Convicted Wife Killer Good Enough 2 B US Citizen
Jul 19, 2011 22:13:51 GMT -5
Post by shann0 on Jul 19, 2011 22:13:51 GMT -5
www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/07/19/2011-07-19_fed_judge_rules_redeemed_wife_killers_got_what_it_takes_to_be_citizen.html
Convicted wife killer Vernon Lawson has what it takes to be an American citizen, judge rules
BY Erica Pearson
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, July 19th 2011, 4:00 AM
A Jamaican immigrant's story of redemption convinced a judge he should be an American citizen - even though he killed his wife.
Vernon Lawson, a Vietnam veteran, stabbed his wife to death in 1985 and served more than 13 years in prison. While behind bars, he kicked his drug and alcohol problems, got his GED and earned a bachelor's degree.
Lawson was released from prison in 1998 and soon began getting treatment for post traumatic stress disorder. In 2006, he applied to become a citizen and was turned down because of the manslaughter conviction.
The Marine's lawyers argued that as a military veteran, the Harlem man only had to prove good moral character since 2005, beginning a year before filing for citizenship.
"He has redeemed himself," Manhattan Federal Judge Denny Chin wrote in a recent decision, ordering immigration officials to grant Lawson U.S. citizenship. "The manner in which he has overcome his challenges is a testament to his character."
Lawson, 65, declined comment Monday. His wife's relatives couldn't be reached.
Court records show Lawson was high on marijuana laced with PCP and suffering from PTSD when he got into a fight with his wife, Vena May Campbell, in April 1985. He grabbed a knife and stabbed her several times in the midsection and chest. Then he walked to a police station and turned himself in.
A jury decided in 1986 that he had acted under "extreme emotional disturbance" and convicted him of manslaughter, not murder. Convicted murderers can never become citizens.
"Sorry is too easy a word," Lawson said about how he felt after the crime, according to court papers. "My life is what it is, as a result of what I did."
Lawson was diagnosed with PTSD after returning from a 13-month tour of duty where he saw his buddy's head blown off in front of him. He became addicted to opium and alcohol. And he suffered from nightmares and flashbacks once he returned to New York.
After he was released, he started getting treatment for his PTSD and became a drug and alcohol abuse counselor at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital. He lived with and took care of his sick mom until she died.
Lawson did fall off the wagon in 2007, after "some nostalgic reggae music" tempted him to go into a bar five blocks from his home. According to court papers, he drove home, fell asleep in his car and was arrested for DWI after a cop woke him up. The charges were later dismissed.
"The lapse does not spoil the quality of Lawson's moral character as a whole," the federal judge wrote in his decision earlier this month.
Lawson, who retired in 2008 after suffering two strokes, still goes to church every Sunday and cooks meals of curry goat and curry chicken with rice and peas for fundraisers and church events, according to court papers.
For seven years, immigration officials have been trying to deport Lawson - a green card holder since he came to the U.S. at age 14 - because of his criminal record.
"Of course, Lawson committed an unspeakable act when he killed his wife. But that was more than 25 years ago, and he has paid for his actions," Chin wrote. "He became a productive and responsible member of society."
