ABOUT INNOCENCE PROJECT NORTHWEST
In 1997, Professor Jacqueline McMurtrie founded Innocence Project Northwest as the third independent innocence organization in the United States. Twenty years later, IPNW has evolved from its roots as a volunteer effort to a non-profit law firm affiliated with the University of Washington School of Law. IPNW’s core mission – to free innocent prisoners and prevent future wrongful convictions through education and policy reform – remains as critical today as it was 20 years ago.
Through the work of our dedicated staff, students and pro bono partners, along with the generous support of our donors, IPNW has exonerated 14 Washington men and women who collectively served over 100 years in prison for crimes they did not commit and helped secure freedom for many other individuals. Efforts to improve criminal justice in Washington and support exonerees has led to important reforms and new laws involving eyewitness identification procedures, the preservation of evidence and access to post-conviction DNA testing, and the right of exonerees to receive compensation for their wrongful convictions.
Despite these many accomplishments there is a growing demand for our services: IPNW continues to receive over 500 requests for assistance from prisoners each year; exonerating innocent prisoners remains incredibly complex, time consuming and expensive; our exonerees continue to struggle to rebuild their lives after they are released from prison; and key reforms that could prevent wrongful convictions are yet to be instituted.
As we face these challenges, IPNW is honored to be a leading organization in the worldwide innocence movement. This is a role we could not play without the longtime support of so many of you joining us tonight. Thank you for being part of tonight’s celebration, for your generosity and your dedication to justice.
I N T R O D U C T O R Y R E M A R K SA N N A T O L I N , I P N W E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R
R E C O G N I T I O N O F I P N W ’S F O U N D E RJ A C K I E M C M U R T R I E
I N N O C E N C E C H A M P I O N AWA R DC A S E Y S T A M M
I N N O C E N C E A D V O C AT E AWA R DA L E J A N D R A G O N Z A
K E Y N O T E A D D R E S SS U N N Y J A C O B S & P E T E R P R I N G L E
E XO N E R E E I N T R O D U C T I O NJ A S O N P U R A C A LV I D E O B Y D A L T O N I C F I L M S
S TA N D F O R I N N O C E N C EK I M B E R L Y A M B R O S E
Proceeds from tonight’s event will fund IPNW’s vital efforts to free more innocent Washington prisoners, improve criminal justice policy in our state, and support exonerees as they work to rebuild their lives in freedom.
2 0 1 7 B E N E F I T & A W A R D S D I N N E R
INNOCENCE PROJECT NORTHWEST
IPNW STAFF (L-R) Lara Zarowsky, Kate Huber, Peter Moreno, Jackie McMurtrie, Alycia Delmore, Lauren McLane, Katie Seward, Anna Tolin, Joe Pierce
Sunny was sentenced to death at the age of 28 for the murder of two police officers in Florida. A mother of two, Sunny’s children ended up in foster care after
her arrest. It would take another 17 years before Sunny’s conviction was reversed and she was freed in 1992. Her story became part of the award-winning play The Exonerated. Sunny is also the author of Stolen Time: One Woman’s Inspiring Story as an Innocent Condemned to Death,
and she is featured as one of 100 remarkable women in the recent anthology Poems That Make Grown Women Cry.
IMPRISONED 17 YEARS
IMPRISONED 15 YEARS
S O N I A “ S U N N Y ”
JACOBS
P E T E R
PRINGLEIPNW is honored to welcome death row exonerees and human rights activists, Sunny Jacobs and Peter Pringle
Sunny and Peter were separately sentenced to death for murders they did not commit – Sunny in Florida and Peter in Ireland. After surviving years imprisoned on death row, both were ultimately exonerated. The two met in 1998 when Sunny traveled to Ireland to speak at an Amnesty International event. In 2011, Sunny and Peter were officially married in New York. Today, they travel the world to share their stories and advocate against the death penalty. They also operate the Sunny Center at their home in the Connemara region of Ireland to provide a place of healing and support for those who have been wrongly convicted. In addition to giving tonight’s keynote address, Sunny and Peter will bring the work of the Sunny Center to Seattle and facilitate a healing retreat for our northwest exonerees during their visit.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
In 1980 Peter was convicted of murdering two police officers after a bank robbery in Ireland. He was sentenced to be hanged before Ireland abolished the
death penalty. Days before his scheduled execution, Peter’s death sentence was commuted, but he still faced a 40-year sentence. Immersing himself in legal books, Peter appealed his case and was ultimately exonerated after 15 years in prison. In addition to his work as an activist, Peter
is a beloved Moth participant and his story is featured in the 2017 book The Moth Presents All These Wonders: True Stories about Facing the Unknown.
When I was in that cell, I realized that until they killed me, I was still my own person.
