I am glad you will be receiving a copy of the transcript. Hearing that mulyiple people say one thing happened and one person said something else happened it's hard to believe that a conviction occurred.

I agree a review of the transcript will be good. But wrongful convictions happen all the time based on one persons testimony over the information provided by several people. In this case it is the use of a pretext call that weighed heavily. Pretext calls are a procedure not allowed in many states. If it was hard to believe that this could be a wrongful conviction how does one account for all the people who spent many years in jail based on only the testimony of the victim only to find out years later via DNA that the accused is innocent. We have a judicial system that rewards overzealous prosecution and a media that instills fear. Seems like a recipe for a system that would have wrongful convictions.

I will be interested to see what comes of this. I am often leery about the claims of families as there is often a good deal of denial and looking the other way when a crime is under their nose for years. Maybe they're right in this case, but I would never base a conclusion on the testimony of family members.

One year removed from Mr. Dev's predatory prosecution and unfathomable conviction; the family and friends of Mr. Dev remain in a heightened state of resolve and commitment towards the eradication of the injustice perpetrated against an innocent man.

Additionally, the year has provided the family with greater clarification and comprehension, regarding the District Attorney's inability to produce a scintilla of forensic evidence sufficient to substantiate that one--let alone 700+ rapes had actually occurred.

It's worth noting that the primary investigator in the People v. Dev had conscientiously failed/refused to properly investigate a number of locations (purported crime scenes) where the accuser had vehemently asserted that she was sexually abused by Mr. Dev.

In the final analysis, the accuser's well-documented litany-of-lies under sworn oath only serves to reaffirm the adage that true victims of crime have no need and/or compelling desire to resort to prevarication.

Here in the counties of the Central Valley there have been many convictions of innocent people, especially in cases of sexual crimes. Kern County falsely convicted many people two decades ago and ruined their lives. Only recently were they able to be cleared and released after 20 years. My own daughter is facing what amounts to a life sentence, accused of wounding a home invading gangster, even though the wounded man and two other eyewitnesses have sworn to police in taped interviews, that it was a man who fired the shot. Prosecution and trial are proceeding. No one is innocent until proven guilty anymore; it is the exact opposite. Juries no longer hold to the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt and in fact, don't even understand the concept. It is enough to convict if the accused "could have done it", a direct quote from one of the jurors in the Ajay Dev case. The whole judicial system here needs serious reform and has for a very long time. Sorry, Yolo, Kern, Sacramento and you other Central Valley counties; the law is the law and you can't make it up as you go along.

I am surprised by what I believe to be the response of the progressive readers of the vangard. I do not know if this man is innocent. I do know that there is a lot of interesting information. Most of all I know the behavior of the Davis PD and our DA. When do we wake up and realize we live in a police state? Yes... finish laughing... now ask your friend who is a person of color. Very different experience. This case is not just about whether this man is innocent... Did he receive a fair trial... is their something over zealous about our DA... what's going on with our Police Department (finally we had someone who ran for city council and challenge this)... is there a racial bias? I have no idea if he is guilty or innocent, but I know that these are valuable questions to raise about the town I live in.

David, since you apparently care very much about this one case, might I suggest you interview some of the jurors, too?

I think interviews with the jurors would be a great idea and reading of the court transcripts even better. Please keep us all posted as you work through them as we are all curious as you read through it.

What I find most outrageous about this case is the lack of proper investigation. Who investigates a case without interviewing the family? That is just outrageous! So those who know Ajay the most are not even considered in the case? It just doesn’t make sense.
Yolo County residents we are all in big trouble if this type of prosecution continues to happen in our county. Wake up and take action.

For a Deputy DA it's not about truth or justice, but all about winning so they can rack up a successful track record. When it comes time for them to move up the food chain, they can then parade their tough on crime record of convictions to the electorate.
Having been on a couple of juries in Yolo county I can say from first hand experience juries do not hesitate to ignore factual evidence and make decisions based on how they happen to like or dislike the person on the stand.

It’s been a year and 2 days since the jury in the People vs. Dev case gave their verdict and sent an innocent man to prison. I will never forget that day. The courtroom was full of Mr. Dev’s supporters, many of whom gave testimonies during the trial (family members as well as neighbors and friends). When the verdict was announced, we were all in absolute shock and disbelief. How could this have happened? This was a case with NO physical evidence; the Yolo County PD detective was more concerned with making a case than validating a claim of sexual abuse, who did not question pertinent witnesses; the Deputy DA grossly misrepresented the facts to the jury; and the judge blocked the admission of numerous pieces of exculpatory evidence. How could such an unjust ruling occur? I urge you all to learn more about Ajay’s story and help us fight for his freedom. Visit www.advocatesforajay.com and Facebook: Advocates For Ajay.

