This photo was taken back when Bramblett was the "legendary" figure his friend is talking about. It was made back in the ninteen-seventies in what was called the sexual revolution at the time. Fourteen, fifteen and sixteen year old girls were going to bars and clubs in Roanoke, as well as other towns and cities and not many times were they ever asked their age. As said above, it was a lower class neighborhood and children always have a far greater knowledge of sexual experience than your typical suburban teen. At least, at that time. 
This is the Earl Bramblett at trial. He
had to sit there and see himself railroaded into a conviction. You have
seen the letter he wrote to Terry Grimes about thepathetic performance Doubles was giving. Several times Bramblett stood and asked the judge if he could question the witnesses but was refused. The "fix" was in, Willett wasn't about to let anything or anyone slow down the process and make a doubt in the juries mind. Willett had ruled against sending the trial where the publicity wouldn't make a difference, he had ruled against the pubic hair knowing all the ways it could have gotten there, he ruled against the video tape that was made in far different conditions than when the woman saw the truck. Let Bramblett raise some doubt in the juries mind? Not a chance. Willett was as much a prosecutor as Burkart and Leach, Doubles had been a prosecutor in Roanoke until the Hodges murders, Grimes was a lackey more concerned with the crease in his trousers than anything else, and Williams, the "investigator" hired for Earl's defense was a newbie. The entire system was dedicated to killing Earl Bramblett. 
Here we see Earl Bramblett before he is
murdered by the Commonwealth of Virginia acting as the executioner for the
real murderers, Willett, Burkart, Leach, Keesee, Doubles, Grimes, et al.Bramblett, as you can see, has given in to what he could see was inevitable. His appeals have been simply a rehash of the false evidence presented in trial. None of the lawyers will show the new evidence about the lights not installed where the woman saw the truck, the truck coming from a driveway down the street, the conflicting evidence between people and times, perjury that Keesee and others testified to, the gun not being the murder weapon, the setting up witnesses by Keesee, Burkart and Leach, knowing they were conspiring to deny Bramblett his civil rights and freedom. Put yourself in that position, knowing you are going to be murdered for something you didn't do. Here are Bramblett's last words as reported by Rod Belcher, Editor and General Manager of the Vinton Messenger, who attended the execution (Murder). "I didn't murder the Hodges family. I've never murdered anybody. I am going to my death with a clear conscience. I'm going to my death having had a good life, because of my two great sons, Mike and Doug. Mike and Doug thank you. You blessed me. Be strong, remember the good times. I will love you forever. Thank you for blessing me." I know I will miss Earl Bramblett's letters. We have corresponded since the year after his conviction. Several times a week, usually. I wish I could have done more, but more would have only led to more frustration and anger, because nothing that was done made any difference. I firmly believe if someone had come forward and said they murdered the Hodges, Earl Bramblett would still have been executed just as he was. Justice meant nothing, evidence meant nothing, the courts, Federal and State, were determined that if the lawyers and police wanted Earl Bramblett dead, they would oblige. And they did. It was a revelation to me. Something else that was a revelation were the number of people we see every day on TV shows championing the "cause" of the innocent, and not so innocent. People like the oriental Henry Lee, and the other forensic doctors, Michael Baden and others. Their interest is in high profile cases where they can get on TV and ACT like their interest is justice. Their interest is publicity, so save your stamps and efforts. The same goes for the lawyers, like Alan Dershowitz and Jerry Spence, although Jerry Spence did write me back saying he was too busy. These people are on TV for their own self aggrandizement and nothing else. Centurion Ministries? Forget about them! They told me they only get involved after someone has been on death row twelve to fifteen years or more. I told them they weren't going to be helping a lot of people in Virginia prisons then. I have a three inch ring binder full of letters I have written to organizations I have seen on TV or read about that are supposed to help innocent people. It would seem that from the sheer number, one of them would have taken an interest, but none did. Maybe now that Earl Bramblett is dead the story will have more pathos and make a better story. I will make you a promise, this will be my mission till the day I die, to seek justice for Earl Bramblett. |
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