John Spirko is the State of Ohio?s Shame as the World Looks on!!

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I have been watching all the news articles in the John Spirko Case and every single article I have read points out the flaws of this case, yet the State of Ohio REFUSE to see this. I have also looked at the entire case FOR and AGAINST John Spirko!!

And the only conclusion I can come to is The State does not care for Justice for prisoners or the victim?s families.

There is none so blind as they that will not see!!

I am totally appalled at the way the State is handling this case and that DESPITE all the doubts still lingering the state plan to kill John Spirko in a matter of weeks.

Killing someone doesn?t get more premeditated than what the State of Ohio has planned for John.

Does the State believe that if they kill John that this case will disappear? It will not because it will be used to highlight EXACTLY what is wrong with the Death Penalty Laws in Ohio and John will never be forgotten. We will make sure his case haunts the state of Ohio if this evil deed is done!

I aim to let as many people know world wide what is happening in this case. And I would urge every one who reads this to protest this injustice as much as possible and to let everyone they know that Ohio is DEAD WRONG!!  All addresses of who to contact are on www.johnspirko.com

I am also sending this to Mr Petro and to Governor Taft.

Miscarriages of justice happen in EVERY SINGLE country. No one is beyond making a mistake as Mr Pritchard has admitted that even he made some in this case. We all make mistakes. We have all at one time jumped to the wrong conclusion because it looks like it was right, only to be proven wrong at a later date.

There are many facts to this case but no one can dispute the basic facts.

FACT!! Sadly Betty Jane Mottinger was brutally murdered and her family have suffered terribly and have been left with so many unanswered questions.

Fact !! John Spirko, TALKED his way onto death row while trying to save a girlfriend from going to prison, by telling tall tales about a murder he knew nothing about except from the media. He thought he could buy some time and never believed he would be convicted when he had no links to Elgin or any of this. The only thing John Spirko is guilty of is being stupid to even try such things.

FACT!! John Spirko has spent 23 years on death row with a date to die on 15^th November 2005 without a full review of his case.

FACT!! No physical evidence ever connected Spirko to Elgin or to Mrs Mottinger

Fact!! On Aug. 1, 1997 , while being questioned on an unrelated matter by William Latham, an investigator for the Wyandot County prosecutor's office, John Willier disclosed that Dale Dingus was involved in Mottinger's kidnapping and murder, both of which followed a botched drug pickup by Dingus and others at the Elgin post office. Willier said authorities investigating the murder showed him a piece of the paint-splattered shroud and he recognized it as part of the drop cloth he and Dingus had been using to paint a Findlay house that summer.

"I am 99-point-nine-tenths sure that that tarp came from that painting job," Willier said. And, he said, besides the owner of the house, Dingus was the only one who had access to the tarp.

"That's the key thing that has me baffled over the years," Willier said. "Look, if this guy - this John Spirko - if he don't know me and I don't know him and he don't know Dingus and Dingus don't know him, how the hell did he get the tarp?"

"I think about it a lot," Willier said. "It has me bothered. Because what if there is an innocent person there. And what if the guy that actually did it - or guys or whoever - are walking free?"

FACT!! Bedra urged officials - especially Van Wert County Prosecutor Charles Kennedy, in whose county the crime occurred - to follow up. "Who knows what you'll find?" Bedra said.

FACT!! Investigators had never heard of Spirko until he came forward, saying he had information about the crime he wanted to trade for lenient treatment for himself and his girlfriend in an unrelated case.

FACT!! Noting the absence of physical evidence linking Spirko to the murder of Betty Jane Mottinger or backing his statements, attorney Thomas Hill said the case boils down to little more than "Paul Hartman versus John Spirko -- two men, neither of which has any credibility.

"Both are liars," Hill said. "Each tried to outsmart the other. Both were wrong."

FACT!! Board member Slayman N. Bedra quizzed prosecutors about why FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service officials apparently didn't investigate a 1997 lead brought to their attention by Wyandot County sheriff's investigator William Latham. Latham testified that the feds didn't act when Latham told them that a local house painter said he had information that another painter with no known links to Spirko killed rural postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger on Aug. 9, 1982 .

Three members of the board said, ?Execution requires the most stringent test of due process," they wrote. "We are left to wonder if that threshold has been met in Spirko's case.?

Well wonder no more because they hit the nail right on the head with this statement. NO that threshold was not met in the Spriko case. Not by any standards.

Police and investigators make mistakes in their quest to try and catch criminals and in their haste to make sure someone pays for a crime. And also to clear up the crime rate quickly. That is a common failing in ALL miscarriages of justice. Police and investigators focus on one person so much they forget to look at any other options. That is their FIRST VITAL MISTAKE!!

A basic rule in investigating any case is to look at ALL options. Investigate ALL possible suspects and eliminate them one by one. This did not happen in this case.

Just because someone is not very nice really does not mean they committed a crime.

Research some cases of Miscarriages of Justice and you will find that most people falsely convicted where not upstanding pillars of the community. They are easy targets and at times like John Spirko did, make themselves easy targets because of the kind of people they where.

