Family Campaigns to Free John Maloney

The family of John Maloney says the wrong person is in prison, and now they believe they have the evidence and experts to prove it. Maloney, a former Green Bay police officer, was convicted of murder in February, 1999. A jury believed prosecutors, who argued Maloney killed his wife, Sandra, in her home a year earlier then burned her body to hide the evidence.

Maloney was sentenced to life in prison, with the earliest chance for parole in 2024. He maintains his innocence and is appealing the conviction. 

In an interview with ABC's "20/20" last year, Maloney discussed his reaction to the verdict. "I was stunned. I was just flabbergasted.  I couldn't believe that...that, uh, I was being convicted of a crime that I didn't commit."

It was a verdict no one in John Maloney's family believed could happen, and when it did, the harsh reality for them set in.

"He's been convicted, now it's a whole new ballgame to prove he didn't do it," his sister, Gin Maloney, said. She said proving a convicted man is innocent is "Twice as tough."

Now Maloney's family believes it can prove he is innocent. With the case before the state Court of Appeals, efforts to free John Maloney are picking up steam-- not just locally, but around the country.

For more than a year now, Maloney's four sisters have spent a lot of time searching for a way to prove their brother's innocence. They think their break came this spring when Gin Maloney traveled to California. She attended a seminar for people who think their relatives and friends were wrongfully convicted, and told several police officers and lawyers about her brother's conviction.

"We've got people involved in this from Connecticut, Wyoming, California, Virgina, Florida... who've all expressed interest in it," 

One of those people is Brent Turvey, a forensic scientist and criminal profiler. In an 18-page report posted on the Internet, Turvey contends the case against Maloney has a lot of holes.
 
 

Turvey contends the case against Maloney failed to scrutinize:
  • Sandra Maloney's blood-alcohol level was at least 0.25% when she died; she was also suspected of using painkillers; suicide notes were found in the trash
  • An electrical cord hanging from the basement ceiling, tied in a loop, but was broken
  • A blood-stained shirt and bloody footprints in the basement, and bruises on Sandra Maloney's body the coroner attributed to an assault, are consistent with a fall
  • That Sandra Maloney's face-down position on the couch could be the result of passing out, not because an attacker put her there
  • Evidence and witness testimony that Sandra Maloney was careless with smoking materials, including leaving cigarettes burning unattended
Turvey's complete report can be found at www.corpus-delicti.com/jmaloney.html. Note this report is not a complete, unbiased review of the evidence.

"In our hearts, we know John didn't do it. We know by evidence, what we've read and seen," another of Maloney's sisters, Faye Kuchta, said. 

Family and friends have launched what they're calling the Maloney Innocence Project. They've printed hundreds of copies of Turvey's report, and they're starting a public awareness campaign.

This Sunday in New Franken, they're holding a benefit to raise money to help fight for Maloney's freedom.

"It will never be over, never be over until we know what happened and we've got John back home with us," Gin Maloney said.

For further information on the case to free John Maloney:




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