Ejaz Ahmad // 204 // Leah Ward // Part 4

RECAP: Leah Ward confessed to murdering Ejaz Ahmad, but said it was self-defense and she feared for her life.  She was scheduled to make an appearance for her arraignment.  When she walked into the courtroom, everyone was shocked to see that her long blond hair was gone, and she had shaved her head.  Leah dropped to the floor and curled up in the fetal position.  She stayed this way for the entire hearing.  The homicide investigator brought Bonnie, Ernestine, and Jordan to Ejaz’s house to see if they could identify any missing items.  As they were sifting through the mess, Ernestine found Bonnie’s old driver’s license in Leah’s wallet.   

Ernestine handed Bonnie her driver’s license that she found and she said it had her old address on it.  Bonnie said that Ejaz had her license because he was doing her taxes.  So, she had given it to Ejaz, but when she checked her credit score, she found out that Leah had used Bonnie’s old license to obtain credit cards which were maxed out, but never paid.  Bonnie never received the bills because the accounts were opened with her old address. 

From jail, Leah began sending letters and handwritten legal documents to the court.  She became what they say is a “paper hanger” or “jailhouse lawyer”.  “Paperhangers” file motions about anything and everything that they think is unfair.  “Jailhouse lawyers” are inmates who assist other inmates in doing legal paperwork.  Other inmates will pay, usually in commissary items, to have the jailhouse lawyer help them to file their paperwork.  Sometimes they may have experience in the field, but most often, they are self-taught.  While Leah was incarcerated in Jail East, she got into a physical fight with another inmate.  She claimed it was self-defense because the woman was demanding sex, so Leah was moved to F Pod.  She of course felt that was unfair and didn’t believe she should be punished. 

The Grand Jury met in May and determined that there was sufficient evidence to charge Leah with premeditation.  Pamela Fleming was waiting for the elevator in the Shelby County Justice Center.  When the doors opened, Assistant District Attorney Patience Missy Branham was standing there.  She asked Pamela what division she was in now and she said, ten.  Good!  Missy said, do you want to assist on a murder case?  The elevator doors were closing and Pamela shouted, sure! 

Looking back at this moment, Pamela herself says she was a baby attorney.  This was going to be her first jury trial, so she became the assistant prosecutor for State of Tennessee vs. Leah Joy Ward.  Due to court order, Leah was transferred to Memphis Mental Health Institute for a mental health evaluation prior to her trial.  One of the mandatory tests given to women before the enter MMHI is a pregnancy test, and the results were negative.  In part 3, she told Ejaz’s son Jordan that she was pregnant, and she broke into people’s homes and took baby clothes.  She was briefed on the rules and expectations of the program, but Leah had to have her behavior corrected several times by the staff members.  On more than one occasion she was told to stop French kissing the male patients.   

She also had several incidents where staff members had to rush into her room because she was either out of control or hitting her head against the wall and screaming.  Leah was officially deemed competent for trial, and she was returned to jail on October 15th, 2004.  The next day, an officer in the jail advised a supervisor that Leah was reporting a sexual assault.  Leah was transported to the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center.  A nurse performed a pregnancy test, and it was positive, so the nurse called the jail to say they needed to perform an ultrasound.  Two female investigators arrived on October 18th to speak with Leah about the alleged rape.  She provided partial details and conflicting answers, but said it’s because she was afraid, and she couldn’t remember all the details.  Leah said that when she was at Memphis Mental Health Center, she tried to talk to the doctor, but couldn’t remember their name.  The doctor only laughed at her when she spoke to him and when she tried to talk to the hospital staff, they would just shoot her up with medication.  She said she was afraid to give the attacker’s name because staff at MMHC “hurt” people at the Center.  She was scared because, “that guy that stuck his dick in me said he’s got a machine gun.” 

At first, she wouldn’t say her alleged attacker’s name, then she began saying the name of a patient, D’wayne Curb.  She said he had a room in the same hall as hers, but it was a long way away.  The doors remained unlocked, so men were coming into her room demanding sex.  She said even a male staff member came into her room demanding sex one night, then he later assaulted her in a common area.  She said he was a supervisor and she was afraid of getting in trouble, so she complied. 

She reported that when the patient, D’wayne assaulted her, she was sitting in the common room.  She said he never came into her room.  She tried to be friends with him, but he kept bothering her and following her around.  She tried talking to him and yelling at him, she even complained about him, but the staff and patients told her to simmer down, and the doctor laughed at her.  Then she changed her story and said actually, D’wayne did come into her room, he would just show up at the door. 

