My son, Washington Metro Police Officer Terence Sutton, was just sentenced to 5 ½ years in prison for doing the job he was trained to do.
And though you and I have never met, I’m praying you’ll help me save him.
Here are some photos of Terence as a little boy.
He always dreamed of following in his dad’s footsteps to be a police officer. I also included one of my favorites of us from the night he graduated from the Police Academy.
I was so proud that night.
Never in my wildest imagination could I have predicted that my son would be wrongfully convicted of murder – murder of a criminal my son didn’t even touch.
I’m praying you will help me save my son – but first, let me explain what happened. Our nightmare started in October of 2020.
Terence was sitting in his patrol car when he received a report that a known gang member, Karon Hylton-Brown, was seen entering a rival gang’s territory.
Karon was a violent criminal with a rap sheet a mile long – including drugs, illegal gun possession, and assaults. Earlier that day, he was seen arguing with a rival gang member who owed him money. So Terence and other officers were concerned Karon was planning to get revenge.
When Terence saw Karon illegally driving a motorized scooter on the sidewalk without a helmet, he tried to pull him over to talk. Instead, Karon took off on the scooter.
Terence watched as Karon sped through traffic, weaving in and out of cars and blowing past red lights and stop signs.
My son knew Karon was putting others at risk, so for 3 minutes he slowly and carefully followed behind in his patrol car.
Then it happened.
Karon veered into an alleyway, drove out the other side without looking and slammed into a passing car.
After several days in the hospital, Karon died from his injuries. And here’s where the story takes a shocking turn...
Because Karon was black, and the incident happened just four months after George Floyd’s death, the anti-police mob went into frenzy.
They blamed Terence for the accident and smeared him as a racist.
There were protests and even riots. The mob threw rocks at officers, smashed store windows, and set fires.
Anti-police politicians piled on too. Without any evidence, they demanded my son be charged even though he did nothing to cause Karon’s death.
The pressure campaign worked and prosecutors charged my son with Second-Degree Murder.
Terence was convicted in December 2022 and he was finally just sentenced – to 5 ½ years in prison.
Now you understand why I’m so heartbroken. The injustice is almost too much to bear.
My son was well-respected by the community he served. He trained many Rookies and set a good example for all of them. He was even awarded Officer of the Year!
But unless Terence’s appeal is successful, he’s going to prison – which is why I’m urgently turning to you for help today. The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF) has stepped forward to pay for Terence’s defense and is actively raising funds to pay for the appeal.
If you’ve ever heard of LELDF, you know they’re a national group fighting on behalf of wrongly-accused police officers like Terence for over 30 years. LELDF has helped dozens of innocent cops – and their families – at their lowest moments.
We expect it will cost at least $150,000 to appeal Terence’s conviction.
So I have to ask you one of the toughest questions I’ve ever asked anyone:
Will you help my son Terence fight the unjust charges against him by donating to LELDF today?
I’m not asking you to donate the entire $150,000 yourself – though it would be a huge weight off our shoulders if you are able to help that way.
But your tax-deductible gift of $35, $50, $100, or more will help LELDF fully fund Terence’s appeal over the next 12 months. If I had anywhere else to turn, I wouldn’t be so bold as to ask for your help.
But I already lost my husband. He was a police officer too, and he was so proud that Terence followed in his footsteps. I simply can’t bear the thought of having another family member ripped away from me.
So if you are at all able, please follow this link to make a tax-deductible donation to the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund to help my Terence.
Any amount – $35, $50, $100, or even $500 or more – will help.
And because LELDF is a non-profit organization, your gift is completely tax-deductible. But whatever you can afford to give, I ask that you rush it back quickly.
Right now, Terence can only rely on the good nature and generosity of kind folks like you.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter today.
And thank you in advance for helping LELDF support Terence and other wrongly accused officers.
Gratefully,
Patti Reilly
P.S. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful the judge granted Terence bond so he doesn’t have to report to prison just yet. Hopefully it never comes to that… but to get Terence’s conviction overturned, it’s going to cost at least $150,000 to fund his appeal. Will you please help me save my son by making an urgent tax-deductible donation of $35, $50, $100 or more to LELDF today? Thank you for standing with Terence during this nightmare.
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More such officers who sacrifice so much for will face similar fates unless we speak out and stand up for the brave men and women in blue. The next time you see a police officer in your community, please thank them for their service. To read more about our mission or the other Law Enforcement officers we're defending, please visit www.PoliceDefense.org. And remember –Blue Lives Matter!