A 17-Day Video Journal of One Innocent Woman’s 17-Year Struggle for Freedom
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Deirdre O'Connor said:
Every time I watch this, I want to scream! Could any objective person think this is a piece of solid detective work? It is perfectly shameful.
Scott Lopacinski said:
Is the detective still working for LAPD?What a joke of a detective
She should be ashamed but probably not!
Not letting her take a lie detector test ?? Really?? And why not??
I probably like everyone else have no words.
SCREAMING is a good thing !!
Deirdre O'Connor said:
Yes, Scott, Winn still works at LAPD. She was one of the detectives featured as a rookie detective in a The Killing Season http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/655012.The_Killing_Season_. Only problem is, in her first homicide case, she built a case against the wrong men–two innocent men, Reggie Cole and Obie Anthony, spent years in prison for a murder they did not commit! Fortunately, they were ultimately exonerated. http://www.laweekly.com/2012-10-18/news/reggie-cole-obie-anthony-innocence-project-murders/
Scott Lopacinski said:
With such a track record.
Wow!!
I guess that’s why your part of a union.
so they can protect you.
as long as you don’t hurt anyone physically they will back you up.
Thanks for getting back to me:)
Scott Lopacinski said:
Does the LAPD know who these gang members are?
Deirdre O'Connor said:
Yep.
Scott lopacinski said:
OK then time will tell
And We will all just keep thinking about Susan and pray for her quick return home to her family 🙂
Julie said:
These videos are heartbreaking!! To think of all the things my mom has been through makes me sick. She is such a strong woman! I know she will pull through this and be home with us one day soon!
Julie said:
I remember coming home that day and seeing Jessica at my house! I knew something was wrong!! I promised you Jess that mom would be home. 17 years later and it may finally be true!!
joni hilliard said:
This is so hard to watch! and if you know suzy like I do their is no way she was a part of this! and the bitch that booked her! OMG!!! would not even give suzy a chance to even talk! please watch and then pass on! SHE IS INNOCENT and has been serving a life sentence of HELL ! How can a judge just take some ones life away from them and their kids…what because He was having a bad day?! WTF!! is wrong with our system*
maureen stump said:
this is really wrong they would not listen to susie and when the detective said no one in your family cares she was wrong. All they want to do is listen what happen and then throw you in prison for life and I think the judge was to harsh. Susie is a very soft spoken person and it seems like she could not even get a word in. God knows that susie had nothing to do with the killing. She was scared and confused. My mom was at the final hearing and it broke her heart because susie was at one time part of are family. There is no way she could of done it. When she was having her first child Julie I used to go to the doctors with her and she would almost pass out when they would draw blood from her. They are going after the wrong person. How would the judge like this to happen to one of his family members. Susie is innocent.
Any more they just want to throw you in prison and forget you’re there.
PLEASE RELEASE SUSIE. DON’T YOU THINK 17 YEARS IS LONG ENOUGH.
Deirdre O'Connor said:
Joni, it’s so true that everyone who knows Suzy knows she is emotionally, psychologically, and mentally incapable of ever doing this kind of harm to another human being. I honestly can’t think of a someone with a gentler soul than Suzy.
Scott Lopacinski said:
Yep I’ve known Susan since I was 15
NO WAY is she involved.I have not seen her in over 20 but really come on.
Spencer said:
I just do not understand Winn’s reasoning for thinking Suzy was involved?? It seems clear that she had already made up her mind that Suzy was guilty before questioning her. THIS IS WRONG. No justice here…
Jessica Schilling-Wigley said:
I want to know how they think one woman was able to tie up, gag, and burn a man. The interrogation gives no indication of any evidence tying Suzy to the crime. I am looking forward to seeing more information so I can wrap my head around this. As a mother, it makes me sick that this woman was taken from her children.
Deirdre O'Connor said:
Jessica Schilling-Wigley, I hate to tell you this but the more you learn about this case, the less you will be able to wrap your head around it. None of it makes sense.
However, to be fair to the police and DA, they never said she did it alone–they said she did it with a gang banger she never knew.
I just returned from a visit with Suzy and I can assure you she is as baffled by these ridiculous accusations today as she was 17 years ago! It will never make sense.
