WE WERE GETTING NOWHERE WITH JENKINS. HE WOULD NOT ANSWER BECAUSE HE HAD NO ANSWER SO WE THEN MOVED ON TO WHERE THE INVESTIGATION WAS AT THIS TIME.
BEFORE THIS MEETING SEVERAL THINGS WERE PROMISED TO US THAT WOULD HAPPEN BY ED AND COMMANDER L'ESPERANCE. THEY WOULD WORK TO GET SAND OFF THE CASE. THEY WOULD WORK TO HAVE A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR ASSIGNED TO BRING THIS CASE TO A TRIAL ALONG WITH A CHANGE OF VENUE. THEY WOULD REVIEW ALL OF THE GRAND JURY STATEMENTS. REVIEW ALL OF THE ORIGINAL STATEMENTS AND BRING IN THOSE THAT HAVE PERJURED THEMSELVES. GET THE CELL PHONE RECORDS. ALL OF THIS WAS PROMISED TO US BEFORE THEY REALIZED JENKINS' INVOLVEMENT. ALL OF THIS CHANGED AFTER THEY FOUND OUT.
WE WERE TOLD BY OUR ATTORNEY THAT THEY WANTED TO OFFER ARBUCKLE A PLEA DEAL IF HE ANSWERED TRUTHFULLY ABOUT WHAT HE KNEW ABOUT EVERYTHING. WE AT FIRST AGREED BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THE STATE POLICE WOULD BE DOING THE QUESTIONING. WE THOUGHT THAT THEY WOULD BE QUESTIONING HIM ON EVERYTHING INCLUDING WHAT ARBUCKLE KNEW ABOUT SAND.
WE ASKED THEM WHERE THEY WERE IN THE INVESTIGATION. ED SAID THAT THEY REQUESTED THE PHONE RECORDS. BUT THAT WAS IT AS FAR AS THE INVESTIGATION WENT. WHEN ASKED IF THEY HAD GONE OVER ANY OF THE STATEMENTS ABOUT THE INCONSISTENCIES THEY SAID THEY HAD NOT. OVER A MONTH HAD GONE BY FROM THE TIME OF OUR FIRST MEETING UNTIL NOW. YET NOTHING WAS DONE? THEY SAID THAT THE PROCESS IS GOING TO TAKE A VERY LONG TIME. THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO CONCENTRATE ON ARBUCKLE FIRST. AFTER THEY WERE COMPLETELY DONE WITH HIM THEN THEY WOULD CONCENTRATE ON SOMEONE ELSE.
IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THEY ARE NOW JUST STALLING FOR TIME. I ARGUED ABOUT THAT. SAYING THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT ARBUCKLE CAN OFFER MORE TO THE INVESTIGATION THAN ANY ONE OF THE OTHER FOUR MEN INVOLVED. THAT THEY SHOULD BE THE MAIN FOCUS AND THEN ARBUCKLE. THEY INSISTED THAT THEY WANT TO DO ARBUCKLE FIRST. I TOLD THEM THAT IF THAT IS THE CASE THEN THEY SHOULD QUESTION ARBUCKLE ABOUT WHAT HE KNOWS OF ANY PLAN INVOLVING SAND TO AID THE DEFENSE.
ED THEN HIT US WITH A BOMBSHELL! HE SAID THEY WOULD NOT BE DOING THE QUESTIONING. THAT SAND WOULD BE DOING THE QUESTIONING!! I WAS STUNNED. "SO SAND IS GOING TO BE DOING THE QUESTIONING OF A PERSON THAT COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY DAMAGING INFORMATION AGAINST SAND?!" I ASKED. "AND WHAT ABOUT QUESTIONING THE OTHER GUYS FOR PERJURY?" ED SAID THAT SAND WOULD BE QUESTIONING THEM ALSO! WE WERE HORRIFIED. IT HAS NOW COME CLEAR. THEY ARE DOING A COMPLETE TURN AROUND AND ARE NOW GOING TO ASSIST SAND IN TRYING TO COVER THIS UP! SO NO MATTER IF THEY PULL THEM IN OR NOT, IT DOESN'T MATTER AT THIS POINT.
