Free Valentino Dixon

On August 10, 1991 a shooting occurred at approximately 1:29am at a Buffalo restaurant near the intersection of East Delevan and Bailey Ave. Torriano and Aaron Jackson jumped from a yellow car. An altercation ensued with Mario Jarmon, multiple gunshots were fired.

After the shooting, Torriano Jackson laid dead and Mario Jarmon, Aaron Jackson, and John Sullivan were wounded. Within several hours of the shooting, Valentino was found in his parked car at a different location from the incident. Valentino was then arrested with shooting all four victims. Valentino’s two vehicles and clothes were confiscated during the arrest.

The Police arrived at the scene within minutes after the shooting, where they recovered twenty seven (27) spent nine (9)mm casings, (1) spent .22 casing, a .32 caliber H&R revolver with one (1) spent .32 casing.

When the Police arrested the Valentino, there was no evidence of his involvement in the shooting. More specifically, there were no fingerprints, palm prints, footprints of the Valentino, or gun powder residue, blood stains on the Valentino’s shoes, clothing and or in the two vehicles. The vehicle Valentino was driving at the time of his arrest was auctioned off and the title was stopped just two days after his arrest.

Despite 70 - 100 eyewitnesses at the scene the Police interviewed two witnesses, John Sullivan and Emil Adams. Sullivan provided the following sworn statement to Detective Masechia, “we got there and I heard someone holler look out, “ he’s got a gun. So I didn’t look to see who had a gun, I just ran behind a car”. Moreover Sullivan states the shooter was 6 feet tall weighing approximately 160-170 pounds. Ironically several hours later in an interview witness Sullivan states to Detective Vickerd he “noticed Valentino go behind a van and come out with a black Uzi and start shooting Torriano.

Emil Adams provided a statement during an interview with Detective Mark Stambach. “I (witness Adams) was standing by a truck talking with some girls. Then Tony (Tori), and Aaron, and another guy’s name I forgot got out of his car. We was just up there talking…” “the crowd followed Aaron across the street. To see the fight I guess, then they never got a chance to hit each other… the shooter with the tech – nine was heavy set, black male, about six feet tall”.

Q. Do you know his name or were he might live or who he hangs with?

A. Nothing

Q. The second shooter, do you know him the guy with the handgun?

A. Nothing

On August 11, 1991 one day after the shooting Detective Mark Stambach questioned one of the victims, Mario Jarmon. He was critically wounded and was unable to speak due to a tracheal tube. Nevertheless, Jarmon responded to questioning by nodding his head. The detective asked Jarmon directly if Valentino Dixon shot him, by shaking his head in the negative, Mario Jarmon answered, “Tino, Valentino Dixon did not shoot him”. Equally important, Jarmon nodded the shooter was actually the deceased, Torriano Jackson. Jarmon was shot and did not implicate Valentino in the incident.

On August 12, 1991 Two days after the shooting Detective Mark Stambach interviewed Aaron Jackson the deceased victims older brother at the hospital. In a photo array, Jackson “identified #4 as the person that looked like the person that shot his brother and him, “but couldn’t be sure, he was there it happened so quick” . The statement doesn’t specify who #4 is.

On August 12, 1991 Lamarr Scott confessed to Detective Mark Stambach that he committed the crime Valentino Dixon was arrested for. He also Confessed to WGRZ-TV Television camera that he was the shooter. “they jumped out of a Yellow Dodge Shadow and opened fire on me and my friends, “ I shot back in self defense, yes, After that I ran down the street, and I threw the gun. I went home, that was it”.

Q. “Who shot and killed Torriano Jackson?”

A. “I did”

Q. “Why did you shoot Torriano Jackson?”

A. “Because he came back and opened fire on us. I emptied the clip”.

Scott was released after questioning.

Further corroborating Scott’s confession, prosecution eyewitnesses observed a six foot tall, heavy set shooter weighing 170 pounds. Assistant District Attorney, Christopher Belling described Scott as heavy set over six feet tall at least 200 pounds, to quote Mr. Belling, “Quite a substantial fellow”.

At the time of Valentino’s arrest, Valentino Dixon was only five foot seven inches (5”7”) weighing a mere 130 pounds.

The continued investigation by police detectives, the prosecutor and defense investigators produced several written statements, all confirming Valentino Dixon was not the shooter. A number of statements even identified the shooter as Lamarr Scott, the individual who later confessed to the shooting. Statements were given by the following eyewitnesses Leonard Brown, Walter Lee Dennis, Antoine Shannon, Wendall Williams, Mario Jarmon, (the last witness's wishes that her name is withheld).

Ultimately Leonard Brown and Mario Jarmon a critically wounded victim testified before a Grand Jury in Erie County. Both reiterated their previous statements to investigators that Lamarr Scott committed the shooting in this case. As a result they were both charged with Perjury by the Prosecutor in the case for their testimony at the Grand Jury.

Lamarr Scott testified also at the Grand Jury and recanted his previous confessions. He was not charged with perjury for cooperating with the prosecutor in the case.

On June 2^nd and June 5^th, 1992 just days before Valentino’s trial was to begin, Valentino’s parents Barbara Dixon and Robert Bryant tape recorded their conversations with Defense Attorney, Joseph Terranova, at his office . (All tape recorded conversation mentioned are available)

On June 2^nd, 1992, Defense Counsel Terranova told Valentino’s Parents the following “you guys are much closer to this thing than I am, okay. That means you have access to people that I don’t have access to. So I am relying on you guys to get me this information, okay”.

On June 2^nd, 1992 a tape recording reveals Defense Counsel Terranova stating that Leonard Brown and Mario Jarmon had been charged with perjury for their testimony given at Valentino’s Grand Jury Hearing, and the Attorney could not understand why Lamarr Scott was not also charged with perjury.

On June 5^th, 1992, just five days before Valentino’s trial was to begin Defense Counsel Joseph Terranova stated to Valentino’s Parents in a tape recorded conversation “We need Lamarr Scott to get on the witness stand and say I did the shooting, and tell us what he did…in my speaking with Mr. Scott, he seems committed to doing the right thing in coming and saying that he – you can’t get much better quality from Perry Mason…We got Mario Jarmon who’s one of the victims, one of the shooting victims…”, “Now of course Mario will be able to testify because I talked to him this morning”.

Click on "The Trial" to read the outcome of Valentino's Defense

All tape recorded conversation mentioned are available please email us at: freevalentinodixon@hotmail.com