<p>On New Year's Eve 2011, a landscaper named Ronald Hauser was found shot dead in the basement of his home in Livingston County, Michigan. A month later, police came knocking on the door of one of Ron's friends, a man named Anthony Duke. Tony was arrested, charged, and in 2015 convicted of murder. He has maintained his innocence ever since.</p><br><p>Tony Duke is now serving life without the possibility of parole. Under Michigan law, that sentence means exactly what it says -- there is no parole date, no automatic review, no mechanism for release. The only path out runs through the Governor's office, and it is a path that very few people ever reach the end of.</p><br><p>In this episode we catch up with Tony, who recently appeared before the Michigan Parole Board for what is known as a commutation initial -- a formal hearing that is, for people in Tony's situation, one of the rarest and most significant steps in a process that offers very little. We talk through what that meeting means, what came back from the Board, and what the road ahead looks like from inside a Michigan prison cell.</p><br><p>We also examine the broader landscape of clemency in Michigan -- who gets it, who doesn't, and why the final stretch of a governor's time in office has historically been the window that matters most for people who have run out of any other options.</p><br><p>Tony Duke's case has never stopped raising questions.</p><br><p><br></p><p><strong>How to contact Governor Whitmer about Tony Duke's case</strong></p><p>There are three ways to reach the Governor's office directly.</p><br><p><strong>Online contact form (easiest option)</strong> The Governor's office has a contact form at michigan.gov/whitmer/contact -- you can use this to write directly to the office and share their thoughts on Tony's case.</p><br><p><strong>By phone</strong> Constituent Services: (517) 335-7858 Main office: (517) 373-3400</p><br><p><strong>By post</strong> Governor Gretchen Whitmer P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, Michigan 48909</p><br><p><strong>Tips for anyone writing in:</strong></p><p>A letter or message to the Governor's office in support of a clemency case is most effective when it is brief, respectful, and specific. You don't need legal expertise, you just need to be genuine. </p><br><p>A few things worth including:</p><ul><li>Tony's full name: Anthony Duke</li><li>That he is currently incarcerated in Michigan serving a life without parole sentence</li><li>That he has appeared before the Michigan Parole Board for a commutation initial</li><li>Why you believe his case deserves the Governor's attention -- whether that is concern about the original conviction, evidence of Tony's character, or simply a belief that the case warrants a closer look</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Keep it to one page if writing by post. If using the online form, a few clear, considered paragraphs is plenty. The Governor's office does read correspondence on clemency cases -- volume of letters on a specific case does register.</p><p>EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!</p><br><p>Apple + <a href="http://apple.co/oneminuteremaining" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HERE</a></p><br><p>Patreon and find us on Facebook <a href="https://open.acast.com/networks/62bcfb41e312cf00138852c3/shows/631e6bf63690500012c3edd1/linktr.ee/one_minute_remaining" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>