Free Freddie McNeill
20 years on death row
for a crime he did not commit
The Prosecution
Greg White (Republican) Jonathon Rosenbaum
The prosecutor in Freddie McNeill’s case was Jonathon Rosenbaum. He worked under the guidance of Greg White.
Lorain County Assistant Chief Prosecutor, Jonathon Rosenbaum, was described by The Plain Dealer as “a petty, vindictive bully” and that he “has too often acted more as an attack dog than a public interest watchdog.”
Lorain County Prosecutor, Greg White was “… often accused of overzealous prosecution. While he burnished his reputation by taking down Democrats, there were times that he let Republicans skate. Others say that he'll readily burn bridges with friends when it's politically expedient.”3
The Other Wrongfully Accused4
In 1993, Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen were convicted of child molestation charges and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences [note: Allen’s court appointed lawyer was Grunda]. They were innocent and are now free (took plea deal to time already served).
They too fell prey to White and Rosenbaum, described by the media as “misguided and overzealous Lorain, Ohio prosecutors”.
In a case that was run in a similar fashion to Freddie McNeill’s, the prosecution relied on the testimony of a number of young children (later found to have been coached and influenced) and a drug addict with her own legal issues pending (following her testimony she was not charged).
In 1995, two years after Smith and Allen went to prison, Paul Facinelli, a columnist for the Chronicle Telegram, took another look at the case and started publishing articles about the inconsistencies in the children’s statements, the exculpatory evidence that the jury did not see and the dishonest summation to the jury by Rosenbaum.
White complained he was been unfairly targeted in the middle of a re-‐election campaign.
Rosenbaum brought a libel suit for defamation. Judge Richard M Markus dismissed it in 2001 noting “Rosenbaum persistently declined to quote the exact language in each publication that he claimed is defamatory”.
In 2001, Rosenbaum prosecuted a doctor named Ashok Ramadugu for sexual misconduct. The charges against him were dismissed when it came out that the witnesses recovered their memories of being molested in dreams. The doctor’s attorney filed a formal complaint that Rosenbaum had withheld this exculpatory evidence during the trial from the defence. He was cleared of wrongdoing.
Further Unprofessional Conduct
In 1997 Judge Harry A Hanna dismissed Rosenbaum as head of a grand jury probe into alleged public corruption. Hanna accused Rosenbaum of unprofessional conduct, misrepresenting facts, writing poor briefs and misquoting legal cases.
Since Then
Their relationship ended badly in 2002 when White suddenly demanded Rosenbaum’s resignation. Some speculate White got rid of Rosenbaum to clear his path to office.5
On 18 February 2003, White was sworn in as US District Attorney for Northern Ohio.
In 2008, he resigned from office to accept the role of a federal magistrate judge for US District Court for Northern Ohio.
Rosenbaum continues to work in Lorain as a private attorney.
Appeals continue to be heard about their time as prosecutors. In July 2012, Stan Jalowiec’s [note: Jalowiec’s court appointed lawyer was Grunda] legal team requested a new trial noting “Nothing contributed more to his wrongful conviction… than misconduct within the Elyria Police Department and the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office”. Jalowiec was indicted in 1995 for aggravated murder. His legal team alleged Detective Alan Leiby and former County Assistant Prosecutor Jonathon Rosenbaum conspired to hide statements and other evidence from Jalowiec’s trial attorneys. Jalowiec’s request for a new trial was denied due to a lack of exculpatory evidence presented by his lawyers.6
3 http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-‐new-‐sheriff-‐in-‐town/Content?oid=1490375
4 http://www.crimemagazine.com/shame-‐lorain-‐ohio
5 http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-‐new-‐sheriff-‐in-‐town/Content?oid=1490375
6 Mark Gillispie, 2 July 2012, Lawyers for Stan Jalowiez seek new trial, claiming Elyria police, Lorain county prosecutor withheld evidence, www.cleveland.com
