The Untold Toll of a Wrongful Conviction

This is a true story about a wrongful conviction that occurred in 1969. My story evolves as a nine-year-old victim of coercion by a corrupt police department, lawyers, judges, and a mayor to guarantee a wrongful murder conviction of my dad in the murder of my mom. One of the most brutal murders in the state of Virginia at the time included a sentence that did not fit the crime, the forced retirement of the police directly involved with the case, silencing key witnesses at the trial, and judge-ordered recesses when the coercion pieces started to confuse me. As a 10-year-old who spent more time testifying than anyone else during the trial, including total isolation of myself with police protection, which led to a victorious conviction for a department that failed to understand the life consequences of manufacturing a false verdict. The case involves coercion, lost evidence, the attempted suicide of an alibi before testifying and the entire criminal case file "gone missing."

There were no PSTD resources for children who witnessed a brutal murder, thrown into a family of a drunk half-way across the country, dealing with the loss of a mom and having a dad who was sentenced to 20 years in one of the worst state prisons in the U.S. My dad's sentencing as chronicled by media outlets were solely based on my false statements in the court of law. The entire arrest, trial, conviction, and my dad's release from prison were all front-page news stories. Upon my dad's parole, he sent an attorney to re-question me eight years after his sentencing. On that day for the first time, while in high school, I was allowed to tell exactly what happened that night, which was the identical story I told the night of the murder.

Throughout this personal first-hand account of living a lie that single-handily put my dad in prison, the guilt and lack of trust of adults reveals a lonely life that only God could redeem. God orchestrated a drive in me to be an overcomer, placing angels on every street corner to prevent a life that should have turned into an irrecoverable ending. He placed individuals in my life who pushed me to excellence and greatness in all things. Living a life that believes no encounter is by chance, God allowed me to surround myself with so many gracious and caring people.

The world we live in is not a Hallmark movie, but a life of dealing with peaks and valleys that allow us to experience growth. The magnitude of each misfortune should push us to grow, not wilt. Closure is what most individuals seek in times in events that will never make sense, yet it is resolve we all must seek. Then and only then can we move forward. It is a choice to allow personal harm caused by evildoers to dictate lifelong outcomes. Resolve in all things puts the moral responsibility of being an overcomer on oneself and not burden society for generations. In life recognize "wolves dressed in sheep's clothing." They are not your enemy, but the obstacle you must overcome. "Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out." Proverbs 24:19-20.

The collateral damage of the unfolding of this story are rectified by a life that was saved by Jesus Christ. This story is about God's grace of resolve when closure is not possible. It is a very compelling story of God's protection through a life that eventually came to know Christ.