I watched the series Outcry, season 1 that covers the story of Greg Kelley. Mr. Kelley is in High School and seems to have the world by the tail when he is wrongfully accused and convicted of molesting a child. As the series unfolds you learn of a second victim who recants his story when the case goes to trial. This was an amazing series that covered this story and how Mr. Kelley got a very raw deal. He had several [5 in total I believe] years of his life taken from him. He was set to go to College and play football and odds were that he would have gone pro. That possibility still remains today. I was beyond thrilled when I learned in the last episode that he was exonerated and found innocent of the charges he was originally convicted of. He’s a very handsome young man who appears to still have a bright future ahead of him as well as some money coming his way from being wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. If you have Showtime, I highly recommend watching this show.
Much more familiar to most people is the Making a Murder documentary that aired on Netflix. Where 2 people were convicted of murdering a woman. If you’re somehow not familiar with this I also highly recommend watching this series. I do have my doubts about the innocents of Steven Avery, but the more that time goes on the less and less those doubts remain. I am 100% convinced that his nephew Brendan Dassey was wrongfully convicted and is in prison serving a sentence that he shouldn’t be. He was spoon fed information and confessed to something that he didn’t do. It’s outrageous that he has exhausted all of his legal avenues for appeal. Just a very sad case and a life taken away from a boy who was mentally challenged at the time of his confession, he didn’t realize that his life was at stake. He thought if he told the police what they wanted to hear that he could go back to school and resume his life. Yes, I am 100% serious – it’s in the movie.
Then there is the movie Dream Killer, which tells the story of Ryan Ferguson. Who was also in High School. Because a friend of his had a dream that he killed a newspaper reporter and implicated Ryan. Both Ryan and his friend were wrongfully convicted. Ryan ultimately was exonerated and found innocent of the charges he was originally convicted of. Today he is free. I followed this case as it was unfolding and it was mind blowing on how he got in this predicament because someone had a dream that he did it.
Little do you know that its highly probable in today's society to be convicted of a crime or crimes that you are completely innocent of. I do realize that most people that are convicted profess their innocence and say that the system failed them and the police have it all wrong. That’s why once your found guilty it’s a complete uphill battle to get the conviction overturned and vacated. Not to mention that Criminal Defense Attorneys [like all attorneys] charge a large hourly rate and it will require a lot of time and money. If your lucky you can get a decent attorney who will fight for your rights on a pro-bono [free] basis.
As you can well imagine there is countless amounts of emotions that these people experience, most of which is depression and sadness as well as anger. However, when you see a wrongfully convicted person win the amount of joy that they express is uncontrollable and you can’t help but feel joy for them and shed a tear, two or in some cases many.
One day my life changed forever. I found myself the prime suspect in a criminal investigation for an incident that occurred. Understand that I am being vague for a reason and I am unable to fully share all of the details. In fact, saying what little bit I am is a bit risky in my book, but I am doing so just to help open people’s eyes that YES THIS IN FACT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU! Because it happened to me! You’re living your life as an average upstanding citizen and some law enforcement official gets a hard on and wants to put you in jail because they think you committed a crime that you didn’t. It’s only logical to conclude that the truth will set you free and that you can explain your way out of it. Well friends, that’s where your dead wrong. In the Miranda warning your given ahead of any questioning they say “anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law”. That isn’t just a happy phrase it’s the truth, anything and everything you say is spun around and used against you, no matter how innocuous you think it is, to some sharp legal shooter they can turn everything around so that nothing you say appears to be credible, that’s their job, they are quite good and they do it for a living each and every day. That’s the advantage that you don’t have.
Needless to say, that I had the shit scared out of me, which is exactly where they wanted me to be since I wouldn’t willingly confess. There was no evidence against me and without a confession law enforcement was powerless. The best piece of advice I can give you is that if you find yourself in a situation like this, say nothing and demand an attorney. That is your legal right and it’s better to let a person who’s job it is to defend people help you game plan and find an appropriate path forward. Most criminal defense attorneys are used to working with clients that are guilty. On a rare basis they get a client who is innocent and they can feel it and see it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
In my case, my spouse had passed I went through several years of hell where I had to fight to keep a roof over my head as well as fight for what was legally and rightfully mine. Get passed all of that, get a good job and I thought the worst thing in my life happened, I have survived a real-life nightmare and there isn’t anything worse. Little did I know what was around the corner waiting for me.
This involves my family and I fully believe that I was setup to take the fall [framed]. Something like this can divide a family and in fact it did. On the advice of counsel, I didn’t speak with my family. This was difficult because at the time my mom was in a nursing home because she could no longer care for herself, she had the physical ability but lacked the mental ability. Sadly, I didn’t get to say goodbye to her and explain why I had to shut her out and that is something I have to live with for the rest of my life. She died suddenly. I have my doubts if my mom was in on it but if she didn’t request me to help her, which is what started the wheels in motion, I would have avoided this most unfortunate and frightening experience. I blindly walked in thinking I was going to do a favor for her and little did I know that things would go awry.
My family has always been jealous of me because I was able to make something of myself, that’s to say I was able to have a decent job and earn a respectable living. There was no question that I earn more than them. This is despite the fact that my mom and brother both had advanced education beyond me. I was the one who was always told that I wouldn’t amount to anything and the tables turned because I fought to earn everything I have ever had. I wasn’t given anything in life and to this day that remains true. Fighting all of your life gets exhausting and you tire and want to give up. There is a fight or drive in me that won’t permit me to give up, even when I want to and I am tired. This surprises me to this day. I am beyond grateful and thankful for what I have. It’s not much but it’s far more than anyone ever thought I would have and it’s more than I imagined in my wildest dreams.
To think that everything could be gone in the blink of an eye that was terrifying. I left for work each morning saying goodbye to my cats in tears, not knowing if I would return home. I had problems concentrating at work, but somehow managed to do my job although I did make some mistakes. I went to bed each night wondering if there would be a knock on the door. Never mind the fact that I didn’t commit a crime nor do anything illegal. I found out first-hand how exactly expensive hiring a criminal defense attorney is and I had to take out a loan to come up with the retainer and then shell out a considerable amount more to cover hourly costs and expenses once the retainer was exhausted. I was never arrested or charged. It was a horrible experience and one that I hope to never, ever repeat. The most criminal offense that I am guilty of is speeding and I’ve been caught a time or two. I have no luck, I couldn’t commit a crime beyond speeding and get away with it, my conscience would eat me alive. I remember telling the police that if I did what I was being accused of I would own up to it but I can’t confess to something I am innocent of. I do like to solve problems; I am better at solving other people’s problems than my own. I think that might well be true for many people. This matter was no different and I do believe I have figured out the guilty parties but on the advice of counsel I have to remain silent. Yet to this day I want to scream from the mountain top and let them dig, if I am wrong so be it but odds are, I am dead on balls accurate. I want someone to pay for the unnecessary hell I went through and the money that I had to piss away. It matters not who that person or persons are. I can keep a secret but this one is really difficult. It’s frustrating that law enforcement didn’t see what was right in front of their face the whole time. It was equally as frustrating that it took me as long as it did to figure it out.
Needless to say, that my ears perk up when I hear about a wrongful conviction. Watching a story unfold in a movie or documentary is of great interest to me and it’s nice when it ends with the person being set free. Of course, it would be great if they were never convicted in the first place. I hope that my experience has opened your eyes a bit. I do hope that no one is ever in the predicament that I was in but if you are, my advice is sound and practical. Say nothing and demand an attorney. Doing anything other than that will work to your detriment.