
Together 4 Change
JusticeForTheWrongfullyConvicted


Justice for the Wrongfully Convicted, the Jarrod Brewer Project, is dedicated to raising awareness of wrongful convictions. Established by Jarrod Brewer, this initiative seeks to connect with advocates and the public to foster impactful change.

Mission/Vision is to raise awareness about wrongful convictions, inspiring individuals to advocate for justice and support of the innocent.
WELCOME
Through a variety of platforms including blog posts, essays, and Jarrod's personal biography, we share compelling evidence of innocence and stir discussions on the urgent need for justice reform.

The Jarrod Brewer Project
Salute to the world, I am Jarrod “Hotts” Brewer, you are tuned into my website justiceforwrongfullyconvicted.com and this website is related to unjust convictions. Contained within this website you will view pertinent information surrounding my innocence and how others and I were wrongfully convicted. I was framed by the Syracuse Police Department for the murder of my lifelong friend Zachary Webb. Once you view said documentation, you will bear witness on how Syracuse Police Department, Onondaga County District Attorney Office, and Personnel that were under the capacity of the Onondaga County Center for Forensic Sciences, work in conjunction to fabricate the Zachary Webb crime scene and manufactured the cause of death of Zachary Webb. Consequently, the wrongful conviction of I Jarrod Brewer.
My goals with your help are to expose the illegal practices and collusion that is embedded within the Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County District Attorney Office, “obtain personal vindication, and to receive my innocence”. Furthermore, Influence the initiation of A Conviction Integrity Unit within the Onondaga County District Attorney Office to investigate and expose/dispose of cases like mine. Moreover, In the meantime, in between time, I remain humble, steadfast and strong on this long walk to freedom. Just remember this, “it is not how you start the race it is how you finished it.”
Thank you for your true time,
Jarrod Hotts Brewer
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Jarrod Brewer Wrongful Conviction Story.
Greetings, I am Jarrod Brewer of Syracuse, New York. At 45 years old I have spent the last 25 years living a nightmare. Wrongly convicted of murder, my cries of innocence had fallen upon death ears for practically my entire adult life. Naturally, I grew tired of talking and instead I decided to show everyone what I have been saying all along.
A few years ago, I’d reached a pivotal point in my life. The bitterness stemming from my unjust circumstances and the relative misplacement of anger had peaked. Yet oddly enough I also began surrendering to my grim 25 years to life “prison reality”. Though my peers and (obviously), I had always known that I would’ve never killed my lifelong friend, Zachary Webb. I was fighting a corrupt army backed by an almost infinitely powerful and resourceful government. Furthermore, I had no money and very little outside support aside from my mother. Perhaps worse of all I was ignorant to the law.
It took a trip to the “box” (aka Segregated Housing Unit) determined once again to change my reality; I began using my indignation as a springboard opposed to a garrote. The universal mind/God had seemingly recognized the purity of my intentions and conspired with me to level the playing field. Thus, it is only through the will of the Almighty Creator that I was able to educate myself and accomplish what I have. It is Him that encouraged me to write this letter with juxtaposed evidence of my innocence for your inspection and (hopeful) sub-sequential media coverage. People need to hear this story to be disgusted. Because experience has taught me that’s the only time change is imminent.
Enclosed is a documented vicarious journey into what many consider to be the most extraordinary corrupt arrest and persecution of my generation (so far). What I am presenting is a case in which virtually every shred of the evidence was fabricated between a few collusive agencies all within Syracuse, NY. (ie.: from the crime scene, all medical and ballistic evidence, and eyewitnesses accounts etc.).
Fortunately for me, the entities began to wrangle with one another which consequently let to misconduct accusations, subsequent audits, and ultimately the uncovering of dirty works by formerly complicit parties. My case comes down to two allegedly found projectiles and the lies designed to substantiate them. The resulting butterfly effect is of the ages.
The presumption of innocence until proven guilty is a maximum of the law and legal standard that is clearly not given its proper consideration. More often than not the opposite is true and those of whom criminal cases are brought upon are condemned to a guilty verdict based on age, race, class, previous convictions, place of residence, looks, lack of education and a bunch of other exogenous variables that have absolutely nothing to do with the case at hand. This of course is before one shred of evidence is introduced.