Kenneth Ware said:
I have known Susan since she was an eighteen year old young woman. It seems this police officer has already held court and convicted Susan of MURDER! I will hold back from making any more comments today, because the interrogation I am witnessing is making my blood boil to say the least. Thank you Deirdre for posting this video for the World to see in black and white. It is apparent Officer Winn is doing her best to break Susan down, in hopes of her admitting she did something, she did not do. It helps me understand the meaning of, BREAKING SOMEONE INTO CONFESSING SOMETHING THEY DID NOT DO. God help us all if this is the type of justice we can expect from the police!
Kenneth Ware said:
After watching Officer Winn’s attempt to BREAK Susan, I do not think I will be able to sleep well tonight…It is outrageous and crude to say the least! You would think this type of persecution went out with the end of the Dark Ages. When did the police stop using evidence to convict a person, versus using torture in hopes of breaking a person down to the point they would say anything to make the inquisition and pain stop? K.W.
Jessica said:
I can’t express enough how disgusted I am with this detective! Watching my mom get interrogated like this makes my blood boil. I understand that an interrogation is not suppose to be pleasant, but to go as far as saying my mom doesn’t care about her kids is just heart wrenching. What kind of person deliberately arrests someone in front of their child and then tells them they don’t care about their children? This was wrong on so many levels and I want everyone to know what my mother has gone through. My mother has always been very soft spoken and kind and this detective completely took advantage of her. Truthfully my mom has never been a confrontational person and clearly in this video she was pleading for them to believe her in a very nice way. I can’t say if I were in my moms situation that I would have been the same because I would have been the complete opposite. I admire my mom for being able to be kind, sweet and respectful to this detective while she was being criticized for something she didn’t do. Please share these videos so we can raise awareness of my moms innocence!
J. T. Silveira said:
Some years ago, a former student of mine who had worked in the District Attorney’s Office, but was now in private practice, said something that stunned me. “Never volunteer any information, even though you may see it as being a good sentence. I my experience, police are only interested in making an arrest and having the criminal justice case convict, regardless of the individual’s guilt or innocence.”
I do know people in law enforcement who truly want to find the culprit and I applaud those individuals who fly in the face of peer pressure to do this. For the others who are interested in convictions, not justice, I have no words strong enough to indict them with.
I would like to know how law enforcement came to target this woman for a crime that obviously needed at least two culprits. Was effort made to locate the other person? How was Susan selected? What kind of defense was mounted for her? Did no one come forward? See? Too any questions still unanswered after seventeen years. It stinks. The years she has lost, she cannot get back, watching her child/children grow up, making a good life for herself and her family, the ruptured relationships her conviction probably triggered, all this and more.
Deirdre O'Connor said:
The video clips to come will answer some of your questions, J.T. Prepared to be thoroughly disgusted!
The short answer is there were three gang members who committed this crime, with the assistance of a fourth gang member who supplied the car. Susan Mellen was not involved in this in any way. There was no intelligent investigation done in this case whatsoever.
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catchmeinthewind said:
Reblogged this on catchmeinthewind and commented:
This is yo and I knew Suzy 20 years ago and she is one of the most soft spoken, gentle people I have ever met. The main problem is that imbecile cop(was that cop tweaking?) should never had been a cop. They should have kicked her and her fucking ebonics right back to the ghetto where you could certainly tell she belonged after hearing her voice for just five seconds. Anyway thank you for figthing
catchmeinthewind said:
This is Yocious, wow that cop talked and sounded like some ghetto crackhead, was she tweaking? Anyway, if Suzy gets out, this will be a wrong that should have been righted a long time ago. Thank you for taking action and getting results. Suzy is a soft spoken truly good human being, and the Suzy I knew was not capable of that. As far as june patti is concerned, she should have been silenced long before this happened. I personally know of a lot of lives that were ruined because of this piece of POO, the saddest thing is that there are lots more june pattis out there and it is against the law to deal with properly……..Good Luck Suzy
Daniel said:
As a result of the exoneration of Mrs Susan Mellen are there any implications for the incompetent investigation conducted by Detective Winn? Will Detective Winn be served with a dishonary discharge from the police force for both her bungling of this case and the previous one?
Deirdre O'Connor said:
Time will tell Winn’s fate.
Joann Luna said:
Just watched Deadline: Crime With Tamron Hall. I have found myself in fear of being on a jury and convicting an innocent person. I am so happy Suzy is out living life free.