AN INNOCENT MAN CONTINUES TO LINGER IN THE DEATH CAMPS OF PENNSYLVANIA PRISONS AFTER TWENTY FIVE YEARS BEHIND BARS.

The Philadelphia judicial system has failed Carmen Woods for the past 26 years! In spite of the fact that new evidence proves Carmen Woods’s innocent of all charges against him, he still remains in prison.

CARMEN WOODS NEEDS JUSTICE NOW! ANY SUPPORT YOU CAN OFFER IN DEMANDING JUSTICE IS WELCOMED! IT IS LONG OVERDUE THAT WE BRING THIS INNOCENT MAN HOME!

So let us put the fire under the feet of those responsible for this wrongful conviction. The Woods family voice is not loud enough to be heard! Please join us and let Lynn Abraham (District Attorney) know that you and I demand her attention in reviewing this case, and all the evidence that has not been heard by a jury, which clearly shows Carmen innocent of this wrongful conviction! Lynn Abraham oversees the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. She can direct a hearing on this case to resolve the Miscarriage of Justice that has happen to our brother (Carmen Woods) for the past 26 years.

The District Attorney’s job is to seek the truth in a case, not to just seek a conviction. Because he/she represents the people of the commonwealth, you the people can demand that Lynn Abraham review this case more closely and have a hearing on all the evidence, vindicating Carmen Woods from the false charges by his accuser, Homer Lane, who recanted his original testimony (admitted he lied) to a prominent news reporter Dan Cuellar.

YOU CAN WRITE TO LYNN ABRAHAM: DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, THREE SOUTH PENN STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19107, OR CALL HER AT (215) 686-8000 OR EMAIL HER: DA.WEBMAIL@phila.gov

DEMAND FREEDOM AND JUSTICE FOR CARMENT WOODS IN THIS WRONGFUL CONVICTION! YOU NEVER KNOW IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU TOO!

JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED! HELP FREE OUR BROTHER, CARMEN WOODS, FROM AN UNJUST SYSTEM AND WRONGFUL CONVICTION! AS LONG AS OUR BROTHER IS IN PRISON A PART OF US WILL ALWAYS BE IN PRISON TOO. HELP US HELP OUR BROTHER.

Carmen Woods along with co-defendant Michael Jones was tried by a jury. Judge Albert F. Sabo presided over their trial. Trial began on November 15, 1982, and concluded on November 20, 1982. Carmen Woods was found guilty of first degree murder of Chester Laws, Jr. and all related charges (attempted murder of Homer Lane). On December 14, 1983, he was sentenced to life in prison plus 12 and a half to 25 years.

Mr. Jones was not charged for homicide nor tried for it. However, he was convicted for attempted murder on Homer Lane and was sentenced to 12 and half to 25 years.

Carmen Woods was represented by Ronald Morrison (incompetent attorney). The Commonwealth was represented by William Boland.

– Detective Gatewood was a friend of Chester Laws Senior (the father of the deceased).
– Detective Gatewood escorted Homer Lane and Chester Laws Senior to the Philadelphia Homicide Police Division (Round House). He was very instrumental in pursuing and directed all suspicion towards me based on conversations with Chester Laws Senior and Homer Lane (the witness who later recanted his statement).

The Philadelphia Judicial System refused to hear Carmen Woods case, so his conviction of life in prison (25 years so far) could be overturned; because of some new congressional Federal and State laws that time barrs appeals that went in effect in 1996. Carmen’s case has been time barred, regardless of the evidence that proves him innocence. His case has not been heard because he didn’t discover the evidence and file an appeal by a certain time period, regardless of the evidence that proves his innocence. This is a Miscarriage of Justice!

HISTORY OF CARMEN WOODS AND CHESTER LAWS JUNIOR

I lived in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia. My family was struggling to survive; I’m the youngest of 11 children. As a child at an early age I found innovative ways to survive. I bagged groceries, shoveled snow and cut grass. I hung out with my brothers and friends. I started out as an innocent child but the streets consumed me. I gambled, gave dollar parties, and etc. In the mid to late 70’s when I was in the neighborhood I found myself hanging down Lansdowne Avenue and Felton Street a lot. If I wasn’t chasing the girls I was hustling. The area in which I often visited was the 1400 and 1500 block of Felton Street.

