One of the most important things that we can do to help Tasha in her fight for freedom is to call and write to those that can make changes.
This includes District Attorney for Harrison’s (Mr Crosby Parker) office who can vacate Tasha’s charges and free her.
District attorney’s contact information:
Phone: 228-865-4003
Address: P.O. Box 1180, Gulfport, MS 39502
Also, the Governor of Mississippi (Tate Reeves) who can offer Tasha a pardon.
Address: P.O. Box 139 Jackson, MS 39205
Template for writing:
To [Mr Reeves OR Mr Parker]
It recently came to my attention that a woman by the name of Tasha Shelby has been incarcerated for 25 years in Mississippi. This is in spite of the evidence proving her innocence.
You have the power to correct this injustice.
Isaiah 1:17 compels us to:
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and please the widow’s cause”.
We must all heed this lesson and refuse to turn a blind eye to the injustice Tasha Shelby faces. I’m writing to you to listen to the new evidence in Tasha’s case that proves her innocence and the heartbreak that Tasha’s wrongful imprisonment has left in its wake.
On June 16th, 2000 Tasha Shelby was wrongfully convicted of capital murder. She was sentenced to life without parole. The jury held that Tasha had killed her two-and-a-half-year-old stepson little Bryan by shaking him to death.
However, not all the evidence was presented to the jury or medical experts during this trial. This included information that showed little Bryan had been having seizures in the weeks before his death, documents about his family history of seizures, and a neurology appointment scheduled for a week after his death.
Many years later, the prosecution’s medical expert, Dr LeRoy Riddick, was notified of Little Bryan’s seizure disorder. This changed everything for him. Dr Riddick then determined that little Bryan probably died as a result of a hereditary seizure condition which caused him to fall out of his bed and sustain fatal head injuries.
Dr Riddick considered the evidence of little Bryan’s seizure disorder to be so persuasive that he made the extraordinary decision to change his death certificate 21 years later. The death certificate now states that no homicide nor crime occurred. Rather, little Bryan’s death was the result of a tragic accident. Yet, as the matter stands, Tasha Shelby still remains behind bars forever.
Tasha never had a fair trial from the beginning. Her defence team did not fight for her effectively. On top of not presenting the above evidence of seizures, they never objected to the prosecutors’ misleading evidence and failed to conduct a thorough investigation into Tasha’s case.
Tasha had no previous convictions and has been commended by staff at CMCF for her consistent good behaviour in prison. She has maintained her innocence throughout her 25 years of incarceration. Tasha has also been a model prisoner, throwing herself into her education (gaining her GED, taking part in various courses such as cosmetology and business technology, and undertaking classes with Millsaps College).
True patriotism involves upholding democracy and justice. The land of the free must, therefore, evolve and listen to when injustice has occurred. Tasha is a proud patriot and still believes in the American criminal justice system. However, she is starting to lose hope.
You have the power to release her and restore her faith. She is an innocent woman whose life has been taken away from her for a death that she did not cause. Little Bryan’s death resulted from a tragic medical condition and was unpreventable.
Tasha’s case is being heard on a worldwide scale. We are not the only people demanding her release. Tasha’s voice and the strength of her innocence will be heard and I hope you chose to listen.
I hope you make a decision that stands on the right side of the truth, science, and history.
Thank you for reading this and supporting Tasha.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
