My mindset was in the state of disbelief, that the so-called justice system is really sending me to prison for the rest of my life. Just hearing those words (life with-out the possibility of parole) was a blow to my stomach. Telling me I had a double life sentence was equivalent to publicly punishing me to death. A part of me died right there in the court room. I couldn’t believe the system gave me life for protecting myself from dangerous men who were obviously trying to kill me. Which physical evidence supports just that.
Dealing with this situation was very difficult because I was forced to leave everything that I love behind. Meaning the tangible things I once possessed, and most importantly my family and friends. My fiancé had to learn and do her best to raise our two small sons without me. Now this is the worst part of the whole painful experience. Not being able to continuously support and provide for family almost had me feeling less than a man. Sub-human is the best way I can characterize myself analysis.
It took me years to fully process what happened and what is still happening today. The Wayne County Justice Department ignored the facts to obtain an unjust conviction, and nothing can ever be fair in life with such bias and prejudice procedures and practices in play. By me knowing the truth about what honestly happened in my case, I am holding on to faith in a High Power that the truth will physically set me free. Over the years I had to also learn how to not dwell on my situation, nor beat myself up to bad for what the system falsely done to me. Coming to prison, I’ve adapted to inhuman circumstances that have indeed made me stronger in several aspects.
What I hope for the future of my sentence is to hopefully soon have my fair day in court. And if the court be just, they’ll rule in my favor with arguments I raised in my pending “Motion for Appropriate Relief”. I’ve submitted newly discovered evidence that the jury in my case never actually knew. My evidence contradicts the entirety of the state’s case against me. Furthermore, I can also demonstrate on many occasions where my trial counsel fails to properly perform his due diligence in trial, and before trial. The record reflects that I was “horse traded, thrown to the wolves, and just plain sold out”.
When I have my fair day in court, and the judges see how I was misrepresented, by the law written in place, the facts will reveal how I really did act in perfect self-defense. My State and U.S. Constitutional rights was violated by state officials when they intentionally concealed the facts and misrepresented the evidence and denied my right to defend myself from danger. Once the judge sees the case for what it really is, he or she would have no choice but to rule in my favor and give me relief. As I romanticize my future, I see me standing outside these walls of confinement in the free cipher, playing my African drum, demonstrating telling a crowd of people how I “USE TO HAVE A DOUBLE LIFE SENTENCE”.