It takes very little prompting to convince a bias jury – and let’s face it, most of them are. Which is why poor black men and women don’t stand a chance. We are very aware of the underlying racism and classism that saturates America. Often, we plea to cases that we are actually innocent of while reinforcing America’s faulty social constructs. Those of us who have the guts to fight for our truths pay for it dearly.
The climate is right for exonerations as progression in politics, public outcries, and technology – the latter has done a much better job of connecting us – has allowed us to prove our stories, giving us a platform to share our stories. So instead of us doing 30 years for a crime that we did not commit, some of us only have to do 18 years.
History (Jarrod Brewer) Note: This section attempts to explain the unsettling relationship between Jarrod Brewer and the Syracuse Police Department “SPD”. It provides the requisite landscape of the city’s corruptive practices, and the foundation of my perspective.
WHY ME?
Raised in the Kennedy Square Apartment complex since birth, I was a well-known individual in the City of Syracuse. My maternal grandparents migrated from Alabama in the early 1960’s, under the guise that this northern city would be a welcome escape from denigrating racism that permeated the Jim Crow south. Though it wouldn’t be long before they were proven wrong. My grandparents initially appreciated it euphuistic veneer. The two reverence of the city, however, had severely teetered by the time I was born (April 3rd, 1980).
With a seemingly endless supply of strength of wisdom, my mother raised me and my siblings to be independent and stand up for what we believed in. She also taught us the importance of values such as family, loyalty, and honor; the very qualities my brother and I shared with Zachary Webb – our lifelong friend. Closer to my brother’s age, Zach or BZ as we’d affectionately called him, had in fact been declared “family” by my older brother. It was through that approval that I forged my own bond with him. We would eventually go on countless missions together creating ropes of memorable moments. As I write this essay the irony of how our natural foes continued to desecrate our legend, under the façade of justice, does not escape me. Anyhow, around the same time I met Zach I had also befriended a brother by the name of Derrick Wilson. For a fair amount of our formative years, we were inseparable. As the youngest and the smallest out of the crew, I would soak up so much knowledge from these dudes, and then set out to impress them by applying that same knowledge. So naturally, as their celebrity grew so did mine. This didn’t fare well with the Syracuse Police Department who had for some unknown reason, grown to dislike Derrick. The downside of an all-out attack drew near starting with harassment.
At first the officers would see us riding our bikes around the neighborhood and would hit Derrick’s tire with their patrol car causing him to fall. Me and my friends would be incensed and begin hurling rocks at the car while one of my friends would help Derrick up. Enraged, they’d get out and throw us against the fence as we’d scream every malign epithet we could think of. A crowd would sometimes gather and they’d let us go. However, there were a lot of times when we weren’t so lucky. It got to the point where we’d have to get our parents to pick us up from the Youth Division 3 times a week, racking up years’ worth of “Juvie” time; a precursor to state bids. Things took a turn for the worse as we got older. It definitely didn’t help that we all were selling drugs as a way to provide for our respective households. It was clear from the outset that the price of easing our financial/economical burdens was excessively high. The Syracuse Police Department exploited our distrust of law enforcement and would bypass procedures in exchange for overwhelming physical approaches, illegal searches, set ups and the like, layered upon flagrant constitutional violations. For example, the SPD would “arrest” us, then drive us to remote locations; drag us out the car, beat us; then strip search us to see if we had drugs in our anus. Happy to had escaped jail – we’d endure these horrendous routines for years before deciding it may actually be safter to split up. I couldn’t abandon Mr. Wilson however. In September or October of 1998 my dear friend had enough and filed a lawsuit against the SPD for their misconduct. I was victim, and witness to the misconduct though I was forced to leave (he was eventually awarded monetary damages). One would think that after filing formal complaints on the SPD they’d back off. Instead, driven by corruption and vindictiveness, they up the ante – targeting us and anyone associated with us.
The extent of their retaliations seemed endless, hence, we hypothesized correctly that it would only be a matter of time before they either directly or indirectly had us killed or imprisoned for a very long time. That sort of reality would harden anyone and that “hardness” extended well into the duration of my time in the New York State Prison System. Unfortunately, I was incarcerated from April 1999 to April 2002. But they obviously had bigger plans for me, how clear hindsight is after 18 years.