She said that a few days into her stay at the facility, she wandered into a dark room, then she was on the floor.  She had no recollection of what this room was or how she got there, but she guessed D’wayne told her to meet him there.  He was standing next to an open doorway and told her to come in.  He closed the door and it was too dark to see, but there was a second guy who never spoke.  D’wayne allegedly raped her and let the other man watch.  She said that afterwards, she requested a bath because she felt so dirty and suicidal.  She said that during the bath, she tried to drown herself by flooding the tub and she ended up flooding the room.  She was scared to report the assault, but a male staff member came into her bathroom at night to assault her too. 

She also said there was another staff member who sometimes wore uniform and sometimes street clothes, that was assaulting her as well.  He went into her room to rape her, but a nurse walked in and it stopped.  So, she reported that three employees and one patient raped her, but she was positive that D’wayne, the patient, was the father of her unborn child.  The same week that Leah made these claims, a Tennessee Mental Health Investigator, David Abers, interviewed her.  This time, she remembered that a staff member had unlocked the door to a storage closet and that’s how she ended up inside the dark room where D’wayne raped her.  When she left the closet, the staff member walked her back to her room and made sexual comments.  She said D’wayne raped her one time and during this interview, she never reported the alleged rapes from any of the staff members. 

On October 21st, 2004, female investigators were sent to interview Leah again, but she was with her attorney, so they couldn’t.  The next day, she had an ear infection due to stuffing tissues in her ears.  In late October, investigators spoke to D’Wayne Curb, he was in the county jail due to an outstanding warrant for failure to appear.  He said he had conversations with Leah when they were both patients at MMHI and he said he didn’t rape her, and he didn’t “think” he had sex with her.  Later, he was adamant that they did not have sex and he didn’t meet up with her in a closet.  He said he remembered her being restrained a lot due to her behavior. 

Since Leah was pregnant, she had to stop all of her medications, even the ones that help control her mood.  An infection screening showed that she had an STI.  On March 14th, 2005, Leah filed a complaint against Shelby County alleging that she was raped while at the Memphis Mental Health Institute.  They filed to dismiss the case because she wasn’t raped while under the custody of a Shelby County Sheriff’s officer.  Since this allegedly happened at MMHI, Shelby County’s request to dismiss was granted.   

There were several trial dates that were set, but it kept getting changed.  One of Leah’s attorneys had to have surgery.  By the time they were ready to return, Leah was 8 months pregnant, so they moved the date again.  They felt like the jury might feel more empathy for a pregnant woman.  Also, if she got too stressed and had the baby during the trial, that could really mess things up too.  In April of 2005, Leah wrote a letter to Judge Beasley.  She was concerned that her child would become a ward of the state, so she asked if someone could refer her to an adoptive agency.  On June 20th, Leah went into labor, and she had a baby girl.  In July of 2005, Leah wrote to Judge Beasley and said she wanted to become better and was not requesting assistance for her criminal case.  She said she had requested help in Jail East, but was locked up in F-pod 23/1.  She was locked up for 23 hours a day and got out only 1 hour a day.  She was being medicated with Paxil and she was upset that doctors at MMHI only tested her for competence to stand trial.  They didn’t diagnose or treat her symptoms.   

She said that ever since she was raped, she was hearing voices, and she was depressed.  She asked the judge to find someone that could help her.  In August of 2005, the alleged rape case was completed.  The decision was made not to prosecute, due to lack of evidence.  On September 1st, Leah wrote a letter to Judge Beasley.  She expressed regret and sorrow for murdering Ejaz.  She said she knew she deserved a life sentence, and even death for what she had done.  She said, “I was already a prisoner while I was free before I was locked up.”  On September 12th, she sent another letter to the judge.  She was upset that no photos of her bruises were taken during the confession, and she said Ejaz had been beating her and “I shot him with no intention to kill him.”  She said she shot him in self-defense.  She tried to get away, but he overpowered her. 

On September 22nd, she wrote a Motion for Dismissal, requesting her attorneys, Public Defenders Harry Sayle and Sandra Kent, be removed from her case on the grounds of “unethical and ineffective assistance of counsel and conflict of interest.”  Then she sent a letter to the judge saying she had no communication with her lawyers and if she wasn’t afforded a lawyer, she would represent herself.  She sent another letter to the judge on October 31st, begging for assistance in prosecuting the alleged rapist.  She said she wanted to be a mother to her child, but was ripped from her rights to parent because of being incarcerated.  She wrote, “I want to be a mother to my baby and my other 2 children that I have.” 

