 |
Information |
 |
On these pages you will find detailed background information on the Soering case, including:
- Timeline
- Jens' trial (1986 until 2010)
- Repatriation to Germany (2010)
- DNA-Tests (2011)
- New Witness (2011)
- Decision of the Parole Board "Parole2011" (2011)
- Articles about Jens during the U.S. senate race "Politics2012" (2012)
The most important articles are marked in yellow color.
------------------------------ The Years before 1986 ------------------------------
April 15, 1964 - Elizabeth Roxanne Haysom is born in Salisbury, Rhodesia, now called Harare, Zimbabwe.
August 1, 1966 - Jens Soering is born in Bangkok, Thailand.
August 25, 1984 - Elizabeth and Jens enter the University of Virginia. Jens meets Nancy Haysom, Elizabeth's mother, for approximately two minutes.
December 1984 - Jens and Elizabeth fall in love.
February 1985 - Jens has lunch with Derek and Nancy Haysom, his only meeting with his girlfriend's parents before their murders.
March 30, 1985 - Derek and Nancy Haysom are killed in their home in Bedford County, Virginia.
June 1985 - Jens and Elizabeth are on vacation in Europe.
October 12-13, 1985 - After returning to the University of Virginia for the fall semester, Jens and Elizabeth flee to Europe and the Far East when the police shows interest in them.
------------------------------ 1986 to 1990 ------------------------------
---------- Extradition and Trial ----------
April 30, 1986 - Jens and Elizabeth are arrested in London, England, on check fraud charges.
June 5-8, 1986 - Jens and Elizabeth are interrogated by American and English detectives about the murders of Elizabeth's parents. Both claim they committed the murders themselves, but only Jens confesses in detail. Elizabeth is allowed to retract her confession.
August 24, 1987 - Having waived extradition, Elizabeth pleads guilty to first degree murder "as an accessory before the fact." Jens fights extradition because he, unlike Elizabeth, was indicted on capital murder charges.
October 8, 1987 - Elizabeth is sentenced to ninety years in prison.
August 9, 1988 - Jens' extradition is held up by a last-minute appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
August 1, 1989 - British officials agree to extradite Jens only on the condition that the capital murder charge not be processed.
January 12, 1990 - Jens is extradited and taken to Bedford County Jail.
June 1-21, 1990 - Jens is tried and convicted on two counts of first degree murder.
September 4, 1990 - Jens is sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment.
------------------------------ 1990 to 2001 ------------------------------
---------- Appeals and Habeas Corpus ----------
March 1992 - The Virginia Supreme Court denies Jens' appeal.
May 25, 1994 - Elizabeth applies for parole for the first time and is denied.
Summer 1995 - Gail Starling Marshall, until recently Deputy Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia, takes over Jens' appeals.
July 1995 - The Michigan Attorney Discipline Board finds that Jens' lead defense attorney at his trial, Richard Neaton, is guilty of five counts of misconduct related to the handling of Jens' case and suspends his license for four years.
November 1995 - Jens publishes his "true crime" autobiography, Mortal Thoughts, on the internet with the help of an old high school friend.
November 1996 - An evidentiary hearing is held at Bedford County Courthouse, on evidence suppressed by the prosecution before Jens' trial. The judge rules that the evidence should have been turned over to the defense, but that it would not have led to a different verdict.
January 2001 - The U.S. Supreme Court denies Ms. Marshall's final appeal of Jens' conviction without granting a hearing.
------------------------------ 2001 to 2009 ------------------------------
---------- Publication of Several Books ----------
February 2001 - Jens begins writing The Way of the Prisoner - Breaking the Chains of Self through Centering Prayer and Centering Practice.
November 2001 - Jens completes The Way of the Prisoner, and a friend sends the manuscript to Fr. Thomas Keating, co-founder of the Centering Prayer movement. Fr. Keating reads the manuscript and sends it to his publisher, Gene Gollogly of Lantern Books.