They couldn’t imprison my mind, my spirit or my heart.” -PETER PRINGLE
Human rights advocate Alejandra Gonza is Director of the International Human Rights Clinic at UW School of Law. Her recent successes as co-counsel
on two wrongful convictions in Mexico represent a growing recognition of wrongful convictions worldwide. Working through the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and engaging in tireless media advocacy, Ale helped secure the release of U.S. citizen Nestora Salgado of Seattle, an
indigenous leader persecuted and arbitrarily detained in Mexico after she returned to her hometown to help combat cartel violence. Ale was also instrumental in freeing Mexican Ananias Laparra who had been tortured into confessing to a murder he did not commit and was wrongly imprisoned for 12 years. Working through the Inter-American Commission, Ale negotiated a settlement that led to monetary support for Ananias and his family, a public apology and recognition of innocence by the government of Chiapas, and an agreement to implement legal reforms there to prevent future wrongful convictions.
INNOCENCE ADVOCATE AWARD
INNOCENCE CHAMPION AWARD
A L E J A N D R A
GONZA
C A S E Y
STAMM
AWARD RECIPIENTS
C asey Stamm has fought for the wrongly convicted since she enrolled in law school 20 years ago, earning a reputation as a fearless and creative advocate for
clients through her work as a public defender and private criminal defense lawyer. As a law student, Casey was an Innocence Project Northwest volunteer on the legal team for Wenatchee sex ring client Meredith Town. Casey provided critical investigative work and wrote the petition leading to
Mr. Town’s release and exoneration in 2000. Casey continued to make significant contributions in post-conviction and death penalty cases throughout her career and is recognized as a brilliant resource by her colleagues in the criminal defense community. In 2014, Casey responded to IPNW’s call for help and agreed to assist on a complex case after the Washington Supreme Court denied relief for our client in a 5-4 decision. Casey brought fresh energy and her considerable intellect to litigating the federal habeas petition in U.S. District Court and the Ninth Circuit. When we did not prevail in federal court, Casey responded with the tenacity she is known for and continues to strategize about avenues of relief while devoting countless hours of pro bono service to remedy the miscarriage of justice in this case.
SINCE 1989, THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST 2,021 MEN AND WOMEN EXONERATED IN THE UNITED STATES AND MORE THAN 17,610 YEARS OF FREEDOM LOST
EVERY IPNW SUCCESS IS A TEAM EFFORT. Thank you to the individuals and organizations that have left a lasting and significant impact on IPNW’s efforts to free the innocent and prevent future wrongful convictions.
Sara Alavi
Christina Albourus
David Allen
Kimberly Ambrose
Tom Andrews
Robert Aronson
Christopher Baird
Magda Baker
Anne Beardsley
Donna Beatty
Kurt Bennett
Craig Blackmon
Jane Boman
Jim Breitenbucher
William Broberg
Chris Bugbee
Kelly Canary
Chris Carney
Mindy Ater Carr
Nicole Carsley
Alena Ciecko
Alyse Collins
Lauren Conner
Theresa Connor
Kevin Curtis
Jacob D’Annunzio
Richard Devenport
Glenn Draper
Catherine Drews
Steve Drizin
Suzanne Elliott
Lorrie Elliott
Renee Eskenazi
Phillip Esplin
Iqbal Felisiano
Brian Ferrasci-O’Malley
Matt Ficcaglia
Laura Fox
Jeanine Giordano
Robert Goldsmith
Rita Griffith
Amanda Hailey
Heather Hightower
David Hoffer
Greg Hollon
Shon Hopwood
Wesley Hottot
Kate Huber
Marcy Hupp
Maureen Johnston
Alice Jones
Judy King
Heather Kirkwood
Karen Klein
Kathleen Kline
Andrew Langham
Sheila LaRose
Richard Leo
James Lobsenz
Felix Luna
Eric Mapes
David Marshall
Michael Martin
Steven Masada
William Maurer
William McGrath
Jackie McMurtrie
Michelle Modic
Amy Muth
Eric Neilsen
Erin Curtis Newton
Lenell Nussbaum
John Pantazis
Ashley Payne
Kelly Pfundheller Leonard
Neal Philip
Jessica Reiken
Boris Resnikov
David Roberson
James Roe
Karen Rogers
Robert Rosenthal
David Rubenstein
Karen Sanderson
Leta Schattauer
Ann Schwartz
Allison Sherrill
Gavin Skok
Casey Stamm
Michael Sprangers
Susan Stauffer
Gail Stygall
Anna Tolin
Fernanda Torres
Patrick Trompeter
Robert VanSiclen
Mark Vovos
Jeff Walker
Kimberly Watson
David Whedbee
Amy Williams
Matt Zuchetto
David Zuckerman
INNOCENCE ADVOCATE
Cong. Adam Smith 2013
Duane Statler 2014
Diane Meyers 2015
INNOCENCE CHAMPION
Jack & Leslie Hamann 2013
Rep. Tina Orwall 2014
Matthew Zuchetto 2015
Kevin Curtis 2016
PRO BONO AWARD
Joseph Pierce 2013
Jon Eldan 2015
J. Christopher Baird 2016
IPNW’s Founder Professor Jacqueline McMurtrie
IPNW FACULTY & STAFF Alycia Delmore, Kate Huber, Lauren McLane, Jackie McMurtrie, Peter Moreno, Katie Seward, Anna Tolin, Lara Zarowsky
IPNW 2016 FOUNDING NON-PROFIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jason Puracal, Joseph Pierce, Kevin Stock
IPNW STAFF ALUMNI Joseph Adamson, Anne Beardsley Mizuta, Kelly Canary, Laura Fox, Farah Fanara, Sarah McFadden, John Pantazis, Mike Pope, Fernanda Torres
INNOCENCE NETWORK SUPPORT UNIT Meredith Kennedy & Sara LaCava Lieberman
UW SCHOOL OF LAW Dean Kellye Testy and our esteemed colleagues in the Clinical Law Program
UW SCHOOL OF LAW STUDENTS A special thanks to the more than 200 IPNW Litigation and Legislative Advocacy Clinic students who advocated for our clients and worked to improve criminal justice in Washington.
