AIDWYC Announces “Free Ray Gray Greeting Card Fundraiser!”

Added: (Fri Dec 10 2010)

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Win Wahrer
The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted
wwahrer@aidwyc.org
416-504-7500
www.aidwyc.org

AIDWYC Announces “Free Ray Gray Greeting Card Fundraiser!”
The Toronto, Canada-based Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC), today has announced another in the series of “Free Ray Gray Greeting Card” annual fundraisers, proceeds from which will go towards the fight they have been waging to clear a man who has been serving prison time since 1973 for a crime he didn’t commit.

The convicted man is Raymond Gray, and this year makes it 38 years since he was first incarcerated.

According to police reports, on February 6, 1973 two men broke into the home of one Ruben Bryant, whom they had believed to be a drug dealer with the intention of robbing him of money and drugs. During the robbery, Bryant was shot and killed. Subsequently, Raymond Gray was charged and convicted of the murder which he has maintained all these years he did not commit.

“In 1973, Detroit was a city overwhelmed by crime and violence and had recorded one of the highest homicide rates throughout the entire US. Police investigations seemed more about closing the books rather than finding the real culprit. Raymond got caught in the middle and was wrongly convicted,” said criminal lawyer Sal Caramanna, who is Chair of the International Review Committee for AIDWYC.

This year makes it 38 years since Raymond has been in prison, and it’s for this and other reasons that AIDWYC has decided to open a dedicated website, www.freeraygray.com, in support of the annual “Free Ray Gray Greeting Card Fundraiser”. The aim is two-fold – one to raise money, and the other to help sustain some level of public and media awareness on Raymond Gray’s case.

Ray is a brilliant artist. “We used his artwork to make a variety of greeting cards which we are offering for sale through www.freeraygray.com to raise funds. The proceeds will go towards helping Ray’s legal and investigative costs,” said Win Wahrer, Director of Client Services for AIDWYC. AIDWYC’s use of Raymond’s artwork to help set him free is a human interest story. “We hope to generate enough funds, not just from the card sales, but from other activities we have planned, to help right a 38-year old wrong” said Wahrer.

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If you need further information, please visit the AIDWYC website, www.aidwyc.org. Additional details about the fundraiser can also be found at www.freeraygray.com.