DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Virginia Harper NAACP Correspondence, 1971-1996 | 1996-05-21 Robert A. Wright to John L. Washburne Page 1

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Virginia Harper NAACP Correspondence, 1971-1996

1996-05-21 Robert A. Wright to John L. Washburne Page 1

Law Offices
WRIGHT & WRIGHT
AN ASSOCIATION OF SOLE PRACTITIONERS
3839 MERLE HAY ROAD, SUITE 230
DES MOINES, IOWA 50310-1321

ROBERT A. WRIGHT
ROBERT A. WRIGHT, JR.
Telephone: (515) 252
Fax: (919) 253

May 21, 1996
John L. Washburne
#1059534A
Iowa Medical and Classification Center
Oakdale, Iowa 52319
Dear Mr. Washburne:
Pursuant to your request, Virginia Harper, President of the Fort Madison Branch of the NAACP, has forwarded to me a copy of your letter postmarked May 2, 1996. In your letter you noted that you had been found guilty of murder in the first degree by a jury and that the case is now being appealed to the Supreme Court of Iowa.
In as much as this case is now on appeal I am confident that the attorney handling your appeal will review the evidence and the application of the law to the evidence that was presented during the course of your trial, as well as any orders of the court which may have been denied you a fair trial.
The NAACP does not review each record as we neither have the staff nor the funds with which to accomplish this, We, of course, are interested in you obtaining a fair trial but cannot assume the responsibility of funding your appeal.
You have stated that you were convicted on circumstantial evidence. The instructions and the law that were given to the jury certainly would support the fact that circumstantial evidence may and in many cases can be the only evidence that is available to determine the guilt of one charged with a crime.

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Law Offices WRIGHT & WRIGHT AN ASSOCIATION OF SOLE PRACTITIONERS 3839 MERLE HAY ROAD, SUITE 230 DES MOINES, IOWA 50310-1321 ROBERT A. WRIGHT ROBERT A. WRIGHT, JR. Telephone: (515) 252 Fax: (919) 253 May 21, 1996 John L. Washburne #1059534A Iowa Medical and Classification Center Oakdale, Iowa 52319 Dear Mr. Washburne: Pursuant to your request, Virginia Harper, President of the Fort Madison Branch of the NAACP, has forwarded to me a copy of your letter postmarked May 2, 1996. In your letter you noted that you had been found guilty of murder in the first degree by a jury and that the case is now being appealed to the Supreme Court of Iowa. In as much as this case is now on appeal I am confident that the attorney handling your appeal will review the evidence and the application of the law to the evidence that was presented during the course of your trial, as well as any orders of the court which may have been denied you a fair trial. The NAACP does not review each record as we neither have the staff nor the funds with which to accomplish this, We, of course, are interested in you obtaining a fair trial but cannot assume the responsibility of funding your appeal. You have stated that you were convicted on circumstantial evidence. The instructions and the law that were given to the jury certainly would support the fact that circumstantial evidence may and in many cases can be the only evidence that is available to determine the guilt of one charged with a crime.