Chester Laws, Jr. lived in the 1500 block of Felton Street. I didn’t know him at all but I saw him in the neighborhood.

By 1981, my brother, friends, and I were exploring different ideals of making money. Some of us had jobs, myself included, but the money wasn’t enough (we had to be innovative to make money).

In the summer of 1981, basement parties were popular and much safer compared to now days. My brother and I gave a few dollar parties, a dollar to dance, sweat, and get your groove on. The parties were held at 721 N. 63rd Street. Many people in the neighborhood attended our parties, and with popularity came envy! I was renting the basement from someone. It was costing me to make money, which I had no problem. This is the American way! It takes money to make money.

One night at one of our parties, in the summer of 1981, Laws, Jr., came to the door drunk, refusing to pay me and my brother to come in. Laws felt because we didn’t live there he could come in at any time without paying. My brother was getting frustrated with Laws, Jr. so I told him that I would cover the door and that he could go back in the party. I explained repeatedly to Laws, Jr. that I had to pay to rent this spot; therefore, he had to pay to get in. He refused and became belligerent. I asked him to leave because now, he was out of control, and he was not getting in the party even if he wanted to pay. He was drunk! He went as far as to tell me, he was going to knock me out. Laws, Jr. got up on me and drew his fist. We started fighting for a minute. He grabbed his face, mumbled something and went home.

The party was over about 3:30 am. My brother, friends, and I were tired; we decided to get something to eat with a few young ladies and call it a night. However, I had to walk a couple of other young ladies to the corner of 63rd and Media Streets. While I was there talking with the ladies, Laws, Sr. walked up from Media Street with Homer Lane and Daryl Lee. Laws, Sr. had his hand on a gun in his pocket and a cigar in his mouth. I asked him, “What’s the problem?” In my mind, I was saying, “I hope Yonnie and my boys come on down here. They got to see me talking to this dude.” Sure enough, Yonnie comes down by himself after reading the situation from a distance. I told him to hold up and let me handle the situation. So I asked, Laws, Sr., “What’s the problem?” He told me that his son stated, I beat him with a bat and broke his jaw. This is when I realized his jaw was broken.

I told Laws, Sr., “The truth is your son was drunk and out of order and belligerent to me. He threatened me when I wouldn’t let him in the party because he was drunk. He refused to pay because he knew I didn’t live here.” I proceeded to tell Laws, Sr., I asked his son to leave. He threatened to knock me out and drew his fist to hit me. We fought. I hit him with some right hands and I showed Laws, Sr. some of the marks on my right hand to prove this. He said, “I know how that goes. I own a club and have to put people out as well when they’re drunk.” However, in the future, let him know when his son gets out of hand. They walked back down Media Street, and I walked back to the house and Yonnie was right with me. However, we wanted no trouble. We were about the money and ladies and protecting our own.

After that incident, I saw Laws, Jr. just about everyday on Lansdowne Avenue. Laws, Jr. mumbled threats at me and pointed his finger and thumb as though he was shooting me. His jaw was wired. I really could not understand a thing he was saying, but I did not underestimate him. I kept my distance from him whenever we were on the same block. I was about hustling a dollar, not fighting. I didn’t want any gun play. This was not me nor was I ever known for this.

On a Friday night in October, my son’s mother, Patty and I were preparing for a party at 721 N. 63rd Street. I was going home. Driving on Jefferson, I made a u-turn on 60th Street. Patty and I noticed Laws, Jr. was on the corner. We said to each other, “Why is he hanging up here?” I parked in front of my house and we got out on the passenger side because my drivers side was broke. We looked for Laws, Jr., while walking up my steps and he appeared in the middle of the block in front of my house. I told Patty to go in the house. I would be in there in a minute. I did not see a gun yet! While walking down the steps, I went towards Laws, Jr. in the street asking him, “What’s the problem. You want to fight or something?” He reached for his gun! I ducked and ran towards 6023 Jefferson Street (away from my house where I knew Patty was in the window or doorway watching everything).

It was at that time when Laws, Jr. fired a shot at me! I did not feel it. He ran the opposite way and down 60th Street. Patty came out the house and asked me did he hit me, I said, “not that I know of.” I felt my body all over. I asked her to look at my back while I was feeling it. I felt something wet, and she said, “You’re bleeding!” Of course panic set in now. We jumped in my car and drove to the hospital doing a hundred and twenty. I told her if I passed out she would have to drive, and she couldn’t drive a lick. I didn’t know what kind of internal damages were done. Although I was alert I could have passed out at any time. We made it to the emergency room and I was treated.

