Despite maintaining his innocence before, during, and since his trial, William T. Montgomery has been on death row for over 31 years for the 1986 murders of Cynthia Tincher and Debra Ogle in Lucas County, Ohio. Even in light of significant doubts about his guilt, Montgomery is scheduled to be executed on April 11, 2018.
Key concerns include:
1. No credible evidence ties Montgomery to the murders. Facts in the case point to other suspects who were never seriously investigated.
2. Prosecutors withheld evidence including police reports, tips about alternative suspects, physical evidence implicating the co-defendant, and eyewitness accounts that a second car was parked next to Ms. Tincher’s car just before she was killed. This information undermines the state’s entire theory of the murders.
3. The only evidence implicating Montgomery in the crime is the testimony from Glover Heard, the co-defendant in the case. Heard received a deal from the prosecution in exchange for his testimony. Heard was sentenced to 15 years to life, while Montgomery was sentenced to death. Heard’s story changed five times, and only on the fifth time was Montgomery included in the story.
Six years after the conviction, in 1992, Montgomery discovered exculpatory evidence investigators hid at trial. In addition, in 2012, a new forensic review of the autopsy files concludes that scientifically, the fist victim could not have been killed as the state claims and disproves the state’s entire theory and timeline of the case.
There are significant doubts about the validity and reliability of the conviction of William T. Montgomery.
Governor John Kasich should not allow the execution on April 11with so much doubt. The execution of an innocent man is irreversible.
The first few weeks of this year were filled with news about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on workplaces as the Trump administration ramps up on its arrests and deportations of our immigrant communities. Workers from New York to California, from those who work at 7-11 to those who work as activists, are being targeted. Here in our own city, Seattle ICE served nationally known immigrant rights activists Maru Mora Villalpando (click here to join the campaign to defend Maru). This is an issue that affects employers and employees. We ask you to share this information around with your employees, neighbors, and friends – both employers and employees have rights! Share this information below today!
We’re One Month Into 2018, and I am excited to report that we are on track to get some good things done this year. January is where we begin preparing our workplans for the year, and my team has been listening to the community, identifying priorities for the Housing, Health, Energy, and Workers’ Rights Committee this year.Watch a quick video update here.
In the Community
We have also been out in the community, meeting you where you are – from the Ft. Lawton discussion around housing in Magnolia, to meeting with workers in the north end at Seattle City Light; speaking on Capitol Hill at the Seattle Womxn’s March, to the Central District marching in solidarity as we honor the activism and radical change that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for within the #PoorPeoplesCampaign (link). We keep Dr. King’s legacy alive not by celebrating him one day, but by acting daily to create greater shared power and economic prosperity
The first few weeks of this year were filled with news about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on workplaces as the Trump administration ramps up on its arrests and deportations of our immigrant communities. Workers from New York to California, from those who work at 7-11 to those who work as activists, are being targeted. Here in our own city, Seattle ICE served nationally known immigrant rights activists Maru Mora Villalpando (click here to join the campaign to defend Maru). This is an issue that affects employers and employees. We ask you to share this information around with your employees, neighbors, and friends – both employers and employees have rights! Share this information below today!
What’s Next?
We are gearing up for a busy year. In the coming months, watch my office for introduction of legislation to expand efforts to make easier to access the Seattle City Light discount rate program for low- and moderate-income families throughout Seattle. We will be advancing legislation to codify the elimination of sub-minimum wage for workers with disabilities (a rule in place but changing it into law). We will be working in coordination with the Office of Housing and community partners to look at ways ease community-initiated development of affordable housing throughout our city to address the affordable housing crisis. In the upcoming month, look for future conversations around the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, to create stronger protections for workers – who are more likely to be women and people of color – to have greater workplace protections!
Want to keep up to date with what we are working on? Follow us on Facebook or Twitter, and keep an eye on our blog, where we’ll be diving into greater detail on topics in our committee and before your City Council.
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