Donald Leffingwell

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Summary

Hello, my name is Donald W. Leffingwell, my friends call me Donny. I was “railroaded” in Mississippi. I was not given a fair trial, sentence or appeal.

I’m a licensed professional artist and I operated out of Memphis, Tennessee and ventured to different states as I was invited to do “guest” spots in different galleries and different major events like Daytona Florida (Bike Week), Sturgis S. Dakota (Bike Really) Mardi Gräs in New Orleans and other events which require an artist of my calibre.
Now, I’ll list a short version of the events which let to me being arrested and convicted.

I was invited to my baby sisters wedding in Reno Nevada in November of 1997. I decided to drive there; approx 2000 miles. I have a highly trained Staffordshire terrier named Inky who I raised from a whelp of 2 weeks old. The airlines said I had to bundle her in a small cage and put her in cargo to transport her so I decided to drive. I brought my girlfriend along as well. I was offered a pop – up camp- trailer from an associate in Mississippi to purchase to make the trip. Upon going to buy it I was accosted at gun point by this so called associate. He was a member of an outlaw motorcycle club with a reputation of violence. His name was Spike Thompson. He had me to give me a lift and when we had stopped for to take a leak – he pulled a pistol out if his Jacked and I seen him draw it out and I then pulled my pistol and as he fired around at me out of his – what was later identified as a .22calibre revolver pistol – I fired my .9mm pistol and as Spike missed hitting me I did not miss him. I hit him about the head and face area. I panicked and got in the truck and left the area. I later called back to the area to alert his family that it was me who shot him and that he shot at me is why I shot him.

Ok, I was arrested on Dec. 24th of 1997. I was extradited to Mississippi on May 8th 1998.
I was scheduled to go to trail just 20 (twenty) days later by a lawyer who had 3 (three) other murder trials in process at the same time. Leland H. Jones III of Greenville, MS who was later disbarred and ailed for fraudulent dealings within the courts.
Now, in that 20 days I saw the lawyer 4 or 5 times – He at first told me that #1 I AM LYING! Meaning me. As I told him Spike shot at me. He said that the Prosecutor told him in writing that the 22 revolver the deceased had in his hand when he died had never been fired. I told the lawyer that that was not true and he got mad and left me sitting there.
The next time I saw him he told me that the prosecutor offered me 14 years and that they wanted me to testify another gentleman named Red that Red paid me to kill Spike! It was either that or get life at trial. I could not lie on somebody so I toll it to trial. I got life.
Now, during the prosecutors opening statements he told the jury that the state will prove that the deceased weapon was never fired – So this can not be a case of self defence and true to his word- he called Sheriff Don Gray of Carrollton, MS to testify in which the Sheriff was sworn in under oath and was asked to identify the weapon for the record, then empty the weapon for safety purposes and to count the shells remaining in the revolver. It was the moment of truth. The Sheriff counted 1,2,3,4,5, live rounds in the gun. No spent rounds. I almost fainted as I wept. The Sheriff continued to testify for several minutes and when he was excused the court Clerk who gathered the gun and evidence into a box for lunch recess saw the clear bag of bullets which CLEARLY contained a spent round. An empty shell that had been fired!! Now the Sheriff say he “thought he seen a spent round when he was testifying”. Anyway- Pandemonium broke out, my lawyer hugged me and said “we got em, boy”. And the jury was excused for the day, I figured I was soon going to go free.

However, the next day as court began my lawyer did not motion for a mistrial. He tried a bogus motion contrary to the law trying to preclude the Sheriff from re-testifying. He dumped the case. Had he just investigated the case like he was supposed to he would of discovered the spent round before trial and I’d not be charged or convicted of murder.

Furthermore, the pathologist’s official cause of death was from “Distant and Penetration gunshot wounds.” However, he inflamed the surrey and contradicted himself as he told and demonstrated to the jury how he felt the deceased died. He acted like he was holding a Bazooka and he stood over an imaginary prone body in front of the jury box and told the jury “he probably stood over the deceased and pumped large calibre bullets into his victim” the whole time he would jerk his shoulders and body in tune to gunshot blasts. However, he said the wounds were not point blank range but distant. So he purposefully misled the jury and even I was repulsed and arranged by his lying demonstration. Had I been on the jury I would vote to convict due to his demonstration. DR. Stephen Hayne Chief pathologist for the state of MS in 1997 who has been involved in numerous controversial theatrics and ruling in cases that been overturned and he was proven to be lying or misdiagnosing.

