasts the record for the most state prisons (over 100), and the most wrongfully convicted people released to date, all in the same breath.
On April 14, 2004, after his 2.5 day trial, and in the presence of his family, Jerome asked his attorney James Leitner TBA # 12187900 to forward his investigative work product from his case to him and Mr. Leitner agreed. In the week of June 8th 2005, Jerome returned to the Harris County Jail for a hearing on his appeal and he called Leitner to refresh his request and Leitner again agreed and said that he would have it to the jail w/in a week. Jerome stayed in the jail for (3) weeks and went back to prison on June 29, 2005. Finally on June 29, 2006 Jerome made his third request for the file and on August 1st 2006 Leitner claimed he had sent the file upon Jerome's 2005 request to him at the Harris County Jail. In short, after 3 requests to Leitner, finally the file conveniently vanished.
After 3 requests, logic won't allow us to contribute the disappearance of these vital records to coincidence. Further, in Leitner's 2006 response he told Jerome he would try to locate his previous private investigator James Jackson, and out of good faith Jerome allowed him the opportunity without grieving him because he offered a solution, yet one year later, Leitner had duped Jerome once again by having him stand by idly while time for grieving elapsed.
Leitner was Jerome's trial lawyer from January 24, 2003 until he was convicted on April 14, 2004 after a capital murder trial that had only began on April 12, 2004! Jerome had filed a grievance with the State Bar of Texas against Leitner assigned 18012036974 on November 11, 2003 for lying to him and negligence in handling his case.
We find it troubling that Leitner hasn't tried to right his wrong. As in Weiss vs. Commission For Lawyer discipline 981 S.W.2d 8 "… attorney, in handling of client's case, knowingly failed to surrender papers to which client was entitled and that his failure prejudiced client." Leitner's actions are an obstruction to the administration of justice.
In September of 2006 Mr. Mack Dykes contacted the Harris County Jail as well as Leitner and then made a sworn affidavit pertaining to this matter. It became clear to Jerome upon receipt of the affidavit that professional misconduct had taken place. Leitner had attempted to send Mr. Dykes on a wild goose chase by telling him to go to the 3rd floor of the courthouse to request Leitners work product from the case... while knowing that the critical information that is needed can only come from him or his P.I. Mr. Jackson - which is why he told Jerome in the 2006 missive "I will try to find him and find out if he has any old files that would have the results of his investigation on your case in them." in the first place.
Also,no competent attorney would send an entire capital murder file w/out return receipt and certification. It's both irresponsible and unprofessional - if it was an. accident. If the file disappeared on
purpose, then the action rises to an ethical question. The fact of the matter is that legal mail at the jail has to be opened by the offender and is logged in like every other correctional facility in the country. Not only that but had the mail been deemed undeliverable... it would've been "RTS” RETURN TO SENDER. To suggest that the mail room would've allowed the package to sit w/out returning it is irrational.
In August 2007 Jerome sent Mr. Leitner a copy of the letter he'd sent in 2006 when Leitner responded with the letter saying he would look for Mr. Jackson. Leitner's response was that "nothing has changed.” He should've been able to at least tell Jerome the status of Mr. Jackson... Mr. Jackson doesn't have it: Mr. Jackson has passed... some type of info. It doesn't add up that while Leitner was representing Jerome he told him that him and Jackson had worked together for many years, starting in the District Attorney's office, and were so close that Mr. Jackson was in fact, his children's godfather. All of a sudden in 2006 he says Jackson"has long since retired" and he had to try to find him. Jerome had just went to trial in mid-2004 so he couldn't have retired so long ago (at that 'time) that he was beyond being located.
During this time, unbeknownst to Jerome, Leitner was planning to run for Harris County District Attorney. Although he lost his bid, he ended up being the head Assistant District Attorney to Patricia Lykos. Jerome, being housed in a prison in Amarillo,Texas with a capital life sentence, didn't find this out until 2011. Family and friends (THE ICEBERG MOVEMENT) sent 8 letters fashioned like this petition to the District Attorney's office, as well as Jerome himself, which was received by certified mail w/ return receipt on April 09, 2012, yet as sure as it is election year , no one from that office responded to any of the missives.
We find it alarming that an attorney capable of withholding exculpatory evidence as defense counsel, could hold such a high position in the District Attorney's office without undermining the confidence of the public. If he was unethical at worse: incompetent at best, with Jerome's capital murder file, what standards could he meet as a prosecutor over 1000's of defendant's favorable evidence?
Further adding to the peculiarity of the file disappearing is the fact that Leitner, knowing what the contents of the file were, never took it upon himself to offer an affidavit stating that he was a witness to the things in the file that Jerome needed to bring to...