August 2003 - Jens applies for parole for the first time and is denied. His next hearing is scheduled for 2006.
September 2003 - After extensive re-writing, The Way of the Prisoner is published by Lantern Books. Jens begins writing his second book, An Expensive Way to Make Bad People Worse - An Essay on Prison Reform from an Insider's Perspective.
Spring and summer 2004 - Jens begins writing his third book, The Convict Christ - What the Gospels Say About Criminal Justice.
September 2004 - An Expensive Way to Make Bad People Worse is published by Lantern Books.
September 27- November 9, 2004 - Jens is placed in the prison's punitive segregation unit and put under investigation. Although he is not charged with a disciplinary offense when he is released, he is not allowed to return to his former prison job.
January 2005 - Jens begins writing his fourth book, The Church of the Second Chance - A Faith-based Approach to Prison Reform.
May 2005 - Lantern Books agents The Convict Christ to Orbis Books, which accepts the book.
Spring 2006 - The Convict Christ - What the Gospel Says about Criminal Justice is published by Orbis Books.
August 2006 - Jens is denied parole for the second time.
August 2007 - Jens is denied parole for the third time.
August 2008 - Jens is denied parole for the fourth time.
September 2008 - The Church of the Second Chance - A Faith-based Approach to Prison Reform is published by Lantern Books.
September 2008 - Richtet nicht, damit ihr nicht gerichtet werdet is published by Echter Verlag.
September 2008 - Ein Tag im Leben des 179212 is published by Gütersloher Verlagshaus.
Spring 2009 - The JustFaith organsiation releases a six-week adult education course authored by Jens and based on The Church of the Second Chance.
August 2009 - Jens is denied parole for the fifth time.
------------------------------ 2009 to Present ------------------------------
---------- Repatriation and New Evidence ----------
September 24, 2009 - The Department of Forensic Sciences issues a Certificate of Analysis stating that 42 DNA-samples were tested, and that none matched Jens Soering.
January 12, 2010 - Democratic Governor Timothy M. Kaine sends a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, requesting that he repatriate Jens Soering to his native country of Germany.
January 19, 2010 - The new Republican Governor Robert F. McDonnell sends a letter to U.S. Attorney General Holder, withdrawing Virginia's request for Jens Soering's repatriation.
July 7, 2010 - U.S. Attorney General Holder releases a letter, stating that the Department of Justice will not process Jens Soering's repatriation.
August 2010 - Jens is denied parole for the sixth time.
January 18, 2011 - Jens' new repatriation attorney Steven D. Rosenfield files suit to enforce his transfer to Germany through the courts.
January 19, 2011 - Jens Soering’s attorney Gail A. Ball submits a petition to Governor Robert F. McDonnell based on the DNA test results.
March 22, 2011 - The new witness Tony Buchanan steps forward to provide testimony corroborating the defense's theory of the case at Jens' 1990 trial.
April 5, 2011 - Former Democratic Governor Timothy M. Kaine announces his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. He is immediately attacked by Republicans for approving Jens Soering’s repatriation in his last days in office.
May 24, 2011 - Governor Robert F. McDonnell releases a statement affirming his belief in the jury's verdict and declining to support Jens' parole.
July 24, 2011 - The Virgina Parole Board denies Jens parole for the seventh time, citing for the first time the "risk to the community" as a reason. If granted parole, Jens would have been deported to Germany. |
The Haysom/Soering trial in 1990 remains controversial to this day. While press coverage in 2010, in connection with the repatriation attempt, was hostile, three major Virginian newspapers have published fair and balanced articles in the past. These three articles follow below in second place, after articles from 1986 to 1990.
Jens Soering has maintained his innocence for over twenty years.
The most important articles on this page are marked in yellow color. |
Articles from 1986 to 1990:
Long Investigative Articles about the Trial:
- No hope for Jens Soering
by Bill Sizemore, Virginian Pilot, February 18, 2007
This article describes Jens's books and his life in prison.