UW SCHOOL OF LAW SUPPORT STAFF & ALUMNI Laurie Carlsson, Lauren Collins, Harold Daniels, Cynthia Fester, Robin Gianattasio, Paula Kurose
WASHINGTON STATE PATROL CRIME LABORATORY Philip Hodge & Dr. Gary Shutler, National Institute of Justice Post-conviction DNA grant partners
ACLU of Washington
James Anderson
Ted Bradford
Rebecca Brown
Kevin Curtis
Larry Davis
George Delgado
Laura Fox
Nathan Janes
Mark Larson
Janelle Larson
Tom McBride
Alan Northrop
Tina Orwall
Stephen Ross
Dan Satterberg
Duane Statler
Collette Tvedt
UW Law Legislative Advocacy Clinic
Washington Defender Association
Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Lara Zarowsky
20 YEARS OF IMPACT
PAST IPNW AWARD RECIPIENTS
IPNW FREEDOM TEAMS LEGAL TEAM MEMBERS WHO HELPED FREE OR EXONERATE IPNW CLIENTS
DEDICATION & SIGNIFICANT SERVICE TO IPNW’S MISSION
Allen, Hansen, Maybrown & Offenbecher
Connelly Law Firm
Davis Wright Tremaine
MacDonald Hoague & Bayless
Microsoft
Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP
Perkins Coie
Peterson Wampold Rosato Feldman Luna
Starbucks
Terrell Marshall Law Group
Van Siclen Stock & Firkins
Winston & Cashatt Lawyers
FIRMS WHO SUPPORT SIGNIFICANT PRO BONO AND INNOCENCE-RELATED CASE WORK OF THEIR MEMBERS
David Allen
Helen Anderson
Lincoln Beauregard
Al Clark
Jack Connelly
Suzanne Elliott
Tim Ford
Micah LeBanc
Felix Gavi Luna
Toby Marshall
Todd Maybrown
Boyd Mayo
Gayle McKool
Lenell Nussbaum
Joseph Pierce
Jason Puracal
Tori Ragen
Kana Sasakura
Kevin Stock
John Strait
Fernanda Torres
David Whedbee
Matt Zuchetto
David Zuckerman
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE GIVEN SIGNIFICANT EXPERTISE AND VOLUNTEER SERVICE
POLICY REFORM PARTNERS THOSE WHO WORKED TO PASS NEW LAWS AND IMPLEMENT IMPROVED POLICIES TO PREVENT FUTURE CONVICTIONS AND SUPPORT EXONEREES
INNOCENCE PROJECT NORTHWEST EXONEREES AND FREED CLIENTS
T H A N K Y O U T O O U R
2016-17 VOLUNTEERS AND PRO BONO PARTNERS
IMPRISONED 15 YEARS
IMPRISONED 9 YEARS
IMPRISONED 4 YEARS
EXONER ATED 2015
EXONER ATED 2010
EXONER ATED 2009
DONOVAN
ALLEN
TED
BRADFORD
JAMES
ANDERSON
IMPRISONED 6 YEARS
IMPRISONED 4 YEARS
IMPRISONED 17 YEARS
EXONER ATED 2013
EXONER ATED 2013
EXONER ATED 2010
JERAMIE
DAVIS
TYLER
GASSMAN
LARRY
DAVIS
IMPRISONED 10 YEARS
CONVICTION VACATED 2016
HEIDI
GOODWIN
IMPRISONED 8 YEARS
LESTER
GRIFFIN
IMPRISONED 4 YEARS
IMPRISONED 17 YEARS
IMPRISONED 4 YEARS
IMPRISONED 10 YEARS
EXONER ATED 2013
EXONER ATED 2010
EXONER ATED 2013
FREED 2017
EXONER ATED 2013
PAUL
STATLER
ALAN
NORTHROP
ROBERT
LARSON
BRANDON
OLEBARAMAZONAndrew Ardinger
Hannah Barkely
Lea Bell
Lee Van Blerkom
Jennifer Brown
Cindy Chang
Julius Chen
Marnina Cherkin
Scott Ference
Jessica Gibson
Alexandra Gilbert
Christine Habeeb
Terri Israel
Rebecca Joseph
Chris Langowski
Rochelle Lewis
Mary Long
