Benny Saylor, Indiana death row

Benny Saylor
Innocent on Indiana's Death Row ?

Benny Saylor Support Page at ALIVE

German Language Support Page for Benny Saylor

                                        INFORMATION PROVIDED BY BENNY SAYLOR AND HIS SUPPORTERS
            CASE BACKGROUND

In the middle of a stormy night in June of 1992, an Anderson, Indiana woman by the name of
Judith van Duyn was abducted from a laundromat, robbed and brutally stabbed over 40 times,
resulting in her death.

Benny Lee Saylor, also of Anderson Indiana, was indicted on charges of capital murder, robbery
and confinement in this case. At Benny's June 23rd, 1992 probable cause hearing the State was
seeking the Court's permission to charge him with capital murder, robbery and confinement.
Captain Thompson testified that police officers had talked to an eye witness to the crime.
This "eye witness" was Frederick (Butch) van Horn (III). Butch had spent the evening with Benny
drinking alcohol and doing various drugs including LSD, Xanax and marijuana. Butch Van Horn
gave the police three different statements, one of which was video taped. In them, he acknowledged
his presence outside the laundromat the night Judith van Duyn was murdered. This contradicted
other testimony throughout the case where van Horn claimed to have been at his home during the
time the crime had been committed. The inconsistencies do not stop there. Other witnesses who once
supported Butch van Horn's alibi have now admitted their testimonies were lies given out of fear of
what would happen to them if they did not provide Butch an alibi.

There was no forensic evidence linking Benny Saylor to the murder of Judith van Duyn. There are over
93 exhibits in this case. There was trace evidence taken from the victim and the victim's van. There were
hairs taken off the victim's body and submitted to the foremost experts in the world for comparison.
There were hair and blood samples taken from Mr. Saylor, as well as fingernail scrapings. Clothing samples
were also taken. This evidence was submitted to the foremost forensic experts in the world for comparison.
Had Benny Saylor truly committed this horrific murder, both he and the victim would have been covered in
trace evidence exchanged during the violent attack, and Benny would have been covered in the victim's blood.
Careful examination of the forensic evidence by the experts revealed that none of the fibers, blood, or
scrapings matched Benny Saylor's samples, and Benny's clothes were not covered in blood.

In spite of there being no DNA or fiber evidence and no eye witnesses to link Benny to the murder of Judith van
Duyn, he was still convicted. A jury recommended against the death penalty, however Madison Superior Court
Judge Thomas Newman overrode the jury's recommendation of a life sentence and sentenced Benny to death.
Benny has been on death row in Michigan City, Indiana since June of 1994.

For more information on Benny's case and wrongful conviction visit:

BENNY SAYLOR'S PEN PAL REQUEST:

(UPDATED)
I am a 35 year old white male, blue eyes and brown hair. Seeking friendship; will respond to all that reply. I've been on death row since 1994. I was convicted of murder and robbery and was sentenced to death. The Jury voted against the death penalty, but unfortunately the Judge did not agree, and gave me a death sentence anyway. I spend most of my time drawing, reading and exercising. As well as spending a lot of time working on my appeals. I would love to correspond with a sincere, openminded individual with a good sense of humour. If you think that could be you, I'd love to hear from you.

Benny Saylor 894793
PO box 557
Westville Indiana
46391 USA

If you are interested in seeing more of my artwork that is also available for purchase : http://www.msnusers.com/deathrowartandfundraising

(ORIGINAL REQUEST)
I'm a 32 year old white male, blue eyes and brown hair. Seeking friendship; will
respond to all that reply. I've been on Death row since 1994. I was convicted of
murder and robbery and was sentenced to death. The jury voted against the death
penalty, but unfortunately the judge didn't agree, and gave me a death sentence anyway.
I spend most of my time drawing, reading, and exercising. I love a wide variety of music,
from Garth Brooks to Jewel. I would love to correspond with a sincere, openminded
individual with a good sense of humour. If you think that could be you, I'd love to hear
from you. I would be very grateful if anyone could send any educational books, magazines,
or any kind of literature.

Benny Saylor 894793
I-416-E
PO Box 41
Michigan City, Indiana
USA 46361

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This page was last updated January 30, 2004 Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty
This page is maintained and updated by Dave Parkinson and Tracy Lamourie in Toronto, Canada