Seems to me, and many others, with Petro running for Governor, he cannot politically afford TWO high profile innocence cases at the same time. The Richey and Spirko cases both coming to a final conclusion at the same time must be mighty uncomfortable to cope with. So what is the solution politically? Will Petro sacrifice John? Because this is what it looks like to everyone who supports truth and justice for ALL. This is what it looks like is being planned. Rather than lose face will these people allow a man to be killed? Makes one wonder doesn?t it?

The fact that the State of Ohio is preparing to execute John Spirko in spite of all the judicial confusion over the case, the glaringly clear conclusion indicates that the State of Ohio is about to kill an innocent man and that the "evidence" used to convict him was flawed in the extreme and in contravention of natural justice. It is therefore a verdict and sentence that disperses with the maxim "beyond reasonable doubt" and as such would result in the State of Ohio committing the very crime for which they intend executing John Spirko.

The State of Ohio is rapidly developing a reputation of failure to admit mistakes in relation to evidence of innocence of prisoners on death row and it is now widely recognised that an innocent prisoner on death row poses a threat to so many involved in the legal system. Basically, the State of Ohio will NOT accept even the possibility of a "mistake" lest reputations suffer.

The State of Ohio has cultivated a culture of "We are NEVER wrong" and when the philosopher,

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) said:

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all argument and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation."

Did he have a premonition of the present day State of Ohio ?

I have been looking at some of the Statements made by Mr Pritchard from the Attorney Generals Office and also Kim Norris, amongst others. I have gone through many news articles and read a lot of statements that have been publicly made. I suggest others do the same.

One of the Statements AG Petro has made in both the Richey case and the Spirko case is that ?We have a just conviction?.

I wonder how much Mr Petro actually knows about either of these cases.

I challenge Mr Petro and Governor Taft to a meeting to discuss both cases and to find out EXACTLY what he does know about these cases.

Because I have a sneaky feeling Petro is way too busy trying to get support for himself to be elected as Governor of Ohio, to be up to date with anything so bothersome to him than two men protesting their innocence for many years.

Are Mr Petro and Mr Taft up for the challenge or will they avoid this as they avoid and sidestep all the other important issues in these cases.? Let?s see if they really know anything other than the basics of the prosecution case.

Because I highly doubt they do really look at anything except the prosecution case and then call that justice.

Every story has at least 2 sides. Only one seems to get really looked at in this case and any other innocence claims.

"So if John Spirko is innocent, which I believe with all my heart that he is, based on ALL evidence, then this means there is/are a murderer/s who have got away with the "perfect crime" then he or they have been assisted by the State of Ohio in achieving this!!

Do the people of Ohio feel safe knowing that there are one or more killers on the loose, whom have really got away with murder? Do they have trust in their Governor and their Attorney General to dispense true justice? If they do then they really should start questioning things because the execution of an innocent man is going to happen in the citizens of Ohio ?s names. If they don't then they also need to voice their opinions NOW!!!

And if there are other killers out there, does this show any sort of caring for the people of Ohio by the people in power, whose job is to protect their citizens and voters? It is their job to ensure they have the correct suspect for a crime. Especially when this person?s very life depends on it.

Prichard questioned some of the details at Wednesday?s clemency hearing, while acknowledging others.

"Whether misstatements were made or not," he said, "there was no attempt to mislead. We're human and can make mistakes."

Is this as far as they will go in admitting there might be something wrong here? But he is right, humans do make mistakes and get things wrong. To err is to be human. To be humble enough to admit when you are wrong is also a genuine quality that most of us admire. Especially from the people in power of major decisions such as whether to kill a human being in the public?s name.

The public are not stupid, they would much prefer to see that the people they voted into power really checked if a case was as solid as the State says it is. The would much prefer to see a politician who cared about the truth and about justice and who had the guts to step in and say, ?THIS IS WRONG?. That shows someone with integrity and honour. That?s the kind of person who would get many votes.

"It doesn't matter which side of the argument you take, shouldn't that be followed up on?" Bedra said. "If there are other offenders out there, shouldn't they be brought to justice? I think the state missed a window of opportunity. I think that window may still be there and I hope the state will pursue it." (talking of Willier?s revelations during John's 2nd Clemency Hearing)

Of course the State missed a window of opportunity and it should pursue it and question Willier more. And Dingus, In fact EVERYONE involved in this case should be questioned. Whether you believe in the death penalty or not, whether you think judges and juries always get the right man or not, the one thing every one is agreed on is that truth and justice prevail. And if there are other offenders out there, which I believe there are, then John Spirko has not been treated fairly because then there is still more to this case that wouldn?t be heard if they killed John since the case would then be closed.

Do the public in Ohio feel confident enough that there is not one or more killers on the loose, free to kill again, safe in the knowledge that the State has let them get away with murder? Will the State wait until some similar murder happens and another family is destroyed? Think it couldn?t happen?

The greatest sin of our time is not the few who have destroyed, but the vast majority who have sat idly by.
--- Dr. Martin Luther King

Will the citizens of Ohio sit idly by while this man with so much evidence of innocence is executed in their name and say nothing? I would hope not. Will the politicians in Ohio , the Newspapers in Ohio and all other media sit by and say nothing? All the while saying ?Oh this is terrible? but doing nothing to raise their voices? What if you knew you didn?t do something and no one would listen? What if your life depended on this?

