George Rahsaan Brooks

George Rahsaan Brooks' News Forum
Date of the Crime: 9-30-1975
Date of Conviction: 5-18-1976
Case No: 197508889-19750-9310
Sentence: Life without Parole for 2nd degree murder and robbery

George Rahsaan Brooks
aka George Rahsaan Brooks-Bey
aka George Wayne Brooks

possibly Innocent In Pennsylvania

George Rahsaan Brooks
# AP-4884
SCI Frackville
1111 Altamont Blvd.
Frackville, PA 17931
USA

DOB 10-30-1945

THE CASE

On September 30, 1975, George R. Brooks went to Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for treatment of a neck injury. While there, George Brooks, Dale Freddy Harris and Michael Miller (the victim in this case) talked together for a few minutes. Mr. Brooks left the hospital alone after his treatment.

Later that evening, Michael Miller was discovered injured by the police and told them he was drinking with some friends when one of them punched him and took his money. He was hospitalized.

The next day, Mr. Brooks was picked up by the police concerning a separate robbery incident. One of the officers, Detective Robert Spozarski, proceeded to ask George about the robbery of Michael Miller and George Brooks told him he had no idea what the detective was talking about since he was supposed to be arrested for a different robbery. George was then put in jail for the robbery not involving Michael Miller.

On November 18, 1975, Mr. Brooks was approached in the jail by a guard telling him his mother was sick and he would be allowed to make a phone call. When he arrived in the office for what he thought was a phone call, Detective Spozarski and two other detectives handcuffed him and took him to the coroner's office.

His public defender informed Mr. Brooks that he had been charged with murder on November 11, 1975 when Michael Miller died in the hospital. Without further discussion or preparation, Mr. Brooks was escorted into the hearing room for his Coroner's Inquest.

Detective Spozarski gave evidence in the preliminary hearing that Mr. Brooks was arrested on October 1, 1975 for the assault of Michael Miller and gave an inculpatory statement after being read his rights. However, this fact of the statement was never recorded by Spozarski or told to anyone until six weeks later when he learned of Michael Miller's death.

Under Pennsylvania law you must be taken before a city magistrate within six hours after giving a statement. The statement they say George Brooks gave, when he challenged it, is they "forgot" to take notes, reduce the statement to writing or record it in any manner. At the preliminary hearing, Mr. Brooks attempted to get the alleged inculpatory statement suppressed. At this proceeding, Detective Spozarski perjured himself and testified that he did not place Mr. Brooks under arrest on 10-1-1975, nor read him his rights to the charge of assaulting Michael Miller but instead read him his rights to a separate charge of a robbery of Schwartz Supermarket.

The Coroner issued the criminal complaint and the arrest warrant even though he lacked subject matter to do so. When Mr. Brooks' attorney tried to get a copy of the coroner inquest transcript he was told by the prosecutor Peter Dixon that it did not exist. Twenty-five years later with the help of Joe H., a volunteer with the Pennsylvania Prison Society, George Rahsaan Brooks-Bey was able to get a copy of the coroner inquest transcript his lawyer had been told did not exist. This withheld transcript proves police perjury and actual innocence. The withheld transcript also demonstrates that the Commonwealth's expert witness omitted critical cause of death evidence, demonstrated the prosecutor used the void dire as a sham to exclude Blacks and women from Mr. Brooks' jury.

Lastly, the trial judge used suppressed dying declaration statements he had ruled were not credible when he denied Brooks' insufficiency evidence argument and "falsely" ruled the victim's mother gave a clear and accurate statement of Mr. Brooks to Detective Spozarski after stipulating at the trial that "no one" gave a description of George Brooks to anyone.

The false testimony let the court hold him over for trial. After the hearing, Detective Spozarski and others tried to have George put the murder on Dale Freddy Harris, who was also at the hospital that night. George told them that he knew nothing about the murder and would not falsely accuse someone else. Their threat of life imprisonment was carried out.

Documents

Synopsis (pdf)

Interrogation

Arrest

Personal History: George Rahsaan Brooks-Bey

Factual History

Evidence

Trial

Brief for Appellant (56 pages, pdf)
Superior Court of Pennsylvania Western District
May 9, 2005

Dr. Howard E. Reidbord's Testimony, Forensic Pathologist (pdf)

Police Officer John Gizler's Testimony (pdf)

Dorris Terry's Testimony (pdf)

Detective Robert W. Spozarski's Testimony (pdf)

Officer Phares Hutton's Testimony (pdf)

Affidavit of Attorney Michael J. Healey (pdf)
August 2, 2000

How you can help

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External Links

www.innocencedenied.com

http://www.google.com/search
Google Search: "George Rahsaan Brooks"

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Google Search: "George Rahsann Brooks Bey"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh,_Pennsylvania
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny_County%2C_Pennsylvania
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA

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