Kalmar Correctional Facility 2002, Sweden

In 2002 as a correctional officer, she encountered yet another puzzling case where a man and his associate were convicted of crimes she and her co-workers doubted the men had committed. 

A new investigation, lead by Elisabeth took place. At her aid, she contacted a team of investigating reporters who objectively researched the case and discovered overwhelming envidence proving that the case was pure fiction. 

Made up by one of the wrongfully incarcerated men´s own daughter. Claiming she had been a victim of sex trafficing and other horrific crimes. The troubled daughter had made it all up and the investigation team, lead by Uppdrag Granskning in Sweden, uncovered the worst judicial scandal in Swedish history. 

The investigating team won several awards for its research and documentary. The two men´s convictions were overturned and the Swedish government released and compensated the wrongfully convicted. The documentary ran on Swedish television under the name "Fallet Ulf," and can still be viewed on Youtube.

Uppdrag granskning, Hannes Råstam: Fallet Ulf, del 1/5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0RX3G4ZwEg&t=1722s

Fallet Ulf can be found all over the news and to this day it causes discussions about judicial misconduct. Follow link below.

https://www.google.com/search?q=fallet+ulf&oq=fallet+ulf&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMg0IBhAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMg0IBxAAGIYDGIAEGIoFMgoICBAAGIAEGKIEMgoICRAAGIAEGKIE0gEJNDIwMWowajE1qAIIsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#ip=1

"We want criminals off the streets for public safety. However, when a State Chief Witness, who actually is innocent, is punished for crimes he did´t commit and assisted in every way he could to get the actually culprits convicted, we have to act in their defense. 

The only reason Walter Rhodes entered a guilty plea was because Michael Satz manipulated Rhodes into believing he was culpable for felony murder and subject to being convicted of first-degree murder which carries the death penalty."

According to the investigation, Satz knew that Rhodes was NOT culpable for felony murder, but by convincing Rhodes he could have him convicted, Satz forced Rhodes to plead guilty to lesser charges. Michael Satz needed Rhodes to self-convict so he could tell the jury Rhodes had nothing to gain by testifying for the state.

Michael Satz made sure that Rhodes is Procedurally Barred from filing an appeal because of the doctrine of LACHES. That means too much time has elapsed and the issue should have been brought to court sooner. Yet, Rhodes first filed on this in 1977 and later in 1990. He also added it to all his court filings against the parole commission from 2005 to 2018. This shows how reluctant prosecutors, law enforcement and courts are to admit fault, the investigation reveals.

"Satz cannot admit this because it would demonstrate he committed prosecutorial misconduct, which is reversible error, meaning Walter Rhodes would have his case overturned. Current Broward State Attorney, Harold F. Pryor, has no other option than to do just that. Walter Rhodes must be released, exonerated, and compensated, anything else would be yet another judicial misconduct by the same Broward State Attorney´s Office," she says.

After the initial phase of the research Elisabeth and her team began contacting the responsible parties, most importantly, former Broward State Attorney, Michael Satz, and later the Conviction Review Unit and Amy Demby Berger.

"I found out that Walter Rhodes sent a petition to the newly formed Conviction Review Unit at Broward State Attorney´s Office in 2020. It sat with them for 3 years until I first got to hear about this case. When I brought that up to their attention they hurried up and denied Rhodes petition, knowing that Michael Satz judicial misconduct would be revealed."

"For the Conviction Review Unit to admit that Walter Rhodes is innocent of murder would mean Satz is culpable for prosecutorial misconduct. Amy Demby Berger, who is charge of the Conviction Review Unit, was appointed by Michael Satz himself before leaving office, which he did to have someone suppresse his misconduct. That was made very clear when corresponding with them last year, that is why this information has to be shared," according to Elisabeth.

"Broward State Attorney, Harold F. Pryor, has the daunting task to correct the many errors made by former Broward State Attorney, Michael Satz. Criminal lead investigator and her team has filed a petition which allows Mr. Pryor to overturn Rhodes conviction, release and compensate him.

Mr. Pryor has to restore the faith in the Broward State Attorney´s Office and never allow such judicial misconduct ever again," the investigation team and Elisabeth concludes.

