PRESS RELEASE
David Wong Support Committee (DWSC) P.O. Box 525236; Flushing, NY 11352 www.freedavidwong.org email: freedavid (at) freedavidwong (dot) org Phone contacts in English and Mandarin available on request. The David Wong Support Committee (DWSC) Announces: Final Evidentiary Hearing Date on Friday, May 16th in Plattsburgh, NY In February 2003, Clinton County Court Judge Lawliss ruled that in light of new evidence, he would grant David Wong an evidentiary hearing to determine whether to uphold or vacate David Wong’s 25 years-to life sentence for the murder of Tyrone Julius. The first two dates of this hearing occurred on April 10th and 11th. On May 16th at 1:00 PM at the Government Center in Plattsburgh, NY, Judge Lawliss will preside over the final date of David Wong’s evidentiary hearing. On Friday, David’s attorneys will present new testimony from a key witness, as well as a closing argument. The testimony will be transmitted to the Plattsburgh courtroom via live video telecast from the Dominican Republic. The David Wong Support Committee (DWSC) believes in the strength of the key testimony, and that the truth of David’s innocence will be exposed. The Plattsburgh community has been a great source of support, rallying behind David’s innocence and against his unjust imprisonment, and it is expected that they will be in attendance in large numbers at Friday’s hearing. The David Wong Support Committee (DWSC) will also be mobilizing, as we had for all court dates up to this point, to attend this last hearing date. David Wong, a Chinese immigrant, was framed for a murder that occurred in the Clinton Correctional Facility prison yard in 1986. He was convicted in August of 1987 and has been unjustly imprisoned for 15 years. David was convicted based on the false testimony of two supposed witnesses, one of whom has since issued a recantation of his testimony, stating, “I need to do the right thing...I’m giving this statement (that the original testimony was false) because David Wong is doing some time now that he doesn’t deserve. I’ve hurt him for a long time and that’s not right.” This recantation along with over a dozen affidavits attest to David’s innocence. There are several affidavits that even identify the motive of Tyrone Julius’ murder, and the real killer. These are some of the most crucial pieces of new evidence uncovered by a private investigator hired by the David Wong Support Committee. This information is the basis for the new evidentiary hearing. The David Wong Support Committee (DWSC) has secured the endorsement and support of many prominent organizations including: the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), Asian Americans For Equality (AAFE), the Asian American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (AALDEF), the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Los Angeles (APALC-LA), the Chinese Consulate, and the Organization of Chinese in the Americas (OCA). David is represented by attorney William Hellerstein of Brooklyn Law School’s Second Look Program, and Jaykumar Menon. The David Wong Support Committee, is a grassroots community organization that has been steadfastly working for David’s freedom for more than 12 years. The DWSC maintains that David Wong is innocent; he was framed by the criminal justice system because he was poor, an immigrant, had no family in the United States, and had limited English language capacities at the time. The decision to grant a new evidentiary hearing is a great step towards proving David’s innocence.To contact us, send us email at freedavid (at) freedavidwong (dot) org