Now, I fired the attorney who took me to trial when I was found guilty. He went behind my back and motioned the court to appoint him to do my appeal. He then charged me 2500.00 $ to the appeal which I flat out refused to pay acknowledge or participate in. Due to the fact I was trying to hire a Law firm by the name of Waller and Waller in Jackson, MS to perfect my appeal. However Leland Jones turned in an appeal anyways – it only had 3 grounds and only one of which had merit, when I know had a proper appeal been filed I would have prevailed due to ineffective assistance of counsel at trial.    

So I was stuck with the pointless 3 ground appeal. I have been convicted 10 years now – with an exceptional prison conduct record. I have gotten married, taken numerous trades and pray to God this injustice will be fixed someday. I am an outstanding artist. I make approx look a year and I’ve lost that income for the last 10 years, had to sell all my belongings to survive in prison and I still have my families support thru all of this. They believe in me and we all pray for a miracle.

There are several more issues to be expounded on but these few here should be more than enough to see that I am unjustly doing a life sentence and not eligible for release until age 65. I was 28 years old when this travesty occurred. I’m missing out on my son growing up. I deeply regret Spike died but it was him or me. He pulled a gun and fired one me and I did what anybody would have had to do. Protect myself.
Please help me go home to my family. Had I of taken the 14 year deal and made it possible for the state to arrest and convict an innocent man then I’d be free now and he would be here. I acted honourably in what I did – I had faith Justice would prevail and it sure is taking a long time. I should have been given on more than 1 – 3 years  - not life!! I was shot at and I defended myself.

Thank you for taking the time to read my case. I have 800 pages of document to back up everything. This is a case of bad justice.

Respectfully and Sincerely
Don Leffingwell

Feel free to contact him:
Don Leffingwell #R4908
E.M.C.F.
P.O.Box 4217
Meridian, MS 39304
USA

Or contact Diana :
chairwoman@justice-for.org

News

It is possible to dedicate single days of the Walk for Life to
prisoners. The American HipHop artist Capital “X” will start his action on March 31st.

Day of the walk, May 13th, 2008, will be dedicated to Donny Leffingwell, Mississippi. At this day will “X” hold Donny’s name the entire day with pictures will be taken. Furthermore will his name be listed on all website that are dedicated to the Walk of life and make him immortally in one of the most powerful actions the Movement has seen for a long time.

He wrote me that at the moment his wife contacted a lawyer in MS and they are waiting what he will say. At the moment he check out his whole case.

This is a message he wrote me too, this are news…:
”The pathologist Dr. Stephen Hayne ( a liar ) – said his official cause of death was distant  + penetrating gunshot wound. However, when he testified he stood over an imaginary dead body # told the Jury that in his “professional opinion” I stood over the deceased and pumped large calibre bullets into the victim. And each time he would mimic a shot being fired his whole body and shoulders would jump from the recoil – like I shot the dude with a bazooka or something. But his demonstration did nothing but inflame the Jury. But if I shot the guy like that then the cause of death would been “point – blank range” and his ruling was distant not point blank. Point blank range is 36 inches DR less from gun barrel to body. Distant is over 36 inches and if I stood over the dude and shot him then he’d if had to rule as point blank range. So it’s clear he put the screws to me when he did his little theatrical pantomime. Resulting in inflaming the Jury. Basically he chopped my head off with his demonstation.

Legal paper

COMING SOON!!!

Contact

Feel free to contact Donald Leffingwell:

Donald Leffingwell is happy married and he would be very glad to hear from you. He need a few nice words and he is willing to talk about the facts of his case. Please feel free to contact him:

Don Leffingwell #R4908
E.M.C.F.
P.O.Box 4217
Meridian , MS 39304
USA

Or you can send him an email to his own email address:
He would be glad if someone would drop him every now and then a few lines!
The easiest and fastest way to do that is by E-Mail. Don has no access to a computer or internet, but we print all messages out for him and send them as fast as possible to him by mail, so he read and answer them. If you want get a letter from him, please don’t forgot your return address.
DonaldLeffingwell@justice-for.org

Or if you have question please contact Diana:
chairwoman@justice-for.org  

William Irvan-Texas, now has an email address setup for his website to
receive mail and for PayPal use
if someone is interested in donating to his Defense Fund. Please add
to his site at your earliest convenience.
william.irvan@yahoo.com

I am his sister and will monitor this email address for any mail that
comes to it. Thank you for all your help!
regarding William

Penpal-Add

Don Leffingwell is searching a few friends for a very nice talk and he would love to have a few pen pals with who he can talk.

His penpal-Add

Pictures

Art

Art by Don Leffingwell

If you are interesting in his art, please ask:
DonaldLeffingwell@justice-for.org