Barbara Anderson, Melissa Chapman, Linda Hamilton, Karen Kantzler, Delores Kapuscinski, Antoinette McKinney, Machelle Pearson, Mildred Perry, Anita Posey, Luanne Szenay, Doreen Washington and Sharleen Wabindato.
   Each has been convicted in the murder of an abusive partner. Each now sits in a prison cell.
   And the Battered Women's Clemency Project hopes Governor Jennifer Granholm will release them, based on a variety of allegations that include physical and psychological abuse, police misconduct and poor representation in court.
   The women, all of whom survived horrific abuse, are currently serving life or long terms in Michigan prisons.
    The 2007 petitions contain new documents and support materials for the 12 women, who were among the 20 petitions submitted by the Clemency Project in 2003 and denied by Governor Granholm.
    In a statement issued in May of 2006, Granholm spokesperson Liz Boyd said, "The decision to deny clemency came after an exhaustive and thorough review of the cases that were presented to the governor's office. We wanted to give the (cases) due consideration. We did that for quite a long time."
     Petitions for the others were not resubmitted due to one woman’s death, one parole, one pending appeal, and several who will come up for parole in the next several years with the support of the Clemency Project.
    Previous petitions submitted to Governor John Engler were denied without comment.

The 12 women are:
 1.  Barbara Anderson, Wayne County, Murder II, Life, has served over 18 years for the death of her violent husband, who viciously beat her and the children.  His family fully supports her release.  He was killed by a friend who was helping to protect her.  When arrested, police yelled and threw chairs at her so that her sister, who was waiting outside the interrogation room in the police station, had to interrupt and demand that police stop terrorizing her sister.  Barbara took a plea and issues of abuse and police misconduct were not raised.
2.  Melissa Champman, Genesee County, Murder I, Life, has served 19 years for a murder committed by her extremely abusive boyfriend.  She was 18 years old, in shock and traumatized by beatings and under extreme duress by the batterer to help hide the body. 
 3.  Linda Hamilton, Oakland County, Murder I, Life, has served over 30 years for the death of her violent husband who had assaulted Linda, raped her 4 year old daughter, and held them hostage for several weeks.  Police and doctors did nothing despite her reports.  He was stalking Linda when he was killed by a friend hired by his former girlfriend.  Linda’s trial judge is asking for clemency, stating he did not have all the facts at trial and this is the only time he has ever requested a commutation.  Linda suffers from Graves Disease, has suffered an untreated heart attack, and is nearly blind due to medical neglect in prison.  The Michigan Battered Women’s Clemency Project’s published study of Oakland County demonstrates serious bias against victims of domestic violence in the courts, which certainly affected Linda’s case a decade before.  There were no shelters in Michigan at all in 1976.
 4.  Karen Kantzler, Oakland County, Murder II, Life, has served almost 20 years.  Her extremely violent husband was sued repeatedly for assaulting others, and beat Karen so cruelly that she lived in constant terror.  She shot him in a struggle over his gun.  Her trial judge states that he “made a serious and tragic error” in her sentencing, and has been demanding her release since 1993.  The Michigan Battered Women’s Clemency Project’s published study of Oakland County demonstrates serious bias against Karen Kantzler at trial.
 5.  Delores Kapuscinski, Kent County, Murder I, Life, has served 20 years.  She shot her husband after a night of severe sexual and emotional abuse.  Although an expert witness testified about battered women at her trial, there was no understanding of the issue by either her judge or jury. 
 6.  Antoinette McKinney, Macomb County, Murder II, 20-40 years, has served 14 years. 
She shot her husband in a struggle over a gun.  He had repeatedly beaten her, and had caused her to miscarry.
 7.  Machelle Pearson, Washtenaw County, Murder I, Life, has served 21 years.  She was incested and horribly beaten as a child.  She ran away at 13 and was preyed upon by a drug addict who beat and threatened her constantly.  At 17, her abuser bashed her head against the wall, stuck a gun in her belt and told her to rob a woman.  She accidentally shot the woman.  Machelle has suffered cruel and unusual punishment in prison:  she was raped by a guard in prison, gave birth and had to give up the baby for adoption.  She is seriously ill and incapacitated, suffering from Myasthenia Gravis, a terrible debilitating disease, and does not receive sufficient medical care.
 8.  Mildred Perry, Wayne County, Murder II, Conspiracy, Life, has served 26 years.  She was repeatedly beaten, called police, went to the hospital and begged for help from doctors.  They would “not get involved.”  A psychic friend and her brother killed Mildred’s husband, trying to protect her.  Both are free, but Millie remains in prison. 
 9.  Anita Posey, Eaton County, Murder II, 17-50 years, has served 11 years.   Anita had worked as a caseworker for 20 years.  She was protecting her baby and herself when she shot her violent boyfriend.
 10.  Luanne Szenay, Bay County, Murder I, Conspiracy, Life, has served 16 years.  Police did nothing to stop Luanne’s violent, drug addicted husband when she or others called them.  She lived in terror and was trying to leave him when he was killed by an employee who was trying to protect Luanne and her daughter.  Luanne’s trial presented no evidence of abuse, no witnesses, no arguments on her behalf.
 11.  Doreen Washington, Wayne County, Murder I, Conspiracy, Life, has served almost 18 years.  Doreen’s violent husband set her on fire, and beat her and the children constantly.  Yet police would not file domestic violence reports, although her hospital records state that she was being beaten.  Her foster son shot her husband in defense of Doreen.
 12. Sharleen Wabindato, Muskegon County, Murder I, Life, has served almost 30 years for a murder committed by her abusive boyfriend.  Sharleen was pregnant and lived in fear of her  boyfriend.  She accompanied him on a robbery under duress, and was terrified when he killed a man.  The judge pointed out her pregnancy and her ethnicity as a Native American, but her mention of the abuse she suffered was ignored at trial in 1977.  There were no shelters in Michigan then.