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Virginia governor pardons Matthew Rushin, man with autism serving 10-years for nonfatal car crash

Matthew Rushin was granted a conditional pardon by Virginia Gov. Northam after he was sentenced to a decade in prison.

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Virginia governor pardons Matthew Rushin
Matthew Rushin (NBC News/Rushin's mother)

Matthew Rushin has been granted a conditional pardon by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.

Rushin, who is diagnosed with autism, was sentenced to a decade in prison for his involvement in a nonfatal car crash, reports NBC News.

The 22-year-old from Virginia Beach, VA was sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty with no trial in August 2019 for a car crash that severely injured a couple from New York, said Miriam Airington-Fisher, Rushin’s lawyer.

George Cusick and his wife Danna Cusick was disabled by the January 2019 incident, according to Airington-Fisher.

The pardon comes after nearly a two-year social media campaign led by Rushin’s mother, Lavern Rushin, who maintained his innocence and advocated for his release.

“Every day he lived behind bars, we lived behind bars,” Lavern Rushin told NBC News. “We felt his every pain and despair — we wish we could take away the victims’ pain because we know he feels it every day.”

Rushin’s lawyers maintained the crash was “unintentional”, but prosecutors argued Rushin attempted death by suicide by driving into traffic.

Lavern said Rushin had a seizure related to his autism at the time of the incident and that he was never medically evaluated for mental illness before police arrested and interrogated him.

“If they had taken Matthew to the hospital, he probably would have been exonerated,” she said.

The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office released a statement on the pardon:

“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families in this case for the ongoing pain and legal process that they have to endure,” the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office said in a statement. “While it certainly is within the Governor’s authority to (grant a pardon), this office believes that the sentence imposed by the court was appropriate, just and fair.”

“Governor Northam is not altering Mr. Rushin’s conviction in any way. Matthew Rushin remains convicted of the felonies to which he pled guilty,” the attorney’s office said.

After Rushin’s imprisonment, Lavern Rushin took to social media to raise awareness of her son’s arrest and sentencing.

She launched a GoFundMe page that raised more than $115,000 in legal fees in his defense and an online petition that collected nearly 250,000 signatures seeking the release of her son.

She said his early release would not have been possible without the “overwhelming support” from the disability community, as well as celebrities like Beyonce’s mom, Tina Lawson, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, NBA star Dominique Wilkins and music executive Jason Flom.

Rushin was granted a conditional and partial pardon.

Under the governor’s directive, Rushin’s conviction will not be expunged, but he will be released “no earlier than Spring 2021” under an approved home plan with an assigned Virginia Parole Board officer for five years, the governor’s office said.

Rushin is required to participate in mental health and counseling services, in addition to substance abuse evaluations, according to the governor’s office.

He will also be prohibited from driving for the rest of his life, and he is not permitted to own a firearm or make contact with the victims of the car crash.

Violating the conditions within the next decade will place Rushin back into prison to complete the remainder of his original sentence.


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Unheard Voices Magazine LLC is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

Unheard Voices is an award-winning news magazine that started in 2004 as a local Black newsletter in the Asbury Park, Neptune, and Long Branch, NJ areas to now broaden into a recognized Black online media outlet. They are the recipient of the NAACP Unsung Hero Award and CV Magazine's Innovator Award for Best Social Justice Communications Company.

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Social Justice

San Francisco man victim of two hate crime incidents

San Francisco’s Harvey ‘Terry’ Williams was a victim of not one, but two hate crimes and has launched a GoFundMe to protect his family.

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San Francisco hate crime Harvey 'Terry' Williams
Harvey 'Terry' Williams (Photo: YouTube | https://youtu.be/jdqi5XJuIFQ?si=zoZq9NVRnCCfyp7y)

San Francisco’s Harvey ‘Terry’ Williams was a victim of not one, but two hate crimes.

San Francisco hate crime

On the morning of April 26th, he was delivered a package containing a black doll with a noose wrapped around its neck, with his name and a picture of his face. The doll, along with the other contents of the package, were covered in horrifying racial phrases and slurs.

A week later, he received a second racist package containing similar items, but this time the threats were escalated.

San Francisco police say they’re investigating both incidents.

