#FreeHugney update

As many regular readers of this blog will recall, The McShane Firm has been involved with litigating a case involving a man who so far has served over 35 years and 3 months as a result of a fire that was ruled an arson-murder. Modern fire science has determined that all of the investigators’ reasons for declaring this fire an arson are not supported by science.

Yesterday (May 21, 2014) was a great day. It was our official on-line kick-off event for this case that coincided with the ABC27 in depth coverage. You can watch Part 1 of the Burning Bed on ABC News below:

Please be sure to watch ABC27 tonight for Part 2!

Prior blog posts on this blog:

How I Can Help Now

You can help in four main ways:

1. Positive thoughts and prayers.

2. Sharing this website on social media with the hashtag #FreeHugney and the group phrase of “What would it be like to be locked up for 35 years for a crime that you never did? www.FreeHugney.com #FreeHugney”

3. Liking the #FreeHugney Facebook Fan Page.

4. Consider donating money through http://www.gofundme.com/FreeHugney for his expert costs. His lawyers do not get any of the money. The lawyers are working for free.

Where does all of the donation money go?

This project is funded through GoFundMe. The site uses secure payment methods such as WePay and PayPal. Money donated through http://www.gofundme.com/FreeHugney has the following fees

5% of the donation goes to GoFundMe for administering and publicizing the cause
Each donation has a 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction fee.
So in total fees, there is 7.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

All of the rest of the donated money is distributed as described below.

Or if you prefer to donate in a way that 100% of the money goes to FreeHugney, you may donate through The McShane Firm, LLC in two ways:

Call 1-866-MCSHANE or 717-657-3900 and tell anyone who answers the phone that you would like to make a donation to FreeHugney. You can use a check, credit card or debit card.
Go click here to get to a secure pay site. In the area that reads “What account is this payment for?,” please write “FreeHugney.”

Who controls the donation money?

All of the net donation money is in control of The McShane Firm, LLC and will be deposited into The McShane Firm, LLC IOLTA account. An Interest On Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA) is a trust account held in an FDIC approved bank. It is guaranteed through the FDIC as well as insured by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court IOLTA Fund Board against any improper lawyer use of funds held in it.

What will my donation be used for?

The expert witness fees for review and retesting, if possible. The experts will need to go through the thousands of pages of the case file, do research, write reports, perhaps re-examine evidence, and also fly to Harrisburg for several hearings. This is a lot of work. It is also expensive. Importantly, the more experts that are retained and come to the same independent conclusion, the harder it is for the Office of the District Attorney and any appellate courts to find other than the scientific truth: there is no arson. Any additional money that is raised above and beyond what is needed will be reserved for appeals and other court-related costs. Again, no money goes to his volunteer legal team. Any excess money beyond that will be donated to The Pennsylvania Innocence Project.

Here is a message from Jim to all of you….

#FreeHugney update

On May 22, 2014, in Announcements, Arson, by Justin J. McShane

#FreeHugney update

How I Can Help Now

Justin J. McShane

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