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“All things are possible with God.” Matthew 19:26
In 1979, at the age of 18, Steve Olausen pled not guilty to a crime involving a murder of an Undercover Police Officer that he did not commit, and, in fact, two other individuals have admitted to. Steve’s mother made Steve promise that he would maintain his innocence and not plead guilty. However, unbeknownst to Steve’s parents, Steve’s Court Appointed Attorney coerced Steve into pleading guilty by telling him that his mother was having a nervous breakdown from Steve’s arrest, and because of this, his parents wanted him to plead guilty and take a plea bargain. The Court Appointed Attorney lied to Steve, and Steve changed his plea to guilty because he thought that was what his parents wanted him to do.
Steve’s parents were assured by the Assistant District Attorney that he would do time at a boys camp and be home within a couple of years. But, when Steve went to court, he was illegally sentenced to death row. Ten years on death row and three stays of execution later, Steve’s death sentence was overturned in 1989 giving him life without the possibility of parole. Due to ineffectual counsel, Steve’s attorney never appealed his case to get him life with the possibility of parole - leaving Steve to rot in prison for the rest of his life.
In 2015, after 36 years of incarceration and Steve relentlessly fighting for his freedom, Steve’s murder conviction was finally acquitted through attrition, but not without a heavy price. The Judges dropped the murder conviction and convicted Steve of kidnapping and robbery which he had already been acquitted of in 1979. The Judges stated that Steve should have been convicted of kidnapping and robbery and, due to a clerical error in 1979, he was not convicted. The Judges ordered an investigation to find the missing conviction; however, after an extensive investigation, no conviction was ever found and it was determined that there was no missing clerical error. Now two years later, Steve is still sitting in prison on the non-existent clerical error which constitutes double jeopardy and is illegal since these are not new charges; these charges were previously addressed through his court proceedings in 1979.
Steve has been a model inmate the entire 38 years that he has been incarcerated. Steve has acted as a mediator between prison staff and inmates on numerous occasions and is well-respected by both entities alike.
Rather than get involved in the prison paradigms, Steve has instead embraced every possible opportunity through the prison’s educational programming earning the equivalent of credits necessary to qualify for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, an Associate of Arts Degree in Paralegal, a CAD Certificate as well as being a Certified Dog Trainer in addition to earning numerous other certificates. Steve has also worked very hard at his jobs he has obtained while incarcerated even though his average pay is $0.13 cents per hour.
Steve was featured on Animal Planet’s “Pups on Parole” series in 2002. Also in 2002, Steve received an award from United Way for raising $10,375 through inmate and outside donations to help aid 9/11 victims and their families.
At this point, Steve’s incarceration is purely political due to his wrongful conviction. Steve is not a threat to society, nor has he ever been a threat to society. With good legal representation, Steve will, at last, have the due process of law that he is entitled to. Most rights are taken from a prisoner, but the due process of law is not one of them.
This is an effort to obtain funds for the legal counsel Steve needs to bring him the long-awaited justice that he fully deserves. Steve has not lived a single day of his life since he was an 18 year old kid, but has instead had to survive each day because prison is truly one of the evilest kinds of hell on earth, and the Nevada prison system is ranked second in the nation as one of the worst. Although Steve has had to endure a life full of heartbreak, rejection, physical harm, and utter disappointment, he has held fast to his faith and has never let the root of bitterness take hold.
Any help you could give Steve to gain his life back from the clutches of a corrupt legal system will be deeply appreciated. Thank you for your time, and may God bless you.
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