On April 14, 2004, after his 2.5 day trial, and in the presence of his family, Jerome asked his attorney James Leitner TBA # 12187900 to forward his investigative work product from his case to him and Mr. Leitner agreed. In the week of June 8th 2005, Jerome returned to the Harris County Jail for a hearing on his appeal and he called Leitner to refresh his request and Leitner again agreed and said that he would have it to the jail w/in a week. Jerome stayed in the jail for (3) weeks and went back to prison on June 29, 2005. Finally on June 29, 2006 Jerome made his third request for the file and on August 1st 2006 Leitner claimed he had sent the file upon Jerome's 2005 request to him at the Harris County Jail. In short, after 3 requests to Leitner, finally the file conveniently vanished.
After 3 requests, logic won't allow us to contribute the disappearance of these vital records to coincidence. Further, in Leitner's 2006 response he told Jerome he would try to locate his previous private investigator James Jackson, and out of good faith Jerome allowed him the opportunity without grieving him because he offered a solution, yet one year later, Leitner had duped Jerome once again by having him stand by idly while time for grieving elapsed.
Leitner was Jerome's trial lawyer from January 24, 2003 until he was convicted on April 14, 2004 after a capital murder trial that had only began on April 12, 2004! Jerome had filed a grievance with the State Bar of Texas against Leitner assigned 18012036974 on November 11, 2003 for lying to him and negligence in handling his case.
We find it troubling that Leitner hasn't tried to right his wrong. As in Weiss vs. Commission For Lawyer discipline 981 S.W.2d 8 "… attorney, in handling of client's case, knowingly failed to surrender papers to which client was entitled and that his failure prejudiced client." Leitner's actions are an obstruction to the administration of justice.
In September of 2006 Mr. Mack Dykes contacted the Harris County Jail as well as Leitner and then made a sworn affidavit pertaining to this matter. It became clear to Jerome upon receipt of the affidavit that professional misconduct had taken place. Leitner had attempted to send Mr. Dykes on a wild goose chase by telling him to go to the 3rd floor of the courthouse to request Leitners work product from the case... while knowing that the critical information that is needed can only come from him or his P.I. Mr. Jackson - which is why he told Jerome in the 2006 missive "I will try to find him and find out if he has any old files that would have the results of his investigation on your case in them." in the first place.
Also,no competent attorney would send an entire capital murder file w/out return receipt and certification. It's both irresponsible and unprofessional - if it was an. accident. If the file disappeared on
purpose, then the action rises to an ethical question. The fact of the matter is that legal mail at the jail has to be opened by the offender and is logged in like every other correctional facility in the country. Not only that but had the mail been deemed undeliverable... it would've been "RTS” RETURN TO SENDER. To suggest that the mail room would've allowed the package to sit w/out returning it is irrational.
In August 2007 Jerome sent Mr. Leitner a copy of the letter he'd sent in 2006 when Leitner responded with the letter saying he would look for Mr. Jackson. Leitner's response was that "nothing has changed.” He should've been able to at least tell Jerome the status of Mr. Jackson... Mr. Jackson doesn't have it: Mr. Jackson has passed... some type of info. It doesn't add up that while Leitner was representing Jerome he told him that him and Jackson had worked together for many years, starting in the District Attorney's office, and were so close that Mr. Jackson was in fact, his children's godfather. All of a sudden in 2006 he says Jackson"has long since retired" and he had to try to find him. Jerome had just went to trial in mid-2004 so he couldn't have retired so long ago (at that 'time) that he was beyond being located.
During this time, unbeknownst to Jerome, Leitner was planning to run for Harris County District Attorney. Although he lost his bid, he ended up being the head Assistant District Attorney to Patricia Lykos. Jerome, being housed in a prison in Amarillo,Texas with a capital life sentence, didn't find this out until 2011. Family and friends (THE ICEBERG MOVEMENT) sent 8 letters fashioned like this petition to the District Attorney's office, as well as Jerome himself, which was received by certified mail w/ return receipt on April 09, 2012, yet as sure as it is election year , no one from that office responded to any of the missives.
We find it alarming that an attorney capable of withholding exculpatory evidence as defense counsel, could hold such a high position in the District Attorney's office without undermining the confidence of the public. If he was unethical at worse: incompetent at best, with Jerome's capital murder file, what standards could he meet as a prosecutor over 1000's of defendant's favorable evidence?
Further adding to the peculiarity of the file disappearing is the fact that Leitner, knowing what the contents of the file were, never took it upon himself to offer an affidavit stating that he was a witness to the things in the file that Jerome needed to bring to...