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Dear editor,

 

We very much appreciate that you chose to report on developments in State of Louisiana v. Victor, No. 2010-CR-2010 before the 40th Judicial District Court for the Parish of St. John the Baptist in the State of Louisiana, Division “B”, Ad Hoc Judge Dennis Waldron presiding.  The defendant, Errol Victor, Sr. (Rev. Victor), is a longtime member of Louisiana United International, Inc. (LUI) which has teamed with Brown Vindicators (BV) to provide him crisis management and other services as human rights defenders.  As LUI and BV representatives, Dr. Crenshaw-Logal and I bring to your attention those portions of your July 20, 2022 coverage of Rev. Victor’s ordeal that we propose to you are misleading to say the least.

• We begin with the L’Observateur title:  “Errol Victor convicted again for the 2008 death of his 8-year-old stepson”
• Later, your article states:  “Victor’s second trial began July 11 at the Edgard Courthouse. In August 2014, he was convicted of second-degree murder for M.L.’s death on a non-unanimous 10-2 verdict.”

In Ramos v. Louisiana, 590 U.S. _____ (2020), the U.S. Supreme Court emphasizes that “(a) ‘verdict, taken from (less than twelve jurors is) no verdict’ at all”.  Ramos at 1395.  On June 19, 2020, the Louisiana Fifth Circuit accordingly vacated Rev. Victor’s August 1, 2014 sentence and conviction.  Your indications that he has nonetheless been found guilty, convicted and/or any such thing . . .  twice . . .  is arguably false and certainly misleading.

Minutes before the purported verdict against Rev. Victor on July 20, 2022, Dr. Crenshaw-Logal and I joined him in a court petition to enjoin and declare both the underlying trial plus that highly questionable jury decision to be nothing more than violations of America’s Double Jeopardy Clause.  Our claim is Case No. C-721-385 before the 19th Judicial Civil District Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, Judge Donald R. Johnson presiding.  Under penalties of perjury, we allege that Rev. Victor’s “ongoing prosecution is . . . a prototype of vindictive criminal prosecutions in America, both fueled by racial animus and reliant on illegal tactics including but not limited to improper collusion between one or more unlawfully discriminating prosecutors with one or more presiding judges”, all intended “to deliberately thwart proof of Victor’s actual innocence”.

Kindly consider that an accurate portrayal of Victor’s circumstances requires balance between our referenced contentions before Judge Johnson and this statement from your July 20 article:

• “Now that he has been convicted of second-degree murder by a unanimous jury, Errol Victor is once again facing a life sentence without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.”

With all due respect, to suggest that statement is of settled facts is to be misleading:

Please issue a retraction and/or correction of your article at issue.  Your consideration and prompt attention to this matter are greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

 

Belinda Parker-Brown,

Co-Founder & CEO

Louisiana United International, Inc.

 

and

 

Dr. Zena Crenshaw-Logal,

Founding Co-principal

Brown Vindicators