- Trial and Error?
by Ian Zack, Charlottesville Daily Progress, January 21, 1996
The best, most complete summary of the Haysom / Soering case before the emergence of the DNA-tests and the new witness.
Short Articles about Specific Trial Issues:
Articles about Parole and Clemency:
Letters to Virginia Parole Board about the Crime:
Articles about Jens Soering's Feelings of Responsibility:
- On Penitence and Penitentiaries
by Jens Soering, National Catholic Reporter, March 19, 2004
An article by Jens about his feelings about remorse and responsibility.
Writings by Jens Soering about the Crime and Trial:
- The First Intermezzo
A section from Jens's first book, The Way of the Prisoner, that summarizes the Haysom / Soering case.
Articles and TV-Reports about False Confessions:
- Questions of Guilt, Innocence
by Corinna Lain, Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 22, 2008
An article about false confessions by a former prosecutor.
Documents about the Sock- / Shoeprints:
- Video-Statement of former Investigator, now Major Gardner
July 6, 2011, German TV-show ZDF-Zoom
- Forensic examiner Rick P. Johnson's Certificate of Analysis, June 7, 1985 - before Soering became a suspect - stating that the crime scene sockprint "corresponds to a size 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 woman's shoe or a size 5 to 6 man's shoe." Soering wore a size 8 1/2 man's shoe
- Trial transcript excerpts, showing that prosecution witness Robert Hallett was not qualified as an expert - yet was allowed to testify as if he were, explaining his overlay and alleged correspondences and "double-hits"
- Excerpt from Asst. A.G. John McLees's 1997 appellate brief for Commonwealth
- 1985 Sheriff's Department report
Related Issues:
- Virginia Parole System
"'95 Law Denies Early Release to Nearly All of State's Prisoners"
by Sandhya Somashekhar, Washington Post, January 18, 2009
 |
 |
Timothy M. Kaine
70th Governor of Virginia
(January 14, 2006 - January 16, 2010)
|
Robert "Bob" F. McDonnell
71st Governor of Virginia
(since January 16, 2010) |
On January 12, 2010, four days before leaving office, Democratic Governor Timothy M. Kaine sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, requesting that he repatriate Jens Soering to his native country of Germany. Jens Soering would have to spend another two years in a German prison before becoming eligible for release - after, at that point, twenty six years in prison.
However, on January 16, 2010, Republican Governor Robert F. McDonnell was sworn into office; and on January 19, his first working day, he sent a letter to Attorney General Holder, withdrawing Virginia's request for Jens Soering's repatriation. Over the next six months there ensued a bitter public tug-of-war which included a unanimous resolution by the Virginia Genral Assembly and questioning of Attorney General Holder before the U.S. Congress.
On July 7, 2010, Attorney General Holder released a letter, stating that the Department of Justice would not process Jens Soering's repatriation until Governor McDonnell or a future governor consented, or until a court challenge determined whether Governor McDonnell in fact had the authority to withdraw Governor Kaine's request to repatriate Jens Soering.
On August 11, 2010, the Virginia Parole Board denied Jens Soering's parole for the sixth time - as always, citing no other reason than the serious nature of the crime.
On January 19, 2011, Jens' s new repatriation attorney Steven D. Rosenfield filed suit to enforce his transfer to Germany through the courts.
On April 5, 2011, former Democratic Governor Kaine announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Among the first issues raised against him by Republicans was his decision to approve Jens Soering’s repatriation.
The most important articles on this page are marked in yellow color.
Official Documents:
Articles about Repatriation:
After three prisoners were cleared of rapes they did not commit through DNA testing of biological samples discovered in old case files, Governor Mark Warner launched the Post-Conviction DNA Testing Program in 2005. The Department of Forensic Sciences reviewed 534,000 old case files from 1973 to 1988 to locate biological samples filed there by forensic serologist Mary Jane Burton. Roughly 800 files were found that contained samples and that led to a conviction. Of these, there were 68 cases in which the DNA found did not match the person convicted.
