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MARCELLA LEACH
On Feb. 23, 1984, she and her husband, Bob, became two of the five founding members of Justice for Homicide Victims, Inc., which was established and initially financed by Ellen Griffin Dunne, whose daughter, Dominique, had been strangled to death in 1982 by a killer who spent only three years in prison. Ellen suffered from debilitating multiple sclerosis and was wheel chair bound. When Connie Adelman, the original executive director, who was not a victim but a grief counselor, moved away, Marcella took over her duties in 1985 on a full time unpaid volunteer basis and began editing a newsletter. By 1986, a 24 hour hotline was set up in their house for victims. The newsletter quickly gained national attention and in order to continue it she and John Gillis co-authored a grant proposal presented in March of 1986 which resulted in the National Victim Center giving JHV a $10,000 grant which is the only grant to this day that they have ever given to a grass roots organization. Another first was the DA Liaison program which was unique in that Head DA’s were involved so as to aid their understanding of the homicide survivor as a victim. Sensititivity training sessions were held by some which could help avoid having the victim direct their hostility toward the police or the DA. JHV became respected to the point that a special liaison was set up in District Attorney Ira Reiner’s office so that if Marcella called the liaison, Greg Thompson, he would immediately stop any planned plea bargain until it had been reviewed by his office, all of which reflected the confidence the DA had in Marcella’s judgment in evaluating SOS calls on the hot line. But the heart and soul of JHV was and is essentially the victims who called on the hot line devastated by the agonizing reality of murder to a loved one. In those days people felt murders didn’t happen to nice people in good neighborhoods. It was a terrible stigma, even blaming the victim. Marcella said the hot line saved her life for the only way she could heal herself was to help and sympathize with others. “It couldn’t heal my wounded soul but it helped and probably saved my life.” It is hard to believe that when JHV was founded, homicide survivors were not considered victims under the Victim Witness Assistance Law. The only way a survivor of a homicide victim was considered a victim in 1984 was if they had witnessed the murder of if they discovered the body. Our first legislative effort was AB 695 which was signed into law in September of 1985. The law was too late for all previous and present victims but helped all victims after January, 1986 to obtain counseling and other services. SCA 9 was the first constitutional amendment that JHV send a delegation to testify in support of. The amendment gave approval to the Governor to halt the parole from state prisons of people such as the Hillside Strangle, the Zebra Killer, etc. First degree murderers in 1968 could be paroled in eight years. Shortly before, despite the 31,000 signatures gathered by JHV and Citizens for Truth, which caused the Onion Field slayer, Gregory Powell, to be denied parole, a Salano County judge, Ellis Randall, overruled the Parole Board and released Powell. He ruled that Powell’s rights were violated by public outcry. It is hard to believe now that JHV worked for three years to get a bill wherein the state parole board could hold a prisoner beyond his determinate sentence. Since its inception, JHV has testified for more than 150 measures designed to aid victims of crime. Beginning in 1968 JHV presented a panel at every annual conference on crime held by Governor Deukmejian. Due to budget restrictions, Governor Wilson held only one conference and we not only presented a panel but our nominee for Governors award, Doris Tate, won. JHV was the first victims group to ever present a panel before the California Trial Lawyers Association. Earlier, Marcella wrote nominating letters and led the drive to gain Governor’s awards for Ellen Dunne from Governor Deukmejian and the Justice Department President’s Award from President Bush. She presented Marcella with the stick pin from President Bush when Marcella was unable to make the trip to Washington because of illness. Marcella mounted a tremendous campaign to get Doris Tate the President’s award but when it looked as if she was going to be edged out by Coleen Campbell, she nominated Doris for the Points of Light award when President Bush came to Los Angeles because of the riots. Marcella drove Doris, who was wheel chair bound, and her daughters to LAX where she met President Bush. Doris’ brain tumor affected her to the point where she thought she was getting the President’s Award which she wanted so much. Marcella also nominated John Gillis when he was a JHV board member for the Medal of Honor which has never before been given to a living policeman by the National Police Association. It was given to John. Marcella has always said the best way to destroy groups is for the leaders to be stars. Her philosophy has paid off. JHV has sent representatives to appear on all the major and network news and talk shows. She always selected the victim or victims that would be most appropriate. Only twice has she appeared – once when no one would debate the death penalty with Amnesty International on a local educational show and once on Larry King Live when the person selected backed out (now its three times/twice on LKL). Organizations she has been involved with during our first eight years were Crime Victims for Court Reform where she was active in organizing a rally at UCLA for victims to oust Rose Bird, Renosa and Grodin. They had just overturned the death sentence of Theodore Franks who kidnapped and murdered 2 ½ year old Amy Sue Seiz, torturing her with pliers. He had been released two months before as “totally rehabilitated” after molesting 125 previous children. Her grandmother was a JHV member. JHV also worked closely with the California Center for Victimology in San Diego and the Crime Victims Legal Clinic headed by Judith Rowland. Marcella was an Advisory Board member to the Coalition of Victims For Equal Rights founded by JHV Board member Doris Tate which is now disbanded. She was JHV representative to the Coalition of Organizations and People founded by Coleen Davis. She has been honored to be selected to represent Southern California on the board of Crime Victims United, California’s first Political Action Group for victims rights and is on the Advisory Board for the Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau. She was a major factor in the success of Governor Wilson’s Crime Summit Conference call shortly after the Northridge earthquake. She personally organized the memorial service and made more than 1,000 phone calls to victims to come with a poster of their homicide victim to the Hollywood Presbyterian Church on a Monday morning. JHV arranged to buy scores of posters for survivors who couldn’t afford them. She was also honored on October 3 to be presented the prestigious Doris Tate Governor’s Award by Governor Wilson at the capitol for volunteer services. And that is what she is most proud of – the victim’s service, the fact that she talks to victims every day on the hot line. In her they have a kindred soul who truly understands how they feel and will help them through their suffering. It is ironic the Marcella is not attending a murder trial in Malibu where five boys from wealthy families are accused of a gang murder. Homicide has truly moved throughout our land. |
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Marcella Leach, Marsy’s mother, has been a tireless advocate for victim’s rights since losing her only daughter to a violent and senseless crime in 1983.