Category: Nonprofit/Activism

Evidence Presented in a Letter to Nancy Seaman 2004 Jury Members

Dear (Jury Member): My name is Kelle Lynn, and I am the founder of Justice Thru Storytelling, a nonprofit in Grand Haven, MI, focusing on women incarcerated for issues related to intimate partner violence. I am reaching out to you because, in 2004, you were a member of the jury panel that convicted Nancy Seaman

Letters of Support: Judge Jack McDonald (Retired)

Circuit Judge John James McDonald (retired) PO Box 363 Grand Haven, MI 49417 Website: jtsadvocates.com Email: [email protected] September 5, 2018 Honorable Address city/state/zip Re: People v Christel, 449 Mich 537 (1995) Nancy Seaman #520695 Incarcerated since 2004 To: The Honorable _________________________________________ State Representative or State Senator By way of introduction, I am the trial judge

Letters of Support: Norman Lippitt

September 5, 2018 Hon. Address City/State/Zip RE: People v. Christel, 449 Mich 537 (1995) Nancy Seaman #520695 Incarcerated since 2004 Dear: As a judge who has served on the Sixth Circuit court in Michigan for four years, I’m writing to express my professional opinion about a Michigan law which significantly impedes a battered woman defendant’s

Letters of Support: Nels Thompson

As a licensed psychologist formerly employed by the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), I felt compelled to write and express my professional opinion about a Michigan law which has had a detrimental effect on the trial outcomes for battered women who have killed their abusers in what they believed was an act of lawful self-defense.

Tips for Writing to Your Legislators

Writing or emailing your own state senator or representative is an important way to support reforms you care about. The following tips can help: Keep your letter brief, polite and focused on the issue you are writing about. If you are writing to ask a legislator to help you with a loved one’s case, it

Domestic Violence Survivors Write Letters to Seaman In Prison

During the 14 years of my incarceration, letters from survivors of domestic abuse have arrived almost daily and now fill the footlocker in my prison cell. People from all walks of life from as far away as Singapore write to share the most private details of the domestic abuse they have endured. It’s a secret

No Help From Police – by Nancy Seaman

It was a stormy summer night in 2002, much like tonight, when a heated argument between my husband and I turned violent, leaving me battered and bruised. When Bob fell asleep in a drunken stupor, I left the house and drove to the Farmington, Michigan Police Department. I entered the building and approached a tall,

Plea from Nancy Seaman’s son – Greg

Nancy Seaman’s son, Greg, was one week away from graduating college when he lost his father. When the police called to tell him what happened, Greg thought that his father killed his mother, then turned around and shot himself in a murder-suicide.

He knew his dad, a mechanical engineer who lost his prestigious position at work, had been mentally spiraling for a few years. The abuse against his mother had been escalating for quite some time.

Welcome to Michigan! by Nancy Seaman

Welcome to Michigan. Land of 10,000 lakes, a safe haven for abusers, and a hostile environment for battered women. Michigan, a state with a Self-Defense Act which disallows the use of deadly force by a battered woman if her attacker is a spouse, former spouse, in a dating relationship, resident of the same household, or

Former Circuit Judge Norman Lippitt Letter to Gov. Rick Snyder – Clemency for Seaman

Excerpt of letter: Dear Governor Snyder: By way of introduction, I am the Sixth Circuit judge who presided over the 1988 trial of Karen Kantzler who was convicted of second degree murder for the homicide of her abusive husband.  Since 1993, I have advocated for Ms. Kantzler’s release from prison and in December 2017, she