Address Update

Greetings,

You can send mail, magazines and paperback books to:

Rob Becker # R64897
Pinckneyville Correctional Center
5835 State Route 154
P.O. Box 999
Pinckneyville, IL 62274

He is doing well and the appeal process is in motion.

Your thoughts, prayers and financial contributions are greatly appreciated.

Love and hugs.

Visitation

Tonight was a good visit with Rob. He looked good, was in good spirits and had a visitor from his past. (Forgive me, just a little foggy with names!) It was a big pick-up for Rob. The look on his face was worth a million dollars. For someone to come see Rob, after being away from the area, it just tells you what kind of a person Rob is. When a person has many longtime friends, that is something that speaks volumes about him. I am glad that I know Rob and will continue to believe what we all have for so long.....He is an innocent man. He will continue to need our prayers and help. I only hope and pray that justice will be done and all the wrongs can be undone. In the meantime, keep praying and hold on, somehow, we will see justice done.

Today

I tend to vent on paper and ramble on paper so here I am writing this blog because today seemed surreal to me. One thing I do know for sure, I and everyone else will continue to support Rob and his family and pray that justice will be done for Rob. How one person can hate another so bad as to ruin them and take everything away that person holds so dear to them is beyond my comprehension. And just when I thought things were getting interesting today, things seemed to reverse. I am not on here to knock the judge or the opposing side, but I do have a few questions that won’t leave my head right now. And one of them is what did Ms. Hoos get out of knocking our blog? So Rob has a lot of supporters! That is because we know Rob. Did anyone notice that the only people that were there to support Amy were people that did not know her? That speaks volumes! I am sorry, I am a mother, I would have been there with bells on to see today’s outcome. I am also a grandmother, and if I wanted to see “justice” done, I would have been there no matter what. And there was some outright disrespect in there today…….. But lets all remain focused, and keep praying for Rob. Keep the positive thoughts and energy. He needs our thoughts and prayers now more than ever.

Updated sentencing information

The postponed sentencing hearing will be held Friday, September 14th at 10:30 a.m.

Please keep your prayers and positive thoughts coming.

Take a moment to write to Rob - he needs the positive encouragement!

Rob Becker
c/o Peoria County Jail
301 N. Maxwell
Peoria, IL 61604

The jail reads everything and does not allow staples or paperclips.

Thank you.

Thank You!

Operation Entertain Rob was a success. He received a sufficient number of books on Monday to keep him busy until the 14th. Very impressive everyone, thank you!

Read below about the Freedom Five-hundred for another way to help Rob.

Thank you!

Join the Fight

Right the Wrong – Free Rob Becker

On August 23, the judge postponed sentencing in order to provide the parties time to research whether, in the face of conflicting evidence, the court could have ordered additional expert testimony. There is reason to be hopeful but we need your help. Since the erroneous jury verdict in May, thousands of dollars have been spent obtaining the transcript, researching, drafting and arguing the post-trial motions, and researching and outlining the appellate briefs. The costs are mounting but we must continue the fight, now more than ever.

There is still time to help – please join the Freedom Five-Hundred.

Your gift of $500 will build Rob’s defense, help Right the Wrong and will provide an innocent man with comfort and support that is not defined by dollars. An outright gift of $500 may be a lot to ask, which is why multiple smaller gifts are encouraged over the next few months. If you send a note to let us know that $500 is your goal we can plan our efforts to provide for Rob’s defense. You will be pleased to know that, as of today, 48 gifts have been made worth more than $27,000. Thank you! If you have already given, we greatly appreciate it. Hopefully everyone will commit to the Freedom Five-Hundred.

Help Free Rob Becker. Please send your check, payable to the Rob Becker Defense Fund Trust, or your Freedom Five-Hundred Pledge to Rob’s Aunt:

Rob Becker Defense Fund Trust
Barbara Ward, Trustee
4364 West Arm Road
Spring Park, MN 55384

Rob and Susan thank you!

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
-All important notices will appear on this blog.
-We may list contributors on the blog or other letters, so let us know if you would not want to be listed.
-Share the love, please send this to anyone you think may want to Right the Wrong. Thank you.

