Glenn Ford was released after serving 30 years on death row when the Caddo District Attorney asked that the man’s conviction and sentence be set-aside. The District Attorney found new evidence about the actual gunman after an investigation into another homicide. The attorney who prosecuted apologized for his part in not looking under every rock for the evidence. The man’s release was extensively covered by the media but the murder victim’s family want people to know “Glenn Ford is not an innocent victim.”
In late March and early April, Breitbart Texas reported and other media outlets covered Ford’s release. The usually quiet family of the victim has responded. The Rozeman family wants the voice of the real victim to be heard – the victim’s family. They want people to know that Glenn Ford is not blameless. They also want people to not lose faith in the criminal justice system. They believe the system works, and they believe in the accountability enforced by the system.
The nephew of the murdered man, Dr. Phillip Rozeman, shared his thoughts in an interview with The Shreveport Times. The family of Isadore Rozeman, the man who was slain in his Shreveport jewelry shop, want the public to know that their uncle was the “real innocent victim.”
The Rozemans want people to know that Isadore Rozeman had a jewelry shop in his home, and that he repaired and sold antique watches and clocks. Dr. Rozeman told The Times that on November 5, 1983, their uncle opened the back door to the shop. The door had four or five locks on it. The family said their uncle would never have opened the door to anyone he did not know.
They say the only defendant who knew their uncle was Glenn Ford. The men who murdered their uncle rushed in the back door, knocked him to the ground, broke his glasses, and shot him in the back. They say the likely shooters did not have a relationship with their uncle.
The Rozemans say it is “undisputed” that Ford was involved in the crimes. He went shopping for a gun just days before the robbery, sold the clocks and watches obtained from the shop during the robbery, and he sold the gun used in the murder within days of the robbery.
They say it is “undisputable” that a district judge heard arguments and reviewed the trial evidence last month. The judge oversaw proceedings in which Ford was seeking compensation from the state because of his 30 years of death row incarceration before his release. The judge did not find that Ford was innocent; indeed, she found he had “committed many crimes, including possession of stolen goods, accessory after the fact to armed robbery, and principal to armed robbery.”
Dr. Rozeman noted that a capital crime like murder during an armed robbery carries a sentence of 30 years to life without parole and Ford served 30 years in prison.
The victim’s family takes no position as to whether Ford should have been compensated for his time on death row. They say if there was any doubt whether Ford shot their uncle, they wanted Ford’s sentence to be set aside.
Tragically, the Rozemans have been the victims of two brutal murders in their family. The doctor’s son-in-law was murdered in the office of the church where he was the pastor. He was murdered for a laptop, phone, and his wallet. The Rozemans say they have learned “we live in a society where evil exists.” Dr. Rozeman told The Times because there are people who do not have a moral compass, he is thankful that law enforcement and the criminal justice system “stand in the gap” between that evil. The Rozemans believe that the death penalty, and whether to seek the death penalty, is a decision to be made by the representatives of the people. Only they can decide which laws to enact and when to enforce them.
The Rozemans say they believe “in God’s grace and mercy but neither of those things negate the multiple Bible stories that reference personal responsibility and personal consequences for individual actions.” Dr. Rozeman continued, “Without the accountability imposed by law enforcement and criminal justice, we would live in chaos. Because of this, we disagree with many who describe law enforcement and criminal justice as a broken system. We differ with those who wish to lessen personal responsibility, accountability and punishment for violent criminal behavior.”
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served the state of Texas as a prosecutor and associate judge. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
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