David, I look forward to hearing your analysis of the transcript and if you are able to interview any of the jurors.

I too would very much like to hear from of the jurors on this case. Unfortunately, the jurors were not privvy to some pertinent information they needed. The detective an DDA misrepresented the case and witheld evidence--and the judge allowed this to happen. Eventually more and more details of the injustices that have happened in this case will be released publicly. As jurors learn more about this case, I hope that they will not be afraid to come forward and speak.

A man has been falsely convicted. And it is not just family that feels this way. Please look at my next blog to read some excerpts from letters people have written.
If you would like to read the entire letter go to www.advocatesforajay.com and look under statements.

1. "...Are you already predisposed to believe something about [Ajay] that I know with every fiber of my being to be false? I pray not."

2. "...We are not persons who are easily manipulated or completely devoid of perception. We are responsible, thinking individuals who uphold the standards of morality and law. As strong individuals with a true sense of right and wrong, we would have fought against Ajay had any one seen anything untoward."

3. "I have a BA in Psychology and have worked in Social Services for 21 years. 18 of those, I worked with the chronically mentally ill in an outpatient setting. I am familiar with all levels of psychological dysfunction and was responsible for conducting psycho/social assessments and frequently dealt with persons who had experienced sexual abuse. From what I know about [the accuser's] accusations from all who knew the Dev's intimately and who spent many hours alone with [the accuser], (my husband included) there is no way this chronic abuse could have taken place."

4. "I am a molestation victim. I had to go through a terrible process to get the person who hurt me pointed out. Nevertheless, he was cleared and I even had to walk into him one day. I am still suffereing from this experience psychologically and emotionally and would do anything to prevent someone else from experiencing something of this nature. Similarly, I would fight to get anyone guilty of such a horrible crime exposed and behind bars. I would never stand behind a rapist. On the other hand, as a victim of sexual abuse, I condemn any false accusation and see it as a slap in the face of any true victim when an innocent man is found guilty due to unfounded accusations from an inconsistent "witness"."

5. "I have been brought to Washington DC several times to speak to individuals all over the country on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education on issues of Health. In all these roles, my job has been the safety, welfare and the health of children. As a teacher I am a mandated reporter of child abuse. I am giving you some background so you can understand that I would never support anyone that I thought was abusing a child or any individual. I am an active voice locally and nationally in the fight for children's rights to a healthy upbringing."

Continued on next blog.

Continued excerpts from letters written.

6. “I witnessed the girl wake up, after allegedly being raped, and wedge herself on the couch between her adopted parents and cuddle in the crisp Monterey morning”

7. "I have had the privilege of working with many different children with many different disibilities, some who have been either physically, emotionally or sexually abused. If I did not believe 100% in Ajay Dev I would not be writing this letter."

8. "Without exception, Ajay always conducted himself as a caring father, proud of his daughter's accomplishments and eager to help her schollasticaly. In fact, [the accuser] often visited for tutorial sessions. Not once did I observe any tension between father and daughter."

9. "During the trial, I watched critically as an "outsider" and I felt that Ajay did not have his day in court, nor did Ajay's supporters on the stand have adequate time to explain, yet [the accuser] had an abundance of time to nonsensically repeat, "I don't remember, or I don't know..."

10. "When the verdict of "guilty" was read, we along with Ajay were shocked and devastated. How can justice be so blind to the truth?"
11. "I supervised a team of counselors and also provided direct counseling services to our clients. It is with this lens that I interpret what empirical observation I make about people and their interactions with others...I watched how loving and comfortable [the accuser] was with Ajay: calling him Daddy, kissing him on the cheek, and how they looked kindly into each other's eyes. This was not someone who suffered any abuse from him. There was no secrecy or manipulation."

12. "I witnessed her testimony when 95% of her answers were "I don't remember" and the remaining 5% were clearly lies."

13. "...I, personally, was shocked by the accusations made by [the accuser]. When she, Ajay and Peggy spent the better part of a weekend at my home during a family reunion, [the accuser] beamed with happiness and affection for her adopted parents; especially, Ajay."

14. "My appraisal of Mr. Dev's character is also qualified by my professional experience of 15 years in social service to military veterans and psychiatric patients. During my career, I witnessed the most impaired, psychologically damaged and socially degraded individuals known to man. I learnt to skillfully determine those who actually are wholesome individuals, who, against all odds, strive to live meaningful and ethical lives and encourage those around them to do the same-these are qualities that Mr. Dev possesses."

These are not people that are turning a blind eye to abuse or are trying to pretend like nothing happened. These are very educated, professionals that know nothing happened. Please go to www.advocatesforajay.com and read the full statements.

