Kutska and Monfils
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Other Books by Denis Gullickson Before They Were the Packers: Green Bay’s Town Team Days Vagabond Halfback: The Life and Times of Johnny Blood McNally The Monfils Conspiracy The Conviction of Six Innocent Men DENIS GULLICKSON JOHN GAIE Forewords by Cal Monfils and Mike Piaskowski iUniverse, Inc. New York Bloomington The Monfils Conspiracy The Conviction of Six Innocent Men Copyright © 2009 by Denis Gullickson and John Gaie All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. iUniverse 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington, IN 47403 www.iuniverse.com 1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677) Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. ISBN: 978-0-595-48473-7 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-595-49096-7 (dj) ISBN: 978-0-595-60565-1 (ebk) Library of Congress Control Number: 2009928885 iUniverse rev. date: 8/31/2009 Dedication Our goal in writing this book—more than seven years in the making—has always been to expose the truth and inform the public. Our efforts have taken much time and due diligence. With that, we dedicate these efforts to all the fine people who have worked at, and those who continue to work at, the former James River paper mill in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and to all the truly innocent individuals incarcerated in the prisons of this nation. Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison. —Henry David Thoreau Contents Dedication Foreword Foreword Preface Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Appendix I: Researching the Timeline Appendix II: The Timeline Appendix III: The Witnesses Appendix IV: The Important Dates Appendix V: Doctored Detail Sheets Appendix VI: Floor Plan—Paper Machine Area Appendix VII: List of Prominent People in the Case Acknowledgments About the Authors Let Us Know What You Think—Get Involved Foreword My brother Tom Monfils was an ideal big brother. He may have been ten years older, but he was never too old to spend time with me. Growing up, he would take me everywhere with him and involve me in all his projects. And he always had projects, whether they were for him or someone else. He really liked to help people if he could. My brother was the type of person who liked and valued quality people, young or old. It’s why he got along so well with some of the older workers at the mill. The greatest memories my brother left me involve music. He would always let me listen to his albums and even buy some for me. Many times, I can listen to music and it reminds me of a time with Tom. I miss him very much. To me, Tom’s death is still a mystery. We all know the terrible ending, but what really happened just before that? I do not speak for the rest of my family but only me when I say, “What a terrible investigation process.” And much of that was “tailor-made.” As I sat and heard the final verdicts, I still felt empty. I felt bad for Tom’s wife and children and also all the families of the defendants, some of whom I knew before the trial. I am not saying that all six of these men are innocent. But I am not convinced that they are guilty of murder. As forgiving as that may sound, I also wish the worst to whoever killed him. That person should realize that jail is only temporary, but death is forever. The real killer will always be on the winning end. I feel that the six men should get a chance to at least be heard by a new panel and, if they had no direct involvement in the murder, at least be cleared of that charge. At the time of writing this, I have not yet read the manuscript for this book. I have had a few meetings with Denis, John, and Mike and feel they are very sincere people trying to help others, with no benefit to them but the satisfaction of seeking the truth. I think they may have performed the most detailed research on this case to date. All the items in this book reflect their investigative work and opinions. With the amount of questionable investigating, I would not object to a review of this case on both sides of justice. Again, these are only my views and do not reflect those of my family or Tom’s. —Cal Monfils same circumstances over twelve years ago, remain in prison for a crime that I firmly believe they did not commit, for a crime that may not have even happened. In his ruling Judge Gordon also wrote, “The issuance of a writ of habeas corpus is a ‘grave remedy’ reserved for ‘grave occasions’ … this is such an occasion.… Because the evidence was not sufficient to support his conviction, the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment bars a retrial.” This means I cannot be reprosecuted for this crime. There is nothing preventing me from coming forward with information, good or bad. The fact of the matter is that I have done nothing but tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God, since day one. The problem was not with what I had to say. The problem was with what the investigators wanted to hear. They were the ones who refused to accept my testimony. They were the ones who refused to recognize any evidence contrary to their theory. As a result, they are the ones that just plain got it all wrong. In today’s world, with all of the advancements in forensics, crime scene investigation, and criminal profiling, I can only imagine how crazy it must sound for me to suggest that the Monfils investigation was so far off track that it convicted six innocent men. Hard to believe I’m sure—but it is true. If I hadn’t been a part of this nightmare myself, I would not believe it either. After all, the authorities could not be that wrong … could they? I do not claim to know what happened to Tom, but I positively do know and emphatically state the following: I had absolutely nothing to do with Tom’s death. I have no knowledge about Tom’s death. I never witnessed anything concerning Tom’s death. And nobody has ever provided me with information about Tom’s death. I also know that the police theory of what happened that day is dead wrong. The very scenario that led to my conviction never took place at all—with me or without me. Whatever happened to Tom had to have happened to him someplace else in some other way. I have always considered myself a pretty good citizen, willing to do my share, help the less fortunate, go the extra mile, and then some. The fact is that if I had seen anything happening to Tom I would have been one of the first to step in to break it up. If I had even heard anything I would have been the first to speak up. In the beginning, as my world was being turned upside down, just the thought of being wrongly accused of such a heinous crime was pretty devastating. Unfortunately I was soon to learn that being wrongly convicted would be a lot worse—as it nearly became my end. Lady Justice failed me when I needed her the most. The very society that I loved and defended with honor in Vietnam had cast me aside. Never had I felt as lost and hopeless as when being led out of the courtroom in chains—a disjointed feeling of lifelessness and mental anguish that haunts me to this day. For all practical purposes, my life’s journey was over. Intensified by the uncertainty of its end, I secretly wished it were. I now understand and appreciate the reason for the suicide surveillance during those first few weeks of captivity. I learned that one of the best ways to deal with the sadness and depression of life in prison was to try to remain positive. Even in the midst of so much evil I would force myself to look for the good in people and try to remember that things could always be worse. In a strange way I was truly fortunate. Every day people fall victim to situations beyond their control—accidents, birth defects, death, disease, mental illness. By comparison, wrongful incarceration seemed minor. I had a wonderful family, supportive friends, and good health. But the thing that sustained me most in prison was the certainty that the truth was on my side. I had hope. I had a light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, that alone couldn’t sooth all the pain. I was on a horrible emotional roller coaster. The days were long, the nights longer. Small amounts of time, like the hours between mail call and the days between visits, seemed endless.