August 5, 2011
District Attorney Mark Mastroianni
50 State Street
Springfield, MA 01103
Dear Mr. District Attorney Mastroianni:
I very much appreciate the active, thoughtful and fair way in which you are pursuing the difficult role of District Attorney. Your work gives me hope for the future of our county and its citizens.
I am writing to you regarding the case of Henry Houghton, an inmate at the Gardner Correctional Center. Mr. Houghton claims that the rape of a child, for which he received a forty year sentence, never happened. He claims to have been accused in an effort to draw attention away from a child pornography ring associated with the victim. I am unaware of his date of conviction; the crime is alleged to have taken place on July 19, 1982. Mr. Houghton says he is unaware of any prosecution of those involved in the child pornography ring.
I believe you received a letter and documents from Mr. Houghton in February of this year, including those from his website http://www.freehenrynow.com/ . I was particularly moved by the letters of recantation.
Long years spent in prison by those who are innocent are the tragic downside of the failure of the criminal justice system. Equally tragic is the situation of perpetrators of child pornography remaining unprosecuted.
I have some appreciation of the difficulty of your job, including, I would guess, lack of sufficient staff to do all you would like to do. I would like to request, however, that you investigate this case that was prosecuted so long ago under the watch of District Attorney Matthew Ryan.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Sincerely,
Rev. Jonathan C. Tetherly
