Investigation

Investigation: Search for Informants

Faced with an enormous crime scene that would yield virtually no physical evidence linking anyone to crimes and stuck with witnesses who, by the nature of the very circumstances, were lacking credibility, the state began its fact-finding mission. They made it abundantly clear that they were not interested in the facts and that the truth was secondary to the more gargantuan task of clearing its books and determining whom the leaders were. Their first move in a long-line of deceptions were to send in a group of prosecutors to question us without reading us our rights and without making it clear that we were entitled to counsel. This sophomoric ploy was almost instantly quelled, however, by Nikki Schwartz, one of the attorneys who were instrumental in negotiating the deal that ultimately brought an end to the uprising.

Still, in their brief foray inside the prison, the prosecutors let it be known that they were looking for informants and had, at their disposal, the power to make deals. Seeing an opportunity to improve their situation, certain individuals immediately offered up their enemies as cannon fodder. It didn’t matter if the information being offered was credible or not since the state was unwilling to put forth a proper investigation; there was no real way of determining who was telling the truth. They were interested in who killed the guard and anybody willing to lie or shift the blame to someone else was allowed to come forward.

For those of use who refused to take part, we were put in solitary confinement and forced to live under some of the harshest conditions imaginable. At one point, Eric Scales and Keith Lamar were placed in a strip cell (a cell strip of all its essentials, i.e. toilet, sink, bed, etc…) with five (5) other individuals and forced to eat, sleep and breath in a space no larger than a closet for eight days. For eight days, they were not allowed to shower or bath. Their food was smashed and slid under a one-inch opening at the bottom of the door which, being the only source of ventilation, was immediately blocked by C/O’s stationed outside the door to increase the heat in the windowless cell. When they inevitably had to use the toilet, they utilized an eight-inch hole in the floor, which could only be flushed by the C/O’s, who out of sheer perversity refused to accommodate them, leaving these men to languish in the smell of their own excrement for days. Not surprisingly, it was out of these circumstances that Michael Childers and Ricky Rutherford, two inmates that would eventually falsely testify about the death of Dennis Weaver, decided to join the rapidly growing team of informants.

Before long, the team of informants were assembled and moved to Oakwood, a psychiatric facility in Lima, Ohio, previously used to treat and house mentally disturbed inmates. This is where they went over the script, where all the lies were rehearsed and refined in preparation for trial. One of the biggest and brightest stars to emerge out of this “snitch factory” was Anthony Lavelle, the professed leader of the “Black Gangster Disciples,” one of the gangs that was thought to have had a hand in killing the guard and several inmates.
Lavelle pointed the finger at Siddique Abdullah Hasan, George Skatzes, and Jason Robb, alleged leaders of the “Sunni Muslims” and the “Aryan Brotherhood,” respectively. Since it was thought that these two groups wielded the most influence inside the prison, they allowed Lavelle to shift blame. In effect, Lavelle became a co-producer in their script of lies, which not only gave him the latitude to clear himself but also free hand to write his cronies out of the mix as well.

It wasn’t until the team was assembled and moved to Oakwood that Keith Lamar became the leader of the so-called “Death Squad.” Anthony Lavelle started exchanging members of his own gang with those it was thought shared a close association with Keith Lamar. According to Buddy Newell, who was at Oakwood during that time, and himself, a part of the state’s team of informants, it was common practice for the state to gather, rehearse the script and piece together testimony. [See document #9 on link page] In such an environment, where lies where openly exchanged and concocted on the spot (all with the full knowledge and encouragement of the state) it’s not hard to imagine how Lavelle was able to convince the state to disregard statements previously given by members of his own gang, detailing the deaths of several inmates. However, not long after the riot, one such member of the “Black Gangsters,” Aaron Jefferson, came forward and admitted to murdering Darrell Depina, [See document #10 ] one of the inmates who was said to have been killed inside L6 by Keith Lamar and Derek Cannon.

According to the state, in order to regain access to the yard, this so-called “Death Squad,” entered into an agreement with the Muslims to kill all snitches. Once this alleged agreement was reached, Keith Lamar supposedly rounded up a group of arbitrary individuals to join him on an impromptu killing spree. Somehow, this was more plausible that the signed confession from the actual killer(s). Again, the state was interested in who killed the guard and since it was thought that Lavelle was the strongest in securing a conviction against Hasan, Skatzes, and Robb, they allowed Lavelle to create his own story. There was no “Death Squad” nor a group of random individuals going around killing people as the state alleged. Either you belonged to the “Black Gangsters,” Aryan Brotherhood,” or “Sunni Muslims.” It was only members of the “Black Gangsters” that came forward and admitted to participating in several deaths.