Neighbors have rallied behind Williams, helping him build a network of security cameras to help keep a closer eye on their area.

GoFundMe

A GoFundMe was launched to help pay for security cameras, help Terry relocate until the police know more, and help take some financial pressure off the family during a very difficult and scary time.


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Social Justice

Family of Black teen shot in head after ringing doorbell of wrong home sues gunman and HOA

The family of the Ralph Yarl, the Black teenager who was shot in the head after ringing the doorbell of the wrong home in Kansas City, Missouri, last year, has filed a lawsuit against the White man who shot him and the residential homeowners association where the house is located.

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Ralph Yarl shooter charged
Ralph Yarl (Instagram)

The family of Ralph Yarl has filed a civil lawsuit against Andrew Lester, the 85-year-old white man who shot the teen last year on his doorstep, along with Lester’s homeowners association.

Ralph Yarl family sues

The lawsuit, filed by Yarl’s mother Cleo Nagbe in the circuit court of Clay County, Missouri, accuses Lester and the Highland Acres Homes Association, Inc. of “careless and negligent conduct.”

“At all times relevant, Plaintiff (Ralph Yarl) never posed or issued a threat to Defendant, Andrew Lester,” the lawsuit states, adding the Highland Acres Homes Association “was aware of or should have been aware of Defendant, Andrew Lester’s, propensity for violence, access to dangerous weapons and racial animus.”

Yarl’s mother said in a news release that the case is not just about seeking justice for her son. By including the Highland Acres Homes Association, Inc., Nagbe said the lawsuit “underscores the importance of collective responsibility in safeguarding our communities.”

“Their knowledge of a potentially dangerous individual in the neighborhood without taking adequate precautions is unacceptable,” Nagbe wrote. “This case is not just about seeking justice for Ralph but about advocating for systemic changes that prioritize the safety and well-being of all children.”

Nagbe said she also hopes the civil suit will create a conversation about the “importance of responsible gun ownership and community safety measures of using words, not weapons.”

Suspect

Lester has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

He was released on $200,000 bond and his trial is set to begin October 7.

Ralph Yarl shooting incident

On April 13, 2023, Ralph Yarl, now 17, went to the wrong home while trying to pick up his younger siblings. After ringing the doorbell, Ralph was shot in the head and arm.

Lester was detained the night of the shooting but released two hours later. After a public outcry, he was arrested and charged nearly a week later.

The 85-year-old claims he was scared to death of the boy’s size. Meanwhile, Yarl is 5ft8in and 140 pounds.

Yarl survived the shooting with serious injuries. Those close to the family said he had a prognosis of a full recovery, but may possibly suffer long-term brain issues.

According to the civil lawsuit, the teenager “suffered and sustained permanent injuries, endured pain and suffering of a temporary and permanent nature, experienced disability and losses of normal life activities, was obligated to spend large sums of money for medical and attention and suffered other losses and damages.”


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Crime & Justice

Paramedic involved in Elijah McClain’s death sentenced to probation, work release and community service

Jeremy Cooper, a former paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with a fatal dose of ketamine, has been sentenced to probation and community service.

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Elijah McClain's family to receive $15 million from the city of Aurora
Elijah McClain and Jeremy Cooper (CBS News)

Jeremy Cooper, a former paramedic who injected Elijah McClain with a fatal dose of ketamine, has been sentenced to probation and community service.

Paramedic Jeremy Cooper sentenced

He had faced up to three years in prison but was sentenced to four years probation, 14 months of work release and 100 hours of community service.

Cooper and another paramedic, Peter Cichuniec, were found guilty of criminally negligent homicide in December in the death of McClain, 23, who was subdued by police and injected with ketamine on August 24, 2019.

Both paramedics had pleaded not guilty to the felony charges. Cichuniec was sentenced in March to five years in prison, the minimum.

Police stop turns fatal

McClain was walking home in August 2019 when the 23-year-old Black man was confronted by police officers who forcibly restrained him. When Aurora Fire Rescue paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec arrived, they injected him with ketamine.

He went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance a few minutes later and died three days after that.

The McClain family sued the city of Aurora for Elijah’s wrongful death and received a $15 million settlement.


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