PROSECUTIONS CASE/THEORY
Note: The following is a summary based on the prosecution’s theory and evidence introduced at trial:
1. At approximately 2:20 am on July 16th, 2002, outside of “Peep’s Bar” located at the corner of East Fayette St./Walnut Ave., Syracuse NY a man by the name of Zachary Webb was fatally gunned down after an argument over drug turf.
2. The shooting occurred before crowds of people, including two crack addicted prostitutes. 1 – 15-year-old Lizzie Johnson and; 2 – 32-year-old Charisse Spady.
3. Police arrived on the scene less than 5 minutes after hearing the shots, (a cruiser was 3 – 4 blocks away), police found Mr. Webb on the ground and called for additional units and medical assistance.
4. According to their investigation, detectives confirmed that Mr. Webb had been in the bar for hours before he stepped outside and was shot.
5. Initially no one in the bar observed anything, nor heard the shots.
6. When a frantic Mr. Webb stepped back into the bar saying that “he’d been shot” and “needed help” a few of the bar’s customers assumed Mr. Webb was drunk and speaking gibberish. It wasn’t until a patron noticed blood seeping through his shirt that people realized that he was serious.
7. Quickly, some of the bar’s attendees assisted Mr. Webb to his car.
8. Female attendees attempted to assist Mr. Webb into his vehicle, parked directly on the side of Peep’s Bar with intentions on driving him to the hospital.
9. The aiders were unable to operate a standard transmission vehicle (manual/stick shift), so Mr. Webb exited his vehicle and began running in the street, presumably in search of life saving assistance.
10. It was there, on the street approximately 10 minutes after he’d been shot that first responders made contact with an unconscious Webb.
11. Mr. Webb was rushed to University Hospital located 5 minutes away from the bar.
12. At approximately 4:20 am Mr. Webb was pronounced dead.
13. Syracuse Police Department (SPD), Detective Vernon Thompson was the Ballistic Technical Lead that worked in conjunction with Onondaga County DA’s office and SPD Crime Lab Unit. His task was to collect and test all physical ballistics and reconstruct the chain of events that occurred surrounding the shooting.
14. Jarrod Brewer’s pager was recovered near the scene.
15. In general, Detective Vernon Thompson averred to have recovered 2 fired bullets and 4 shell casings from the crime scene; however, no gun, fingerprints nor DNA were found at the scene connecting Mr. Brewer to the murder. Thompson vouched that the “two bullets” (aforementioned) did not contain individual or class characteristics. However, the shell pattern was consistent with the witness's account.
16. At around 7 pm Jarrod Brewer voluntarily walked into the station house, presumably to address ticket / citations, “not yet a suspect” in the matter.
17. An hour or so after his arrival, Brewer was questioned about his whereabouts the night before.
18. Jarrod Brewer informed investigators that he had been at Peep’s Bar hours before his friend Zachary Webb was shot.
19. Interrogators informed Brewer that his pager was recovered at the bar. Brewer attempted to recite an innocuous explanation about how he might’ve lost it at the bar.
20. Investigators asked where Brewer was at the time of the shooting.
21. Brewer claimed to be in Kennedy Square Apartments at the time of the murder and heard of the shooting 10 minutes after arriving at the apartments. Brewer admitted to being at the bar prior to the shooting but was not there when the shooting occurred.
22. It appeared that Brewer did not like the way the line of questing was going thus he asked for a lawyer and became uncooperative.
23. Lizzie Johnson an admitted crack – cocaine addict informed detectives that she was “Derrod’s girlfriend”. She allegedly referred to Mr. Brewer as “D” for short.
24. Ms. Johnson went on to explain that she and Mr. Brewer became an item 6 months before the murder. Also, she explained that she had heard “Derrod” argue with Mr. Webb 3 weeks before he was murdered as she frequented Kennedy Square Apartments.
25. As Ms. Johnson was engaged in “sexual activity” on the corner of E. Fayette St. and Walnut, she observed Mr. Brewer and Mr. Webb arguing. Moments later, Brewer pulled out a gun, shot Mr. Webb, and then fled the scene.
