"John Leonardelli was my Grandpa, and I feel like he would only want the person for killing him to be in prison." - Steve Malone

***You don't need to be from Colorado to sign our petition! Please help support us no matter where you live. THANK YOU!!***

"Trying kids as adults, is and was supposed to be, rare and only used for the worst of the worst. My little brother NEVER had any felonies or even a record. None of his childhood friends had ever seen him fight nor act out violently. EVER! He was convicted of being the killer, which he has ALWAYS maintained his innocence. Over a decade ago the killer confessed and his confession is collaborated with physical and DNA evidence. He was with the codefendant because he was told to go with him by the foster mom according to police reports. He's been in there 24 years, when is enough, ENOUGH? How was Jeff then or now the worst of the worst? Is this what our Justice System stands for? If so, then congratulations to the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office. You were able to convict a kid who was in Special ED. since the third grade to prison FOREVER for a murder HE DIDN'T COMMIT! l stand behind Jeff Johnson through this miscarriage of justice." - Lori Johnson

My name is Jeff Johnson and I was a juvenile who was tried as an adult and sentenced to die in prison for being at a murder, and my codefendant who is the murderer, was given a plea bargain.

Yes, my codefendant confessed to the murder and wrote me a letter over a decade ago, and you can read the actual letter on www.forgottenjustice.com. All of the victim's DNA was on my codefendant's clothing, etc, none of it was on me, which there would've been if I was close because our case was a stabbing case.  I was there and I didn't do anything to help the victim, I acted as a coward, not a man. I believe I should do time but I fail to understand how I'm being held more accountable than the actual killer? I've never had any felonies or anything before this, my codefendant had several as a juvenile and was even fighting six other felony charges when we caught this case.

My codefendant and I barely even knew each other. I met him at the emancipation home that I was living in that he had gotten out of a couple of years prior to me arriving there. One of the foster brothers saw him on the bus and brought him home, he asked the foster mom to take him to get his check but she couldn't go because her car was broke down. The foster brother who saw him on the bus couldn't go because he was on a court curfew for a stolen car, so the foster mom told me to go with him; I've been in prison since. I've been in prison going on 24 years. When I came in I was struggling to find my identity, and I began to get involved in drugs and other things that plague our system. I only had a third grade reading level when I entered prison. I had no accomplishments or had I done anything to be proud of. I have since learned how to read, got my GED, went to college and recieved a paralegal degree.

Now, I have read hundreds of books on investing, real-estate, history, language, self-help, and religion. I even taught myself Spanish. I help teach a class based off of the book by Stephen Covey called "7-Habits of Highly Effective People". My father, John Johnson, and I have also been working on programs that will help to teach our at risk youth better ways of making the right CHOICES. For the last few years I've volunteered in the school and in the evening helping mentor and teach the other inmates various things. I have created several programs that provide gifts or raise money for victims of crime and cancer. I was asked by the Colorado Department of Corrections to help them write a three year long program that would help reintegrate juveniles who were tried as adults (like myself) and had been in prison for at least 20 years learn the tools they needed to become contributing members of society. I interviewed over a 140 staff members and even more offenders who violated parole to do this. I'm currently designing and creating a Restorative Justice Workshop that will help offenders see first hand the destruction their actions caused not only to the victims, but their families, society, including ourselves as well. I have also created a program that reaches out to our at-risk youth, where we help show, teach, and mentor them using prison and our reality as a learning lesson. I don't believe in scaring them because everyone overcomes their fears however we can never educate them enough. I am writing all of this to you all because I need help saving what little life I have left or I'm going to die in here.

I need to raise as many signatures as I can to give to Governor Hickenlooper and ask that he commutes my sentence. I thank all of you for your time and ask that you sign this petition and pass it around and post it on all of your social media sites. I need all of you to help me, please. This will be my last chance at a second chance. Thank you. To learn more about me you can go to the following sites:

About Jeff Johnson

Newspaper Articles Available 

1. http://www.westword.com/news/will-juvenile-lifers-get-a-second-chance-5118787 - title - Will Juvenile Lifers Get A Second Chance? - by Alan Prendergast - 11/29/12

2. http://lawweekcolorado.com - title - A Story About Life - by Hannah Garcia - 2/25/15

3. http://extras.denverpost.com/juvenile-justice/ - title - Juvenile Justice - by Jordan Steffen - 7/01/16

Podcast Available

4. http://lawweekcolorado.com - it's under - Hearsay Legal Podcast - title - A Story About Life - by Hannah Garcia - 2/25/15

Other Personal Sites Available

5. https://www.facebook.com - title - Support for Jeff Johnson

6. https://www.facebook.com - title - Jeff Johnson

7. https://twitter.com - title - @SupportForJeff #freejeff

8. http://www.forgottenjustice.com - Website pertaining to my case ONLY

Videos Available of Jeff Johnson 

9. https://www.youtube.com - Jeff Johnson 1; Jeff Johnson 2; Jeff Johnson 3; Jeff Johnson 4

Jeff Johnson 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJZoREHbNd8

Jeff Johnson 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJwgMwOTVEU

Jeff Johnson 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnDhiJlBqX0

Jeff Johnson 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg9SzRiZ1FM

You can also email or write me directly using https://web.connectnetwork.com or mail a letter to my physical address:

Jeff Johnson #86873

PO Box 999

Canon City, CO 81215

I also write short articles on Facebook on the "Support for Jeff Johnson" page, so please like my page. THANK YOU for taking the time to read my petition and supporting me. Every signature makes a difference in my life.

Respectfully,

Jeff Johnson