Sentencing Postponed

As you know Rob’s sentencing was set for yesterday in Peoria. Friends, family and supporters showed up en masse from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida to support Rob in person. The hearing began at 10 am and the Court first considered the Motion for a New Trial. The arguments took nearly 2 hours and in the end the court denied the motion - but granted additional time to consider the issue of whether the Court could have called an expert on its own. This issue could lead to a reconsideration of the motion for new trial. Rob and the state have been provided time to brief the issue and sentencing has been rescheduled for September 14th at 10:30am. We hope that many of you will be at the new sentencing hearing.

Keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming!

Interestingly, we have learned that the state and the judge are aware of this blog and we believe that it proudly conveys the positive feelings from all the people that know and support Rob. Your continued positive encouragement is always welcome.

Alert - Send Books!!!!!

The Peoria County Jail will not accept any books after 28 August 2007. As you may realize this has been Rob's lifeline.

EVERYONE, if you can, please send PAPERBACK books to Rob as soon as possible to arrive no later than August 28th. After that date books will be returned to the sender (i.e. Amazon, etc.).
If you live in or near Peoria and can buy and have the bookstore send locally the books may arrive faster! It is critical that Rob have reading material for the next 21 days. Thank you in advance. Do what you can ... send your favorite from this year or ten years ago - or that book you wish you had time to read.

Positive thoughts and prayers are welcome!

Send books ASAP to:

Rob Becker
Peoria County Jail
301 N. Maxwell Road
Peoria, IL 61604

Love to all.

Free Rob Update - day 91

Greetings,

Rob is doing well under the circumstances. He sends his appreciation to everyone who has written and hopes that you understand he is not able to write back as frequently as he would like. He also assumes that everyone knows that "not much has changed between his four walls." He appreciates every letter and package.

Please keep the letters coming - they lift his spirits.

Due to the sentencing on Thursday, 23 August 2007 at 10:00 am, he will likely be moved to a new facility before 1 September. We will post the new address and rules for packages and visitation as soon as we have them. As such, if you want to send a letter to Rob please do it soon but hold off on non-essential packages. We are not sure what he can take with him.

Everyone is encouraged to attend the sentencing in Peoria. We will try and have some unifying item to hand out at the courtroom like a ribbon or tag, but bring your Free Rob bracelet just in case.

Please keep your thoughts and prayers on the positive. The next few weeks offer some opportunity for relief, so your prayers, good thoughts, positive energy, and kind acts are all appreciated.

From a friend of Susan's

The following is a portion of an email that Susan recived from a friend of hers and I cut and pasted it with her permission:

I went to a conference on prayer at Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville last weekend. The focus was how we usually don't cry out to God until we are in dire straits. While many of us are praying for Rob, maybe there are others who would, if asked. Many voices crying out to God are incredibly powerful.

Lets do this for Rob!

Visit With Rob

Hi All,

This morning I was able to visit with Rob. He continues to be strong.

Rob, as all of us, is hoping for the best in the upcoming weeks.

Terri

Sentencing and other Updates

Sentencing will take place in Peoria on August 23 at 10:00 am. Your presence will provide support for Rob at a very hard time in his life. He does not expect to be in a good mood and will not be able to engage - but seeing a room of supporters will help.

If you have not sent a letter in support of Rob for consideration in sentencing, there is still a little time - do it now - the instructions for mailing are below.

If you have not sent a contribution - PLEASE do so as soon as possible, the costs are mounting. If everyone gives something we should be okay. For those who can give $1,000 or more please do so. The address for mailing is in a post below.

The address for mailing letters or books to Rob is also below; for people just joining the blog there are restrictions on what can be sent so please take a look. As Cheryl said - he needs letters now more than ever.

Thank you.