26. Ms. Johnson gave officers an oral account of the events to bring justice for her friend Zachary Webb.
27. Ms. Johnson, with the help of detectives deduced her statement to writing (signed July 17th, 2002).
28. Ms. Spady, also an admitted crack addict said that she knew Mr. Brewer by face as she frequented the Eastside/Midtown/Kennedy Square area prior to the murder.
29. Ms. Spady informed Detectives that on the night in question she had been arguing with a guy she referred to as “IPPS”.
30. Ms. Spady recollected that the shooting happened in an alleyway along the side of Peep’s Bar and that she heard the shots but did not see the shootings. But Lizzie said the shooting occurred in the street.
31. Mr. Brewer chose not to testify on his own behalf.
32. Mr. Brewer and an associate were charged with attempted bribery as they tried to offer Charisse Spady drugs and money not to testify.
33. On March 17th, 2003 a jury returned a guilty verdict on criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and murder in the second degree (both counts).
REBUTTAL FACTS
Note: The following facts represent evidence that was not introduced at my trial. They should be numerically referenced to the previous section entitled “Prosecution’s Theory”.
1. There was evidence induced from witnesses’ initial statements, including Mr. Webb’s sister, that Mr. Webb had an argument centered around drugs and money just 2 hours before he was shot. This person (obviously not me), was well known to all parties and was considered a suspect in the murder of Zachery Webb. He was quoted as saying “if you don’t have my money by tonight, I am going to shoot you.” He also repeated this threat in front of other people close to Mr. Webb; yet, he was never interviewed by anyone investigating this matter. Aside from Charisse Spady and Lizzie Johnson no one ever mentioned anything about me having any type of argument or problem with Mr. Webb prior to or on the night in question.
2. Investigative evidence suggests that “old Man Bulldog” (James Mathews) was on his porch when he observed “Fat Bill” (William Noel) arrive in front of his house and then observed Mr. Webb enter Mr. Noels van; moments later, re-exit the van, walk into the alley and seconds later Mr. Mathews heard shots. Immediately thereafter he observed Mr. Webb run from the back of the ally on Walnut Ave. into the bar. “Bulldog” adamantly expressed that there was no one outside at the time the shooting occurred. Related evidence corroborates Mr. Mathews claims: Ms. Theresa Dumas informed detectives that she had been with Mr. Webb two minutes before he was shot – indulging in some type of drug transaction within the confines of the victim’s vehicle. When the two exited Mr. Webb’s vehicle, Ms. Dumas stated that Mr. Webb proceeded over to Mr. Noel’s van while she re-entered the bar. Ms. Dumas further stated that not even two minutes after she entered that bar” (if that)” Mr. Webb entered the bar saying he was shot.
3. According to witnesses a crowd started to form as on lookers were either trying to assist Mr. Webb or leave the scene in a panic mode; it is very import to note however, neither Lizzie Johnson or Charisse Spady was on the scene when police arrived.
4. Once again witnesses including all remaining attendees had all confirmed that they were with Mr. Webb, literally minutes before he was shot, further contradicting Ms. Johnson eventful testimony that “a bunch of people were outside.”
5. No witnesses aside from Ms. Johnson claimed to have seen the argument and shooting. Ms. Spady claimed to have only heard the shots and then following the shots observed me with a gun in my hand running out the cuts on the other side of the bar on Fayette St. Old Man Bulldog also stated that he did not see anyone besides the victim after the shots fired on Walnut Ave.
6. There seems to be some consistency with this recount.
7. When they stepped back outside the bar, Mr. Webb in desperate need for help – less than 1 minute after he re – entered the bar – nobody saw anyone outside.
8. Consistent
9. Consistent
10. The fact that he was still alive and breathing, given the actual trajectory of the bullets and the inherent injuries sustained, illustrates the probable time span that this whole ordeal had taken place. In other words, within 10 minutes from the shooting to first – aid he would have died.
