Oslo, October 12, 1998


Dear Governor Jeb Bush,


My name is Turid Sandberg Ihle, and I live in Oslo / Norway.

Respectfully, I will encourage the Governor to look at the enclosed web-page set up for Mr. Paul William Scott, one of the death sentenced prisoners, living in Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida.

The reasons why I most urgently ask you to look into this particular case, are listed below:

1) I am confident that the Governor is well informed about the fact that the individual who committed this terrible crime, Mr. Richard Kondian, has confessed. (Please read Mr. Kondian's sworn affidavit to the Court, and the affidavits given by some of the individuals Mr. Kondian has confessed to, which is included in these web-pages).

2) Several members of the jury that served in Mr. Scott's trial, have later given sworn affidavits to the Court, stating that if the evidences revealed later had been presented before them during the trial, they would most definitely not have voted in favor of Mr. Scott's death sentence. (Affidavits from the Foreman of the Jury, Ms. Federico, Juror Bunkley, Juror Alho and Juror Stoddard are included in the web-page).

3) The State's Medical Examiner at trial, Dr. Gabino Cuevas, has since agreed to the evaluation of evidence by Forensic & Security Consultants Corporation. He stated that he was never during the trial asked to identify the murder weapon, and he does not recall being aware of allegations that Mr. Kondian had struck the victim, Mr. Alessi with a champagne bottle.

4) Furthermore, Dr. Gabino Cuevas also agrees with Forensic & Security Consultants Corporation in their conclusion stating that: "The fatal blow could have been struck with either left or right hand, or with both hands."

This shows that it does not matter whether Mr. Scott is left- or right handed, which was, because of the fact that the champagne bottle was never introduced before the Court as evidence, never brought to the Court's attention before Mr. Scott was sentenced to death. It is pointed out by the members of the jury, who undersigned the above mentioned affidavits that the fact that Mr. Scott is left handed was a major issue the jurors considered as so important that it might have turned Mr. Scott's case completely. Let me quote some of the jurors affidavits to the Court which is also included in the web-pages:

The foreman of the Jury, Ms. Federico states in her affidavit to the Court the following:

"The fact that Paul Scott is left-handed was extremely important in convincing me that he struck the fatal blow to Mr. Alessi. I have reviewed the affidavits of Jeff Walsh and Rick Kondian. This is the kind of information that would have been important for the jury to hear. It refutes the very critical notion that only the left-handed Mr. Scott could have wielded that blow."

Juror Yvonne Bunkley states in her affidavit to the Court:

"I was not convinced that Mr. Paul William Scott was the one responsible for Mr. Alessi's murder. I ultimately voted guilty because of pressure from the other jurors. Some of them kept telling me, come on, he was hit by a left handed person. I knew that. Paul William Scott was left handed."

Juror Alho has the following to say in this matter quoted from her affidavit:

"One area that was not gray was the testimony about Mr. Alessi being hit in the head by a left-handed person. The state attorney made it a point to call to our attention Paul William Scott as writing on a legal pad with his left hand".

Juror Stoddard wrote in her affidiavit:

"The fact that Paul Scott is left handed was a key point in establishing that he killed Mr. Alessi."

Additionally, Dr. Cuevas states that the bear statue, with which Mr. Scott allegedly "beat the victim to death", and was the only object introduced as evidence at trial, did not cause Mr. Alessi's death.

5) A photo of a circle of blood from the champagne bottle is presented on the web-page, showing that the real murder weapon was the champagne bottle, and not the bear statue, which is also consistent with the conclusion of Forensic & Security Consultant's Corporation.

6) A neuropsychological evaluation of Paul William Scott, by Dr. Barry M. Crown Ph. D. Certificate, Addiction Specialist, shows that Mr. Scott is brain damaged, and has an IQ measured to 69. This evaluation also states that "Mr. Scott's reasoning and problem-solving capacities are below that of a 10-year-old child and that his brain damage is a permanent condition. As a result of his condition, he is unable to comprehend the long-time consequences of his immediate behavior. Under stress, duress and / or substances, he is unable to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law."

Juror Stoddard stated the following in her affidavit to the Court addressing Mr. Scott's retardation:

"I am very surprised that no one thought to let the jury know that Mr. Scott is brain damaged and retarded. This is something that I, as a juror, needed to know at the time of trial."

7) International laws, initiated by the United States of America prohibit executions of retarded and mentally ill individuals.

8) Let me also point out to the Governor that neither Mr. Kondian, nor Mr. Scott brought with them any sort of weapon to Mr. Alessi's apartment, which does not make sense if they were planning to commit murder of a much taller and stronger individual than themselves. The premeditated factor is supposed to be proven before death penalty can be considered as an alternative.

Mr. Alessi was attacked with a paper weight, a bear statue and a champagne bottle, which hardly can be considered as items anyone would consider as suitable murder weapons while planning to commit a murder. It is clear to me that paper weights, bear statues and champagne bottles in general are to be considered as anything BUT murder weapons. That particular fact shows that Mr. Kondian and Mr. Scott grabbed the closest items available and acted impulsively, and not with any sort of premeditation. The above is also supported by the included evaluation of evidence by Forensic & Security Consultant Corporation, which also is consistent with both Mr. Kondian's and Mr. Scott's statements.

Furthermore, the victim, Mr. James Alessi had prior to the dispute, resulting in his death, locked the front door deadbolt by key from the inside in his effort to prevent Mr. Kondian and Mr. Scott to leave his apartment voluntarily. Mr. Scott succeeded to flee the crime scene by making his exit through the rear screening of an enclosed swimming-pool.

9) Let me ask the Governor again to look at the web-page, where a police report is presented to show that the victim, Mr. Alessi, was a known homosexual who frequently trafficated commonly known bars and places with the intention of picking up male prostitutes. The citizens living in this particular area had prior to the victim, Mr. Alessi's arrest, made numerous complaints to the police about the prostitution-trafficing in their home environment where Mr. Alessi was commonly to be seen and was a frequent "guest".

In closing, I want to tell the Governor that I am confident that he will seek to make the right decision in this terribly serious matter, and knowing he is considered as a man acting both fairly and justly, I am also confident that Mr. Scott's case is in the best of hands. I will also use this opportunity to point out that whether one is opposed to, or supportive of death penalty in general, I am sure we can all agree about that death penatly should neither be seeked in cases where there are reasonable doubts regarding the defendant's guilt, nor in cases where a verdict is decided before all of the evidences have been considered throughly by both sides.

This is unfortunaltely Mr. Scott's position for the time being., and let me also point out to the Governor that it is still not too late to correct that error.

The Justice is supposed to serve and protect the people. Resourceful, indigent or mentally retarded equally.

I will pray to God that the Governor is given the strength to stand up for true Justice, and I feel confident that he will make the right decision.


Respectfully,

Turid Sandberg Ihle
Oslo / Norway



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