Locked In with Ian Bick - Wrongfully Convicted of a Violent Crime: My 3-Year Nightmare in NY State Prison | Edgar Asencio

Episode Date: December 16, 2024

Edgar Asencio shares his experience of being wrongfully convicted of a violent crime and serving three years in a New York State prison. Edgar discusses the events that led to his conviction, the challenges he faced while incarcerated, and the impact this experience had on his life. This conversation sheds light on the flaws in the justice system and the resilience required to navigate such an ordeal. #WrongfulConviction #InnocentBehindBars #NYStatePrison #ViolentCrime #TrueCrimeStories #JusticeSystemFailure #PrisonSurvival #lifebehindbars Thank you to AURA FRAMES for sponsoring today’s episode: Exclusive $35-off Carver Mat at https://auraframes.com/. Use code LOCKEDIN at checkout to save! Connect with Edgar Asencio: Email: [e-mail] Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Buy Merch: https://www.ianbick.com/shop Use code lockedin at checkout to get 20% off your order Timestamps: 00:00:00 Life Growing Up in Bushwick, Brooklyn 00:04:25 Navigating GED and Vocational Training Challenges 00:08:26 Navigating School Challenges and Skipping Strategies 00:12:46 Reflecting on Youthful Mischief and Environment 00:17:12 Growing Up with Mischief 00:21:10 Unjust Accusation and Arrest Encounter 00:25:10 Co-Charged Encounter and Trial Strategy 00:29:33 Accusations and Misunderstandings in Court 00:33:42 The Challenges of Proving Innocence in Court 00:38:06 Verdict Day: Mixed Emotions in Court 00:42:45 Wrongful Conviction in the Pre-Digital Age 00:46:31 Navigating the Prison System: From Arrest to Incarceration 00:50:54 Life Inside Prison: Stories and Lessons 00:54:37 Lessons from Past Mistakes: Guidance for the Next Generation 00:59:02 From Assistant to District Manager: A 12-Year Retail Journey 01:03:12 Impact of Felony Records on Employment and Housing 01:07:28 Clearing My Name and Preventing Future Accusations Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Tickets are just $10 and kids under 12 are free. Get yours now at Los Angeles FWC26.com. Edgar, welcome to Locked in, man, from Brooklyn, right? Yes, sir. The Bronx? Brooklyn. Okay, Brooklyn. And Small World, we were just talking.

You knew Alpha Mel. Yes, sir. He was your bunkmate? He was on the cube next to mine. Okay, and he was on the show last year. Great dude, really good story. That was at Rikers? That was in Green, Green Correctional.

Okay, gotcha. And your story's kind of very interesting of how you got there. I remember when I think you emailed me and I was reading about that. And you kind of rolled the dice at trial, I think, or something like that. Yes, I did. Awesome. Yeah, we'll get into it all in the story. Did you grow up in New York?

Born and raised. In Brooklyn, too? Yeah. So I live in the Bush, Bushwick part of Brooklyn and on the border of Ridgewood. So I spent my time back and forth. Right now I'm into Brooklyn side in Bushwick. What was that like growing up there?

So growing up in Bushwick back in the 80s was kind of like when you see those movies like New Jack City with the abandoned buildings and stuff and like that and, you know, a lot of drugs and poverty and stuff like that. And not much to do back then. And now it's beautiful. It's gentified, and there's a lot to do. I had a friend that got stuck out here from Florida, because Milton just hit, and she wasn't able to fly back out.

And she was like, wow, the neighborhood is different. It's amazing. Who did you grow up with? Did you have your mom and dad, any siblings? So I was raised by my grandmother. My father, he was kind of a young father, had me when he was 16. My mom was 15.

Something happened where my mom ended up leaving. Never seen that again. And I got raised by my grandparents. And I have siblings, but we have different parents. Like, so from different mothers. Did you have any relationship with your dad growing up? Yes. So I lived in the same household, but my dad was kind of like a brother figure because he was so young.

I feel like he didn't have that father type figure in him yet at the time. But we're still close now. And did you ever look at your grandparents as, like a parent type figure or no? Yes, so if I speak on my mom, it's going to be related towards my grandmother. So like while we're doing an interview, if I speak on her,

it's going to be directed towards her. Do you think that had a big effect on your childhood because they grew up different time periods, you know, maybe it was not the same parenting style as like your actual parents would have been? As far as leniency, yes. Because I feel like, you know,

how your grandparents is always going to be sweet on you and she was a little older, So she probably couldn't really control me as much as my father or my younger parents would have been able to. So you got away with a lot more than you would have been able to. Definitely did. Yeah. So did you go to public schools? Yes, I did.