Visit

My husband and I were able to go see Rob tonight. It was a good visit considering the circumstances. And I would like to remind everyone that if you have not been able to write Rob, please take 5 minutes and write him a little note. He needs reassurance that we all still believe in his innocence and will continue to do so. This next 25 days will be the longest ever for him. In the meantime, keep the faith, get your letters of support for the sentencing hearing sent in! I would also like to thank Lorianne for being the "go to" person for the visits. Remember, take 5 minutes and send Rob a little note so he knows we will not ever forget this fight!

Urgent! Support needed at sentencing - note updated address information!!

You can help Rob by writing a letter in support to be considered at sentencing. There is still time to write, but we need your letters before August 8th.

The sentencing phase is when the judge may consider letters from supporters in deciding what sentence Rob gets between 6 and 30 years! Written statements of support from family and friends can be very useful. The best format is 1 or 2 pages addressing Rob's character, good deeds and any other aspect of who he is that might give the court a reason to sentence him to less jail time. Identify yourself and your relationship to and knowledge of Rob. Provide your character reference for Rob – for example “I know Rob Becker to be a loyal and caring friend and a person of personal integrity whom I trust completely.” It must be your personal statement. Provide an example if it is helpful.

The above is only a suggestion. Use the format with which you feel most comfortable. Please remember, your letters must not criticize the judge, the trial or the prosecutor, nor should they argue that Rob is innocent - at this stage, our life experiences with Rob are all the judge needs to hear.

If you have any concerns about the content, Rob’s lawyer has generously agreed to review and make comments if the draft arrives in time. He can be reached for this purpose at PJCOTTER@arnstein.com

When it is final, the original should be ADDRESSED to:

Honorable Stephen A. Kouri
Circuit Judge - 10th Circuit
Peoria County Courthouse
324 Main Street
Peoria, Illinois, 61602

BUT MAIL it to:

Pat Cotter, Esq.
ARNSTEIN & LEHR LLP
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 1200
Chicago, Illinois 60606-3910

to make sure it gets in the record.

Thank you.

Thank you ~

Greetings and thank you for checking the Free Rob Becker site. Continue reading to find out more about how you can:

Send mail and softcover books to Rob,
Make a contribution for his defense, and
Write a letter in support of Rob at sentencing.

Thank you for your help, your prayers, your thoughts and your actions on Rob's behalf.

Birthday Cobbler

Rob asked for everyone to put 39 candles on a cobbler pie in honor of his Birthday today. He also likes carrot cake and german chocolate cake....so those would work also : )

one thing I would like to remind everyone of is the web site : www.abuse-excuse.com ,which paints the picture of what has happened to Rob...It will help others understand this syndrome of the "woman's latest weapon" when her back is against the wall in a divorce ,she is desperate and accuses the father of her children of sexual abuseas a way out.
PRRB....please remember Rob Becker.
Dinah Mannlein

Rob could use your help.

Thank you for reading the blog --- you might be asking yourself, what you would do if you or a loved one was falsely accused and convicted of a crime. As you all know by now, this May, a man we respect was convicted of a crime he did not commit. It is unbelievable that it could happen - friends and lawyers attended the trial, heard all the evidence and were shocked that a jury could convict. The jury was moved by the allegation rather than the evidence. A summary follows and you can review the transcript, but those who know the evidence can tell you confidently that the state had no case.

In 2003, Rob and his wife began a divorce after 8 years of marriage. When he sought custody, she accused him of sexually abusing their 3-year-old daughter. Physical evidence does not support the allegation. Immediately after the claimed abuse, 2 examining physicians found no sign of sexual abuse. Based on an exam several months later, a physician stated that the daughter could have been abused but could not say by whom. A physician specializing in sexual abuse testified that there is no possible way the first 2 doctors would have missed the injury alleged by the state. The specialist also testified that the state’s case did not match the physical findings.

Testimony does not support the allegation. The child’s testimony was contradictory and revealed the impressionable memory of a 3-year old. The now ex-wife testified as to what she claims the child told her. As a result of her claims and testimony, she has enjoyed uninterrupted custody of the children for 4 years. Common sense does not support the allegation. The parents were in a custody dispute; the facts from medical evidence and the child’s own testimony fit the profile of a false claim and the mother has made false claims of abuse against others in the past.
Without our help Rob may serve 6 to 30 years in a maximum security prison for a something he did not do. All of us can vouch for Rob’s character as a father, a friend and a man. The people on this blog represent supporters from his family, friends and colleagues.