Some the investigating team highlights:

• What current Broward State Attorney´s Office don't seem to know is that in 1976, to be culpable for Felony Murder (the Felony Murder Doctrine) one must have committed one of four felonies which resulted in the death of someone: Robbery, Rape, Kidnap, Arson. No other felonies matter.

• Satz chose Robbery. You don't have to commit the robbery. You just have to be with someone who did a robbery and then someone died. Only then are you guilty of felony murder.

• In this case the kidnap occurred AFTER the murders so Satz couldn't use that. He came up with the plan or scheme that Tafero, who shot the two officers, and taking the trooper's gun AFTER he was killed, was a robbery.

• The fact is the robbery was NOT a robbery. To rob someone the robbery statute states that for a robbery to be committed the victim must be put in FEAR.

• The AUTOPSY report on Officer Black shows he ASPIRATED blood. Walter Rhodes reported in his sworn statements directly after the murders that he saw blood dripping out of Blacks mouth before he fell to the pavement. That is aspirating blood. He died quickly.

• Tafero took his gun AFTER he was dead, therefore Black could not have been the victim of robbery. It was a theft.

• Courts have ruled that the murders were committed for the purposes of trying to escape -- NOT to rob the trooper of his gun!

• Most importantly: Sonia Jacobs was ACQUITTED of the robbery by the jury. If she is not guilty of the robbery charge, then neither is Walter Rhodes.

• No robbery no felony murder.

Walter Rhodes is NOT culpable for felony murder and is therefore INNOCENT of murder. It is extremely important that this is known to those who are knowledgeable about felony murder.

There are many other wrongfully incarcerated inmates and we strongly believe that spreading the information about this case, where a career seeking young and ambitious prosecutor, Michael Satz, took advantage of a criminal case to be elected Broward State Attorney by committing judicial misconduct. He basically stayed in office for almost half a century based on consensual misconduct among coworkers, his staff, court system and kept it suppressed all this time.

You can read the following at Broward State Attorney´s Conviction Review Units website:

Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor recognizes that prosecutors have a continuing post-conviction ethical obligation to seek justice. No one benefits when an innocent person is convicted and the real offender is not held accountable. The Conviction Review Unit (CRU) was created to give additional oversight to cases that warrant an extra review.

What the investigation found is that Broward Conviction Review Unit will not admit to any judicial misconduct that former State Attorney, Michael Satz made. He appointed Amy Demby Berger to head this unit and therefore will not release those who Satz himself wrongfully convicted and incarcerated since it would be a JUDICIAL SCANDAL.

They further state the following:

This unit conducts an initial screening process to identify plausible claims of innocence on behalf of convicted defendants. For claims that merit review, the CRU then conducts a more detailed investigation. Established in 2019, the unit uses panels, composed of members of the community who are legal experts, to review claims of wrongful conviction that are being examined by a unit attorney and investigator.

Please complete this petition if you have a claim of actual innocence, supported by dispositive information or evidence that was not previously litigated, and have no current appeals.

Walter Rhodes did just that, but Amy Demby Berger, appointed to head the Conviction Review Unit, by Michael Satz himself, denied his petition although Rhodes provided information and evidence of his factual innocence. The judicial misconduct that his case reveals, has to be acknowledged by Harold F. Pryor, Broward State Attorney.

https://browardsao.com/conviction-review-unit/

The information about this case is now public and the criminal investigation team has made this very easy for Broward State Attorney and the Conviction Review Unit. By conducting an objective investigation, scrutinized every document in this case, all evidence, witness statements, and court filings. It took over a year, hundreds of work hours, and cross-reference of information. Everyone´s conclusion is the same.

Walter Rhodes was framed by Former Broward State Attorney, Michael Satz and his Assistant State Attorney, Ralph Ray, who incidentally also was Rhodes appointed attorney. Rhodes is innocent of murder and kidnapping, which both Satz and Ray were fully aware of before entering an unlawful plea agreement.

Legally, Broward State Attorney´s office cannot charge him with any other crimes since they are legally responsible to overturn convictions that are based on prosecutorial and judicial misconduct. It is proven without doubt in this specific case and has colored the previous Broward State Attorney´s office for nearly half a century. Walter Rhodes release, exoneration and compensation need to be granted swiftly and without any further delay.