So I went to a school called PS68, which is in the neighborhood. IS77 for immediate school. And Franklin K. Lane for high school. But didn't finish. Stop there. made it to knife and that's as far as I went. I never finished high school at all. No.

Did you get your diploma in prison? When I came out, you know, while I was in there, I was driving to get my GED, but the wait list is ridiculous. So when I was coming up for the GD test, I ended up getting transferred from upstate back down to Queens because when your time gets short, sometimes they send you back down to the city. So they sent me back to Queens house and I missed my life. GED test date. So I ended up getting my GED. So a part of the story is I'm in

Queensboro and I'm looking out the window of Queensboro. Directly across the street from Queensboro is LaGuardia Community College and I'm staring out the window and there's a girl and a guy like on the terrace and it starts to rain and the the water's pouring from the gutter and she's standing under it like it was like a commercial like a like a pantine probably like a shampoo commercial. And she's just dancing and shaking her head. And I was just like, man, I wish I was there instead of here. And when I came out, I went, got my GED, and then attending that college.

Oh, wow. Wait, so there was a wait list to get your GED? It was so long. So, like, when I first got upstate, I wasn't academically ready to take your GED. So they put you in pre-GED classes. And there's even a step under that, which I don't know, because I fell in the pre-GED. Like I was almost there, but I just wasn't quite there. So they have to, you have to pre-test to see if you're ready to take the test.

I pre-tested and I was ready, but the wait list was ridiculous. Yeah, see, in the federal system, if you don't have your high school diploma verified, you're in GED, like within weeks. You're mandated to be in those classes or you're getting a write-up. Yeah. So same, similar to state. So state, you're mandatory to do something. You cannot just go to jail and just sleep your time away.

Like you have to be enrolled in either school. The easy way is to be a custodian or something. And that's what the people doing there. Like if they don't want to work, they'll be like, oh, I'm going to be a house porter, right? But I was trying to be productive with my time. So I ended up going to GED and then they signed you up for a vocational. And the vocational that I wanted to attend was air conditioning and refrigeration, but the way list was ridiculous for that as well.

So they're like, hey, just jump into printing is the easiest. And from there later on, something opens up. you'll be able to get into air conditioner. Never happened. So why do you leave the ninth grade or leave school after the ninth grade? Okay, so in ninth grade, I went to a school that I say it kind of prepared me.

When I went to Rikers, it felt similar. Like, I was like, oh, this feels like I've been here before because when I went to Franklin K. Lane in the 90s, I heard it was worse, but the school was bad. And I make a reference to the movie Lean on Me. It felt like the movie Lean on Neen on. You know, there was gang beef in there and, you know, the hoodies were graffitied up, dirty. You go through metal detectors at the time when not old schools had metal detectors or whatever.

So it was kind of similar. You know, I couldn't really focus academically. Like my mind was always on what was going on outside. Like, not that I was scared, but like it wasn't somewhere where I felt comfortable to study at. I wanted to go hang out. Like I'll look out and I see kids smoking weed. I see girls cutting class playing handball. And that's where I wanted to be.

So I couldn't really focus academically. So my mind got sidetracked. So I began, you know, some of my neighborhood friends ended up going to the school. So that school is considered a zone school, meaning if you don't get into any high school that you get chosen for, like you apply for, you get just pushed into that zone school. So it's like forced. So a lot of neighborhoods, kids started coming there and we would link up. And instead of going to class, we would take the train to the city and go. run around the city and do dumb stuff.

Go steal, like little things and, you know, shot run around and be kids, do graffiti. But I just couldn't focus, man. I couldn't pay attention in that environment. And you were able to just voluntarily leave? Like, no one comes after you? Oh, no, we had to sneak out. So we'll sneak out a side door or whatever.

And we'll get on the train. And then it started becoming a little more difficult. Like, you would have to find. There were times that we'll sneak out and we'll go to the store and go get a sandwich and we'll get called by truancy. And truancy would just bring you right back to school or whatever. And then we'll just sneak out the next period or something like that. But they had a system in place. It was just the school was humongous.

And we knew our way around it to like kind of get away from them. They actually had like a truancy division. I've only heard about that in like movies and your parents would threaten you in the suburbs growing up. So that school they had like, you know, they had officers posted like around the school. and like, um, so me, you would have to take the train to the stop called Broe Junction. So if you go to Broa Junction, if I'm not mistaken, I'm not too sure. I believe they had like a little precinct there or something like that.

But I know a couple times when I would take the L train back that way, they would be cops there and they would stop me and ask me, hey, let me see your program car. What are you doing out at this time? And I would lie and say, I'm in GED. But they'll be like, this doesn't match. And then they will snatch you up and take you back. So then I ended up making a fake program card so that I can get around that.

