A former nurse's aide convicted of killing five elderly patients at a Walker nursing home nearly 40 years ago is asking Michigan's governor for a pardon. He says the murders never happened.

The Michigan Innocence Clinic filed a 642-page clemency petition on behalf of Gwen Graham, now 62, who has spent more than half his life behind bars. The petition asks the governor to grant a full pardon.

A case built on one witness

Graham was convicted in 1989 of five counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy. The convictions stemmed from deaths at Alpine Manor Nursing Home in Walker during 1987.

The five victims were:

• Mae Mason, 79
• Edith Cook, 98
• Marguerite Chambers, 60
• Myrtle Luce, 95
• Belle Burkhard, 74

All five women suffered from Alzheimer's or dementia. Their deaths were initially ruled natural causes. The investigation began more than a year later, according to the innocence clinic petition.

The entire case rested on the testimony of Catherine Wood, Graham's former girlfriend and coworker at Alpine Manor. Wood entered into a plea agreement, pleading to second-degree murder in exchange for her cooperation against Graham. She was sentenced to 20 to 40 years and was released on parole in January 2020. She now lives in South Carolina.

Wood testified that Graham suffocated the patients with washcloths while she acted as a lookout. She said the killings were meant to cement their relationship.

'Nobody killed their loved ones'

Graham, who now identifies as a transgender man, maintains his innocence. He told Target 8 in a recent telephone interview from prison that the murder story began as a joke among coworkers.

"It wasn't either Cathy or I that even started the whole thing about it," Graham said. "We were at a party, and all of us were watching the movie 'Motel Hell,' in which motel operators turn guests into sausage."

The innocence clinic petition says Graham, Wood, and other Alpine Manor staff made dark jokes about patient deaths. The jokes were inspired by the 1980 horror film Motel Hell. The clinic argues this kind of gallows humor is common in caregiving professions and does not constitute evidence of criminal behavior.

"Using dark humor in the workplace is not evidence of criminal behavior," Innocence Clinic attorney Olivia Vigiletti wrote in the petition.

No physical evidence

The petition argues there is no physical or forensic evidence that any murder took place at Alpine Manor.

Police exhumed the bodies of two patients, Chambers and Cook. The Kent County medical examiner ruled both died of asphyxia by suffocation. However, he found no medical evidence to support or refute that conclusion. The ruling was based on details provided by police, according to the WOODTV report.

The nursing home's own medical director testified at trial that there was no unusual uptick in deaths during the period in question, the petition states.

Retired Walker police detective Tom Freeman, the lead investigator in the case, acknowledged there was no physical evidence. He said the jury got it right.

"I feel it's unbelievable, after 30-some years, how a person at this time can even ask for something like this," Freeman said.

Retired Detective Roger Kaliniak, who also worked the investigation, agreed Graham belongs in prison.

"They both bragged about killing people to other friends," Kaliniak said. "They admitted to it."

Anti-LGBTQ+ bias at trial

The innocence clinic argues the 1989 trial was infected by anti-LGBTQ+ bias. The petition says prosecutors exploited Graham and Wood's relationship as lesbians to shock the jury in lieu of presenting substantive evidence.

Graham told Target 8 that his conviction was tied to his identity.

"The reason I was convicted was not because anybody was killed; it was because I was gay," Graham said. "And in that day and age, being gay was just not the cool thing."

A daughter's affidavit

The petition includes an affidavit supporting Graham's release written by Jacqueline, Catherine Wood's daughter. She said she no longer talks to her mother but has become pen pals with Graham.

"I have experienced my mother's bitterness and need for revenge firsthand," Jacqueline wrote. "I have no problem believing she would lie about whatever she needed to, no matter how much it hurt however many people."

Families fight back

Jan Hunderman, the daughter of victim Marguerite Chambers, sat through the entire trial in the late 1980s. She told Target 8 she plans to write to the parole board and governor to fight Graham's release.

"I have no doubt in my mind that they did it," Hunderman said.

What happens next

Clemency decisions in Michigan are made by the governor. The parole board reviews the petition and makes a recommendation to the governor's office before a decision is reached, according to Graham's attorney.

The case is still being reviewed by the state's parole board. A spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Corrections did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker, whose predecessor's office prosecuted the case, said he was not aware of the request.

The Alpine Manor case has been the subject of podcasts, a book, and true crime television shows. Graham and Wood were dubbed the "Angels of Death" and "Lethal Lovers" at the time of the trial.