Jens Soering’s case is one of the 68. On September 24, 2009, the Department of Forensic Sciences issued a Certificate of Analysis stating that 42 samples were found and tested, and that none matched Jens Soering. If Jens Soering’s case were presented to a jury today, then the prosecution’s 42 failures to find his DNA would raise a reasonable doubt in many jurors’ minds.
On January 19, 2011, Jens Soering’s attorney Gail A. Ball submitted a petition to Governor Robert F. McDonnell based on these DNA test results. Below is her letter to the governor; a document reviewing all of the evidence in the Haysom/Soering case and how the DNA fits into this context; the Certificate of Analysis itself; and two articles describing the Post-Conviction DNA Testing Program generally.
After reading of the new DNA evidence in Jens Soering's case in the newspaper, a new witness contacted attorney Gail A. Ball in mid-March, 2011. Please go to the page "New Witness" to see his videotaped testimony and to read all newspaper articles published after March 8, 2011.
The most important articles on this page are marked in yellow color.
Petition to Governor Robert F. McDonnell:
Articles about the new DNA Test in Jens Soering's Case:
TV-reports dealing with the DNA petition of January 19, 2011, can be found here. |
After reading of the new DNA evidence in Jens Soering's case in the newspapers, a witness stepped forward to provide testimony corroborating the defense's theory of the case at Jens's 1990 trial: namely, that Elizabeth Haysom killed her parents with an accomplice other than Jens. This new witness won a Bronze Star in the Vietnam war and later operated a transmission repair service in Lynchburg.
Three to five months after the murders of Derek and Nancy Haysom, a young couple brought in a car to be repaired. It was covered in mud and leaves, as if it had been left in the woods for several months. The young woman was, with absolute certainty, Elizabeth Haysom; the young man was, with absolute certainty, not Jens Soering. On the floor mat on the driver's side, near the console, was a heavily bloodstained single-edged knife and a puddle of blood.
On May 24, 2011, Governor Robert F. McDonnell issued a statement, regarding the DNA-test and the new witness: “Nothing in the information provided by Soering or his attorney provides any basis for me to doubt the judgment of the jury in the case or the veracity of Soering’s own confessions. I decline to intervene [in this case].”
Please go to the page "Parole2011" to read all newspaper articles published after May 24, 2011.
The most important articles on this page are marked in yellow color.
Evidence provided to Governor:
Newspaper Reports about New Witness:
TV-Reports dealing with the new witness can be found here. |
- Introduction
- Decision of the parole board
- Governor's Statement and Response
- Articles about the Kaine - Allen Race
- Articles about Jens' Case
- TV-Reports
Introduction:
On May 24, 2011, Governor Robert F. McDonnell issued a statement regarding the "DNA-Test" and the "New Witness":
"Nothing in the information provided by Soering or his attorney provides any basis for me to doubt the judgment of the jury in this case or the veracity of Soering’s own confessions. … I decline to intervene [in his case]. … It is imperative that Soering serve out his punishment in the Commonwealth of Virginia."
(The complete text of the statement can be found below.)
 |
"I'm convinced he's fully rehabilitated."
(Statement by Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell to Jens' attorney Gail A. Ball, July 29, 2010) |
 The U.S. Capitol Building, which houses the U.S. Senate.
|
For background: On April 5, 2011, former Democratic Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. His likely Republican opponent: former Governor George F. Allen, who is known for having abolished parole in 1995.
In the following six weeks, more than a dozen articles were published about Republican attacks on the Democratic candidate Kaine, mostly for approving Jens Soering’s repatriation in his last days in office. Below are several articles that deal specifically with the political aspects of this campaign issue. The contrast that Republicans want to draw is: Democrats like Kaine let convicted murderers like Soering go free, but Republicans like McDonnell and Allen keep them locked up.
Under these circumstances, it was understandably impossible for Governor McDonnell to release Jens Soering; had he done so, the Republican senatorial candidate Allen would have lost a potent campaign issue.
