Confession Letter Exonerates Innocent Inmate

Authentic confession letter from convicted armed robber removes all doubt regarding Ryan Madden’s involvement in both crimes for which he was convicted.

Moments after the jury handed down two guilty verdicts, Ryan vocally proclaimed his innocence to the judge as he was being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs.

The moment was surreal, but his position has NEVER wavered, nor has his family’s belief in his innocence.

If anything, our belief in his innocence has only been strengthened with additional facts gathered since that fateful day in November, 2006.

After all, we saw the ATM photos of the actual armed robber and immediately recognized it wasn’t Ryan. Better yet, we KNEW who it was and reported it to Ryan’s public defender, who in turn provided the name of the actual suspect to authorities.

To this day, no one from law enforcement has ever followed up on that tip and even spoke to the actual robber.

Their prevailing thought must have been they already had their guy – so why bother?

We also heard the testimony of the mini-mart clerk, Johnny A, who identified James H and not Ryan as being the person who handed him the ATM victims stolen credit card. James also happened to be wearing the exact same clothing the suspect wore 12 minutes earlier during the ATM robbery, according to that same minimart clerk.

Incredibly, the jury was more strongly persuaded by the victims eyewitness identification five days after the robbery than they were by the mini-mart clerks eyewitness identification made 12 minutes after the robbery, and voted to convict.

We’ve seen the photogrammetry results that determined the ATM suspect was 5’7” ¾ – which is 3 inches shorter than Ryan. Unfortunately, the jury never saw this forensic evidence since the analysis was conducted after Ryan’s conviction.

And now, you’ll see the actual confession letter from the same person we have been claiming all along as being the person responsible for committing these robberies. Take note of the fact that he admits to being 5’7” ¾ and admits to being the owner of the green camouflage jacket and trucker hat worn by the suspect on the night of the ATM robbery. Just as his ex-girlfriend testified.

Coincidence? You decide…

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Here is the original written confession in James H’s own handwriting.

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The only thing altered on the letter is James’s full name and current prison location. This was done to protect his identity since his life would be in danger if other inmates learned that he was cooperating with authorities, even though he is only ‘telling’ on himself. The courts will have all of this information, however.

To condense this entire case and website into a few short sentences, the evidence pointing to Ryan’s innocence is as follows:

• ATM pictures show someone other than Ryan as the suspect who robbed the victim February 5, 2005
• Minimart clerk identified James H’s picture as the person using the victims stolen credit card 12 minutes after the robbery.
• Minimart clerk admitted to having previously seen James 4-5 times, thus negating the possibility of him making a mistaken identity.
• Minimart clerk testified James was wearing the camouflage jacket and trucker hat worn by the suspect in the ATM robbery.
• Photogrammetry identified the suspect as being 5’7” ¾
• James H’s confession letter reveals he committed the robberies, is 5’7” ¾, was wearing his own camouflage jacket and trucker cap during the ATM robbery.
• James H admits to having presented the stolen credit card to the minimart clerk 12 minutes after the robbery.
• Confession letter also reveals details about an unsolved liquor store robbery two days before the ATM robbery that only the robber could know.
• James H confesses to having committed four armed robberies in the same week to support his drug habit, two of which Ryan was convicted for and one in which he is currently serving 11 years for committing.

The only evidence the state could present pointing to Ryan’s guilt is as follows:

• Eyewitness identification taken from a photo lineup made by the victim five days after the robbery. His testimony revealed that he only saw the suspect from approximately 12 feet away for 4 seconds, at night, in a lighted parking lot.

Here’s what you can now do to help free an Innocent Inmate

1. Pray. A lot. The justice system is reluctant to admit to mistakes, and the appellate process is slow.
2. Refer a friend to this page. They may know an experienced appellate attorney willing to take the case, or someone in the media willing to raise awareness.
3. Donate to the Innocent Inmate Legal Defense Fund for the family to secure the services of an experienced appellate attorney. We’re not poor, but those guys aren’t cheap :-)
4. Refer a public relations expert to this page to assist us in drawing attention to this case.
5. Make one phone call or send one email to a local reporter with a link to this page. Just one. By doing something, you become a voice that demands justice. By doing nothing, you become a willing spectator to an injustice.
6. Sign the petition requesting a review of the case to California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris.

As of right now, we have done everything within our power to allow sunlight to shine on areas of this case that neither the prosecution or jury was aware of. We leave the outcome in God’s hands, but humbly ask that your hands be used as an instrument for good in whatever way you may feel led.

On behalf of the entire Madden family, I thank you in advance for your caring concern for Ryan  and for even taking the time to read this far.