To the Editor:
I was State’s Attorney and an assistant State’s Attorney for about 20 years. During that time, I prosecuted dozens of murderers, rapists and drug dealers in over 30 jury trials. Almost every time I asked Madison County juries to convict these criminals they did so, fearlessly stepping up to the plate with courage and sincerity.
Twice jurors sentenced multiple murderers to death, but liberal Democrat judges commuted the jury-imposed death sentence to life. The only way these murderers could get out of prison is through the clemency process.
Now I have learned that Tom Gibbons, the current State’s Attorney (who wants to be a Circuit Judge), his First Assistant Crystal Uhe (who wants to be State’s Attorney) and Gibbons’ highly paid victim coordinator Desi Jellen have all dropped the ball. All three have let many vicious criminals out of jail by neglecting to object to clemency petitions.
All Madison County juries accepted their responsibility seriously and did their job. But these brave jurors have been let down by the State’s Attorney, his First Assistant Uhe and by the highly paid staff we pay to keep watch for us when hardened criminals are put behind bars.
Crystal Uhe first said it was not her responsibility to object to clemency petitions. Then she changed her story to she made a “standing objection” to clemency petitions.
But longtime First Assistant Susan Jensen (First Assistant under three State’s Attorneys) said it IS the job of the First Assistant to object. And the Prisoner Review Board said it did not acknowledge “standing objections.” Meanwhile, dangerous child murderers like Kwayera Jackson served only a few of his 40-year prison sentence. Jackson is now free to--- well, continue what he was doing before. And we learned that clemency petitions were unobjected to in 14 of 15 serious cases.
Like the Abbott and Costello routine, it is hard to tell who is on First? Is it Gibbons who failed us or is it Uhe? Or is it Gibbons’ staff (always a good scapegoat.) Who is in charge? Or is no one actually in charge?
I can think of hundreds of brave Madison County jurors who deserve a straight answer. Or a new State’s Attorney.
Don Weber, Troy