The Case of Saharris Rollins; innocent man on Pennsylvania death row

Sahara Rollins is a prisoner on Philadelphia’s Death Row. Convicted by a misinformed jury, represented by an incompetent lawyer, sentenced by a racist judge, he has been innocent and on Death Row for nearly twenty years.

Sahara was convicted of murder. Troubling facts about his trial include:

• The blood type found at the scene, assumed to be that of the killer, doesn’t match Sahara’s. His attorney never thought to find out his blood type. After the defense had rested, the prosecution mentioned this fact in a conference with the judge. The judge decided to let the trial proceed anyway.` (Click here for information)

• The judge in his case was Judge Sabo, who also presided over Mumia Abu-Jamal’s trial. He famously said, while discussing the Abu-Jamal trial, “Yeah, and I’m going to help them fry the nigger.” A 1983 survey of defense attorneys found that over one-third of respondents found him unqualified to be a judge. Before his death, there were many attempts by activists to get him removed from the bench for his apparent racism and hostility to defendents.

• Sahara suffered extensive abuse and neglect as a child, and had three serious head injuries. One of the jurors, said afterward that if he had known that, he would have asked for a lighter penalty. (Click here and here for more information)

• The jurors were not informed that a sentence of life means life without parole, not life until parole. A turning point in deliberations was one of the jurors saying that if Sahara was sentenced to life, he would get out in 13 years. That was a basis of their sentencing recommendation decision. A juror has said that he would not have made the recommendation he did had he known this. (Click here for information)

Click here to read a forensic scientist's statement.

In sum, the jurors never heard information that may have proved his innocence; they never heard mitigating evidence concerning his history of surviving abuse or mental disability; and they were not informed about the consequences of their decision. Despite all of this, and despite having had an openly racist and incompetent judge, Sahara has never had a retrial. This is due largely to his poverty; he does not have the funds to hire an attorney who is interested in helping him find justice. 

Sahara needs donations to his legal fund, publicity about his case, and legal support. He would also like penpals (romantic and platonic) and help finding his family in Japan: he wants to find emotional support for his children in the event of his death. If you are interested in any of these things, please contact his supporter at freesaharanow@yahoo.com. You can also contact Sahara directly by postal mail:

Address:

Saharris Rollins, AY-8832
SCI Greene
175 Progress Drive
Waynesburg, PA 15370
USA

Contributions to his case can be sent to:

Sahara Rollins Legal Defense Fund 
ABA #243073593
C/o Dwelling House Savings and Loan Association
501 Herron Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA

(Donations must be made out to the Sahara Rollins Legal Defense Fund. Acceptable forms are certified bank checks, personal checks, and money orders. For those outside the USA , any money orders sent must be international money orders only.)

Click here to view Saharris' profile

Back to Home