Note: this is important because it contradicts the people’s theory bringing to mind several pertinent questions such as:
a. When did all this arguing take place?
b. How is it that the entire area was vacated of crowds of people within two minutes of the shooting?
c. Did they fearfully run into the impliedly wide-open doors of neighboring homes at 2:30 in the morning?
d. Why would Mr. Webb feel safe enough re-entering what he had just moments earlier, saw impliedly complicit hordes of people outside?
e. When recounting the night's tragic, as well as traumatic, events, why wouldn’t anyone mention any suspicious behavior (i.e. people running in every direction a few moments before realizing or even witnessing a young man was shot) by two unimposing female crack addicts when the police arrived and within the secure clutches of the law?
f. Surely no one would be reluctant to mention Ms. Spady, whom the prosecution proffers frequent the area, nor the 15-year-old prostitute who was having sex in front of everyone- would they?
11. No contest
12. When this horrible murder occurred, I was in the Kennedy Square Apartment complex immersed in a dice game with several lifelong friend of myself and the victim. Theresa Dumas (who’s also from Kennedy Square area) informed the dice game and whoever was in earshot that “BZ” was just shot up. Instinctively I asked who did it? To which she replied “no one saw who did it because we were all inside the bar”. Once another female we knew Ra-Ra (Shanice Everson) confirmed that Zack was shot I rushed to University Hospital. From my vista, I was the first to arrive at the hospital in regards to Mr. Webb’s well-being. Close to an hour after my arrival, additional loved ones and friends began pouring in.
13. According to hospital vial records
14. No Contest
15. I hereby respectfully request that you pay attention to this SPD personal name Vernon Thompson with respects to his purview or lack thereof in relation to the most pertinent evidence in the case. (He collects and test all physical ballistic and reconstructed the chain of events).
16. Detective Thompson fabricated the location of where the 2 bullets were found to fit his narrative and reconstruction of the chain of events.
17. Detective Thompson lied under oath by testifying that the two bullets recovered from off the crime scene did not contain identification markings. He claims that the two bullets “did not have any class or individual characteristics” in addition he lied about where the bullets were found by doing this, he attempt (successfully) to bring a shooting that obviously occurred inside of an alleyway where there were no witnesses to outside the alleyway so that Ms. Johnson and Ms. Spady could testify and lie on me. Detective Thompson claimed that the person who fired the four shots fired the shots between the outside and inside of the alley, either moving inside to outside, firing the weapon or, moving outside to inside of the alley firing the weapon. This is based primarily on the shell casing pattern (location) and the 2 bullets recovered in the street detailed how the shooter fired the majority of the shots outside of the alley. (i.e. three out of four shots).
Dr. Gosink of the Medical Examiner’s Office testified (while referring to his notes only – to refresh his memory) that only one bullet was recovered from the victim’s back in total. That bullet allegedly entered the left upper chest area traveled the entire left lung lodging in the victims left back area. That bullet wound was the cause of death. However, during my post-conviction research, I had received an incomplete copy of an autopsy chain of command from the Medical Examiner’s office pertinent to Mr. Webb’s autopsy. The report confirms that Dr. Gosink did not perform the autopsy of Mr. Webb, instead, it was performed by a Dr. name P. Michel (another lies amongst many). Moreover, the reports reveal that Dr. Michel recovered 3 bullets from the victim (not just 1 as both Gosink and the trial -prosecutor would claim). The three bullets were identified as item #’s 7 – 1/7 – 2/7 – 3, by Dr. Michael then turned over to Detective Thompson. Hence, let’s just say that (4) shots was fired as the shell casing pattern suggests, there was only three bullets recovered in general in this matter (i.e.… (2) from the crime scene, and (1) from the victim), but Dr. Michel recovered (3) bullets and turned them over to Detective Thompson. So, what in the Hell Did Detective Thompson Do with the two bullets from Dr. Michel?
Remember (2) bullets that Detective Thompson so conveniently found on the scene outside of the alley in the street? Those were the same two bullets that tied this storyline so beautifully…. With Dr. Gosink’s analysis and the People Theory that the victim was shot at (4) times but only (2) hit the victim, and (2) missed the victim: with the epic argument prior to the shots fired; that only Ms. Spady and Ms. Johnson observed before crowds of people. Nobody mentioned that (3) bullets were found in Mr. Webb at the trial (identified as item #’s 7 – 1/7- 2/7 – 3) Because then that would mean that he wouldn’t have had that much time to survive (Maybe two minutes or so) and he would have been dead on the streets before the police and/or the ambulance would have gotten to him. More notably however, it would completely undermine Dr. Gosink and the crack head witnesses testimony.
