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Attorneys Walking From San Diego To Sacramento To Fight For "Innocent" Clients

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com) — Four attorney's are still fighting for their clients, whom they believe are innocent, out of court by walking 600 miles from San Diego to Sacramento to see to their release.

California Innocence Project director Justin Brooks says the group's goal is "to ask the governor to release our innocent clients."

There are twelve clients being represented by the attorneys. Brooks refers to the clients as the "California Twelve".

The clients include:

  • Rodney McNeal, convicted of murder. Brooks says McNeal was at work during the time of the murder.
  • Dolores Macias, convicted of murder when her niece drowned in a kiddie pool. The client's mother has said repeatedly that Dolores was with her inside the house when the murder happened.
  • Allan Gimenez, convicted after a shaken-baby incident. Brooks alleges that the case was misdiagnosed.
  • Michael Hanlein, convicted of murder 35 years ago. Hanlein was reportedly declared innocent by a federal judge.
  • Suzanne Johnson, convicted after a baby fell and died at her YMCA daycare center. Brooks says that it was an accidental death.
  • Kimberly Long, convicted of killing her boyfriend. Brooks argues that someone else was on the crime scene.
  • Bill Richards, in prison and battling cancer after a judge declared him innocent of killing his wife. It reportedly took four trials and Brooks says that the jury convicted Richards on faulty evidence.
  • Joann Parks, convicted of setting a fire that killed her three children. Brooks alleges that it was an accident.
  • Guy Miles, convicted of bank robbery. Three others confessed to the crime, and reported that Miles had no part in it.
  • Kira newsome, Convicted of murder. Her teacher reportedly says that she was in class during the crime.
  • Quinton Morris, still in prison after being exonerated of attempted murder due to another man's confession.
  • Ed Contreras, convicted of accessory to murder. The witness allegedly said 15 years after the conviction that she made up her testimony.

After a series of appeals that never passed, Brooks and his group are hand-carrying their last appeal to Sacramento in one final attempt for what Brooks is calling "justice".

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