On July 11, 2011, the parole board heard Jens Soering's case. Present were: attorney Gail A. Ball (see DNA Test), attorney Gail Starling Marshall (see Trial), attorney Steven D. Rosenfield (see Repatriation), a high-ranking member of the German Embassy, a prison minister and friend, and Tony Buchanan (see New Witness). Parole Board Chairman William Muse and Vice-Chair Karen Brown conducted the hearing, which lasted about 25 minutes.
On July 15, 2011, a so-called "parole interviewer" questioned Jens Soering for 15 minutes in his prison.
On July 24, 2011, the parole board denied Jens Soering's release, citing four reasons:
- serious nature and circumstances of offense
- crimes committed
- release at this time would diminish seriousness of crime
- risk to the community
In the previous six parole denials (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, see Timeline), the board only cited the first reason; the last three are new.
During the hearing, the high-ranking Embassy representative told the parole board that the German community and government explicitly support Mr. Soering's return. (If paroled, Mr. Soering would immediately be deported, since his visa expired decades ago.)
Here you can read a Chronology of Recent Events.
Please go to the page " Politics2012" to read all newspaper articles published after August 8, 2011.
The most important articles on this page are marked in yellow color. |
Decision of the parole board:
Governor's Statement and Response:
Articles about the Kaine - Allen Race:
Articles about Jens' Case:
- Introduction
- Newspaper articles and video clips about the "Soering issue" in the U.S. Senate race
Introduction:
In his newspaper and TV interviews of August 5 and 8, 2011, Jens Soering predicted that former Virginia Governor George F. Allen would use the "Soering issue" - the attempted repatriation of 2010 - to attack former Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine during the 2012 campaign for the U.S. Senate. Sadly this prediction was proved to be accurate.
 Major Ricky Gardner - former investigator, now political operative
|
As early as December 7, 2011, during their first televised debate, George Allen and Timothy Kaine traded blows over the repatriation. Below you will find newspaper acticles and a video clip.
On January 19, 2012, some Virginia Republicans held a conference call with journalists to celebrate the two-year-anniversary of Governor Robert McDonnell's blocking of the repatriation. Astonishingly enough, the lead investigator on the Haysom case in 1985/1986, now Major Ricky Gardner, participated in this partisan political conference call, using the Haysom case to advance Republican interests. Below you will find newspaper articles with direct quotes.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Virginia Department of Corrections chose this precise moment to deny Jens Söring access to the media - after allowing more than a dozen interviews during the previous year. On February 7, 2012, correctional staff told Jens Soering that three requests for interviews by German newspapers had been denied because they wanted to interview him about his new book. The Department of Corrections could not allow this because descriptions of the crime could cause suffering for crime victims, and offenders should not be allowed to profit from their crimes.
Interestingly, this decision contravened the Department of Corrections' own rules. " Operating Procedure 022.2" states explicitly that interview requests should normally be granted, so long as they are in the "public interest". Also, offenders are explicitly encouraged to submit manuscripts to publishers "for publication".
If descriptions of crimes may cause suffering for crime victims, then Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown's long editorial of January 22, 2012 (see below) surely did so as well. And is it not true that senatorial candidate George Allen and the Republicans wish to profit politically from the "Soering issue"? |
Articles about the Kaine - Allen Race:
Reports about the First Televised Campaign Debate on December 7, 2011:
- First Debate on December 7, 2011:
- Soering case separates U.S. Senate candidates
by Jonathan Hunley, The News Virginian, December 11, 2011
- Allen, Kaine trade blows on economy, records
by Wesley P. Hester, Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 8, 2011
- Senate debate - Kaine vs. Allen
Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 8, 2011
- Kaine, Allen debate turns to subject of recommendation to transfer Soering
by Ray Reed, The News & Advance, December 7, 2011
Reports about the Conference Call with Major Gardner on January 19, 2011:
|
|
| |
