November 22nd, 2011 Dr. Malachi Z. York Lost His Presumption of Innocence
Dr. Malachi Z. York was falsely arrested on May 8, 2002 A.D. for charges that lacked sufficient evidence from the beginning. The charges started with Sheriff Howard Richard Sills in Putnam County Georgia. This sheriff, who has displayed bias throughout this entire case, admitted to coming from a background where the people around him viewed Dr. Martin Luther King as a bad man.
Sheriff took his shaky, circumstantial evidence to the Putnam County Grand Jury to produce the first bogus state indictment. Dr. York was indicted on three separate occasions in attempts to cover the state’s mistakes in the previous indictments. Even up until this day, Dr. York was convicted of alleged acts that were not proven and not even crimes at the times of the alleged acts.
During the bond hearing, Dr. York’s presumption of innocence was taken away by Magistrate Judge Claude Hicks. Judge Hicks admitted that he had not seen factual evidence that supports that Dr. York committed any crime. Judge Hicks still denied Dr. York bail claiming that he felt that Dr. York was a danger to society and that if he were set bail, the alleged acts would continue.
First, Judge Hicks admitted that he had not seen any evidence that Dr. York committed any crimes. This magistrate judge, who is not required by law to have any degree in law, just a high school diploma, is deciding the fate of a person not based on the facts of the case. This is a case of bias and prejudice.
Why do I say that? I say this because when Judge Hicks gave his ruling pertaining to bond, compared Dr. York to Jimmy Bakker, who swindled his congregation out of thousands of dollars, Jimmy Swaggart, who was caught in a hotel with a call girl and Jim Jones, who was responsible for the deaths of most of his congregation in the Jones Town Massacre.
Judge Hicks has convicted Dr. York from the bench without reviewing ANY of the facts of the case. A magistrate judge with no law degree should not make decisions like this over a major case of this magnitude. Bias and prejudice should not interfere with your rulings from the bench. Many of the accusations should have been throw out from the beginning being that they were not even crimes or based on no evidence or pure and simple hearsay.
Dr. Malachi Z. York was railroaded and we as a people should not stand for such an injustice. This case needs to be thoroughly looked at by all individuals in the legal community to reverse this bogus conviction and exonerate Dr. Malachi Z. York. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.