[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he New York Times published an opinion piece last week on Kevin Cooper, an inmate who has been on death row for 20 years. He was accused and convicted for a heinous murder against a white family in Chino Hills, CA. Despite however, the sole survivor who was a 9-year-old boy, saying that it was three white men.
The article is very interesting and detailed and shows how San Bernardino Police Department framed Cooper.
What people locally might find most interesting about Cooper’s case, is that Tom Parker has been working with Cooper for the last seven years to help him get off death row.
“This guy is innocent,” said Thomas R. Parker, a 30-year law enforcement veteran who was deputy head of the F.B.I.’s office in Los Angeles. “The evidence was planted, he was framed, the cops lied on the stand.”
Parker said the case involved “abject racism,” and he has volunteered his time investigating the case for the last seven years because he is horrified that a man he believes was framed is nearing execution.
You might remember Parker who was brought in via David Josiah Lawson’s family attorney, to help the Arcata Police Department with a case review in his murder.
After more than six months on this (local) high-profiled case, Parker terminated his contract with the city of Arcata one week before the year anniversary of Lawson’s murder. He cited a lack of cooperation and leadership from APD in the case.
APD’s Chief of Police also resigned the day following Parker’s departure.
The City of Arcata sent out a fluff press release, praising Chapman for his more than 20 years with the department. They did not, however, illustrate why he would suddenly send an email to the city manager and say that his resignation was effective immediately.
Sketchy would be an understatement. Below is a short documentary on Cooper’s case with interviews from Parker.
https://youtu.be/lL3zstRDwXY
Read the New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/17/opinion/sunday/kevin-cooper-california-death-row.html
Clearly Parker is way more experienced than local law enforcement and has a track record of helping people that he does not have an interest in protecting. Unlike the people who run the City of Arcata, who all seem to be involved in this cover-up of a botched investigation on behalf of APD.
