The case: Jeremy was arrested for the murder of Andre Wright in the Fall of 1998. Mr. Wright was reportedly shot once in the chest and died shortly after from the mortal wound. Jeremy Busby was charged with Mr. Wright's murder. From the onset, there were critical issues with the case, and doubts about whether the evidentiary standard was met.

To begin with, the state's prosecutor, Vanita Budhrani-White, relied upon the testimonials of three jailhouse witnesses to obtain a conviction against Jeremy. There was no physical evidence presented. There was not a single item linking Jeremy to the crime, yet he was convicted and sentenced to 75 years in prison. He is currently in the 23rd year of that prison sentence and he maintains his innocence.

In an ongoing effort to reach someone that can help him mount an effective defense and prove his innocence, Jeremy has written to every innocence project in the country asking for their assistance. I had the opportunity to meet Jeremy two years ago during a stop at the Beto Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas. After hearing his story, I joined a group of supporters dedicated to investigating his claims of innocence. Together, we've pooled our various resources to collect police reports, trial transcripts, and other important documents about the case that are considered a matter of public record.

What we found deeply troubled us all. We learned, beyond any doubt, that Jeremy was indeed falsely accused and, consequently, wrongfully convicted. We based our assessment on a combination of things, including shoddy police work, an overzealous prosecutor, and inadequate representation, all of which contributed to a gross miscarriage of justice.

For example, the Dallas Police Department says they began searching for Jeremy because a “witness” at the scene of the crime reported someone name "Twin" was the shooter. Jeremy was well known by his street name, Twin. However, had DPD investigated more judiciously they would have discovered that Jeremy was not the "Twin" present on the night Mr. Wright was murdered which in and of itself creates reasonable doubt.

That man was Tracey Montgomery. He was the same age, size, and race as Jeremy. He hung out at the Delux Inn peddling drugs. The morning after Mr. Wright's murder, Tracey was arrested for drug possession at the Delux Inn. The police report in that case clearly indicates Mr. Montgomery's street name was "Twin." This information, evidence we believe is considered exculpatory, was never turned over to Jeremy's defense attorney, whom he met in person for the first time the day his trial began.

To further demonstrate why we believe Jeremy was wrongfully convicted, we ask you to consider the following: The state called witness, Susan Johnson. A review of her testimony at trial reveals that she not only knew Jeremy, she saw him shoot Mr.Wright. However, this account of the crime was not recorded in her original police reports.

Jeremy's case took an even more dire turn when we looked further into what we would learn was Ms. Johnson's extensive criminal history.

Ms. Johnson was arrested in Dallas in 1998 for felony drug possession. The case, sir, was assigned to Honorable Eric Johnson court (now Mayor Johnson). Ms. Johnson pled guilty and was given five years probation. Her complete disregard for the law continued well after she was eventually released. Ms. Johnson failed to report to her probation officer. Consequently, her probation was revoked. Before she could be arrested for violating the conditions of her probation, Ms. Johnson was arrested again for felony drug possession.

This time Dallas County Sheriff's office determined that Ms. Johnson had been lying about her name. Susan Johnson's real government name was Linda Lee Rutledge. Rutledge was wanted in the state of Georgia and was extradited.

Weeks before Jeremy's trial, on a motion filed by Jeremy's prosecutor, Vanita Budhrani-White, Rutledge returned to Dallas County in a bench warrant. The prosecutor that was previously assigned to Rutledge's two pending felony drug charges was replaced by Budhrani-White.

Days later, Vanita Budhrani-White presented Rutledge at Jeremy's trial under her alias, Susan Johnson. At no time did the state make an to inform Jeremy's defense counsel of Rutledge's true identity. Our team was only able to discover this because of the trail of paperwork Budhrani-White left behind. However, it is important to note, if we were able to find this critical piece of evidence, it was obviously discoverable.

Although Johnson/Rutledge testified at Jeremy's trial that she did not receive a deal from Budhrani-White, court records show that a week after the conclusion of Jeremy's trial, one of Rutledge's felony drug charges were dismissed. She received the minimum sentence for violating her probation.

All of this came about because of a motion filed by Budhrani-White, a motion that you approved.

These are just a few examples of the many legal missteps and the incompetent, deficient defense that led to Jeremy's wrongful conviction.

Over the past two decades, Dallas County has made serious attempts to correct the wrongs that occurred during the Henry Wade/John Vance/Bill Hill eras as District Attorney. This case is one that should be reviewed, and reversed.