who was jens soering's attorney at his trial

Was Jens Soering innocent in 31-year-old case?

Mar 26, 2022 · Jens Söring’s Trial Lawyers Did Not Want the Jury Thinking About DNA. March 26, 2022. March 26, 2022. Andrew Hammel. In the last post, I asked why Jens Söring has never asked for DNA testing of the evidence against him. When pressed on this issue, Söring sometimes mentions the testimony of Elmer Gist, Jr., a laboratory analyst who testified at Söring’s 1990 trial.

Who is Jens Soering?

Soering's lead trial attorney, Richard Neaton, admitted in bar disciplinary proceedings that his "ability to practice law was materially impaired by an emotional or mental disability" during the time he represented Soering. Neaton was disbarred in 2001.

Did Jens Soering murder the Haysoms?

"And save for the very last a little icing on the cake," Updike said. "He's the one who said he did it." Soering confessed to the killings five times during 1986. Defense attorneys Rick Neaton and William Cleaveland had told jurors that Updike's case did not prove their client's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

What was the name of the judge in the Soering trial?

“Tim Kaine spent nine months investigating Jen Soering’s consideration for transfer to Germany," says Soering's lawyer Steve Rosenfield. " Governor McDonnell, who had done absolutely no work at all wrote to Eric Holder saying he rescinded Tim Kaine’s authorization.”

Jens Söring über seinen Kampf zurück ins Leben – nach 33 Jahren in US-Haft

Drei Jahrzehnte saß Jens Söring unter härtesten Bedingungen in US-Haft, verurteilt für den Mord an den Eltern seiner Freundin. Bis heute gibt es Zweifel an seiner Schuld. Er war 19, als er ins Gefängnis kam, fast sein gesamtes erwachsenes Leben hat er hinter Gittern verbracht. Was er dort erlebt und überlebt hat, prägt Jens Söring für immer.

Jetzt vorbestellen

Wegen der Corona-Pandemie, die zwei Monate nach meiner Entlassung begann, hatte ich bisher nur wenige Möglichkeiten, öffentlich über meine Erfahrungen zu sprechen. Doch selbst bei diesen seltenen Gelegenheiten merkte ich, dass großes Interesse an meinem Überlebenskampf hinter Gittern bestand.

Who is Jens Soering?

Jens Soering (born August 1, 1966 in Bangkok, Thailand) is a German citizen who has been imprisoned since 1986 for a double murder in Virginia, USA.

Where is Soering now?

authorities in 1990. He is currently serving his sentence at the Buckingham Correctional Center in Dillwyn, VA. In 2001 the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his revision. Soering fell out with his father at that time, and hasn't since spoken to him.

How old was Nancy Haysom when she was murdered?

Derek W.R. Haysom was 72 when he was murdered. Nancy Haysom was 53. Tall and robust, Derek Haysom's appearance not only conjured up comparisons to Ernest Hemingway, but his actions also exemplified the famous author's creed of grace under pressure. South African by birth, Haysom fought for the British behind enemy lines in the Middle East in World War II. He rose to become a powerful South African steel company executive and later moved to Nova Scotia at the request of the Canadian government to turn around a failing national steel mill there.

What is the meaning of Soering v. United Kingdom?

H.R. (ser. A) (1989) is a landmark judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) which established that extradition of a young German national to the United States to face charges of capital murder violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) guaranteeing the right against inhuman and degrading treatment.

How many life sentences did Soering get for the Haysoms?

Soering received two consecutive life sentences for the murders. He was first eligible for parole in 2003.

Why did Soering take the blame for the electric chair?

Soering said he took the blame to protect Elizabeth Haysom from going to the electric chair as he thought he would get deported to Germany and given a lighter sentence because of his father's job as a mid-level diplomat. At trial, Elizabeth Haysom accused him of being the murderer, but admitted being an accessory in the crime.

What is the Soering book about?

Soering has published books and articles on the topics of meditation during his time in prison, justice and prison conditions in the U.S. His third book in 2007 received the first prize of the Catholic Press Association of North America in the category "Social Concerns".

Who killed Derek and Nancy Haysom?

Jens Soering recently turned 50. He’s spent more than half his life behind bars for killing Derek and Nancy Haysom, the parents of his first love - Elizabeth, also an honors student at UVA.

Who killed his girlfriend's parents?

Virginia’s parole board held hearing number twelve yesterday for Jens Soering, a former UVA honors student from Germany who was convicted of killing his girlfriend’s parents in 1985. Soering’s conviction was based in part on a finding of type O blood at the crime scene, but DNA testing now shows the type O blood came from another man, and Soering’s lawyer shared the new genetic evidence with the parole board.

Is Jens Soering guilty of murder?

Today, his lawyer filed a petition asking for a full pardon - citing new evidence that Soering is not guilty.

