URGENT APPEAL BY PRISONER WITH AIDS
Florida inmate John Dale Shaffer, 866633, was in effect sentenced to death for a $75 tool "Dealing in stolen property," a non-violent, second-degree felony. Both Shaffer and his attorney begged Judge James I. Cohn of Broward County to have compassion, as Shaffer had full-blown AIDS and had begun to become seriously ill. The judge disregarded the sentence recommended by DOC of 59.2 months in the Drug/Alcohol Tier program and sentenced Shaffer to 20 years on November 25, 1998.
Shaffer intends to present varied arguments on appeals, especially the fact that his 20-year sentence with the below-par medical treatment of the prison system, surely means a death sentence.
NEEDED:
1. Affidavits showing the seriousness of the AIDS plague could be invaluable to the attorneys attempting to have the Appellate Court address this issue in a humane manner.
2. Letters from those who who support compassion in sentencing, particularly for those with HIV/AIDS.
2. Submission of an Amicus Curiae Brief with the District Court of Appeals, which would present all the facts of the issue presently before it and assist John Shaffer and others in that situation.
PLEASE HELP! Write or send information to Fifteenth Judicial Appellate Division, Criminal Justice Bldg., 421 3rd St., West Palm Beach, FL 33401 (561-355-7500) in reference to John Dale Shaffer v. The State of Florida, Case No. 98-4106.
Please also write Lothar R. Genge, his former trial counsel, assisting the attorneys, 320 Southeast 10th Court, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 (954-522-0418), FAX 954-522-4974).
For more information or letters of support, contact John Dale Shaffer, 866633, Okeechobee CI, P.O. Box 1984, Okeechobee, FL 34973, Dorm D3110L.