BRING WILLIE MERRIWEATHER HOME
Willie Merriweather, now 70, in his most recent MDOC photo taken August 21, 2023,
The Voice of Detroit is calling on supporters of justice and fair treatment for Michigan prisoners, and friends and family of Willie Merriweather, to attend his public parole hearing Thursday, July 11 at 1 PM, on Zoom, in his support.
Mr. Merriweather is now 70 years old, and under treatment for cancer, with a poor prognosis. He wants to come home in what time he has left.
He has been in and out of the hospital for months, and is suffering greatly. He has been incarcerated for 37 years since 1987, convicted of three counts of second-degree murder and one count of assault with intent to commit murder. The crimes, allegedly drug-related, took place under murky circumstances and involved police officers cited in multiple wrongful convictions. These include those of Dwight Love and Danny Burton, which took place in the late ’80’s, a period of rampant Detroit Police Department abuse.
Merriweather previous photo
Others originally charged in the crimes have spoken out in Mr. Merriweather’s support, including Mark McCloud and Scott Crump.
Co-defendant Mark McCloud swore in a 2001 affidavit that “police misconduct plagued our entire trial . . . the trial judge threatened to throw the police in jail for their conduct.”
Alsham Haleem FB photo.
He says Merriweather told five other co-defendants he would take the stand and say none of them were there or knew anything about the murders.
“We all asked Merriweather not to do so because he would be saying he knew about the crime, but he stated to us that we didn’t have a chance in the world at a fair trial, McCloud said.” McCloud and his codefendants were then were then acquitted at trial.
“I’ve been knowing Will for about 20 years,”Alsham Haleem told VOD. “He’s a very humble guy. His spirit and energy have always been that he has made mistakes in his life, and he felt being convicted for something he didn’t do was his punishment. But he feels like enough is enough, he has worked to change his thinking and his life. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
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A public hearing to consider the possible parole of Willie Merriweather, #131483
The Michigan Parole Board will hold a public hearing on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. to consider the possible parole of Willie Merriweather, #131483. The hearing will be conducted via video through Microsoft Teams.
Those planning to access the hearing must complete the online registration form no later than July 9, 2024. Instructions for accessing the public hearing can be found here. Willie Merriweather was sentenced to four terms of Life for the crimes of Murder 2nd Degree (three counts) and Assault with Intent to Murder. Willie Merriweather was sentenced on September 30, 1987, out of Wayne County.
Timothy S. Flanagan, Member of the Michigan Parole Board, will conduct the hearing under the provisions of the Lifer Law, MCLA 791.234.
When logging into the hearing, your video camera must be turned off and audio muted to eliminate distraction during the hearing.
Please be advised that recordings, photography, or screenshots of the proceeding are prohibited.
If you are a member of the news media and have questions about the hearing, please contact Kyle Kaminski, Acting Public Information Officer at 517-242-1233.
Note: comments can also be sent to the Parole Board at https://www.michigan.gov/corrections/parole-probation/contact-the-michigan-parole-board
