Come and hear a discussion about the use of snitch testimony with Santa Clara County District Attorney George Kennedy, Exoneree Gloria Killian, and SCU Law Professor Jerry Uelmen. The discussion takes place on Wednesday, October 4, 2006 from Noon –1:00pm in Bannan 142 on the Santa Clara University campus. Lunch will be provided.
District Attorney George Kennedy was elected in June 1990 and took office in December 1990. He was reelected in 1994, 1998 and 2002. During his 34 years in the District Attorney’s Office, George Kennedy has held most positions in the office. He has conducted jury trials in numerous misdemeanor and major felony cases. He has handled many murder prosecutions. In addition to his courtroom experience, George Kennedy has held various management positions in the District Attorney’s Office including supervisor of the Misdemeanor Division and the Felony Trial Division. He also served as Assistant District Attorney and Chief Assistant District Attorney.
Gloria Killian was released from prison on 8/8/02 after serving more than 16 years on a sentence of 32 years to life for a crime that she did not commit. Throughout her trial and incarceration she always maintained her innocence. In March 2002 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that her conviction was based solely on perjured testimony and overturned her conviction. Snitch testimony figured prominently in Ms. Killian’s case. Ms. Killian is now the Executive Director of her own non-profit organization, the Action Committee for Women in Prison (ACWIP).
Professor Uelmen did indigent criminal defense work at Georgetown while earning a LL.M. degree. In 1970, he joined the faculty of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, where he taught Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Trial Advocacy, Legal Ethics, and Counseling and Negotiation. He also served as associate dean for two years and maintained an active part-time criminal defense practice, participating in the defense of Daniel Ellsberg in the Pentagon Papers trial and successfully challenging the murder conviction of Gordon Castillo Hall. He served as dean at Santa Clara from 1986 to 1994. In 1994–95, he served on the defense team for the trial of People v. O.J. Simpson. Professor Uelmen was recently named Executive Director of the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice.