Pamela began reviewing the files and notes, getting ready for the trial.  She noted the following about Leah, 

-Juvenile thinking patterns 

-She believed she could outsmart everyone 

-She saw herself as the center of everything 

-She was manipulative 

-She did nothing wrong, all of her actions were justified 

-She didn’t think things through 

Leah thought she had the perfect alibi by turning herself in and going to jail, but how was that supposed to work?  Ejaz’s body was at the house.  Wouldn’t the neighborhood be filled with the stench of death while she was gone for 4 months?  Did she think she wouldn’t be a suspect? 

The trial began on November 1st, 2005.  Public Defender Kathy Kent said there was no doubt Leah fired the gun and killed Ejaz, but it was self-defense because he was angry, abusive, and she feared for her life.  The family was held outside of the courtroom until they took the stand.  Jordan was now 14 years old when he testified.  After he was done, he was allowed to be in the courtroom for the rest of the trial, but unfortunately, no one warned him that he was going to see crime scene photos of his father’s dismembered body on a big screen.  They were so bad that one of the jurors vomited in her hands.   

It sounds like Leah’s attorney was playing some games during the trial.  They had Leah changing outfits, so the witnesses were getting confused when they tried to identify her.  One of her attorneys placed his chair so that it blocked Leah from the view of anyone on the witness stand.  One witness for the prosecution asked if they could step down from the stand to identify Leah and they accidentally pointed to the wrong person.  Hell, Leah’s own mother couldn’t identify her daughter until the attorney moved the chair, then she was able to see her.   

Leah did not take the stand, so instead, her statement that the made to the Memphis Police on May 5th had to be admitted.  After hearing everything, the jury deliberated for two hours before reaching a verdict.  Leah was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.  As officers stood to handcuff her, Leah turned to Ejaz’s son, Jordan and whispered, I’m so sorry.  

Ernestine and Bonnie went to the storage shed where Leah had stored all of Ejaz’s belongings.  They found a few items that they could give to Jordan.  They also saw the satchel that Leah used to carry her scrubs in when she left for work.  Her scrubs were still in the bag and under the scrubs were a pair of stiletto high heels, lace underwear, and some lingerie.  There were also nude photos of Leah.  Bonnie started a small fire by the side of the house and slowly, the two women tossed all the items in that belonged to Leah. 

Leah’s attorneys talked to her and told her she needed to stop writing letters to Judge Beasley, but she couldn’t help herself.  She sent him a letter on November 16th, 2005 to let him know that her sentence wasn’t fair.  She admitted to killing Ejaz, but insisted that it was self-defense and this wasn’t premeditated.  She wrote, “I am not lying.  I am willing to take all and any kind of tests to prove...I did not plot the murder.  I am not trying to justify my behavior because a lot of things I do not remember.” 

On November 28th, 2005, some of Ejaz’s friends collectively wrote a letter to District Attorney Bill Gibbons, demanding to know why Leah didn’t get the death penalty.  This had all happened just a few years after the 9/11 attacks, and they wondered if Leah escaped the death penalty due to discrimination against Muslims.  They researched past cases and D.A. Gibbon’s record in court before inquiring about this issue and when they asked for answers, they were ignored.  They simply stated that they were seeking justice for Ejaz.  Leah had received time served for her time spent in the Shelby County Jail from September 3rd, 2003, to February 5th, 2005, meaning those days were credited towards her prison time, but she still received a life sentence.  

In 2005, Leah was transferred to the Tennesse Prison for Women TPW.  Her transfer was December 15th, just one day before her 29th birthday.  During the initial classification summary, she told the intake officer that she was Christian, and she had 13 years of formal education.  She told the officer that she was taking several medications, and her first husband’s physical abuse was so bad that she went to the hospital for black eyes, bruises, and a broken nose.  She said her second husband was just as abusive, causing her bruises and head injuries.  Each husband raped her one time, and she was raped by two or three men in the MMHI.  After this interview, they recommended that she participate in the 12-step program, the domestic violence group, grief counseling, a group for women who suffered sexual abuse, and a program that was called “Thinking for a Change.”  They also recommended that she not be placed in general population due to her mental health issues.   

This prison is unlike anything I have ever heard of.  They had a child visitation program for incarcerated mothers.  A TPW Warden, Penny Bernhardt believed that if female inmates were able to bond with their young children, it may stop them from coming back.  They had a weekend visitation program.  Children from 3 months up to their sixth birthday could enter the facility at 5 PM on Friday for their designated weekend with mommy.  The inmates would stay in a housing unit with several beds and cribs if needed.  They got to spend real time with their children.   