The two bullets that Detective Thompson allegedly recovered from the crime scene did in fact have identifying marks and characteristics which means that Detective Thompson prior analysis was manufactured in contrast to the new examiner analysis. In 2012 due to a nasty beef between the Syracuse Police Department and the Onondaga County District Attorney office the Inspector General mandated an investigation into the procedures and practices within the Onondaga County Center for Forensic Sciences. Subsequently in 2013 following the conclusion of the Inspector General’s mandated investigation. A corrective action was completed by the Center for Forensic Sciences in Syracuse, NY concerning the 2 projectiles that Detective Thompson recovered at the Zachary Webb crime scene. Revealing Detective Thompson’s misconduct.
18. I have the original documents from SPD investigations indicating that there was nobody outside at the time the shooting occurred.
19. I voluntarily went to CID presumably to address issues concerning driving without a license and possession of marijuana.
20. I expressed to detectives that I was at peep’s bar the previous night however, I was not at the bar when the shooting occurred.
21. I did in fact agree that the pager was mine and that there was possibility that I did lose the pager at the bar when I exited my vehicle or when I was play wrestling with one of my friends.
22. By the time the shooting had occurred, I was with my people at a dice game in Kennedy Square Apartments.
23. I have common sense so once I realized the way the line of questions was going, I immediately asked for a lawyer. I had history with SPD (see history segment).
24. I have no idea what the circumstances of the arrest or detainment of the alleged eyewitnesses was regarding. I do know from their consequential testimonies and statements that they were there for a while.
25. Obviously, Lizzie did not know me and thought my name was Derrod (to which she would call me “D” for short). No one has ever referred to me as “D” or Derrod, and I have never seen that woman in my life. My prominent A.K.A.’s throughout Syracuse, NY and NY State prior to and at the time of, and currently are Hotts, Luchie, and/or Beddi.
26. Prior to Mr. Webb’s murder I was only home for 90 days. I was incarcerated from April 1999 to April 2002 (3 years). I was incarcerated for a drug conviction) thus, the notion that I had been dating Lizzie Johnson for 6 months prior to the murder of Zachary Webb was a complete fabrication which the DA’s office had to have known. Yet despite a legal obligation to preclude a witness from testifying known lies, the DA was silent. The assertion that she was engaged in sexual activity on a corner with an unknown male before hordes of people and still had the presence of mind to zero in on this alleged argument is preposterous on every level. It clearly defies logic.
27. We were drug dealers; there is a certain level of paranoia inherent to that title. A friendship with her would have posed a huge threat to our operations. For one she was a crack addict, secondly, a young prostitute would’ve drawn a lot of heat to us, third and perhaps most compelling Zachary Webb was almost 13 years her senior. When would he have had time to nurture a friendship with her? At the age 11, 12, 13, he had five children at the time he was murdered close to her age.
28. Given her education level, which was even more apparent once she took the stand, along with the fancy signature on the statement it is extremely improbable that she wrote or even signed that statement. A hand writing analysis is appropriate.
29. I have never seen Ms. Spady prior to her testifying on the stand. However, she clearly lied to detectives Stonecypher whom at the pre-trial Wade Hearing admitted that she had indeed told him she “[knew] Mr. Brewer by face” as she frequented the Eastside/Midtown/Kennedy square area prior to the murder stating he is the leader of the Midtown Gang. At my trial Ms. Spady testified that she had never seen me prior to the murder; (Detective Stonecypher was not called to testify by either party at trial).
30. No corroborating evidence was ever offered about the two mystery men that the two were allegedly arguing with, and having sex with, prior to the shooting. Also, from the position Ms. Spady was said to had been standing she could not have seen the alleged shooter nor witness the actual shooting. The absurdity continued throughout my trial when he claimed that after she took off running (immediately after hearing the shots), the shooter gallantly passed her literally with the smoking weapon in tow. What is funny about this recollection of events is it’s almost the same exact testimony she offered at a previous murder trial in 1993 of Toshiro Scott where Mr. Scott was found not guilty!
