Seeking Justice For The Innocent

Vanguard Analysis Part III: Commentary: Dev Appellate Brief Puts Forth Strong Evidence of Unfair Trial

Thursday, March 28 Davis, CA. The Davis Vanguard's Commentary on Ajay Dev's appeal:

"I was not always sold on the innocence of Ajay Dev.  It was the summer of 2009 when I received an email from Mr. Dev's sister-in-law about the case.  Mr. Dev had just been convicted, and he had not yet been sentenced to the stunning 378-year sentence.

Little did I realize that this would be a pivotal moment in my life, as I headed out to the Roseville home of the Devs and heard their story.  I didn't know what to think, I had not seen the case, had not heard the evidence, and I was in a position of having to take their word for it.

My eyes opened for the first time when Mr. Dev was sentenced to a 378-year term.  There are a lot of murderers who won't serve even a fraction of that time.

Moreover, I was concerned, reading comments from the juror who said that they did not find the victim credible, but the tape was definitive for them.  For me, if the tape was all there was, it was ambiguous at best.

Over time, the testimony of friends and family members, the details of the case, and reports from the prison pushed me slowly but steadily toward believing that an innocent man had been taken away from his young children and put in prison.

The clincher for me was my extended read of the appellate brief.  Reading an attorney - rather than a family member - assess the evidence and the law was eye-opening."

To read the complete article click here.