FREE ROB WILL
Mr. Will has maintained his innocent throughout his arrest, trial and conviction. Even a U.S. District Court Judge lamented that even though he was concerned Will could be innocent, he had to deny his motion for a new trial.“The questions raised during post-judgment factual development about Will’s actual innocence create disturbing uncertainties,” the judge wrote.
“Federal law does not recognize actual innocence as a mechanism to overturn an otherwise valid conviction.” ‼️❓
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Over his almost two decades on Death Row, Rob has studied and taught himself everything he knows about creating art. With inspiration from artists, philosophers, and writers such as Joseph Campbell, Basquiat, Jung, Camus, Huxley, Nietzsche, Tolstoy & Thomas Bernhard. Rob has learned to create art in the deepest confines anyone could imagine in their most terrible nightmares. His collection also has boundless inspiration from the yogic philosophies, philosophical symbolism, and historical figures of activism and music such as Trayvon Martin, Malcolm X, the Pope, Marie Laveau, Asmaa Mahfouz, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix and Lightnin Hopkins.
Rob has very limited access to materials. He is required to make his own paint since Death Row does not get access to art materials. This is done by breaking up colored pencils, melting the wax in his hot pot, incorporating water and children’s water color paints. He also gets very creative with materials he uses; even using paper, letters from friends, and stamps from his supporters all over the world.
Rob expresses himself through art to show the embracive barriers in the confines of the mind. His collection of art comes from a deep place of solitude and is comprised of over 70 pieces, which is constantly growing. His collection brings you to proximity of his life on Death Row; taking one through a profound spiritual and symbolic experience. His art pushes one to look inside of themselves, for the deepest truths that lay within us all. Rob also uses his art as a vehicle for activism, especially against the conditions on Death Row; speaking loudly about mental illness that exists in the prison. He has previously had art exhibitions in Germany (2012) and England (2017). His most recent exhibitions have been at the Blue Gallery NYC and the Trinity School NYC in 2019. For inquires to display Rob’s art, please contact info@freerobwill.org.
Rob Will was convicted and sentenced to death almost 20 years ago for a crime he did not commit. He is still fighting for his life on Texas Death Row, in one of the most notorious prisons in America: the Allan B. Polunsky Unit. It is essential for awareness to be raised for this miscarriage of justice as Rob comes to the end of his appeals process. After being wrongfully convicted for half of his life, and surviving the most inhumane conditions possible, please help us achieve justice and bring Rob home.
Rob was convicted in the fatal shooting of a police officer based on circumstantial evidence, despite the fact that :
– Police radio logs prove he had been searched and handcuffed prior to the murder
– All forensic test results were inconsistent with Rob being the shooter
– Numerous witnesses gave sworn affidavits that Rob’s co-defendant confessed to the murder
– Several people witnessed the co-defendant after the murder covered in blood
– County jail records show the co-defendant attempted to put a “hit” on Rob prior to trial
-The co-defendant (the son of a prominent police officer) was never thoroughly investigated and was charged only with theft
– The co-defendants fingerprints, shoe casts, and other forensic evidence were never tested. In fact, his DNA was never even submitted for comparison. His clothes were tested but due to thorough bleaching, no DNA could be extracted from the blood stains on them.
In 2012, a U.S. Federal District Judge said, “On top of considerable evidence supporting Will’s innocence and the important errors in the trial court, there must also be addressed the absence of eyewitness testimony or strongly probative forensic evidence … only circumstantial evidence supports Will’s conviction and death sentence….
“…Will has submitted no less than five witnesses who have stated that [the co-defendant] confessed to murdering Deputy Hill. Beyond that, the trial court’s exclusion of [witness’] testimony linking [the co-defendant] to the murder was almost certainly an error of grave proportion”
In August 2020, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals(Federal Court) stated,
“As the district court stressed, there is “considerable evidence supporting Will’s innocence,” including “the total absence of eyewitness testimony or strongly probative forensic evidence.” There were “disturbing uncertainties” of Will’s culpability even before the introduction of the withheld evidence.
Now, with the new evidence in hand, the uncertainties are even more disturbing.”
They continue, “He’s demonstrated it is reasonably likely that, after hearing the new evidence alongside the old evidence, every reasonable juror would have some level of reasonable doubt.”
At the time this crime was committed, Rob was a successful college student studying Child Psychology at the Community College in Houston. He had dreams to help children who, like himself, had a less than ideal upbringing. However, due to ineffective counsel during his trial and after, as well as the prosecution withholding evidence (Maryland v. Brady) and juror intimidation by the “Wall of Blue” uniformed police officers at his trial, he was convicted and sentenced to death in 2002. Rob has sat on Texas Death Row ever since.
Rob’s case sat in the notoriously conservative 5th Circuit of Appeals since September 2018, and as noted above, his appeal was given a decision in August 2020. Thankfully, the Fifth Circuit Court agreed with Rob’s defense and has granted him a “successive habeas petition”, giving the District Court permission to rule on Rob’s Brady violation and Actual Innocence claims that failed to be properly presented during his post-conviction appeal. While this is great news, we still have a steep hill to climb to achieve full justice for Rob, which is where your signature on this petition comes in.
According to recent studies, it’s estimated 10% of inmates on death row are likely innocent. Without intervention, this will undoubtedly end in the execution of an innocent man.
Please consider joining us in fighting for Rob’s life by:
– Signing our petition and sharing his story
– Visit our website FreeRobWill.org to read more details about Rob’s case
– Follow our social media (@freerobwill on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter)
– View our new mini documentary from NowThis News
– Read & share Will Texas Execute an Innocent Man? by Rolling Stone Magazine
Please join us and demand justice for Rob Will.
“Rob Will has been sitting on Texas Death Row for over 18 years for a crime he did not commit. That represents over half of his life and the most tragic thing about it is that it seems almost everyone involved for the State, will straight up tell you they believe he was wrongfully convicted. The veracity of the evidence supporting his innocence is not even challenged or in question. The mismanagement of this case and the attendant evidence is nothing short of monumental. Having been trained in forensic psychology and having spent many years in the litigation arena, I am appalled. The standard for taking someone’s freedom in America is and should be extremely high. The standard for taking someone’s life in America is and should be astronomically high. That standard has not even almost been met in the case of Rob Will. Enough is enough and too much is too much. It’s time to set this matter straight and send this innocent man home.”
– Dr. Phil McGraw, Ph.D
“Rob Will is an innocent man on death row, but he is so much more than that. He is an accomplished poet, painter and yogi, a voracious reader of classic literature, a student of philosophy, classical music, philology and the law. As a trained and certified paralegal, Rob is acutely aware of how the system has failed him at every level and every turn, and yet he harbors no ill will; has no bitterness towards anyone. This man is kind, thoughtful and brilliant. He would be a tremendous asset to free society. I am committed to helping bring him home to his son and grandson, where he belongs.”
– Jason Flom, CEO of Lava Records NYC, Founding Board Member of The Innocence Project, Wrongful Conviction Podcast Host
Ukuthula/UBUNTU. IT IS WELL.
wed oct 5 2022 CDT mgy REmbr… G is, as G can only BE. GOOD
amen. so BE it. laff THRU it…yes. in Time.
ponder on this 