FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:Elke Kennedyelke@seanslastwish.org864-884-2125
Beth Sherousebeth@seanslastwish.org478-335-8927
Stop Early Parole for Sean Kennedy's Killer
In May of 2007, in Greenville, South Carolina, Sean Kennedy, a 20-year-old gay man was leaving a bar when Stephen Andrew Moller called him a homophobic slur and hit him in the face so hard that Kennedy's brain separated from its stem. Moller left him on the sidewalk, unconscious, and Sean died later than night from his injuries. Sean was killed because he was gay and his murder was unprovoked, yet his killer was plea bargained down to involuntary manslaughter and received a 5 year sentence suspended to 3 years. 
Because of the credit Moller received for time he served before his sentencing, the longest possible time he will have to serve in prison is until September 2009. Because of the inadequacy of South Carolina laws and the lack of hate crimes statutes in the state, Sean's murderer is eligible for parole as early as next month, meaning that he will have served only 8 months in prison since his sentencing. Sean's Last Wish is asking the GLBT community and their allies to protest this injustice and ask the parole board to make Stephen Andrew Moller serve the remainder of his sentence. While Sean Kennedy's family may never see justice done for Sean, we ask you to help us do all that we can to show SC officials and the rest of the country that our community will not simply sit back and watch such violence and injustice continue to affect the lives of GLBT people. Please write a letter to the parole board and in your letter, please remind them of the violent and unprovoked nature of Moller's offense and the pain and suffering it has caused in the lives of Sean Kennedy's family and friends. Also, please let Sean's mother Elke Kennedy know if you send a letter and if possible, send her a copy of the letter (elke@seanslastwish.org), so she can have them to take with her to the parole hearing. Be sure to include Moller's full name and ID number:Stephen Andrew Moller - SCDC ID # 00328891. Send your letters to:Department of Probation Pardon and Parole Services2221 Devine Street, Suite 600, PO Box 50666Columbia SC 29250 For more information on Sean's murder and Sean's Last Wish, please visit http://www.seanslastwish.org/.
Because of the credit Moller received for time he served before his sentencing, the longest possible time he will have to serve in prison is until September 2009. Because of the inadequacy of South Carolina laws and the lack of hate crimes statutes in the state, Sean's murderer is eligible for parole as early as next month, meaning that he will have served only 8 months in prison since his sentencing. Sean's Last Wish is asking the GLBT community and their allies to protest this injustice and ask the parole board to make Stephen Andrew Moller serve the remainder of his sentence. While Sean Kennedy's family may never see justice done for Sean, we ask you to help us do all that we can to show SC officials and the rest of the country that our community will not simply sit back and watch such violence and injustice continue to affect the lives of GLBT people. Please write a letter to the parole board and in your letter, please remind them of the violent and unprovoked nature of Moller's offense and the pain and suffering it has caused in the lives of Sean Kennedy's family and friends. Also, please let Sean's mother Elke Kennedy know if you send a letter and if possible, send her a copy of the letter (elke@seanslastwish.org), so she can have them to take with her to the parole hearing. Be sure to include Moller's full name and ID number:Stephen Andrew Moller - SCDC ID # 00328891. Send your letters to:Department of Probation Pardon and Parole Services2221 Devine Street, Suite 600, PO Box 50666Columbia SC 29250 For more information on Sean's murder and Sean's Last Wish, please visit http://www.seanslastwish.org/.why can't we keep this killer behind bars?
In South Carolina we like to keep black men behind bars for looking at white women the wrong way, and God forbid they murder someone, so why is it that these white middle class abusers and killers get a slap on the wrist then are let out to continue fomenting their hatred and biases towards a vulnerable community. Sad to say, but this being South Carolina, thank God Sean was white - just imagine what little press this terrible crime would have gotten had he been black, actually strike that - because that notion, as true as it may be, makes me want to throw up.
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1 comment:
Who stays in the Pen longer has little to do with skin color and a lot to do with the lawyer(s) that the accused obtains, and the evidence that is presented in the courtroom. Part of the prosecutors job is to determine the intent of the accused at the time of the alleged crime. Then they take the intent along with alleged crime to determine how to charge the accused. Our justice system is not about justice, it is all about allowing the public to sleep better at night! You want stiffer penalties to deter people from committing crimes, well sir I point you to DUI laws in this state and how well they are heloing. Fight for acceptance and education, not for special recognition under the law.
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