OUR MISSION

Louisiana imprisons more people than any state or nation in the world. Historically sheriffs, judges and prosecutors have been linked together in an injustice system that destroys black men and their families. Evidence proving innocence has been suppressed, career criminals have been used as snitches who lie in exchange for significant reductions in sentences, and discovery has been withheld from Defense teams; including statements made by snitches so an adequate defense could not be made. Up until 2018, Louisiana sentenced people to life in prison without parole even when not all twelve (12) jury members voted guilty. Recently in April of 2020, the Supreme Court in Ramos v. Louisiana ruled it was unconstitutional to convict a person unless all twelve (12) jury members voted guilty. Thousands of people are incarcerated for life with non-unanimous 10-2 and 11-1 jury votes in Louisiana.

Tony Hunter (DOC #333814) was arrested on May 4, 2001, was convicted on November 19, 2004 and has been incarcerated in Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, and more recently Elayn Hunt Correctional Center ever since. Tony is an innocent man, and our mission is to exonerate and free him.

Facts of the Case

On March 10, 2001, Levi Williams, Jeremy Staten, and Chavez Staten were all found with fatal gunshot wounds at 221 Greenwood Drive, Monroe, Louisiana. Both Staten children were eleven years old and were common overnight guests at the home. Williams shared the residence with several roommates, all of whom were away when the crime occurred. When they returned later that night, they discovered the bodies and called the police. Harold Black, a resident of the home who was absent during the killings, stated that the likely motive was to seize drugs and money, as 221 Greenwood Drive was known as a hotspot for substances and related business dealings.

Tony Hunter's Definitive Alibi

On the night of March 10, 2001, Tony Hunter took his 12 year-old daughter, Porcia Hunter, to a neighborhood party for all the March birthdays. Witnesses confirm seeing Tony Hunter at the party. His girlfriend, Stephanie Stokes, gave a statement clarifying the night's activities: after Tony arrived back at their shared apartment, he spent time with his kids before he eventually went to bed. Hunter made a point of heading straight back to his apartment because his son's birthday party was the next day. Inexplicably, Stephanie's statement went missing despite records showing she was interviewed, thus her information was withheld from the defense and jury during trial. Officer Royce Toney, who questioned Stephanie, has since been convicted of multiple crimes and can no longer work in law enforcement. According to an affidavit signed by Stephanie Stokes, Officer Toney consistently tried to imply that Tony might have left the apartment at some point in the evening. As Stephanie continued to reaffirm that she knew Tony was there all night, Officer Toney became frustrated and aggressive, eventually ceasing communication with Stephanie as it grew clear that her story would not change. She was never called as a witness, and wouldn't learn until later that her statement had never been passed along.

Despite the overwhelming evidence exonerating Tony Hunter, prosecutorial dishonesty as well as the shortcomings of court appointed attorneys practically guaranteed his conviction.

How and Why Tony Hunter Was Framed

On the night of the Greenwood murders, a red Ford truck was spotted near the scene with an extended cab, a malfunctioning headlight, and dark tinted windows. At the time, Tony Hunter was renting a red Ford truck with an extended cab to get to work. Notably, Tony's car did not have a malfunctioning or replaced headlight. After a credit card payment for use of the truck failed to go through, investigators arrested Tony Hunter for unauthorized use of the vehicle and thoroughly searched the car for forensic evidence. All forensic tests came back negative, showing no relation to the Greenwood murders.

While incarcerated at Ouachita Correctional Center for unauthorized use of the truck, a detective questioned Tony Hunter 333814 about the case. Tony immediately denied involvement, gave a provable alibi, and even offered to take a lie detector test. Despite this, local news stations ran with the story that Tony Hunter was a prime suspect in the case. Following the premature and very public implication, several obviously fake stories linking Hunter to the crime were given to police. Critically, three jailhouse informants, Clarence Kennedy, Vaccara Comanche, and Christopher Wiggins, started speaking to investigators and claimed that Tony had confessed to the murders.

The jailhouse informants alleged that Tony Hunter communicated from the prison yard with Glen Dale Nelson, who was in his cell, and told him about committing the crimes. No guards were able to corroborate their story of seeing Hunter talking through a window in the yard, and audio experts as well as current Ouchita inmates confirm that it is impossible for such a conversation to have occurred.

