CONTRADICTION OF TERMS by Paul Colella

[Sabine]

CONTRADICTION OF TERMS

I AM NOT INNOCENT!!
If we are to believe the holy bible, then none of us are truly innocent and if that is the case, who among us is worthy to cast the first stone?
Who indeed?

We often hear 3 words that automatically harden our hearts. 3 words that through the years have made us, as a society, become so infuriated that we no long hear them, even if they are spoken true. These 3 words ? I am innocent!

Once those words are spoken, we instantly become skeptical and callous, viewing everything around them with hostility and bias. What happens though when they are spoken true by a person who truly is not guilty of that which they are accused of? Where will they find justice in a society who no longer hears "I am innocent"? A society that shuts down at the first sound of those 3 words. What happens when that person is wrongly convicted? Once he is convicted, even the few who were objective, lose their objectivity because of the conviction.

Since 1973 more than 100 people have been released from Death Row across the USA. 760+ have been executed. How many of those were not guilty?
That's just Death Row cases, 100's have been released from prison and jails.

I AM NOT INNOCENT! However, I am not guilty of the crime I was convicted of and sentenced to death for.

My name is Paul Colella. I'm 33 years old. I was sentenced to death for allegedly killing two men who were involved in gang raping my wife. A wife I just married 11 days earlier. Her rape automatically made me a suspect. The fact that I had a gun made it look worse. But what clenched my fate? When I saw her bruised, scraped and crying hysterically, I stated I wanted to kill the SOBs that raped her.

Yet there was another man present whose motive was stronger than mine. Anthony "Red" Wilson had been trying to get my wife to go away with him for weeks before this night and ALL the evidence in this case except what I mentioned points to him. In fact Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge Charles Baird said, "The evidence is this case suggest that Red, not appellant, committed the murders."

Baird went on to say "Judge Learned Hand once wrote 'Our Procedure has always been haunted by the ghost of an innocent man convicted. It is an unreal dream."
Baird continues on to say: "I fear, in the instant case, that unreal dream is a reality."

This from a judge who viewed the record in its purest form before a team of state prosecutors could "muddy the waters" with more and more legal jargon and excuses to cover prosecutorial misconduct at trial level, which there was a lot of.

At trial, I was appointed an attorney who had NO capital litigation experience and the courts wouldn't appoint co-counsel or provided funds for experts and investigation. There was NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AT ALL and what is more revealing than anything else is the fact that I have a solid unbiased alibi, which the prosecution now tries to say no time of death was established, yet it clearly states on both the inquest and death certificates 6.00 am. A time they tried to change and still try to change.
When I told my attorney of the alibi, he looked at me with cold deadeyes, no compassion, no sensitivity and no objectivity. He said "I'll look into it." 1 month goes by, then 2, then 3 and finally I ask "Why haven't you looked into this?" "Oh, I will". At this time I had 2 weeks until trial. Finally my mother spent her own money and tracked down the woman. The lady testified at my trial and the state changed the whole TIME AND DATE. The whole time and date. Totally confusing the jury, the judge and my attorney. Then later on appeal they said it was a honest mistake.

The attorney I had for trial was so incompetent, that another man that he represented, spent 5 years in prison for the rape of a child, all along claiming his innocence. He was in fact in prison when the child was raped. A fact he told his attorney over and over, yet the attorney never investigated the alibi, just like in my case.

My case? Witness Anthony Wilson says the men were shot while inside a pick up truck. Yet there's no blood or body tissue or bullets inside the truck. Pathologist said the amount of damage indicates there should have been. Anthony Wilson says both were shot from different angles, one from the back of the truck, one from the side. Evidence shows both were shot from the passenger side or their left side. Anthony Wilson was seen burying a gun. Anthony Wilson buys a new car two days later, Anthony Wilson tire tracks were at the crime scene, Anthony Wilson gives bullet to police, Anthony Wilson admits to trying to get my wife and Anthony Wilson says Paul did it.

Justice? No, there is no justice for one who says I am innocent. Those 3 words are the surest and fastest way to prison. Though I am not guilty of the crime, please help me because "I AM NOT INNOCENT!!"

By Paul Colella
More details at http://www.deathrow.at/paul

[Shortie]

why does the system let medness like this go one. this is just crazy and makes no sense.. i really have a hard time dealing with the coruption in the system and they wonder why criminals are so good at being bad, look at who society has to learn from the best criminals in the world, politicians, judges and lawyers.

[Sandy]

Sabine..Paul's story falls along the same lines as my friend Anthony's. I really can't believe what Texas calls a justice system. Hopefully one day they'll wake up and realize that there are innocent men being put to death.

[SSK]

im scared of the thought i have now: im thinking, there's no use to help Paul, they wont listen anyway. i push that thought away, i refuse to think like that, i just cant. Its like the never ending story...knowing that it will end some day. and i just hope and pray it will be a good ending. ppl...what can we do???

[Joy]

I'm with you Mara. Some times I get discouraged and wonder why keep on trying. The more we protest, the more Texas kills. It's like they just arn't listening.

How do you get them to listen?

[Sabine]

I know the feeling that there is nothing we can do, but this feeling is wrong. We only have to do something, go to the public, if it is to go to virgils or to send out letters to media. The only thing that helps this unjustice is to sit down and say "There is nothing I can do - I let others do something". If it is Paul's case or the case of Anthony Graves - both are worth to be told to everybody who listens.

Yours

Sabine

[Budwoman]

SABINE:

HOW IS THE PAUL MAN? HAVE NOT HEARD FROM HIM IN AWHILE..... HOPE THINGS ARE BETTER AT POLUNSKI..... TELL HIM I AM STILL PRAYING FOR HIS AND THE OTHERS..

MY LOVE
DONNA