Did Terry McAuliffe pardon Robert Davis?

Earlier this year, Governor Terry McAuliffe issued a pardon to Robert Davis – a man convicted of a brutal double murder after he falsely confessed to the crime. McAuliffe did not pardon another convicted killer, a former UVA honors student from Germany. Jens Soering insists he also gave a false confession, hoping to save the real killer from execution. The fatal love story of Jens Soering and Elizabeth Haysom will soon be told in a documentary called The Promise. Sandy Hausman has details.

Does Virginia parole hear cases?

Virginia’s five-person parole board does not hear cases as a group. Instead, one member hears from crime victims and advocates for the prisoner. This year, it was Adrienne Bennet who listened as Soering’s lawyer, Steve Rosenfield, presented a long list of reasons why he thinks his client is innocent. He shared a DNA report proving type O blood at the scene came not from Soering but from some other man, and – for the first time – he announced two samples of type AB blood had not come from one of the victims – Nancy Haysom – as originally claimed by prosecutors.

When was Jens Soering convicted?

On 21 June 1990, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA, Jens Soering was convicted by a jury of the March 1985 murders of Derek and Nancy Haysom. The trial judge, following the jury’s recommendation, sentenced him to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment. He remains in prison.

How long has Jens Soering been in jail?

It seeks to mislead immediately, by saying that he has been in prison for 31 years, x months and y days. In a strict sense this is true enough, but it totally evades the fact that he was only tried and sentenced for murdering the Haysoms in 1990, which is the more relevant date. That is the point at which time began to run in respect of his life sentences. What happened before that is now unlikely to be of any concern or relevance to the Virginia authorities.

Why did Jens Soering confess to the murders?

It is now Jens Soering’s claim that he initially confessed to the murders because he believed that, being German, he would possess some variety of hand-me-down diplomatic immunity derived from his father; and by so doing he would thereby save Elizabeth from the possibility of execution. The claim is absurd and deserves sardonic laughter, but some people who should know better have swallowed it whole.

When did the Haysom murders happen?

The tragedy of the Haysom murders occurred in 1985. Self-evidently there has been much time since then for memories to fade. The passing of time allows myths and legends to become encrusted, and often allows Jens Soering’s relentless lies and propaganda to go largely unchallenged, perhaps even accepted, by default or indifference. But they really shouldn’t be.

What is Soering's propaganda technique?

The first is “anomaly hunting” – a favourite of 9/11 Truthers and Holocaust deniers, as it happens – by means of which he seeks to give enormous significance to small apparent discrepancies, and usually they mean little or nothing when judged against the bigger picture. Minor anomalies are not at all uncommon.

How long has the man been lying about the Haysoms?

What we are left with here is a man who made an active choice to commit two savage murders over 32 years ago and who has now been lying about them for 27 years. The people closest to the case know that. He chose to drive all the way to the Haysoms’ house, completely alone with his thoughts and plans; he chose to take a knife with him; he chose to take the knife from the car into the house; and once inside he chose to take it out and stab them to death. At every stage he could have made a different choice – but he didn’t.

What was the show that showed the Haysoms' home?

Television documentary “Wicked Attraction: Madness of Two” (also broadcast as “Couples Who Kill”) showed photographs of the Haysoms’ home after the murders. Notably, there were two place settings for dinner and three chairs pulled out from the table, the clearest possible implication being that the murders were committed by a single individual.

Mein Leben

Von außen betrachtet ist mein Leben für viele ein Albtraum. 33 Jahre im Gefängnis — für eine Tat, die ich nicht begangen habe. Mit 19 Jahren in die Isolation, mit 53 Jahren in die mögliche Freiheit.

RÜCKKEHR INS LEBEN

Drei Jahrzehnte saß Jens Söring unter härtesten Bedingungen in US-Haft, verurteilt für den Mord an den Eltern seiner Freundin. Bis heute gibt es Zweifel an seiner Schuld. Er war 19, als er ins Gefängnis kam, fast sein gesamtes erwachsenes Leben hat er hinter Gittern verbracht. Was er dort erlebt und überlebt hat, prägt Jens Söring für immer.

Speaker

Wegen der Corona-Pandemie, die zwei Monate nach meiner Entlassung begann, hatte ich bisher nur wenige Möglichkeiten, öffentlich über meine Erfahrungen zu sprechen. Doch selbst bei diesen seltenen Gelegenheiten merkte ich, dass großes Interesse an meinem Überlebenskampf hinter Gittern bestand.

Autor

Mein erstes Buch wurde 2003 veröffentlicht, es folgten sechs weitere und vier Übersetzungen. Sie handeln von der Meditation, Justizreform, Befreiungstheologie und natürlich auch meinem Fall. Kein einfacher Weg in der gefährlichen Welt des amerikanischen Strafvollzugs.