The Warden made sure they had good meals together and they had indoor and outdoor recreation.  The mothers were taught ways to help their child’s social development, but prison rules and regulations were of course still in place.  On Sunday afternoon, the children would leave.  To participate in this program, the mothers can’t be classified as greater than Medium Security Level, and they can’t have any disciplinary infractions on their records for a certain period of time.  The program built bonds between mothers and their children and also rewarded them for good behaviors.   

Leah got a job in the prison kitchen from January to May 2006, but then she told the doctors that she suffered panic attacks from being in a small space.  She said she was afraid to go outside, and she couldn’t concentrate.  The interesting thing here is, she was in prison.  She was locked up in a cell.  How was that OK, but working in a kitchen wasn’t?  She got a carpentry job in May 2007, and she was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.  She was charged with larceny in March 2008, and she pleaded innocent, but was found guilty.  About six months later, she was caught with drugs and pleaded innocent, but was found guilty.  On April 23rd, 2008, she was transferred from TPW to the Mark Luttrell Correction Center for a reassignment.  She worked in the kitchen from April 28 to July.  She continued filing motions, sent a letter to the mayor, and read several law books. 

In January of 2010, Leah started seeing a psychiatrist.  She reported that she was sexually abused as a child, alleging that she had been molested between the ages of 5 to 10, but said she blocked it out.  She told them that her father and both of her husband's physically abused her.  She said that she only took Ejaz’s life because he was trying to kill her.  She was asked why she cut her hair off and she said she was angry, and she tried to end her life twice.  She attempted to overdose, and she cut herself.  She said she had been in a recent relationship, but it triggered memories of abuse, so she ended it. 

Leah was placed on medications, and she joined a stress management group.  She reported that slow rhythmic breathing exercises were helping her.  In May of 2011, someone pissed her off and she stood up to them, causing a fight, and she was caught and written up.  This time, Leah actually confessed to her role in the fight and a month later, things got worse, and she was charged with assault AND assault on staff.  She pleaded guilty and received her punishment. 

Leah’s psychiatric treatment plan ended in May of 2011.  She said that the nightmares, paranoia, and anxiety had decreased, and she was no longer hearing voices.  She loved working in the law library, but she lost her position and had to work in the kitchen again.  When she returned to TPW, she started working with computers between August and September, but she got caught with a deadly weapon.  She pleaded innocent, but was found guilty. 

Leah continued filing motions and she wrote to Kevin Key, the Criminal Court Clerk in March 2012 to request her legal records.  She sent a packet of information with her motion for a retrial and handwrote the tabs and included copies of her job applications and mental health records.  There was a page that she labeled NEW EVIDENCE and she included copies of pages from an unknown source about PTSD, Battered Women’s Syndrome, and legal issues involving each. 

In 2013, she received a verbal warning because she had interfered with an officer’s duties.  In 2014, she refused a staff member’s direct orders, and she received another verbal warning.  She was also caught out of boundaries and was fighting again.  She pleaded guilty. 

Obviously, she wasn’t keeping a squeaky-clean record behind bars.  She is set to be released in 2059, when she is 83 years old.  Leah created an online profile where she asked for encouraging, positive friends who could help her become an even better person.  She described herself as down to earth and a fun-loving country girl at heart.  She also listed herself on a website created by the New York based Lighthouse International, a religious-based organization.  There are two outreach programs in Pakistan and on the website, she listed her name as Leah Joy Ward Ahmad.  She used Ejaz’s last name. 

Ejaz had been sending money to his family in Pakistan.  His sister required a lot of medical attention, and he sent her money for her crutches and medical bills.  He had also been sending money to his sister’s two daughters for college.  If anyone in his family needed medical care, Ejaz sent the money. 

Ejaz had written a last will and testament.  After the costs of his legal debts and burial expenses, his assets were divided equally among four religious-based organizations.  There was also a standard clause that said if he died as a result of murder, the murderer is disqualified from receiving any part of the estate.  The remainder of his assets were divided as follows: 

His son Jordan received the largest percentage, then his two nieces in Pakistan received some and Ejaz specifically stated that these funds were for their education.  He entrusted Bonnie to ensure that Jordan continued with his Islamic education.  On page one of his will it states, “I remind friends and family that no man dies before his time.  The exact duration of each life span is determined before we are born....Death is tragic only for the one who lived out his life in self-deception.  Do not preoccupy yourselves with my death, but instead make the proper preparations for your own.” 

RESOURCES
Domestic Violence Against Men - Understand How It Happens - Domestic Violence: It's EVERYBODY'S Business 

'She Is Evil!': Madness And Murder In... by Yates, Judith A (amazon.com) 

Histrionic Personality Disorder: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment (clevelandclinic.org) 

Self-Determination Theory Of Motivation (simplypsychology.org)