Why Did The Authorities Target David?
The DWSC believes that the prison officials needed a scapegoat to blame for Mr. Julius’ murder.
David was an obvious target because there were so few Asians in the
prison and in Clinton County. Also, he was poor and an undocumented
immigrant who spoke little English, and had no family in the U.S.
David’s rights appeared easy to violate at his trial. He could not
afford competent lawyers or interpreters. The interpreter provided by
the court had no prior experience as a court interpreter and did not speak the Fukien/Fujian dialect that David speaks.
The prosecutor, Andrew Ryan, Jr. (now deceased), covered up key
evidence, including an eyewitness statement that
named Nelson Gutierrez as the perpetrator. Still today, the Clinton
County DA Richard Cantwell and New York State Police officials refuse
to disclose at least 16 pages from the original Bureau of Criminal
Investigations report. This ongoing coverup violates David’s human
rights, the New York State and U.S. Constitutions, and the Freedom of
Information Law.