Nick Lundgren
Jessica McPherson
Ken Miller
Theresa Nixon
Bridget O’Connell
Jame Ortiz
Rochelle Purganan
Lynn Radliff
Sara Rawson
Carolyn Roberts
Bridgette Rouise
Christine Schram
Bryan Stump
Phil Summer
Brittany Thornton
Elena Trimceska
Brendan Vaughan
David Zapolsky
BODE CELLMARKHuma Nasir
DAVIS WRIGHT TREMAINETaylor Ball
INNOCENCE NETWORK SUPPORT UNITMeredith Kennedy
Sarah LaCava Lieberman
MICROSOFTMichele Burlington
Brittany Carmichael
Laura Carter
Geoffrey Creighton
Kathleen DuRoss
Gunnar Halley
David Heiner
Mary Jo Schrade
Lissa Shook
Susan Sieh-Raffman
Sue Ventura
Megan Yoshimura
PERKINS COIEChris Baird
Jana Bratton
Karen Campbell
Sheree Carson
Susan Foster
Tom Hillier
Marcy Hupp
Janine Huso
Leah Medway
Anndreya Perez
Deborah Phillips
Rick Rasmussen
Ryan Thomas
Philip Thompson
Sherri Wyatt
SCHROETER GOLDMARK BENDERBriteney Mercer
STARBUCKSKevin Stock
WILSON SONSINI GOODRICH & ROSATTISonja Gerrard
Chris Petroni
John Roberts
Melissa Siegel
Julie Armijo
Rodney Benjamin
Marcy Elert
Jeffrey Ellis
Neil Fox
Charles Hausberg
Lawrence Lincoln
Wendy Livesly
Rachelle Longe McGhee
Gayle McKool
Amy Read
Madeline Scarp
Laura Shaver
Casey Stamm
Ethan Steinman
Rebecca Stith
Alyssa Stout
Fernanda Torres
IPNW THANKS THE FOLLOWING FIRMS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE GENEROUSLY DONATED THEIR TIME AND TALENTS TO IPNW DURING THE PAST YEAR
JEANNIE BENT
Freed 1999
LAWRENCE CATCHEWAY
Freed 2000
HENRY CUNNINGHAM
Exonerated 1999
RALPH GAUSVIK
Exonerated 2000
DORIS GREEN
Exonerated 2000
LAURA HOLT
Freed 1999
SELID HOLT
Freed 2000
SAGADEWAN NAICKER
Freed 2012
RANDALL REED
Freed 2000
CHERIE TOWN
Freed 1999
JOHN WISER
Freed 2001
NOT PICTURED
INNOCENCE PROJECT NORTHWEST THANKS THE FOLLOWING GENEROUS DONORS WHO, AS OF APRIL 28, 2017, MADE ADDITIONAL GIFTS AND IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUPPORT THIS EVENT AND OUR PROJECT
20TH ANNIVERSARY VISIONARY SPONSORSRiverStyx Foundation
FREEDOM FIGHTER $5,000Tom Douglas Restaurants
DEFENDERS $2,500Block 41
Mike & Patti Frost
MacDonald Hoague & Bayless
Lacey O’Malley Bail Bond Agency
Alan & Shawna Northrop
TABLE CAPTAINS $1,500Butler Beschen Law, PLLC
Carey & Lillevik, PLLC
D&G Backhoe, Inc.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Mary Donovan
Tom Douglas Restaurants
Bill Gales & Jackie McMurtrie
Sonja Gerrard & Boaz Levi
Gordon & Saunders
UW Clinical Law Faculty
ADVOCATES $1,000Chloe Wines
Daltonic Films
Janet & Ned Delmore
Nicole Mitchell & Joe Pierce
Andy Morris, Seattle Vacation Home
Selman Breitman LLP
Jack & Michele Storms,
photostorms.com
FRIENDS $500Kevin & Julie Curtis
Fremont Brewing
Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP
Sarah Moran
Mike Ramey
Todd Terbeek
Washington Association of
Criminal Defense Lawyers
David Zapolsky
SPONSORS