The family of Isam Salman sat quietly as the attorney for his convicted killer listed reasons Mark Brown should not face the death penalty.
His attorneys also said at a clemency hearing Tuesday that Brown's sentence should be commuted to life in prison.
"Unfortunately, Mark's case was plagued by inadequate and ineffective representation," said his public defender, Pam Prude-Smithers.
Brown, scheduled to die Feb. 4, admits to killing Hayder Al Turk, but maintains he did not kill Isam Salman during a robbery at the Midway Market back in 1994.
But Prude-Smithers said not only did Brown's attorneys fail him during his trial and appeals, but the state presented unreliable evidence. She said in 2003, a state witness, Myzell Arrington, sent a letter to Brown admitting he lied when he testified.
While Smithers plans to present the information at a hearing later this month in hopes of getting the case retried, Brown's friends and family asked the parole board to spare his life, saying the abuse and neglect he experienced as a child led to his life of crime.
But they said he has since changed his ways.
"I extend my deepest apologies to the family," said Brown's friend, Stephanie Johnson. "I'm sorry. This should have never happened."
And Brown's former attorney, Don Malarcik, said Brown has held himself accountable.
But the victim's family said that's not enough.
"Just because your mother was a bad person or you had a bad upbringing doesn't give you the right to kill people," said Terri Rasul, Salman's sister.
She added that Salman's seven children never got to know their dad, and now they want and deserve closure.They believe the new evidence does not change Brown's role in the murders.
"I feel like I'm sitting here, and it's a joke," said Rasul. "Like a show we're watching to save someone that shouldn't be saved."
