Eric McDavid's Sentencing May 8

Dear friends,

We just wanted to let everyone know that Eric's sentencing hearing will be happening tomorrow, Thursday May 8, at 1:30 pm at the Federal Courthouse in Sacramento. Since his conviction in September, Eric and his loved ones have been stressfully and anxiously awaiting this day. The government seems intent on imposing a 20 year sentence on Eric for a crime that was never committed, that was fabricated by a young, inexperienced FBI informant who was paid over $65,000 to entrap him. Tomorrow will be a painful and exhausting day for Eric and his family - please keep them all in your thoughts.

But it will also signal a new phase in Eric's path, one that he is ready to get started. After sentencing, Eric will be able to start the appeals process. This is the next step in his fight for freedom, and we will need all of you to continue supporting him in every way possible during this
time. Please do not forget about him after he is sentenced! Eric will be sent to a federal facility some time after his sentencing. While this will certainly pose a number of new challenges and hardships on Eric (including being much further from his loved ones), we are also hopeful that it will bring many improvements in his overall standard of living. We're hoping that he will no longer be in total separation, that he will have access to more vegan food, that he will be able to spend more time outside and away from his cell. And Eric and his family are looking forward to finally getting contact visits - after almost two and half years of not touching each other at all.

We have posted Eric's Sentencing Memorandum on his website at: http://www.supporteric.org/updates.htm. Mark (Eric's lawyer) has written an excellent motion in an attempt to get Eric the lightest sentence possible. We encourage everyone to take a look at it, as well as the Declarations written and signed by two of the jurors who took part in Eric's conviction. The information that they have come forward with is further proof that Eric was wrongfully convicted.

We will try to let everyone know the outcome of tomorrow's sentencing as soon as possible. In the meantime, please remember to keep Eric in your thoughts during this difficult time.

Yours,
SPS