"Losing Grace"   I did this series about my best friend, Grace "Liz" Payne death.

PLEASE HELP! Read, share, write.....

Email from Dale Pennell, sister of GRACE “LIZ” PAYNE

I am writing to request your help. On May 2, 2012 the Virginia Parole Board will begin the process of considering Ricky DeWayne Rogers’ request for discretionary parole. Would you please write a brief letter to the members of the Parole Board expressing your opposition to his request?

Ricky Rogers (VDOC Offender #1100356) is the man who raped, tortured, robbed, and murdered my 28-year-old sister, Grace Elizabeth Payne, on October 20, 1987. The jury that convicted Rogers in 1996 sentenced him to serve three consecutive life sentences plus 25 years.  Unfortunately, the Virginia Department of Corrections must abide by the parole guidelines that were in effect in 1987, the year Rogers committed these crimes.

Therefore, after serving only 16 years of his sentence, Rogers is now eligible for discretionary parole. This means that the Parole Board may use its judgment in granting/not granting his request. Further, Rogers may now request a parole hearing every year for the rest of his life. Fortunately, if the Parole Board denies his first request for parole, the Board may also, at its discretion, decide that Rogers may not request his next parole hearing for three years. This secondary decision is only possible if we make this request a part of our letters, as well.

A letter-writing campaign is the only way I can hope to influence the Board’s decisions. I have attached my own letter to this message because it provides background information that may assist you as you write your own. Your letter does not need to be long. Mine is long because the Victims Unit of the Department of Corrections advised me to include information about Rogers and the case against him that the Board would not otherwise have. The Victims Unit has also advised me that the Board will have no information about Liz unless I provide it. If you did not know my sister, reading my letter may help you appreciate the kind of person she was.

Following are suggested guidelines for composing your letter of parole opposition to the Board:

·        Write Rogers’ name and DOC Offender number at the top of your letter (Ricky DeWayne Rogers VDOC Offender #1100356)

·        Indicate your interest in the case (for example, concerned citizen, friend of _____, family member)

·        State your opposition to seeing Rogers paroled, and your reasons for opposing his release – it’s important that you justify the reason/s for your request

·        Include a request that, if the Board decides to deny Rogers’ petition at this time, it also defer for three years Roger’ next parole request

·        If you knew her, share information about Liz to help the Board see her as a vital human being whose life mattered to the community and those who knew her

The Board will make its decision two to four weeks after Rogers’ May 2, 2012 parole interview, so please write your letter of opposition as soon as possible. You may e-mail, fax, or mail it to Latasha Powell’s attention at the Victims Unit of the Virginia Department of Corrections using the transmission information below:

E-mail Address         latasha.powell@vadoc.virginia.gov.

                             (Subject line: Letter of Parole Opposition for DOC Offender #1100356

Fax Number             (804) 674-3081

Mailing address      Virginia Department of Corrections

                                 Victims Unit

 6900 Atmore Avenue, Richmond, VA 23225

                                  Attn: Latasha Powell

You should receive confirmation within about a week that your letter has been received. If you do not, please let me know. Your letter will be placed in Rogers’ parole file; then copies of all materials in that file will be mailed to each member of the Parole Board. Board members will individually vote to release/not release after reviewing the file’s materials. 

Thank you for taking time to read and consider my request. Please feel free to forward this message with its attachment to others who might support this effort. If you have questions, or if I can help you in any way, please contact me at (757) 303-7762 or at dppenn@wm.edu.

Sincerely,

Dale Pennell