The Chanda Turner Reform Act (SB250) has been signed into law, and will go into effect Nov. 1, 2011! Families can now appeal their loved-ones' death certificates!

(Information provided by Ashley's parents): 

ASHLEY DAWN THOMPSON died on Janary 1, 2004 at her home in Roger's County, Oklahoma.  She was only 15 years old. Her boyfriend at the time, who was supposed to be in a guest bedroom, gave conflicting statements as to how he entered her bedroom (through the door off her balcony or a window), where he supposedly found her hanging in her closet.  This man, Joshua Wayne Brown, is now in prison on subsequent rape, sodomy, and other convictions. Yet Ashley's death was summarily ruled a suicide, despite the fact that she was murdered. In fact, only 7 months before Ashley's death, another girlfriend of Joshua Brown's died by hanging.

The "investigation" into Ashley's death was horribly incompetent.  The family hired a private investigator from Texas, and had an independent pathologist, Dr. Edelman of New York, review Ashley's autopsy results. Dr. Edelman's conclusion was as follows: "It is my opinion to a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the investigation in this case from law enforcement to the medical examiner is shoddy at best and was otherwise incompetently performed." He called her case and the handling of it "terribly tragic."

The M.E.'s Office failed to perform an autopsy until after Ashley was embalmed.  Rather than the autopsy being a fact-finding mission, it appeared instead to be a "CYA" procedure to cover law-enforcement's staggeringly poor investigation.  The family found blood and vomit in Ashley's room, indicating foul play.  The boyfriend's story of how he found her hanging contradicted physical evidence at the scene.  There was a clump of Ashley's hair lodged in the collar of her coat jacket collar, which indicated a struggle.  Her jeans were unbuttoned, unzipped and open, yet no rape kit was performed. There was no suicide note.  Ashley was to leave on a modeling trip in three days, about which she was excited.  But her jealous and controlling boyfriend was less than thrilled about her upcoming trip. Click HERE to read a letter he wrote Ashley, which her mom posted on Ashley's myspace page and is titled "Unforgiven." This is a letter Joshua wrote to another girl after Ashley's death (the young woman got away from him wih her life and gave it to Ashley's mom, Stacey).  It is a telling example of this man's pathological mental state:

Ashley's family has fought for years to have her death certificate corrected from "suicide" to "homicide" and her murderer brought to justice.  They will not stop until justice prevails.

For more on Ashley, visit www.myspace.com/rememberashley15

Nov 16, 2010 Rally for Reform at the State Capitol