I hope that every decent person in Ohio would want to know the truth and true justice to be dispensed in this case and any others where there are doubts of guilt. It is the duty of every right minded citizen to make sure this kind of thing does not happen in their name. It's no good saying that it isn't any of your business because it is if you live in Ohio and especially if you vote for these officials.

Not just for John Spirko but for The Mottinger Family too. They deserve to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth of what happened to Betty Jane Mottinger.

It is the duty of the media to voice their opinions to readers and viewers when they see something is wrong in any case. It is their duty also to inform the public about things that are seriously wrong and stop thinking people will not be interested.

Someone being executed might be a news story and a dramatic news story at that but what about the real person behind this story? What if they really are innocent?

Wouldn?t it be better to highlight these cases and to try to prevent an execution until at least a full investigation was done to everyone?s satisfaction?

How many editors are willing to ?risk? doing this? How many politicians from all parties are willing to stand up and be counted?

In an Aug. 31 letter to U.S. Chief Postal Inspector Leroy Heath, Gregory Duerr, an inspector in Cleveland , said 15 complaints were filed by employees against Postal Inspector Paul Hartman, who testified at Spirko's trial.

The AG office argued, however, that the letter is irrelevant to the Spirko case.

This letter is not irrelevant at all. It is evidence that Hartman is a liar and not to be trusted. And if he cannot be trusted, neither can his evidence which is mostly based on his word alone. Get every single person who complained about Hartman to tell why they complained. Make it all public.

Mr Petro seems to want his kind of "justice" no matter what the facts of a case are. Mr Petro?s justice is that the Courts and the State always get the right people with no room for any possible mistakes. How arrogant!!

He is side stepping the issue here. And the issue is that a man who is probably innocent will be killed by the state of Ohio on 15^th November because the State will not reopen this case. This man will be killed in the name of every single Ohio citizen whether they want it or not. The people of Ohio need to be aware of what is being done in their name. You may not care personally for John Spirko but you should care about justice and injustice in your State. It could happen to you too!! Get the information for yourself and read the entire case is what I would urge of the people of Ohio . Voice your protests as loudly as possible. That is the right and moral thing to do.

I am asking only that you look and see for yourself what has occurred here in this case and not to allow injustice to happen like this without a full review of this case.

Personally I would admire more, as would many other people, if sometimes they would admit to the possibility that they just might have got it wrong.

That shows integrity. I wonder does Mr Petro know the meaning of the word.

What is it that the State fears about having this case re opened? If they believe they are correct, what do they have to fear in the truth coming out? Wouldn?t it be better to make sure so that the public are assured that justice truly is served? Or perhaps Mr Petro only wants the public to vote for him without questioning him and the policies of Ohio ?

His letter to the parole board was simply like Pontius Pilate washing his hands and leaving the decision up to someone else. But AG Petro I point the finger at you for taking part in this and doing nothing to make sure proper justice is done. Justice does not mean that the State is correct. It means to look at something from every angle and only then to come to a conclusion. And to do so with an open mind. That is what justice is.

Justice and fairness is something that everyone is entitled to. It is what every single person in this world wants to believe really happens. It has not happened in this case.

You cannot pardon a corpse. You cannot bring someone back to life because it is realised they did not commit the crime later. After death it is too late for the condemned man.

And this is not justice for the Mottinger family either. They have also endured much pain and torture over these years but they have been lied to by an over zealous prosecutor, a lying postal inspector and an Attorney General who does not appear to know what the words fairness and justice really mean.

Shame on Petro! Shame on Taft! Shame on the members of the parole board who refuse to see what is right in front of their eyes!! Shame on Ohio !! The world is watching!!

I understand that the Mottinger family want closure. The execution of John Spirko without a full review of his case will not provide these people with this.

The world is watching Ohio and shaking its head in disgust at what is happening in the "INJUSTICE" system, that we are told is the greatest in the world.

That is the greatest lie and illusion ever created!

That is not how the rest of the world views what is happening in Ohio .

Its time for a reality check before it is too late for John Spriko. Or for many of the others on Ohio ?s death row with evidence of innocence for that matter.  Spirko and Richey are not isolated cases of injustice. Never forget that fact!!

It is time this case was reopened and looked at, so that the Mottinger family too can have some justice.

My heart goes out to them because of the loss and pain they have suffered. And there is no denying this family has suffered terribly.

There have been three injustices inflicted by the State of Ohio in this case.

The first was to Betty Jane Mottinger who was murdered.

The second to Mrs Mottingers family who have not received justice or been told the full truth.

And last but not least John Spirko, who has sat on Ohio 's death row for 23 years, for a crime he did not commit.

When will the AG stop being so arrogant as to think that the State get their man and are right every time? Why have appeals to safeguard inmates when the State won't even consider the possibility that they just might have made a mistake? What is the point if they will not realise there might be something wrong but they will not admit it anyway?

Thanks for reading this and if you have any suggestions to help highlight this case please let us know

Karen