31. Further displacing and contradicting Lizzie Johnson – Ms. Spady testified that she hadn’t seen Ms. Johnson nor did she name anyone else in the area (well aside from her “mystery” man).
32. My Lawyer Mark Suben, clearly complicit in this charade, neglected to introduce any of the 97 witnesses that were on my witness list. Amongst the witnesses were alibis and contrast accounts of what happened. This is an attorney who had been practicing law since the 1960’s holding various positions in the DA’s office including, Head District Attorney of Cortland County where he resides subsequent to my verdict. (how quaint)
33. Young and ignorant to the law I followed my lawyer’s advice and did not testify. I was curious as to why Ms. Spady had lied on me. So, when my Attorney gave a police report with her address just 2 weeks before my trial; I made a desperate attempt to make contact with her through my lady friend I was young, scared, and untrusting of the system to just sit there. Hence, I ended up given the prosecution ammo to sell to the jury, which ended up being my fate. Before that, I did not know this lady, point blank period.
Star witness Lizzie Johnson – additional facts
1. 15-year-old crack addicted prostitute with arrest warrants throughout the state (including a stint on Riker’s Island where she obviously lied about her age). Her testimony furnished the people’s motive.
2. Claimed she witnessed the shooting while engaged in sexual activity before hordes of people.
3. Claimed that Mr. Brewer was her boyfriend six months prior although she did not know his name.
4. 3 weeks before the murder she claimed to had witnessed an argument between Mr. Brewer and Mr. Webb over money/drugs/and turf. She was also conveniently at the scene of the murder to re-hear the same argument.
5. She was not on the scene when the police arrived.
6. Though it is unknown what the circumstances of her detainment was her statement and testimony corroborate evidence that she had been detained for over 24 hours. At some point SPD coerced her about the fabricated murder details.
7. Despite an almost 13-year difference she claimed that 27-year-old Mr. Webb was her “friend”.
8. As recently, as 2016 Ms. Johnson and another male were fugitives from North Carolina wanted for gun and drug possession.
9. Ms. Johnson was apprehended on the Northside of Syracuse where she frequented crack houses and prostituted for crack thru and before July of 2002, and was transferred to North Carolina to face state and federal charges.
Witness Charisse Spady – additional facts
1. With a criminal record spanning 30 years she had been known as a heavy crack – cocaine abuser since the late 1980’s by the age of 22 she had 7 children in foster care
2. In the 1992 shooting death of James McLaurin, Ms. Spady was the prosecutions key witness. She alleged to had seen another man name Sabu McBride kill Mr. McLaurin; then 4 days later after McBride’s alibi checked out, Ms. Spady identified Mr. Toshiro Scott as the person she seen fire the shots then observed Mr. Scott with the smoking gun in his hand.
3. Prior to Toshiro’s Scott’s murder trial, Ms. Spady allegedly informed detectives and investigators that she was scared of a man by the name of Timothy Clem and needed protective custody. Ms. Spady was subsequently furnished with $2,200 to relocate and to secure her testimony against Mr. Scott. She then relocated from the Southside to the Northside as she went into hiding.
4. Ms. Spady story changed at trial; doing a 180-degree turn. She seemed unsure of whether she made the right identification.
5. The jury in that matter obviously found her testimony uncredible and Scott was found not guilty on all charges.
6. In a 9 – year period Ms. Spady was utilized in two distinct murder trials on two distinct parts of the city. Compare that to the disgraced Brooklyn, NY detective Scarcella out of Brooklyn’s 71st precinct, whom while in cahoots with ex – Brooklyn DA Charles Haynes used a known drug addict/informant name Theresa Gomez in a least 5 murder trials throughout Brooklyn in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
7. In my case SPD placed Ms. Spady on the corner of East Fayette St. and Walnut Ave. arguing with someone, just as she testified in Mr. Scott’s trial, she claimed that her back was turned, heard shots, observed me emerge from the alley with a smoking gun in my hand and then flee the area.
