Clients

Iris Seabolt

Iris Seabolt was convicted of felony murder in 2004 based on the August 2000 murder of A.J. Williams in Elkhart, Indiana.  She was sentenced to 45 years in prison.  The NDEJC filed a petition for post-conviction relief in Elkhart County court on Ms. Seabolt's behalf in June 2021 (Case No. 20D03-2106-PC-000019).  Ms. Seabolt was released from prison on parole in May 2022, after serving nearly 19 years in prison.  However, she remains wrongfully convicted of murder.

Ms. Seabolt alleges that newly discovered evidence, including affidavits from several key witnesses recanting their testimony and statements against her, prove her innocence.  She alleges that former Elkhart Police Department Detective Stephen Rezutko and other Elkhart officers fabricated witness statements against her and that Detective Rezutko had a sexual relationship with two female alternate suspects in the case.  The Elkhart Police Department twice made findings that Detective Rezutko engaged in improper sexual acts with informants in Elkhart criminal cases, but the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office and Elkhart Police Department allegedly concealed this information from criminal defendants (including Ms. Seabolt) for decades.  And, Ms. Seabolt alleges that the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office and Elkhart Police Department concealed additional material exculpatory and impeachment evidence from her, including (1) undisclosed deals with key witnesses; (2) a video-recorded interrogation of Ms. Seabolt's co-defendant in which Detective Rezutko threatened to bring capital murder charges against him and personally participate in his execution, if he didn’t cooperate, a recording that Detective Rezutko previously testified under oath did not exist.

Leon Tyson

Leon Tyson was convicted of murder in 2017 based on the June 2015 shooting of Tommie Lee Strowder in Elkhart, Indiana.  He was sentenced to 63 years in prison.  Mr. Tyson filed a pro se petition for post-conviction relief in Elkhart County court in 2018 (Case No. 20D03-1807-PC-000037), and the NDEJC appeared on his behalf and filed an amended petition for post-conviction relief in May 2021.  

Mr. Tyson alleges that newly discovered evidence proves that he is innocent and that another man killed Mr. Strowder.  Multiple witnesses, including the other suspect's own mother, have come forward and identified the other suspect as the shooter.  Mr. Tyson further alleges that the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office suppressed material exculpatory information that would have helped prove his innocence at trial.

Pink Robinson

Pink Robinson was convicted of armed robbery in 2018 in connection with the January 2016 robbery of a women’s clothing store in Elkhart, Indiana.  He was sentenced to 48 years in prison.  Mr. Robinson filed a pro se petition for post-conviction relief in Elkhart County court in 2020 (Case No. 20C01-2012-PC-000041), and the NDEJC appeared on his behalf in 2021.  

Mr. Robinson alleges that he was wrongfully convicted of armed robbery.  He alleges that the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office failed to disclose the significant disciplinary record of the lead detective on the case, former Elkhart Police Department Detective Carl Conway, and that former Detective Conway misled the jury about his disciplinary record in an effort to build up his credibility.  Mr. Robinson alleges that the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office's failure to disclose this information is part of a larger pattern of concealing the disciplinary records of Elkhart police officers who have committed serious misconduct.

Reginald Dillard

Reginald Dillard was convicted of murder in 2000 based on the 1998 shooting of Christopher Thomas in Elkhart, Indiana.  He was sentenced to 65 years in prison.  The NDEJC filed a petition for post-conviction relief in Elkhart County court on Mr. Dillard's behalf in July 2022 (Case No. 20D03-2207-PC-000019).  

Mr. Dillard alleges that former Elkhart Police Department Detective Stephen Rezutko fabricated witness statements against him and maintained an undisclosed sexual relationship with a key witness against Mr. Dillard.  The Elkhart Police Department twice made findings that Detective Rezutko had engaged in improper sexual acts with informants in Elkhart criminal cases, but the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office and Elkhart Police Department allegedly concealed this information from criminal defendants (including Mr. Dillard) for decades.  Mr. Dillard also alleges that his wrongful conviction arose out of the misconduct of a rogue, racist group of Elkhart Police Department officers who referred to themselves as "the Wolverines."  Mr. Dillard further alleges that the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office and Elkhart Police Department concealed additional material exculpatory and impeachment evidence from him, including (1) significant consideration provided to its three key witnesses in exchange for their testimony; and (2) evidence implicating alternate suspects, including a police report from the day after Mr. Dillard was wrongfully convicted identifying the likely true killers of Mr. Thomas.

Jason Hubbell

Jason Hubbell was convicted of murder and criminal confinement in 1999 based on the 1997 abduction and killing of Sharon Myers in Columbus, Indiana.  He was sentenced to 75 years in prison.  Mr. Hubbell filed a federal habeas petition challenging his conviction in August 2020 (Case No. 1:20-cv-2217 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana), and the NDEJC appeared on his behalf in October 2022.  

Mr. Hubbell alleges, among other things, that the State of Indiana withheld material exculpatory information implicating an alternate suspect in the murder of Sharon Myers.