C. J. Ford Private Investigations
has a “FOR THE INNOCENT RESOLUTIONS” investigative service.

If you are a victim, or know someone who is a victim of “Wrongful Incarceration”, go to our web site at www.fortheinnocent.org. We provide working solutions in our investigative program to assist. You can also call 714-776-6504 to talk to one of our Investigative Specialist.

THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE CINCINNATI HERALD ON JANUARY 26, 2008- FRONT PAGE!

New DNA Evidence to be Provided in 20-Year-Old Murder Case
By Carisa Montooth

In 1983, nineteen year old Zachary Pettus moved from his native Cincinnati to his sister’s home in Huntington Beach, California to pursue better educational and job opportunities. His teachers & counselor, who later testified as character witnesses on his behalf, described him as a good student who was well-liked by his peers. His family and friends described him as a nonviolent, churchgoing man who didn’t smoke or drink. Due to an unstable home life created by his sister’s growing substance abuse problem, he began looking for job opportunities so that he could support himself financially, and afford to live in a better environment. It was during this job search that he met Darlene Hazboun, a used clothing shop owner. Due to the fact that there were few other Black men in the area, when Hazboun was later found gagged and stabbed to death, Pettus was arrested for her murder.

Zachary Pettus continues to maintain his innocence and much of the evidence supports him. Eye witnesses and video footage support his alibi during the time frame of the murder. The prosecution’s eye witness could not identify him in person in court as the person she saw at the murder scene. Although both Pettus and the suspect at the murder scene are Black, there was no physical evidence linking Pettus to the murder. This is particularly significant, because the gruesome nature of the murder and the fact that Pettus was arrested shortly afterward mean any physical evidence should have remained intact and should have been easily discovered by authorities. None of the evidence tested was linked to Pettus, but authorities have not tested this DNA evidence to see who it actually does belong to.

C. J. Ford Jr., a private investigator who specializes in criminal and wrongfully accused cases, has been working in the interest of the Pettus campaign. Ford has had some success in discovering important evidence to support the innocence of other convicted criminals, most notably Kenneth Clair, who in 1987 was also convicted of murder based on circumstantial evidence (http://www.ocregister.com/news/clair-dna-rodgers-1954497-prosecutors-evidence). Ford’s investigation into the Pettus case has uncovered support for claims that Mr. Pettus did not commit the crime he has been in jail twenty years for.

During a recent jail visit, Ford discussed with Pettus whether or not he would be willing to give his DNA material for testing. Pettus commented that he would be willing to provide hair, skin, and blood samples, or anything else that could be tested. “I can truly say that I do not know who committed that crime, but I know that I did not commit the crime,” stated Pettus. He also expressed his dismay that racism played such a big factor in his case. When he recently read some of the articles that were written at the time of his 1984 conviction, he was grateful that he had not learned about his depiction in the media when he was younger, when it might have caused him to become bitter about his situation. Although Pettus has been serving a jail sentence for a crime he insists he did not commit, he has chosen to spend his time teaching other inmates to read, founding the “Men of Honor” group to encourage other inmates to live honorably in spite of being incarcerated, and engaging in other positive pursuits.

About 6 months ago, Ford met with Jeff Chinn, the director of the California Innocence Project, to present the case for Pettus’ innocence and gain the CIP’s support. Chinn was also concerned about the results of the investigation and decided that the Pettus conviction warranted a review because of new evidence that required investigation. The California Innocence Project, founded in 1999, has successfully taken wrongfully accused cases back to court, resulting in the release of the wrongfully accused and CIP’s advocates continue to work for freedom for the innocent. CIP’s mission statement promises to “seek any and all ethical and legal avenues for the release of the wrongfully convicted.” Chinn has a widely respected reputation and extensive expertise in this area as one of the top advocates for the wrongly accused in the country. Chinn has assigned an up-and-coming student attorney, Andrew Myers, to research and continue to develop this case. Myers’ dedication to the project has been productive in moving the case forward.

Ford is confident that the CIP will be able to help free Pettus. “I think the California Innocence Project will be critical to the effort to establish Pettus’ innocence and their expertise will determine the final outcome of Pettus’ future,” stated Ford. The Pettus campaign’s main representatives are Robert Humphries, Fred Humphrey, Lisa Crawford, Barbara Junious, and Brian Gatlin. Humphries has been handling the East Coast day to day operation on Pettus’ behalf and has been the pivotal person in the campaign. Humphrey has been his counterpart for West Coast operations and has been looking for more ways to increase the effectiveness of the Pettus campaign’s efforts in California. Crawford, a well known Cincinnati attorney and talk show host, has also devoted her time and services to assisting the Pettus family and has been very involved in keeping the Pettus Campaign in the public eye in Cincinnati. According to Ford, the Cincinnati Herald and Dan Yount have been very instrumental in following the Pettus case ever since the conviction.

C. J. Ford commented on Pettus’ prospects for release if the new evidence justifies taking the case back to court. “I believe that if the California Innocence Project is successful in getting this case back in the court system again, the evidence will be overwhelming in Mr. Pettus’ favor and he will be exonerated,” says Ford. However, based on his experience working with the Orange County District Attorney’s office during his investigation of the Clair case, Ford wasn’t optimistic that the new DNA samples from Pettus would be allowed to be tested without some resistance. “The District Attorney’s office has a policy of fighting DNA evidence to overturn cases when they have already convicted a person for the crime. They feel that DNA should only be used in cases that are unsolved. So in cases in which a conviction is made, they feel they have the right person in custody and will fight any new DNA evidence,” said Ford.

Anyone seeking additional information regarding Ford’s previous case for Kenneth Clair can go to http://www.ocregister.com/news/clair-dna-rodgers-1954497-prosecutors-evidence. Comments on the Clair article are encouraged and welcomed.