8. She claimed to had never seen Lizzie Johnson and did not name anyone else besides the victim, myself and the guy “Ipps” for being at the bar when the murder occurred aside from the crowds of people that were allegedly outside. Note: the district attorneys in NY tend to use witnesses that are not saying the exact same thing to give each testimony an air of authenticity it’s a manipulation tactic based on the psychological premise that two people could witness the exact same thing but have different accounts. The common denominator between the two then the focal point = and with the right persuasion “the truth”.
9. Knowing that she did not frequent the Eastside of Syracuse, detectives figured she would not mind testifying on someone she did not know from a part of town she had no interest in.
10. Ms. Spady’s rap sheet will illustrate what part of town she frequents the most. None of her arrest were on the Eastside of town.
11. Ms. Spady informed detective Stonecypher of the SPD that she knew me by face for being around the midtown/Eastside/Kennedy Square area. The detective testified this information at my pre-trial Wade Hearing.
12. 8 months later Ms. Spady testified that she never saw me before the night she allegedly observed me running from the scene with the smoking gun. This is her usual 180 turn. For the record: prior to my trial I had never seen this woman in my life! Nor did detective Stonecypher testify at my trial.
13. In 2018 Ms. Spady was released from Jamesville Correctional Facility after completing yet another stint for drug possession.
CYCLE:
Step #1 – Fabricate entire cases against the Poor, Black, Latino, and uneducated;
Step #2 – Scare defendants with ridiculous trial consequences;
Step #3 – Offer far more “comfortable” plea deals.
Step #4 – Plea them out (destroying their future credibility in the process).
Step #5 – Log the conviction in the national database to promote agendas and keep up appearances.
Step #6 – Repeat the cycle
However, with your help we can stop this evil machine. It may not happen overnight but my case is a perfect one to start with because by time you finish reading this sentence some kid from any ghetto in the USA is about to start an incredibly painful journey for a crime he or she did not commit. If they are lucky, they will see the light of day in the next 18 years.
In conjunction with this essay I implore the Onondaga County District Attorney Honorable William Fitzpatrick to adopt a Conviction Integrity Unit in his office to investigate wrongful convictions, police/prosecution misconduct, and agency malfeasance in cases that went to trial and ended in a guilty verdict. Mainly homicide cases and major felony convictions.
Thank you for reading!

AFTERWARDS
In April of 2018 I filed a post-conviction motion to vacate my conviction on actual innocence amongst other things. Prior to the filing of said motion, in January of 2017, I was informed that former chief prosecutor of the Onondaga county district attorney office Stephen J. Dougherty obtained my trial judge Joe Fahey’s vacant county court chair. I immediately begin to complain because ADA Judge Dougherty had an interest in my case, due to initially being the actual prosecutor who brought my case before a grand jury in July 2002, which led to an indictment and subsequent conviction. My complaints fell on deaf ears.
My initial complaint concerning former ADA judge Dougherty commenced in 2017 prior to my post-conviction motion being filed. September of 2017 I was mandated by judge Brunetti to testify as a material witness for my friend Derick Wilson. I testified to the effect that former ADA judge dougherty in 2002 attempted to influence and bribe me to lie on Mr. Wilson about the murder of Waliek Hammer among other things. I was offered immunity by former ADA/judge dougherty and the Federal Authorities, but I didn’t lie on my friend. Subsequently in 2018 I filed my post-conviction motion which landed in dougherty possession. While drafting this essay in 2020 I didn’t mention the conflict of interest because my attorney advised me not to say anything about it because dougherty was going to release me. In 2022 former Judge dougherty denied my post-conviction motion without conducting any evidentiary hearing and
.0.immediately after. By doing this former ADA judge Dougherty violated my due process absolute right to a fair and impartial court that is guaranteed to me at all stages of criminal proceedings. I would have complained like I did prior to my 2018 post-conviction motion being filed but I was advised not to by an attorney judge dougherty assigned me named Timothy Roulon. I informed the Onondaga DA office and Onondaga Clerk office concerning the conflict of interest with myself and judge Dougherty to no avail. I also informed judge Brunetti in 2017 of the conflict of interest between myself and former ADA judge dougherty who advised me to do a judicial intervention with the Onondaga County Clerk office.
Since writing this essay, the prosecution key witness passed away March 2023. Lizzie Johnson’s cause of death was from a drug overdose.