On Sat, 25 May 2002 20:38:48 -0500 "Dan Tovrea"
writes:
> Hello,
>
> My name is Dan Tovrea and I am from Illinois. I have been trying to
> do a genealogy track on my family and I came across the Tovrea
> family in Phoenix, in particular- the murder.
>
> First, I have a chronological listing of the murder articles
> throughout the whole thing. If you are interested, you can view
> this at:
>
> http://www.djtovrea.geo
>
> I have also entered your article, "The wrongful Conviction of James
> Harrod". I would like to know the date of your article and am
> interested in your insight into everything about the murder,
> conviction, appeal, and the future.
>
> My e-mail address is: djtovrea@fcg.net
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dan
From: John Albert
To: Dan Tovrea
Subject: Re: Questions
Date: Sunday, May 26, 2002 9:15 AM
Thanks for contacting me, Dan, I have tried unsuccessfully to contact
"Hap" Tovrea for information before writing that article. It was written
a year ago. There are several unanswered questions which Hap could clear
up but he has not been willing to talk to anyone about it to my
knowledge.
In case you are not fully aware of the background I need to warn you that
Hap Tovrea is and has been from the beginning, the main target of the
attorney general's interest in this case. That is undoubtedly why Hap is
not willing to talk with anyone about the case. There are substantial
indications that the AG knows full well that Harrod was not the killer
but they have convicted him and sentenced him to death in order to
pressure him to testify against Hap Tovrea. The problem with that is that
Harrod does not know anything about Hap's involvement. The AG firmly
believes that Hap hired the murder of his step-mother, Jeanne.
We believe we know who the real killer is and who hired him and why but
there is very little hard evidence. If we are right, Hap was not
involved in any way. One of the people directly involved in the murder
is in prison on other charges and has confessed to his role and named the
others. But the AG discards all of this confession.
I am much more interested in exonerating Harrod and Hap holds the key to
answering questions about the monies he paid to Harrod to prove it was
all for legitimate business transactions, not for payment for murder for
hire. If you are in contact with Hap, I would like to pose specific
questions to him through you, if you are willing.
Harrod has no money and is represented by a public defender who is
waiting on the US Supreme Court decision on "Ring" which, if favorable,
would allow a new trial for Harrod. In a new trial, with a competent
attorney there is evidence to prove that Harrod was not involved.
I am very interested in accessing the web site you refer to but something
is wrong because it is not available.
I do not know how much detail you want or where you are coming from but
that is an encapsulated up date on this case.
John Albert
On Mon, 27 May 2002 10:41:13 -0500 "Dan Tovrea"
writes:
> I've tried to contact him, too. There was no response. I would be
> willing
> to post any information or articles on the web page. Also, try this
> URL:
>
> http://www.geocities.geo/Heartland/Flats/5391
>
> or
>
> http://www.djtovrea.com
>
> Let me know if there are any problems and I am looking forward to this.
> Also, any history, family or the murder would be interesting.
>
> Unless you have a problem with it, I am poing to post our e-mail exchanges
> on the web page. Your opinion on this will decide. If your answer is no, I
> would be interested in your reasons.
>
> I don't know if Hap and the rest are direct relations or not, but the line
> is on the web site.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dan
Dan,
I was able to find your web site when I tried dot com instead of dot geo.
You are still getting your URLs wrong because there is no "dot geo."
I see from your web site that you are aware of the threat to Hap.
I have no information about the Tovrea family except as it relates to
this case. There is absolutely no indication or evidence to connect Hap
with this murder other that the fact that he benefitted by Jeanne's
demise. The County Attorney believes that constitutes a motive, but it
could well be that the County Attorney believes in fantasies.
You may use our exchanges if you wish but in my previous response I
mistakenly referred to the Attorney General when I meant to say County
Attorney. I have corrected that below. And I amended another comment
below.
