January 21, 2023

 

Hello Friends of Miracle of Innocence,

 

On behalf of Miracle of Innocence, we want to take time out to say, THANK YOU! for providing Freedom & Justice for the innocent. Like you, we honored and celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Holiday on Monday, January 16, 2023, and will continue to fight to "Free the innocent and care for them when they come”.

FUN FACTS: Did you know? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth name was (Michael King Jr.) He was a champion of justice, fairness, and concern for all people. Dr. King served time and was put in jail at least 29 times. If he was with us today, he would be sharing one of his famous quotes, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

NOTICE TO DATE: Miracle of Innocence is humbled at the generosity you have shown over the past 6 years with your time, talent, and treasures. You donated a total income of $260,352 during December 2022 and $782,318 year-to-date 2022, compared to $671,666 MoI’s previous year-to-date 2021. Many of you have volunteered countless hours with MoI. You donated and attended events, and made the public more aware of this national crisis and the embarrassment of wrongful convictions and incarcerations. You’ve served at MoI’s Annual Gala, donated throughout the year, Giving Tuesday, donated in-kind gifts, corporate sponsorships, won silent auction items, and supported Exoneration Day and so much more. You’ve invited Lamonte, other exonerees, and myself out to share with you our experience of losing decades in prison for crimes that someone else committed (or, in some cases, that never happened). MoI has helped more than 15 exonerees in Kansas and Missouri thanks to your generosity. We are always available to speak with any group who invites us to share, so that we can tell the story of MoI's purpose and why MoI needs to keep growing and serving. Now that you all have an exoneration story you can personally share.

We ask you to consider something else:

• What would happen to the wrongfully-convicted prisoners if MoI and organizations like ours did not exist, or did not have the support of generous souls like you?

• What would happen to people like Lamonte, myself, and others who are losing days, weeks, and years of their lives to the horror of wrongful convictions? If no one did this hard work to free the innocent, think about what the cost of that would be.

1. You would have never met two innocent men who selflessly work hard to free the innocent– Lamonte McIntyre or Darryl Burton. We would still be in prison serving sentences of life without parole.

2. Lamonte McIntyre, Founder & Owner of Headlines Barber’s Academy would never experience helping young people learn entrepreneurship, obtain barber certification, and develop life skills to take care of their families and serve their communities.

3. Darryl Burton would not have enrolled in seminary at Saint Paul School of Theology, obtained a Master of Divinity degree and serve as an Associate Pastor at one of the largest United Methodist Church in the United States helping numerous people in the community regarding social justice. That service never would have come to reality.

4. Innocent people would not be reunited with their children and families.

Without your help, MoI could not provide the following Exoneree care services (for which state departments of corrections and reentry programs do not assist), such as Habitation, Identification, Communication, Transportation, Occupation, Mental health counseling, mentorship, and Food & Clothing. The most frightening outcome of ALL. If you do not help Miracle of Innocence, there’s a potential that an innocent person will face not just wrongful conviction but wrongful execution. Miracle of Innocence continues to engage with lawyers to help with several cases (four active cases - two clients are still in prison, but two clients are freed, although their cases remain pending and MoI continues to need your support to continue fighting the wrongful prosecution for those clients until those charges are fully resolved for these innocent people. Our efforts and support will continue once they are totally and fully free and exonerated.

Please see a case about Leonard Taylor, a man on Missouri’s death row who is scheduled for execution on February 7, 2023, and Mr. Taylor have claims and new evidence that may prove he’s factually innocent. On February 7th, the state of Missouri is scheduled to execute Leonard “Raheem” Taylor, a person who has a credible innocence claim summed up in the Conviction Incident and Review Unit (CIRU) request to the Saint Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s office submitted by his legal team. The decision to request a hearing on the innocence claim is now in the hands of St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell. We need your help sharing videos and bringing attention to the innocence claim! Additional documents and information https://bit.ly/RaheemDocuments - have been gathered to answer outstanding questions and clear up any misunderstandings in what happened after the murders of Angela Rowe and her children in 2004.

Your donations have helped to make Christmas a joy for the exonerees who received vouchers, car, housing repair, dental and eyecare, mental health counseling help, and support as we struggle with PTSD to deal with stress and easier ways to adjust to life in a free society. A world that many of us haven’t known for many years.

Please join Miracle Makers and Share your Heart! A monthly gift of any amount can have a huge impact on the mission of this innocence work. Simply give what your heart inspires you to give. Simply enter an amount and select "recurring" and Donate Today.

 

Thank you so much! We are grateful for your generosity!

 

Darryl Burton and Lamonte McIntyre

Co-Founders of Miracle of Innocence

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