By JULINDA MIADOLLAPlain Dealer reporter Stan Donaldson
doesnt
like to talk about how his testimony helped ex-Cuyahoga County
Prosecutor William Masonconvict Joaquin Hicks and Common Pleas
JudgeDan Gaul sentence him to 61 years in prison for acrime he
didnt commit. He would prefer to actlike it never happened.
Its generally known that Hicks wrongfulconviction was overturned
in 2010 when the 8thDistrict Court of Appeals rejected
everythingMason and the cops did to prosecute the innocentman. News
consumers who followed Hicks trialmay remember that appellate
judges totallydiscredited a main witness testimony. Not manypeople
know the discredited witness wasDonaldson because the Plain Dealer
reporterseditors chose not to reveal his connection toHicks trial
until after his conviction wasoverturned.
Donaldsons been a general assignmentreporter with the Plain
Dealer since 2007. Hesfrom Youngstown. He bears a scar across
hischeek that looks like it could have come from aknife fight. Hes
from Yotowns predominantlyblack east side the hood.
Mahoning County court records showDonaldsons had a few brushes
with authoritiesfor driving while under suspension.
Casual observers describe the squatty-bodied32-year-old as a
short Suge Knight look-alike.Hes married to a physician, wants to
be a lawyerand is full of himself.
My colleagues were jealous of all theattention I got on national
television for thestories I wrote about Anthony Sowells victims,is
one of Donaldsons favorite, self-congratulatory lines when hes on
an ego-trippingroll. He seems more than a little
bourgeoisepretentious.
Other than his education and current job,Donaldsons not much
different than Hicks,which is why his testimony against the
brotherdidnt make sense.
No part of Donaldsons identification of Hickswas correct, but
Mason got the grand jury to
indict him anyway. As a Plain Dealer reporter,Donaldson had
credibility.
Masons entire prosecution was built onexploiting that
credibility and on Donaldsonbeing black. If an African American
Plain Dealerreporter was testifying against Hicks, to
Masonshand-picked majority white jury, the man had tohave been
guilty. This is where Donaldson blewhis opportunity to become a
real journalistic heroto Black America.
Its no secret to Cuyahoga Countys AfricanAmerican residents that
Mason cared more aboutconvictions than justice. The late civil
rightsattorney Stanley Tolliver often repeated the linethat Mason
could get the grand jury to indict aham sandwich.
The names of defendants whove had theircases dismissed or
convictions overturned are fartoo numerous to identify in this
article. Masonstenure over the county prosecutors officerepresented
a period where even the countyscourt of common pleas and appellate
judgesbegan to question the legitimacy of hisadministration.
Last year Judge Nancy Russo dismissed acomplaint that Mason
helped East Cleveland copsbring against Mikeela Fitzgerald after
two of thecitys cops, Matthew Ferrell and BrandonJackson, fired 18
rounds at her car over a minortraffic violation.
Under Mason, East Cleveland cops and thosefrom other county
police departments used theprosecutors office to cover-up their
civil rightsviolations with indictments against poor,
innocentAmerican citizens. Masons office operated inconspiracy with
cops and helped them bringphony charges against otherwise
innocentAmericans that were designed to pressure themnot to file
civil lawsuits against the individualofficers and the cities they
served. Unrepresentedand fearful American citizens were asked to
signagreements not to file civil lawsuits in exchangefor not being
prosecuted.
Fitzgerald was unarmed when Ferrell andJackson tried to murder
her. Ferrell testified thathe thought Fitzgeralds car shot at him.
Russo,
EAST CLEVELAND TAEAST CLEVELAND TAEAST CLEVELAND TAEAST
CLEVELAND TAEAST CLEVELAND TATTLERTTLERTTLERTTLERTTLERIssue Number
32,Issue Number 32,Issue Number 32,Issue Number 32,Issue Number 32,
J J J J Janananananuaruaruaruaruary 2013 Send an email to eastcy
2013 Send an email to eastcy 2013 Send an email to eastcy 2013 Send
an email to eastcy 2013 Send an email to
[email protected] to [email protected]
to [email protected] to [email protected] to
[email protected] to get the et the et the et the et the
TTTTTaaaaattler emailed to yttler emailed to yttler emailed to
yttler emailed to yttler emailed to yououououou
PD REPORTERS FALSE TESTIMONY AGAINST HICKS EXPOSED
UNCLE TOMPlain Dealer reporter Stan Donaldson blew a chance to
become a hero to Black Americawhen he did not retract his testimony
against Joaquin Hicks and expose Bill Mason andJudge Dan Gaul for
eliminating black jurors and violating the innocent mans civil
rights
disgusted, dismissed Mason and East Clevelandscriminal charges
against her. Ferrells testimonyand Masons indictment were just too
much forher to stomach.
Had Donaldson searched his soul and publiclydeclared that his
identification of the innocentHicks was wrong, and wrote about the
indictmentand his discussions with prosecutors and copswho werent
certain themselves that they had theright suspect, the resulting
articles might haveprovided insight and opportunity for
justice-minded activists to demand accountability fromMason.
But Donaldson stuck to his wrong testimonyand reacts strongly
when criticized as a sell outby his more vociferous critics.
Black Plain Dealer reporters like Stan Donaldsonand Phillip
Morris would rather attack otherAfrican Americans than the racism
in thenewsroom of their employer and the abusescoming from racist
Democratic politicians likeex-prosecutor William Mason and
CommonPleas Judge Dan Gaul. Mason and Gaul lynchedJoaquin Hicks in
front of Donaldson and hedidnt written one word of protest.
Donaldsonwas Masons star witness; and he was wrong.
Stan Donaldson Joaquin Hicks
Bill Mason Judge Dan Gaul
REPORTER L ACKED THE CHARACTER TO SPEAK UP!
Stan Donaldson is in need of a visit from theDrop Squad, said
media and government criticJon Davis. Hes trying to portray himself
assomething hes not. No brother should have donewhat that Uncle Tom
did to another brother.
Eighth District Court of Appeals records fromthe State v. Hicks
trial provides insight as to whyDonaldson may have been so stuck on
making theinnocent American look guilty.
No matter how many ways the story is told,Jeremy Pechanec was
murdered and Jorey Ableywas shot in the back of the head over
marijuana weed. Donaldson, a Plain Dealer reporter, washanging out
with his sister and friends who werecelebrating Chauna Whitlows
birthday and whohad been drinking and getting high. Donaldsoneven
invited his boy, former WOIO-TV19reporter Myrt Price, along for the
fun.
Pechanec was low on weed and wanted moreafter he and a guy named
DaQuan had goneoutside Scorchers to smoke his last joint.DaQuan
said he could get Pechanac a quarterounce for $200 and the victim
went outside withhis friend Aebly to get $260 out of the ATM so
hecould buy weed from DaQuan and continuebuying drinks with
Donaldson, his sister andfriends at Scorchers.
DaQuan said he would arrange the deal, butinstead set up
Pechanec to be robbed byCornelius King, Perry King and Reginald
Day.Cornelius testified that he called his youngerbrother, Ralfael
King, 17, to come downtown andbring his gun. It was Ralfael, not
Hicks, whomurdered Pechanec and put a bullet in the back ofAeblys
head. God spared Aeblys life.
The only connection to Hicks was thatCleveland detectives
Ignatius Nate Sowa andRaymond Diaz pieced together information
fromOhio Department of Rehabilitation andCorrection records showing
that the nameDaQuan could have sounded like Taa-Rhan,which is Hicks
middle name. Theyd been toldthat DaQuan claimed to have just been
releasedfrom prison.
Appellate records show that none of thewitnesses was uncertain
that the man whodarranged the weed deal with Pechanec, and whohad
been drinking with them, was named DaQuanand not Taa-Rhan; but that
didnt matter toMason, the detectives and Donaldson.
Sowa and Diaz showed Donaldson Hickspictures and the Plain
Dealer reporter positivelyidentified him as the man he claimed to
haveasked to leave, but his identification didnt holdup. In a live
line-up Donaldson identified anotherman as being DaQuan, not
Hicks.
Donaldson identified DaQuan as havingpockmarks or bumps around
his nose and havinghair on his head. Hicks prisoner release
photo,taken two days before the shooting, showed himas being
smooth-skinned, bald and with a shortand groomed beard, not a long
un-groomed beard.Even Diaz and Sowa had to admit that Hickssmooth
skin wasnt consistent with thedescription of DaQuan.
More to the point, Hicks had 11 witnessestestify to welcoming
him home and partying withhim the night Pechanac was murdered and
Aeblyshot. Hed been in prison for 10 years and hismother had died
while he was on the inside,
leaving him with a $22,000 life insurance policy.Hicks testified
that he was with a female friendthat night, making love and that
hed never beento Scorchers.
Jacquelyn Mancuso, a Scorchers server,testified that DaQuan was
a regular hustler whohung out around the place sponging
offcustomers. Hicks 10 year stay in prison up untiltwo days before
the homicide and shooting madeit impossible for him to have been
the regularDonaldson identified.
Mancuso said during the trial that Hicks wasnot the guy who
arranged for the Kings and Dayto rob and murder one victim and to
seriouslyinjure another. None of this mattered to Mason,the
detectives or Donaldson.
The conduct of Masons prosecutor at trial wasa reminder of why
its good hes now gone. Italso shows why the Plain Dealers Donaldson
cannever be viewed as a real brother or trusted...ever.
Masons office made it a point to disqualifyAfrican American
jurors so as to guarantee thathis wrongful prosecution of Hicks
would beheard by a majority white jury that he couldmanipulate
against the black defendant.
Common Pleas Judge Daniel Gaul, aDemocrat, presided over the
court in a mannerthat made it seem like Hicks was facing a lynchmob
since the two victims were white and theperpetrators were all
African American.
Hicks was originally facing a death penaltysentence, not as the
murderer, but as the guyaccused of arranging for Pechanec and Aebly
tobe robed.
Masons office charged Hicks with numerouscrimes he didnt commit.
Hicks was chargedwith one count of aggravated murder and
thenanother two counts of aggravated murder.
He faced two counts of kidnapping and anothertwo counts of
aggravated robbery. There wasanother count of attempted murder,
includingfelony murder with a firearm specification. Totop it off
Mason got the grand jury to indict the
innocent man for mass murder with addedspecifications for being
a repeat offender.
Donaldson knew this and didnt say or write aword about it. His
silence is the reason manyolder African Americans believe hes not
to betrusted.
A real brother would have been outragedwhen he saw how Gaul and
Mason weretrampling all over Hicks civil rights, Davis
said.Donaldson had the power of the pen and wantsto be a lawyer. A
black man with any sense ofracial sensitivity would have said
something.That Tom Donaldson said nothing.
The Plain Dealer covered the story but didntidentify Donaldson
as the states main witnessuntil reporter Patrick ODonnell named him
in anarticle he wrote about the state overturning Hicksconviction.
ODonnell wrote that Donaldsonrefused to discuss details of the case
with thenewspaper that employed him. Something abouthis article
seemed to express a sense of his ownindignation when he highlighted
a piece of his co-workers testimony. It reads as follows.
Donaldson testified he told police in Augustthat the man with
Pechanec had scruffy facialhair and short hair that had stuck out
from undera skull cap, along with bumps or a scars on hisnose - as
if he had been punched in the face.
I will never forget that face, Donaldson saidin a statement to
police, at the time he pickedHicks from a set of photos.
In picking a different person from the lineup amonth later,
Donaldson said he took 20 to 30minutes to make that choice.
Almost a year had passed, he said. It hadbeen some time. I was a
little nervous.
He said he focused mainly on facial hair andthe nose in making
his pick.
Defense lawyer John Paris had Hicks stand upand pressed
Donaldson to point out the nosebumps. Donaldson said he could not
see any andthat Hicks may have healed.
Donaldson colleague Phillip Morris, a Negroreporter Cleveland
Challenger publisher EricBrewer once called Brent Larkins paid
coon,wrote a gushy black apology to his whitereaders about Aebly
without ever mentioning hiscolleague or the injustice that he was
helpingMason perpetrate against Hicks.
Donaldson is upset at being exposed by theTattler in its
previous editions. Like other PlainDealer reporters, he thinks
Brewer is behind thenewsletter and has been calling around
towntelling people hes going to sue the ClevelandChallenger
publisher for Clyde Clodhoppercalling him an Uncle Tom.
Brewer, who has visited the real Uncle Tomssettlement the
runaway slave created for otherrunaways in North Buxton Canada,
laughed.
The kid probably feels guilty beyond allcomprehension.
Bibically, I imagine its howJudas must have felt as Stan dreaded
the day hemight have to defend his cowardice, Brewersaid. The only
question I raise is why the PlainDealers editors still view him as
a trustedreporter when its obvious his recollection offacts leaves
much to be desired. If Stan cant betrusted to identify the right
man in a murder trial,how can he be trusted to ensure the accuracy
ofinformation in the articles he writes?
EAST CLEVELAND EAST CLEVELAND EAST CLEVELAND EAST CLEVELAND EAST
CLEVELAND TATATATATATTLER,TTLER,TTLER,TTLER,TTLER, NO NO NO NO
NO..... 32, 32, 32, 32, 32, JANU JANU JANU JANU JANUARARARARARY
2013 Y 2013 Y 2013 Y 2013 Y 2013 THE NEWSLETTER FEARED BY THE
NEWSLETTER FEARED BY THE NEWSLETTER FEARED BY THE NEWSLETTER FEARED
BY THE NEWSLETTER FEARED BY THE PLAIN DEALERTHE PLAIN DEALERTHE
PLAIN DEALERTHE PLAIN DEALERTHE PLAIN DEALER
Donaldsons friends were drinking and getting high before the
murder
Jeremy Pechanec was murdered by Ralfael Kingbut Cleveland
detectives Ray Diaz and NateSowa made information that didnt fit
connectthe dots to Joaquin Hicks. Every case theyveinvestigated
demands a re-investigation.
Jeremy Pechanec
Ralfael King
Det. Ray Diaz
Det. Nate Sowa