The most important question I have for Hap is this, "If it is true, would
you have a legal representative (Statutory Attorney) for Meca Corp, sign
and send me an affidavit stating that Ed "Hap" Tovrea, at the time Meca
was making payments to Harrod, did not have the authority or the
opportunity to funnel money payments to Harrod through Meca Corp. for
private, non-business purposes and could not have done so." Any statement
that would prove that all financial transactions between James Harrod and
Meca Corp were legitimate business transactions and could not have been
otherwise because of the way Meca Corp is structured and because of Ed
"Hap" Tovrea's position with Meca Corp.
If that is true, I would like a sworn statement to that effect. If that
is not literally true I would like to know that.
John Albert
On Tue, 28 May 2002 20:15:15 -0500 "Dan Tovrea"
writes:
> Hi John,
>
> Sorry about that. I'm trying to help maintain a few web sites along
> with my
> genealogy web site and sometimes it all runs together.
>
> Any discussion, articles, papers, pictures, etc that you want to
> post on the
> site, let me know or e-mail them. I personally thought that he
> would not be
> convicted by following the articles-especially when the evidence
> came up
> missing with no tangible proof of a fingerprint identification.
>
> I work in a max prison in Illinois and have for 19 years, 10 in
> uniform. We
> have a condemned unit here with about 100 inmates in it. And, to be
> up
> front, I am a proponent of the death penalty. But, with recent
> travesties
> of justice such as hiding or withholding evidence, lying or not
> tellng the
> whole truth, and fabrication or planting of evidence that lead to
> convictions of innocent people is too close to being a party to
> calculated
> murder in itself. Someone like Gacey or Speck is almost clear cut,
> but
> those that are on coincidental not beyond the shadow of a doubt, or
> the big
> one -using only circumstantial evidence to convict. It is too grey
> an area
> when talking about a person's life. It's bad enough taking a
> portion of an
> innocent person's life, but an execution is not reversible.
>
> Sorry about the soapbox. I'm down now. Let me know if you want to
> post
> anything or whatever as I am definitely interested.
>
> Dan
Dan,
I do not have any additional comments that I want published on your web
site, besides what is in my article about James Harrod.
I had hoped you might be able to contact Hap directly and privately to
convey my question to him. But, if not, you cannot help me with that.
I am also a strong believer in law and order, but I am an abolitionist
since the death penalty does nothing to make citizens safer from crime.
It is not right legally or morally for the law to support any citizens
desire for vengeance. That is the sole justification for the death
penalty. To assuage the desire for vengeance. If that is what you want,
it does that. But it does not do anything else. It serves no other
purpose.
The corruption of some police and some prosecutors is another subject.
There is no way to determine statistically what percentage of police
detectives and prosecutors will violate the law themselves in order to
convict some one. But those corrupt officials only survive because their
fellow officers who are more scrupulous will always protect and support
the criminal officers in their midst.
Police officers, detectives, prosecutors and judges should be held to the
same high standard of honesty and integrity that the rest of us are
expected to honor. But they are not. Many of them are criminals hiding
behind the law and not held legally responsible for their behavior.
What the public does not realise is that ALL cases of wrongful
convictions are the result of improper, illegal behavior on the part of
the police, the prosecutor and the judge. And it takes all three, working
together, to bring about these miscarriages of justice. The actual,
undiscovered cases of wrongful convictions far exceeds the number of
cases uncovered and exposed. It is extraordinarily difficult to overturn
a wrongful conviction because all of the police, prosecutors and judges
are fighting every step of the way to preserve the integrity of the
miscarriage of justice.
There are many police officers who are honest, decent and law abiding.
The percetage of decent prosecutors is smaller and the percentage of
honest jurists is smaller yet. The justice system is gravely flawed and
needs to be radically changed. Witness the 85 recommendations for
amending the death penalty laws in Illinois. But the worse fault is with
the corrupt officials inside the system who do not believe in law and
order when it is applied to themselves. The state of Illinois has always
been one of the very worst offenders.
Sorry about that. but I tend to get on my soap box at the drop of a hat.
John Albert
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