RYAN THOMPSON
COMMITTEE FOR JUSTICE
Committed to Freeing an Innocent Young Man
Ryan Thompson, your are under arrest for murder. Those are the words that turned Ryan Thompson's life upside down. How could an evening out with friends at a local party turn into this nightmare? How could an innocent young man who had left the party before the shooting be arrested, tried and convicted? Could our criminal justice system be so flawed that yet another innocent is behind bars? To find out answers to those questions please take the time to browse through the website. This is a shocking story of justice gone wrong, with more twists and turns than any mystery novel. The problem is... this story is true, and, it can happen to you!
CASE UPDATE 12/21/01: Ryans appeal was argued by attorney Moira Buckley on December 6th. Ms Buckley argued very convincingly before a three judge panel. It was immediately evident that she was well prepared for the presentation and was unflappable during a barrage of questions from the panel. Her dedication to her job and to Ryan is much appreciated. The appeal can only be based on specific elements that occured during the trial and not on any new evidence that has been obtained since the trial. It is basically a check to see if the trial conformed to specific legal requirements as set forth by the courts. Requests for a new trial due to new evidence or other circumstances can only be requested during the "habeus" request. Ryan has been accepted by the states Public Defender habeus unit and we expect them to start looking at the case sometime early in 2002. I could still be as far as two years away that the request for a new trial is filed. We will keep the site up-to-date with any breaking information
NEWS UPDATE 12/21/01:. The Norwich Bulletin carried an article on December 19th 2001 reporting that a .22 caliber rifle had been found in the Moosup river in Sterling by a fisherman. Based on the proximity to the crime scene and the length of time the rifle appeared to have been in the river the rifle may be linked to the case. No further information is available at this time. Ryan's defense team will keep track of any testing that may be done on the gun.
UPDATE 20 October 02 The Supreme Court of CT today handed down their decision on Ryan's case. We lost. Though they stated that the conduct of the prosecutor was in many cases inappropriate, they feel it wasn't bad enough to warrant a new trial as the appellate court had ordered. We of course are deeply disappointed in their decision and will continue to fight for our innocent son's freedom.
In prison since April 20, 1998
Update 25 July 2010 The Dateline NBC show about Ryan's case in our opinion turned out very well. Thanks to Producer Chris for a geat job!
Update 6/28/10 If you have not already heard, Ryan's request for a new trial was turned down. Appeal process in motion.
Dec 2011 Update. Ryan's appeal to the CT Supreme Court was rejected. They did not want to even hear the argument. Rejected with no explanation. Thanks to the CT Innocence Project for taking on the next step in the process!
Update Mar 2017 Sorry, not really much to update, the CT Innocence Project (now part of the State's Appeals Dept.) is still on the case. Investigator's continue to interview everyone involved with the case, please talk with them if you are asked. Ryan continues to be a model prisoner and holds his head up high. Many inmates that are released have contacted us and told us how Ryan has changed their lives. His positive attitude for someone that has been unjustly imprisoned amazes them. They say he is responsible for helping them get through tough times in their lives. He was recently interviewed by a fellow inmate, you can find the interview here. https://comradgossip.com/2017/03/12/exclusive-ryan-thompson-interviewed-by-supreme-allah-2017/
lf you haven't seen the Dateline NBC show on the case you can watch it here.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/38348079/ns/dateline_nbc-crime_reports/t/circle-friends/#.WM51WMI2zb0 For some reason NBC has removed he video, you can only read the shows transcripts
(Transcripts only)
In a parole hearing on Jan 25th 2019, Ryan was granted parole and beginning in July Ryan will be on probation. He is very excited to start his new life as a free man.
Please help him in his return to society by donating any amount to his "Freedom Fund" All monies raised will go directly to Ryan. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
