Outside Group Highlights DuMond Case In New Spot
For those still unfamiliar with the name, and the story, DuMond was convicted and imprisoned in Arkansas in 1985 for the rape of a 17-year old girl. The case drew attention from some quarters who felt that DuMond had been wrongly accused. When he became governor of the state, Huckabee expressed sympathy for DuMond.
He met with members of the state parole board and, according to its members, advocated for DuMond's release. Huckabee denies he pressured the board and points out that as governor, he had only the power to provide clemency, not grant early paroles.
But DuMond was released, and after moving to Missouri, was convicted of raping and murdering Carol Sue Shields.
In the ad, Shields' mother, Lois Davidson, blames Huckabee for DuMond's release and the death of her daughter. "If not for Mike Huckabee, Wayne DuMond would have been in prison, and Carol Sue would be with us," she says.
The spot was conceived by Keith Emis, an Arkansas resident who set up a 527 organization called Victims Voice to raise money to get it on the air.
Asked why he produced the ad, which is here, Emis told CBSNews.com, "Carol Sue Shields was raped and murdered because of the actions Mike Huckabee took as the governor of Arkansas, and the voters of this country need to know that." He said he is not supporting any candidate in the presidential race.
Emis said he wrote the script for the spot himself and had a friend help him film and edit it. He said he also hired an attorney to help him "follow all of the Byzantine regulations concerning 527s."
Emis said he has already purchased air time to run the ad again in the future, though he declined to go into specifics. He also declined to say who had contributed funds to his effort to put it on the air.