We have a system for undoing these wrongs, but it is not free. We need your contribution to a trust established solely to fight for justice on Rob’s behalf. None of us should stand by as an innocent man is sentenced to a decade in prison as a child sex abuser.

The jury wrote him off after hearing the allegation of child sexual abuse – we ask that you write a check as a symbol of your belief that the system must work to free an innocent man. Please stand for justice, not simply for Rob, but for anyone who might fall victim to this tactic. Give what you can -- give what you would want if this happened to you or a loved one: $1,000 is possible for some and $100 for others. Thank you for any support you can offer. We need to reach our goal of more than $50,000; we are about 20% of the way.

Please make your check payable and mail it to Rob’s aunt:

Barbara Ward, Trustee
Robert B. Becker Defense Fund Trust
4364 West Arm Road
Spring Park, MN 55384

Thank you.

If you are interested in being more involved, please tell us how and provide your phone number.

Four mailing days left until Rob's Birthday

Hi all ~

Just a friendly reminder that there are only four mailing days left until Rob's birthday. :)

Letters of support at sentencing

Many people have asked how they can help Rob. In addition to sending him letters in jail and money to the trust for defense costs, you can also help by writing a letter in support of Rob to be considered at sentencing. Sentencing was scheduled for July 18th but it has been postponed so there is still time to write.

Written statements of support from family and friends, provided to the court in advance of sentencing, can be very useful. If you are unfamiliar with the criminal justice system it is the sentencing phase at which the judge considers letters from supporters in deciding whether Rob gets a 6 or a 30 year sentence.

The best format is 1 or 2 pages addressing Rob's character, good deeds and any other aspect of who he is that might give the court a reason to sentence him to less jail time. Identify yourself and your relationship to and knowledge of Rob. Provide your character reference for Rob – for example “I know Rob Becker to be a loyal and caring friend and a person of personal integrity whom I trust completely.” It must be your personal statement. Provide an example if it is helpful.

The above is only a suggestion. Use the format with which you feel most comfortable. Please remember, your letters must not criticize the judge, the trial or the prosecutor, nor should they argue that Rob is innocent - at this stage, our life experiences with Rob are all the judge needs to hear.

If you have any concerns about the content, Rob’s lawyer has generously agreed to review and make comments if the draft arrives in time. He can be reached for this purpose at PJCOTTER@arnstein.com.

When it is final, the original should be addressed and mailed to the address below with a copy to Pat Cotter to make sure it gets in the record.

Send originals to:

Brett Michna
Department of Probation
Peoria County Courthouse
324 Main Street – Room 520
Peoria, IL 61602

Thank you.

Need to locate college friends

Anyone who knows Rob from Miami of Ohio who might provide us with support or a mailing list should check in. Rob a/k/a Jetlag would like me to contact Laurel and Matt Wolff.

Contributions to Rob's Defense Fund Trust

Rob needs your financial assistance to appeal this wrongful conviction. A trust has been created to hold the funds, which will be used for his appeal and a new trial if required.

Please make your check payable to his Aunt, as trustee, and forward it as follows:

Aunt Barbara Ward, Trustee
Robert B. Becker Defense Fund Trust
4364 West Arm Road Spring Park, MN 55384

Every amount is appreciated - no amount is too small. Thank you!

Peoria County Jail Information

You can send letters to Rob at:

Rob Becker
Peoria County Jail
301 Maxwell Road
Peoria, IL 61607

Reminder - all letters will be read by PCJ staff before being given to Rob.

You can order books, crossword puzzles and the like at a commercial vendor (Amazon, Borders, etc.) and have them shipped directly to Rob at the address above, but please remember, you cannot send:

Religious materials,
Magazines (or anything with staples),
Hard cover books of any kind,
Clothing or grooming supplies,
Vitamins, candy, medicine, or supplements, or
Stationary, stamps or pre-addressed stamped envelopes.