Gang Expert : I am confused by your statement, you wouldn't take what the family has to say but yet convict a man based on one telephone call that wasn't translated appropriately? Must I add most states don't allow these types of calls anymore. CA is suppose to be more progressive then other states not to mention Davis by itself.

If you live in Davis right now you should be a shamed of yourself if you aren't backing this case. It's not about guilty or not guility, it's about whether the man received a fair trial or not. And the facts point to that he did not. We send people to prison for murder for less time. Come on Davisites, wake up!

There needs to be a full investigation of the Davis PD, the DA and I hate to say it Yolo County Judges because in the end the sentence fell in their lap and they chose to convict so harshly.

Come on Davis, this is your time to come together and really stand up for what we all supposedly believe in. Now is the time for action not lip service.

To my two cents:

I didn't say anything about convicting a man based on anything. All I stated was that in my experience claims about the family regarding issues such as rape and child abuse are unreliable.

I don't have any great insight into pretext calls or really in the case as a whole. I was merely responding to the statements by the accused's sister-in-law and nephew.

Cash for Convictions.....I saw that and I have to admit that I thought this cannot be true. But now I am thinking differently. I read about Yolo County's financial situation. I read about all this grant money coming in. I went back and checked when Mr. Dev was charged. It was in April of 2006. Right before Jeff Reisig's election time. I checked on when he was convicted. June 25 of 2009. Right before the fiscal year ended. Then I read about the complains from the defense side about the judge rushing the trial and not giving them ample time to defend. The judge wanted to finish this trial no matter what before June ended. I smell something here.
This Cash for Convictions better not be true because I believe that our justice system is good. I know it is not perfect but if in fact money and re-election and winning by all means is the motto of Yolo County Justice System, then we need help as I am now convinced of Mr. Dev's innocence.

If you feel that Ajay received an unfair tria and that this case needs further investigation, please go to the following cite and sign the petition.

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/ stop_the_epidemic_of_injustice_in_yolo_county_free_ajay
_dev

This is a heartbreaking story. The real criminals here are DDA Mount, Judge Fall, and "detective" Herman for their complicity in this systemic destruction peoples lives. The details are clear for anyone who cares to look. Perhaps thats why all those people feel so moved to protest Ajay Dev's imprisonment- because the officials we have elected and appointed to represent us are destroying us. We must force a change- Democracy cannot be a spectator sport.

Mr Greenwald, I never saw this go out in your updates via email. Are you going to include it this week sometime? The reason why I ask is I think most get their news via the emails you send out and not from access the website itself. I may be wrong. The more publicity on this case the better. Thanks.

Here's a story from Fox News that says 1 out of 5 that rape allegations are false. Here's the link to the story.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,194032,00.html

I made a mistake in my last post. It should have said.

Here's a story from Fox News that says 1 out of 4 rape allegations are false. Here's the link to the story.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,194032,00.html

I agree with you about Fox News. It is a little conservative from my point of view. I just thought I would cite a conservative source. I have seen studies that have stated as high as 41% of rape allegations are false. That source is http://www.falserape.net/false-rape.htm

David: I also agree with you that all rape accusations should be thoroughly investigated. The problem with this case is that the detective did not thoroughtly investigate it. He didn't talk to her family, friends, boyfriends, neighbors or teachers. He never checked the various crime scenes where she said the rapes occurred. He just took her word for it.

FAI wrote:

Here's a story from Fox News that says 1 out of 5 that rape allegations are false.

Update: 75%

Mr. Easley described himself as a light sleeper and a night owl who often lay awake at night, sleepless.

no more than 10 to 15 feet away from them

No one can tell me what my life was. I lived it. So, I feel an obligation of conscience to make sure the truth does come out.

Primoris-
If you listened to the accuser's testimony, you would know that her story made no sense. She was found to be lying on several occasions. Even the jurors commented on other blogs that she was not credible. So it makes it difficult to believe the stories spun by this accuser.

Fight Against Injustice, wrote:

If you listened to the accuser's testimony, you would know that her story made no sense. She was found to be lying on several occasions

DMG

That used to mean more to me than it doenow.

Please cite/share where one can find a flawless criminal justice system in our world.

As we all know, there is no such things as a flawless criminal justice system. We are not expecting perfection, but it sure would be nice to have a judicial system that wasn't so bent on getting convictions that the point of justice gets lost.

I don't think it is too much to ask for a judicial system where someone investigates the allegations put forth before automatically pushing the case to trial. Then to ask the prosecutors to tell the truth of what they have found instead of finding ways to cover up or misrepresent the case in order to win.

FAI wrote:

I don't think it is too much to ask for a judicial system where someone investigates the allegations put forth before automatically pushing the case to trial.