My condition was stable but they kept me overnight to keep an eye on my wound in case of any infection. My mother and older sister came to the hospital. My mother was upset; I assured her that everything was okay. The doctors did not remove the bullet because it would have caused more damage being it was around nerves and blood vessels. The doctor explained to me later what he explained to my family, had the bullet went a tenth of an inch this way or that way, I could have been paralyzed or dead, and ALLAH knows best.

Laws, Jr. appeared back in the neighborhood maybe in March or April of 1982. We saw each other often. I was well back into my hustle. I stayed away from Laws, Jr. as much as possible.

On May 16, 1982, I was at Stacey’s Bar with my brother and friends. I don’t even remember Laws, Jr. being in the club this night, and had I saw him I surely would have left. I ended up leaving this bar approximately 2:00 am and went to the Paradise Club. I got there approximately 2:15 or 2:20 am. According to a neighbor name Dwight Logan (gave a timeline) who lived on the 1500 block of Felton, he heard a shot at approximately 2:15 am based on his police report. At this time (2:15 am), I was entering the Paradise Club.

After police interviews, there were no leads or witnesses in the way of evidence to link anyone to this crime. Laws, Sr. and Homer Lane went around the community for the next couple of days, asking if anyone knew anything about the shooting of his son. No one knew anything. Laws, Sr. got his friends from other neighborhoods to join in the search for a witness and came up with nothing.

I believe it was on the 18th or 19th of May, when Laws, Sr. and Lane chased my brother (Larnell) in their car with guns, pointed at him when he was dropping off his daughter, and girlfriend at 62nd and Haddington Street. Why? No one knows. I stayed off the streets when I heard about this because I couldn’t be caught up in the madness. I’m no puritan and I had a history with Chester Laws, Jr. However, I was not and am not a killer.

No one ever checked into his past problems. I was just an easy target. The Laws family and investigating detectives came at me and never looked for other suspects.

DAY OF ARREST

The day prior to SWAT kicking my mother’s front door in, Chester Laws, Sr., and Homer Lane chased my brother (Larnell) around the neighborhood in a car with gun in hand. At first, we had no idea why; however, we heard that they (Chester Laws, Sr., and Homer Lane) had gone around the neighborhood looking to find anyone whom they thought knew anything about the shooting. And their assumption (from past incidents) was that I had something to do with the killing so they threatened my family.

I was not home when the SWAT team kicked my mother’s door open looking for me for the murder of Chester Laws, Jr., and the attempted murder of Homer Lane. When I heard my mother’s door had been kicked in and the police had a warrant for my arrest, I was mortified. I could not think. I immediately thought of my mother. I knew my mother was sick and her nerves were shot. A warrant was out for my arrest and I was considered armed and dangerous. I had to do something quick!

I stayed off the street. I needed to reassure my mother things would be alright. I had someone contact my uncle (mother’s brother) who was a Federal Marshal. After consulting with family members and much thought, I turned myself in escorted by my Uncle Billy because I knew Laws, Sr. had lots of friends on the police force. Although, my mind was not ready, I turned myself in because I thought justice would prevail. Unfortunately, I am still incarcerated and writing this appeal 26 years later.

I turned myself in escorted by my Uncle Billy, brother, and a friend. We went to the Philadelphia Round House, 8th and Race Street, to meet my Uncle Billy so I could surrender to someone I know and trust. I was charged with homicide and attempted murder. My only thought was to clear this madness as soon as possible. However, I was not granted bail on the homicide and I was granted a ransom bail for the attempted murder. I was sent to the Philadelphia Detention Center. After sitting in the Philadelphia Detention Center for three to four weeks in deplorable conditions, Ronald Morrison handled my case by request of my Uncle Billy. Ronald Morrison visited me at the Philadelphia Detention Center to let me know that he would be representing me and that I should expect nothing out of the hearing; and if I know anything about the case, I should tell him now! I told him, I had no information to offer because I knew nothing about this case. While there I had time to think. I wonder what could have made Homer Lane give the police my name; it dawned on me, Chester Laws, Sr. He had his friends who were the detectives on this case help him push this MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE.