Contact: USC Law News Service
Gilien Silsby (213) 740-9690
E-mail: [email protected]
MEDIA ADVISORY
DEADLINE IS TOMORROW FOR GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER TO DECIDE THE FUTURE OF BATTERED WOMAN SERVING 29 YEARS IN PRISON
WHAT: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will decide tomorrow, Friday, March 27, whether to uphold or deny a parole board’s recommendation to release a woman who has spent 29 years in prison for sitting in a car while her husband robbed and killed a shop owner. Connie Keel of Santa Monica was represented by USC Law student Adam Reich.
(Please see press release below)
FURTHER DETAILS: Call Gilien Silsby at (213) 740-9690 or (213) 500-8673
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USC LAW STUDENT LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO FREE BATTERED WOMAN SERVING NEARLY 30 YEARS IN PRISON
LOS ANGELES -- As part of the USC Gould School of Law Post-Conviction Justice Project, USC Law student Adam Reich is fighting for the release of a woman who has spent decades in prison for sitting in a car while her husband robbed and killed a shop owner.
Convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, Connie Keel has served 29 years in the California Institution for Women. Before the California Board of Parole Hearings six times, Keel’s parole was recommended in October 2008.
Keel’s fate is now in the hands of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who received the parole board’s recommendation on Thursday, Feb. 26. The governor has until Friday, March 27 to decide whether to uphold or deny her release from prison.
Reich, a second-year USC law student, represented Keel at her parole hearing. The New York native has met with Keel bimonthly for the past seven months.
“When I first decided to go to law school I thought I would be on the corporate track,” said Reich, 25. “Once I got here, I learned I could be engaged in real life litigation… Since August, I have done everything in my power to get Connie out of prison; her release means everything to me. The day the parole board recommended her release was one of the happiest in my life.”
Reich is one of 20 students in USC Law’s Post-Conviction Justice Project who, under the direction of Professors Michael Brennan and Heidi Rummel, represent women convicted of first- and second-degree murder at parole hearings and in the state courts. Many of the women have been battered and abused.
“Connie was only 21 years old at the time of the crime, but she had been a victim of extensive physical and sexual abuse,” said Reich. “A board of parole hearings investigation found that her history of abuse led her to develop a condition, which prevented her from acting contrary to her abuser’s orders the night of the offense, when her husband demanded she stay in the car.”
Reich has launched a multi-faceted campaign to free Keel. He has created a website, www.freeconnie.com, distributed “Free Connie” flyers at a local event, and is distributing “Free Connie” T-shirts complete with her photo and web address. He also is working with the women’s advocacy group, Action Committee for Women in Prison.
Reich’s enthusiasm and commitment to the case is “is incredible,” said Prof. Brennan. “All of our students are focused on their cases and very much want to help their clients, and Adam is devoting his life to this one. It is really nice to see.”
Brennan said he is optimistic that Schwarzenegger will agree with the parole board. “Connie Keel has served more than 25 years, and it has been determined she is not a threat to society,” he said. “I am hopeful.”
Since 1994, more than 350 USC Law students have worked with hundreds of clients on matters such as consultation and representation at parole hearings, and state and federal lawsuits challenging denials of constitutional rights. More than 25 women have been freed from prison, thanks to the work of students and their professors.
The parole board determined that Keel is suitable for parole and cited the following reasons:
· Nothing exists to show Connie Keel was a violent person prior to the commitment offense, at the time of the crime, or during her last three decades of imprisonment
· Connie Keel “suffer[ed] from Battered Women’s Syndrome or intimate partner battering at the time of the life crime” and “there was significant evidence” that the criminal behavior she displayed was that of “a victim of intimate partner battering”
· While in prison Connie Keel has advanced herself educationally, held leadership roles in several programs, and generated favorable reviews in multiple vocational areas
· During her incarceration Connie Keel was involved in “well over 27 self-help groups”
· Apart from the instant offense, Connie Keel has no criminal history
· Connie Keel has realistic parole plans, marketable skills, and a significant support network of family and friends
· Connie Keel accepts responsibility for her role in the crime and has a desire to give back to the community at large.
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