Initially, investigators did nothing with these informant statements, but as the anniversary of the murders came and went, pressure mounted for detectives to solve the case. Consequently, Tony Hunter was indicted for triple homicide and armed robbery on October 17, 2002.

Ever since his conviction, Tony has been incarcerated at Angola (a prison known for its harsh labor and unethical practices) and Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, where he currently remains.

Prosecutors' Misconduct

The case against Tony Hunter rests entirely on an alleged conversation that occurred between him and Glen Dale Nelson, another inmate at Ouchita Correctional Center. Clarence Kennedy claims that in August of 2001, while sitting in his cell, he heard Tony Hunter thrust his hand against the window from the yard, ordering Kennedy to find Glen Dale Nelson. Supposedly, Hunter then confirmed his guilt in committing the murders and threatened Nelson not to tell police. As stated by Kennedy himself, Nelson and Hunter did not like or trust each other. The thickness of the window means that such a conversation could never have taken place, according to audio experts and current Ouachita inmates.

How Are Prosecutors Culpable?

If Hunter confessed to Nelson, he should have been the one to testify at Hunter's trial. However, Prosecutor Michael Ruddick signed an affidavit stating that Nelson was not called to testify because "he was totally unreliable and it appeared he would say anything that he thought would help him with his various legal problems." Nelson had previously attempted to implicate Hunter in two separate homicides, neither of which led to an indictment or displayed credibility.

After giving his testimony, Clarence Kennedy received an illegally lenient sentence of 25 years with 20 years suspended for first-degree robbery. Regardless, Kennedy has denied asking for or receiving special treatment for his statements.

Vaccara Comanche, another informant who claims to have been present in the cell during the confession, has admitted to seeking a reduced sentence for his own legal issues in exchange for his testimony against Hunter but denies receiving assistance. Additionally, his statement implicated Glen Dale Nelson as being present during the murders, yet prosecutors never sought an indictment for Nelson.

Christopher Wiggins spent two months in an isolation cell with Tony Hunter at Ouchita Correctional Center. On February 10, 2001, Wiggins told investigators that Tony Hunter had not told him anything about committing the murders. Several months later, on August 2, 2001, Wiggins altered his story and claimed that Hunter had in fact admitted guilt. Various details in his story, such as the gun that Hunter supposedly confirmed he used to commit the crime, did not align with the actual facts of the case.

Ultimately, prosecutors claimed that none of the informants received special treatment for their testimony. This is verifiably false.

Clarence Kennedy inexplicably received an illegally lenient sentencing that reduced his time incarcerated by 20 years, allowing him to be released on probation.
Christopher Wiggins had been convicted of multiple prior felonies including manslaughter, meaning that the state had the ability to file a multiple offender bill at its discretion that would have guaranteed Wiggins a life sentence. Following his testimony, the state never did so, clearly demonstrating a sentencing benefit. In November of 2022, Wiggins admitted to an investigator that Tony Hunter actually had not said anything about being involved in the murders.

Further Facts

Prior to the trial, Hunter filed a motion to have the jury view Ouachita Correctional Center to show that the conversation was impossible. The motion was never granted.
Jody Rucks, who shared the cell with Kennedy, Comanche, and Nelson, signed an affidavit stating that Comanche and the others asked him to join a conspiracy to frame Hunter.
Professor Robert M. Bloom of Boston College Law School, whose career spanning over 50 years has included thorough research on the use of jailhouse informants, has reviewed Tony Hunter's case and concluded that there is serious risk that the informants' testimony against Hunter was fabricated. The jury was never informed of the unreliability of jailhouse informants.

Despite knowing all of the above facts, the prosecution went ahead with their case against Tony Hunter, favoring convenience over justice.

What Needs to Be Done

Going against a biased judicial system and freeing the wrongfully convicted is an extraordinarily difficult pursuit, but it's not impossible. Right now, spreading the word about Tony Hunter and his predicament will not only bring awareness to this particular case, but also to the many other wrongly decided cases. American racism has always relied on a justice system that targets black men and their families. By helping Tony Hunter and addressing this immoral function of our courts, we can further push our country in the right direction one step at a time.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse