Universal Son : Donovan Drayton
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Donovan Drayton,the 23 year old son of world class guitarist, Ronny Drayton,is being held in the New York Prison System on Rikers Island for a crime he declares that he did not commit.Having spent the last 45 months there in jail on his knees in prayer, he pleads to have the untruth of felony murder expunged,as he waits -in God’s light.Donovan has come so far on his journey into manhood. I have been in Donovan's world for 8 years as a friend, godmother and stepmother figure.

There have been many beautiful times our loving families shared and memorable one to one moments with this special young man on birthdays and holidays. His devoted single father is fighting to the core of his being for his son's life.

Please give as generously as possible. Raising funds for legal fees isa major task but we must, so that Donovan can have a fighting chance to bring his story to light.Your contributions have allowed us to retain the best legal experts possible for this task.We thank you for your support.On some profound spiritual level, Donovan is a catalyst for change.Through his story he is touching others not only behind the prison walls but worldwide.

Rev. Kim Lesley Spaughton
Spiritual Director at A.C.I Rehab NYC







Donovan's letter to Rev. Kim Lesley Spaughton
Blog- Greg Tate 10/02/11
Poem for Donovan-Sarah Mooney
Poem by Blue Sky
Donovan's Gallery









To contact:Ronny please email ronnyd2011@hotmail.com
Queens County Criminal Court
TAP C 4th floor (in the New Eastern Wing)
125-01 Queens Blvd.,Kew Gardens, NY 11415
718 2981355
Judge Robert Mc Gann

 To write to Donovan directly:

Mr Donovan Drayton
AMKC
# 441-071-2554
18-18 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

Click to download "Story" by the Family Stand

IN THE MATTER OF DONOVAN DRAYTON: A TIME LINE AND FACTSHEET



TIMELINE Date of Arrest

OCT 12, 2007

Donovan has spent 51 months incarcerated, most of them on Riker's island. His pre-trial hearings were adjourned 39 times. He was 19 when he was arrested. Donovan turned 24 on January 14, 2012

DONOVAN'S FIRST TRIAL OCCURRED FROM JUNE 20 to JULY 18, 2011.

These Charges against Donovan resulted in 'Not Guilty' or 'Hung Jury' verdicts. NOT GUILTY VERDICTS

First Degree Murder Criminal Possession of a murder weapon (A 38 pistol) Manslaughter In The First HUNG JURY VERDICTS

Two Counts of Attempted Robbery Criminal Possession of an alleged 45 pistol (no such weapon was ever presented or entered into evidence by Prosecutor Clark). 2 counts of Attempted Robbery 1 Count of Robbery Felony Murder (Being alleged an Accomplice ) DONOVAN'S 2ND TRIAL ON THE REMAINING CHARGES HAS YET TO BE SCHEDIULED BUT WILL LIKELY BE IN THE EARLY SPRING OF THIS YEAR.

What is Felony Murder?

A murder committed in the act of a robbery. One need not be the shooter, or even at the scene, to be accused of Felony Murder. Being proven part of the conspiracy to commit the crime is enough. No forensic evidence placing Donovan at the scene-- or his having ever been in cahoots with Mr Wright and Mr Glover to comitt ANY criminal activity-- was presented at the trial by the prosecution. What was the ethnic make-up of the jury?

The jury was comprised of 1 Asian male, 1 African American male, 3 Hispanic women, 3 African American women and 3 non-Hispanic white males. What did the jurors communicate to Donovan's family after the trial?

The jurors told them that with one exception they believed Donovan was innocent of all charges and should have gone home after the first trial. Were it not for the one hold-out--the one juror in agreement with the Prosecution's case, Donovan would have come home on July 18th Who represents The Court in this case?

Assistant DA Sean Clarke and Judge Robert McGann. They both handle a substantial amount of the murder cases which come through the Queens County Courthouse. After the verdict what happened next?

We asked for bail immediately and were refused: Judge McGann never gave the family his reasons for remanding Donovan back to Riker's, where has remained since last July. The Judge also improperly instructed the jury to consider a charge which was not even on the Prosecution's original list. This is how Manslaughter In The First became added to Donovan's Hung Jury counts. Who are the others involved in the case? Was Donovan charged alone?
br> Donovan was charged with the convicted shooter in the case, Craig Glover. Also charged and convicted in the case was Jason White, who confessed to driving Mr Glover to the crime scene and to planning the robbery with Mr Glover. The DA's other witness in the case is Anthony Wright, who lived in the home where the murder committed by Mr Glover took place. What was the police testimony given during the trial?

Several NYPD detectives took the stand during the trial. Not one presented any forensic evidence which implicated Donovan as having been at scene when the robbery and murder took place or his having ever plotted with Glover and White top commit the crimes. The immunized and tainted testimony against Donovan by Jason White and Anthony Wright--two known criminals, who've confessed to several other crimes in the community-- forms the entire basis of the DA's case against Donovan. If you believe them, then you might find Donovan guilty in the absence of other evidence.

If you don't he is innocent beyond a reasonable doubt. No one on his trial jury except for one juror believed White and Wright were capable of even casual truth telling. The trial revealed that a remarkable lack of forensic evidence had been gathered by police detectives on the day of the murder, or anytime afterwards No fingerprints, blood samples, bullets or bullet marks were sent in for police lab investigation by ANYONE in the chain of command assigned to the case. This applied to the illegal assault weapon and ammunition found in Mr Wright's room in the house in question.. The only shell casings brought to court were from the 45 pistol owned by Mr Wright, which were found in his room in the house where the crime occurred. During the trial Prosecutor Clark presented evidence gathered from the house 4 YEARS AFTER THE CRIME that was meant to shore up the credibility of Mr Wright's claims of having seen Donovan and Craig Glover shooting from the sidewalk into the front yard from his third floor bedroom. The sight lines from Wright's bedroom window were shown by the Defense to have made such identifications a virtual impossibility on Mr Wright's part. What are Mr Glover and Mr White's current status?

Craig Glover was convicted of felony murder, without a trial, as he accepted a plea deal of 18 years for the murder charge and 5 years for home invasion. Jason White took what is known as a 'sweet deal ' of seven years from the DA for agreeing to testify against Donovan. During Donovan's trial Mr White was shown by Defense Counsel to have a propensity for committing perjury in the witness box over the most minor matters of fact. Mr White also admitted to having spent most of his days with Mr Glover for over a year planning and executing robberies, one of which included an earlier robbery of the home where the murder occurred,--six months prior. Mr White was provided immunity from prosecution of this crime by Prosecutor Clark on the day of his testimony against Donovan. During the triall Mr White accused Donovan of owning the weapons used in the crime. The prosecution did not one provide one shred of physical or forensic evidence to support this claim during the trial. On the witness stand however Mr White admitted to keeping a 'weapons stash' of his own in the neighborhood. The other witness against Donovan brought forth by the DA at the trial was Anthony Wright who lived in the home where the crimes Mr Glover and Mr White were convicted of took place. Mr Wright had been robbed of drugs and money by Mr Glover and Mr White on 'Superbowl Sunday' in January 2007. Mr Glover and Mr White have admitted to returning to rob Mr Wright again nearly nine months later on the day of the shooting. During trial, Mr Glover, the convicted shooter, was brought to the trial from prison as a witness for The Defense. He was prepared to testify to Donovan's non-involvement and innocence of all charges but was denied this opportunity through no fault of his own. Mr Wright, the drug dealer who White and Glover had robbed previously, faces charges of gun possession and firing an illegal AK 47 in a residential neighborhood. If Donovan is convicted, Mr Wright's deal with the DA guarantees he will not be prosecuted on these charges. Mr Wright has remained free throughout this process--even though illegal weapons, illegal ammunition and illegal drugs were found in his room on the day of the murder. What kind of plea deal was Donovan offered by the DA?

Donovan was offered a plea deal of 18 years which he declined in favor of his jury trial. What are Donovan's dreams & aspirations post-trial?

He will return to studying drumming and music production when he is released. He also hopes to spread the message about the mental and physical injustices of incarceration.

The Donovan Drayton Story from Bill Bryant on Vimeo.






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