While this title fits him for many reasons, to us he illustrates the two core values of our blog site – everyone has inherent value, including people with intellectual disabilities, and the best way of showing this is through our links (some might call them chains) to people who need our support and help.
Recently, a state appeals court granted Richard LaPointe the opportunity for a new trial on a murder conviction in the state of Connecticut where Bob lives. This news wouldn’t reach the radar screen in the next town, let alone the entire country except for the efforts of Bob and the friends he has recruited over 17 years on Richard’s behalf.
Richard LaPointe has an intellectual disability caused by Dandy Walker Syndrome and 22 years ago, under very questionable circumstances, he confessed to the murder of his wife’s grandmother. He was given a life sentence and has been incarcerated ever since.
His ordeal over the years following his trial is the story of one man’s quest for justice and his unwillingness to allow this person with a disability to simply become another statistic documenting a justice system that often discards the poor, the weak and the disabled. His story is one of persistence and to us, a celebration of The Value of One.
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Copyright 2009 The Arc of Riverside County. All rights reserved.
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