Wisconsin Exoneree Network

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Evan M. Zimmerman was wrongfully convicted of murder in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 2001. In August of 2003, his conviction was overturned by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. In 2005, his case was dismissed with prejudice during retrial. Despite his eventual exoneration, Evan's conviction continued to haunt him. Most disturbingly for Evan and his family, the details of his case remained on Wisconsin CCAP as part of the public record he, and they, had to continuously explain. He faced discrimination from his wrongful conviction for the rest of his life. Evan died in June of 2007. The Wisconsin Exoneree Network (WEN) was organized in his honor.

Photo: WEN Annual Program - June 2008 The

The Wisconsin Exoneree Network is an organization dedicated to addressing the problems exclusive to state residents struggling to make lives for themselves after wrongful convictions.

Still in its formative stages, the Network is interested in creating support for reforms to the legal and political landscape. The Network has also begun investigating ways to fund emergency or transitional housing for exonerees who have no place to go when they are released from prison and in identifying a pool of professionals, in particular counselors and attorneys, who would be interested in donating services to Wisconsin exonerees. The Network is, in addition, developing plans to establish a trust fund in memory of Evan Zimmerman and creating a web page devoted to providing lists of resources and guidance to Wisconsin exonerees.

Perhaps most importantly, the Exoneree Network seeks to satisfy an immediate need, for emotional support and camaraderie by bringing exonerees together on a regular basis to get strength and insight from the only people who can truly understand what they have been through, and what obstacles lie in their path to reclaiming their lives. While committed to working towards systemic reform participating exonerees are thus also dedicated to helping each other and themselves continue the journey to freedom that only began when they were released from prison.

Evan M. Zimmerman with Attorneys Keith Beltzer and Keith Findley

http://truthinjustice.org/evan-zimmerman.htm

In Memory of

Evan Zimmerman,

July 2007

by Mike Piaskowski

Yesterday I received the sad news that a fellow Wisconsin exoneree and good friend of mine by the name of Evan Zimmerman passed away of cancer. He was only 61.

Ev was incarcerated for more than three years after being convicted of first-degree intentional homicide in the strangulation death of his ex-lady friend in 2001. Kathy Thompson, 38, had been found dead in February 2000 in Eau Claire, WI. Ev, a former police officer himself, was arrested about a year later and was eventually convicted of the unsolved murder.

With the help of the Wisconsin Innocence Project, Ev successfully appealed on the grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel and won the right to a retrial. In 2005 the judge ruled that certain unreliable testimony could not be used at the new trial. Without the tainted evidence and nothing else to rely on the DA dropped all charges. Ev steadfastly denied any involvement in her death maintaining his innocence from the very beginning.

After his release from prison Ev was forced to move from Eau Claire to LaCrosse, WI after bringing a wrongful-conviction lawsuit against the Eau Claire police department. Sadly, in 2006 the federal court dismissed the suit.

In 2005 the A&E channel put together a documentary about Evan's case by the name of "Facing Life - The Retrial of Evan Zimmerman". It was aired in April 2006.

Ev was a wonderful person and will be missed by many. Let us pray that we can all work together, in Evan's name, as well as all of the exonerees throughout the country, to help eliminate these and all other forms of injustice created by our justice system.

Posted by Truth in Justice Files at 11:39 AM

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Read about Cody Vandenberg's recent release after 15 years of wrongful imprisonment at:http://www.milwaukeenewsbuzz.com/?p=231875

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