What Happened to Djinn Buckingham....
On December 9,2005, a fire engulfed the Buckingham home in which Amber, Rainbow's sister
and her three kids lived along with Rainbow and her three. That fire in the early morning hours
was a catalist which totally altered the lives of every one living in the household. Amber's
daughter Sierra was killed in the fire and Djinn, the youngest of Rainbow's children would
eventually be arrested for starting the fire. This would be hard enough for any family
to take but to make things worse, Monroe County Children and Youth Services was involved due
to a couple of previous incidents and took all of Rainbow's kids into custody once again making the
already traumatic situation, unbearable. So many tragedies heaped upon one family in such
a short period of time. Amber loses her daughter to the fire. Rainbow loses her daughters
Katrina and Kyla to Children and Youth services and on top of that her youngest son who was
just twelve at the time was arrested for starting the fire. Djinn's arrest for the starting of the
fire is hard for me to even accept as there were so many unanswered questions looming at
the end of his trial which were never answered, and after many hours of painful investigation
by myself and others whom I thank from the bottom of my heart, we have uncovered a mountain
of information and gives us grave concern and we feel that Djinn confessed to arson and murder
when he didn't do it.
Sierra
My eyes have been opened to tricks employed and underhanded tactics used by police to obtain
confessions, and how they attack the persons psyche. They coerce, are confrontational and
accusatory in their questioning when they have no right to do so and when were talking about
a then twelve year old child, who was already traumatised by the loss of his beloved cousin, was
already in a confused state by prescribed medications, didn't have an attorney, or family present
with him when he was questioned, he was a sitting duck. Djinn's questioning lasted for three hours,
and with constant badgering and accusations flying by the two examiners, he confessed to
something he didn't do.
Djinn's sister's Katrina and Kyla were questioned seperately before Djinn at different times and
they both said afterwards how the Police Sergaent and Corporal with the Fire Marshals office
who questioned them were trying to get them to say things that they didn't mean, also that they
were accusing them and extremely confrontational. Katrina and Kyla both left their questionings
sobbing.
When Djinn was arrested he was sent to a Juvenile Detention Facility where he only spent a couple
of days at, Then the Monroe County District Attorney decided to upgrade his case and added
several more serious charges to what Djinn was arrested with and was immediately sent to the
Monroe County Correctional Facility, an adult jail. He was placed in isolation in the intake section,
where he spent 23 hours a day, where he could hear and see everything, which disturbed and
hurt him all the more. Djinn was onmly allowed out of his cell for an hour-a-day usually after
nine at night, when things had quieted down at the jail. Many questionable things happened to Djinn
during the long four months that he was at the Monroe County Correctional Facility which leaves
one to wonder why. The only thing I can think of as to why, is that they were intentional, done to
break his will and mental toughness. Even after his stay there was over and he was placed in another
setting things that shouldn't have happened to him were allowed to happen. Djinn was not allowed
to see any family members for months and he was worried so he ran away from the diagnostic center
he was placed at for evaluation and after he was apprehended, he was asked why he did it and
Djinn's reply was "I have not heard from my mother, or sisters in months, because of you, I had to
make certain that they were okay". I don't condone the fact that he ran away from that diagnostic
center, but I certainly understand his reasonings and motives behind it. They put way too much
pressure on a then thirteen year old who had the emotional capacity of reasoning as a nine year old.
After Djinn's formal placement in ther Abraxas Youth Center, many more unsettling things happened
to which I can only shake my head at in disbelief. Physical restraint, being placed in a quiet room for
hours without supervision, verbal abuse and above all being sexually assaulted by another inmate, all
of these things and more Djinn endured during his two year stint at that youth center. That center
has decided to not take any blame for what happened to Djinn. If they did nothing wrong then why
did the center fire several people directly involved in these acts?
Abraxas Youth Center
On July 30, 2008, Djinn was transferred to a low-security detention facility in Massachusetts.
Now, for the first time since Djinn's arrest and incarceration, he is actually being treated well.
Personally, I would like to thank this facility for treating Djinn with respect and as a person, not
like a dog.
Since the opening of the Justice for Djinn Myspace page almost two years ago and the official
opening of this website in March of 2008, many people who have had previous access to Djinn, those
who have been friends with him before his incarceration, and during, have contacted me and have
told me many things which break my heart and cause me many sleepless nights. They all know the
truth as I do, that Djinn is innocent and deserves justice in his case. Many of those who have
befriended him since his incarceration, have told me that Djinn tries to calm others who are going
through the same situation as himself, he tries to help those other children who are upset and
afraid. That would be so much like him due to the kind nature he had as a little boy.
The sadness and pain which is felt by Djinn, and for Djinn by his family, or friends who care deeply,
is something difficult to describe to others who have not experienced it, or who have family members
who have experienced it. Those in authority....Those who directly question children in regards to a
crime, have an obligation to protect the child, not question without an attorney and or family
member present. It is Djinn's hope that one day soon he can walk as a free man, without this
cloud hanging over him of guilt or innocence. He wants to be free to see and live with his family
without any agency saying he cannot. We have an opportunity to give a child back his good name
and prove to everyone that Djinn was coerced into confessing to something he did not do.
As they say, the buck stops here!
Stephen Sydebotham
justicefordjinn.org
Here is a portion of a letter received from Djinn's mother from Djinn, in regards to the
treatment he was receiving while incarcerated, in isolation at the Monroe County
Correctional
Facility, April, 2006. **Please be advised this is disturbing and graphic and should not
be read
by younger children**
I was walking in a place they usually let me, just outside my cell and a guard yelled at me
"Get back in your cell!" I told the guard "I'm not doing anything wrong, Why?" He yelled at me
"GET BACK IN YOUR FU**ING CELL!" I did not know why he was so mad, but I went in
my cell. I laid on the bed and started punching the mattress. After a minute, the guard
said,
"Stop punching your bed." I was trying to deal with this like we worked on and get my
anger out on something that wasn't alive, but figured he just wanted to give me a
hard time
and I couldn't do anything about him, so I stopped. I got up from the bed and started
tapping the sink drain thing with my foot. The guard said "Stop kicking the sink." I know
I should have stopped right then, but tapped it with my foot a few more times. The next
thing
I knew a bunch of guards came in the cell and grabbed me. They were hurting me and I
just tried to make them let me go. They forced me out of my cell and when the door was
closing, I guess one of the guards got hit with it. They were trying to tell me they were
going to try to charge me for assaulting an officer. They put me in a hard cell, then moved
me to a rubber room, then later to this cell I'm in now, a bubble cell. Now I'm on meal
restriction, which makes my stomach turn when I eat it...........Any way you put
it Djinn was
mistreated on occasion while at the Monroe County Correctional Facility, he was just 13 years
old at the time, being treated as an adult, by himself and having to deal with exploding
emotions without any one there to help
DOES THIS BOTHER YOU? It's Up to you.