I TOLD ED THAT SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. THAT THEY ARE BREAKING THEIR WORD TO US. HOW CAN THEY BE LETTING SAND DO THE QUESTIONING. THAT MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL. HE DID NOT ANSWER. I THEN ASKED ABOUT HIS INVESTIGATION INTO OUR ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SAND. WHERE THEY WERE IN THAT. HE TOLD US THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE WOULD BE DOING THAT INVESTIGATION! "WAIT A MINUTE", I SAID, " DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, WHO THREW US OUT OF HIS OFFICE, IS DOING THE INVESTIGATION INTO MISCONDUCT OF HIS OWN OFFICE!?" THESE WERE BLATANT CONFICTS OF INTEREST!
THEY ARE JUST PLAYING WITH US. TOYING WITH OUR EMOTIONS. I CAN'T DESCRIBE WHAT WE ARE FEELING RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT. THEY HAD THIS ALL PLANNED FOR THIS MEETING. THEY KNEW THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO NOTHING AND TRY TO MAKE IT SOUND AS IF THEY WERE. DO THEY REALLY THINK WE WILL ACCEPT THIS? THEY ARE DEAD WRONG. I DECIDED TO FIND OUT WHAT ELSE THEY ARE BACKING OUT ON.
I QUESTIONED THEM ABOUT PULLING IN THE OTHER PEOPLE FOR THEIR PERJURED STATEMENTS AGAIN. THEY AGAIN SAID IT WOULD BE A LONG TIME BEFORE THEY GOT AROUND TO IT. HE CONTINUED TO MAKE UP EXCUSES. THIS ALSO WENT BACK AND FORTH. I THEN ASKED IF THEY FOUND OUT WHO THE MAN IN THE WHITE SHIRT WAS THAT TOLD TROOPER VITALE, AT THE SCENE, HE SAW KYLE BOLASKI PURSUE VINNIE AND THEN SHOOT HIM.
TODD SAID THEY HAD. THAT THE PERSON WAS "JERRY UCCI!" THE SAME UCCI THAT CALLED VINNIE TO COME TO THE FIELD. BOLASKI'S FRIEND. "JERRY UCCI?", I SAID. "BUT IN HIS GRAND JURY TESTIMONY HE SAID THAT HE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING! HE SAID HE SAW NOTHING! NOW YOU'RE SAYING THAT HE WAS THE ONE THAT SAID HE SAW KYLE SHOOT VINNIE. SO WHY DIDN'T YOU BRING HIM IN? HE DEFINITELY PERJURED HIMSELF RIGHT THERE AND THERE'S NO DISPUTING THAT! ARE YOU GOING TO CALL HIM IN?" THEY DID NOT ANSWER.
THIS WAS INDISPUTABLE EVIDENCE OF PERJURY. THIS WAS THEIR CHANCE TO DO WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO. BUT IT WAS OBVIOUS THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING. OUR WORST FEARS WERE REALIZED. THEY WERE GOING TO COVER UP! THEY WERE TURNING THEIR BACKS ON THE MURDER OF MY SON! I LOOKED AT RONNI. SHE ALSO KNEW. I COULD SEE THE ANGUISH IN HER FACE. THE FRUSTRATION!
WE GOT BACK TO THE INVESTIGATION AND WHERE THEY WERE GOING WITH IT. THEY AGAIN SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GO AFTER ARBUCKLE AND THEN THEY WOULD USE HIM TO TRY TO GET THE MOST SENTENCE ON THE ASSAULT THAT IS AGAINST BOLASKI. "BECAUSE," CAPTAIN LEDO SAID, "IT WON'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IF HE DOES TIME FOR THIS OR THE MURDER, DOES IT?" AT THIS POINT RONNI GOT ANGRY. "THIS IS A MURDER!" SHE SAID, "MURDER! HE MURDERED MY SON AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ASSAULT? HE IS A KILLER! AND SHOULD BE TRIED FOR MURDER. NOT ASSAULT!" THEY ALL JUST LOOKED AT HER AND SAID NOTHING.
IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THEY TRIED TO PLACATE US BY THINKING THAT IF BOLASKI GETS TIME FOR ASSAULT THEN THAT WOULD SATISFY US. AND IN SO DOING THEY WOULD NOT HAVE TO BRING OUT ALL OF THE WRONG DOING THAT IS GOING ON. BUT THEY ARE DEAD WRONG. WE ARE NOW MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER TO BRING OUT ALL OF THE INJUSTICE THAT IS BEING DONE!
THE MEETING WAS OVER AT THAT POINT. THEY WERE JUST PLAYING WITH US. WITH NO INTENTION OF SEEING JUSTICE DONE. BEFORE LEAVING I ASKED CAPTAIN LEDO FOR THE CASE FILES THAT THEY SAID I COULD HAVE. I CALLED HIM THE DAY BEFORE THE MEETING AND HE SAID THAT TODD WAS COPYING THEM FOR ME AND I COULD GET THEM AT THE MEETING. BUT WHEN I ASKED FOR THEM HE NOW SAID I COULD NOT HAVE THEM. HE SAID BECAUSE THE INVESTIGATION IS STILL ONGOING. I TOLD HIM HE KNEW THAT THE DAY BEFORE WHEN I CALLED. WHAT CHANGED SINCE THEN? HE JUST SAID THAT THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING. THE MEETING ENDED AND WE LEFT IN DISBELIEF. THIS MAN THAT CAME TO OUR HOUSE, OUR HOME. THIS MAN THAT WE BEFRIENDED AND TRUSTED HAD TORE OUR HEARTS OUT!
NOW WE KNEW WHERE WE STOOD. THAT WE WERE ALL ALONE IN THIS FIGHT FOR VINNIE. I E-MAILED COMMANDER L'ESPERENCE AND ASKED IF HE WOULD GIVE US THE CASE FILES THAT HE HAD PROMISED US. I EXPLAINED THAT THIS CASE WAS ALWAYS ONGOING FROM THE VERY FIRST MEETING WHERE THEY FIRST SAID WE COULD HAVE THE FILES SO WHY COULD WE NOT HAVE THEM NOW. I ASKED HIM WHAT HAD CHANGED FROM THE FIRST TIME THEY OFFERED THE FILES TO ME UNTIL NOW? HE ANSWERED THAT HE WILL SEND MY REQUEST TO LEDO.
LEDO NEVER ANSWERED ME. INSTEAD CAPTAIN LEDO WROTE AN E-MAIL TO MY ATTORNEY AND SAID THAT "HE IS BREAKING OFF ALL CONTACT WITH US BECAUSE WE WERE UNRULY AND SCREAMING AT THE MEETING!" LEDO KNOWS THIS TO BE UNTRUE! EVEN AFTER ALL OF THE LIES AND DECEPTIONS THAT THEY EXHIBITED IN THAT MEETING WE WERE VERY CIVIL AND EVEN SHOOK THEIR HANDS AFTER. THOUGH THEY LIED AND DECEIVED US WE SHOWED RESPECT. MORE THAN I CAN SAY THAT WE RECEIVED. STILL, THAT WOULD NOT BE A REASON TO STOP THE INVESTIGATION!
THIS WAS IN APRIL. THEY HAVE SINCE BROKEN OFF ALL CONTACT WITH US AND HAVE CEASED ANY INVESTIGATION. SHORTLY BEFORE THIS MEETING TOM L'ESPERANCE WAS PROMOTED TO FULL COMMANDER AND BROKE OFF CONTACT WITH US! WE HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM THEM AT ALL! CAPTAIN LEDO ATTACKED OUR CHARACTER AND SLANDERED US IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY HIS BREAKING OFF CONTACT WITH US. WHEN, IN REALITY IT IS BECAUSE WE ARE TOO NEAR THE TRUTH.
THEY TURNED THEIR BACKS ON US. THE HEARINGS FOR THESE GUYS CONTINUOUSLY GET CANCELED. THEY ARE GOING ON THE BELIEF THAT WE WILL GET FRUSTRATED AND STOP PURSUING THIS. THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN! WE WILL NEVER STOP! WOULD THEY IF IT WAS THEIR SON? WOULD ANYONE? NO! THEY WOULD NOT! AND NEITHER WILL WE...