Oh, wow. And are your grandparents knowing at this time that you're skipping school? So my grandmother, she kind of knew, but I had an excuse for everything. And it was like, my lives were so believable that she just believed me. Like, I'd be like, oh, somebody burned a desk at school

so they sent us home or like, I would tell them random things and whatever, and the school would call her, and then she'll be like, she'll, you know, she'll plead with me like, come on, do the right thing. And I'll be like, I will, I will, I will. And then, like, midway through the year, I would get, like, tired of lying,

and I just wouldn't get up anymore. I'll just be like, you know what? Ma, I don't want to do this no more. Like, I'm tired. I'm not doing it. So she was like, I'm not going to bother you no more because it was like, you know, I was stressed how she didn't want to deal with it no more.

But then September came around, and I gave it another crack. But, like, it's funny. and my friends, we had this saying, like, we'll go to school in September, but just so we could get new school clothes. Because, you know, your parents take you shopping for new school clothes, and then we'll go for a couple months, and then we'll drop out again. So I took a crack at the ninth grade again, but then same thing.

And that's it. After that, the school sat me and my mom down and was like, listen, look, you're starting to age out. Like, you have to go get your GED. And I was like, I don't want to do that. Because I kind of figured, like, at some point, maybe I would get it together, I wanted to send school. And they were like, well, you can't do it here. So they kind of just, like, kicked me out to school.

Do you think it was hard on them to raise you? I mean, they went and raised their kids and then, you know, probably figured they were done raising kids. And then they have now you. And it's navigating a whole different era. I definitely was difficult and sense of peace of mind. But I was not to say that that was like good. But I was a loving kid. I wasn't like bad towards them, but I was definitely a headache.

Like as far as like worrisome, a worrisome like they'd be worried about me. Like, damn, what this kid is doing? Like, why does he come home at this time or, you know, things of that nature? Are you struggling to find the perfect holiday gift? Meat or a frames, guys. If you are a last minute shopper like me, you know how stressful it can be to find something thoughtful as the holidays get closer and the store start looking empty. Or you miss that Amazon Prime delivery.

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Back then, I would say that I was crazy. But, like, not crazy. as like a psycho killer like you know very mischievous like i do a bunch of like stupid little kids stuff that not necessarily like every kids do but kids in that environment would do you know running around doing graffiti staying out late smoking drinking and stuff like that you know but i would say that's what they would say do you think you would have been better off in like a like a tech school or some type of alternative school that kind of maybe stimulated your mind a little bit better that was the problem. I feel like the schools in that area don't do enough to stimulate your mind.

You know, like I say if I wanted to play ball, I would have never knew the avenues of how to explore that, right? Like, so one of my mistakes of high school was instead of knowing what you want to do, like I know that now, like say in junior high school, you kind of got some sort of idea. Like say, you want to be a fireman, right? Like I did. You would go towards the school that has that type of education. I didn't know that. So I just was putting random schools, not knowing that if I go to health professions, right,

because I know there's females there, but I don't want to be a doctor. I'm just going there because there's females. I'm going to fail because my mind is not going to be stimulated by that type of education. So I didn't know that. I didn't know how to explore avenues. I didn't know how to, right,

if you want to be this, you have to go to the school for this. so there was nobody there that showed me that and the schools basically didn't tell you that either they just gave you a book and told you to apply for high schools now I know you were skipping school and and doing graffiti and stuff but were you getting arrested at all or using drugs anything like that

okay so I smoked weed briefly it wasn't a long period of time like I was smoking and weed brings me down like I feel like I just get in the shell and I just stay quiet so I was like you know what this ain't for me as far as other hard drugs no drink

occasionally once in a while I wasn't a good drinker like I sloppy drunk get violent um so I really didn't drink much but um side track I got sidetracked what was the question again just if you were getting into any trouble aside from skipping school okay yeah so leading up to this arrest I was getting in trouble for little dumb stuff like um I had got in trouble one time because I stopped smoking but you know you hanging out with the crowd that smokes. So me and my cousin and a friend, they're smoking. I'm sitting on the stoop with them

and they're smoking. Police rose up. They put us on the wall. They search us or whatever. And they're like, we're taking you in. And I'm like, I don't even smoke. Like, you didn't see me smoking. And they're like, no, we're taking you in

because your cousin's too young. We can't take him. So they took me in and put me in the bookings with my other friend because they couldn't take him. So I ended up getting arrested for that. So that began like a little How you say it? Like a little

I get jammed up That became a little streak of me getting locked up For dumb stuff that I didn't do So that was one I feel like you know in life there's like signs And you're not catching them So that was one The second time was I come on my house

I meet up with two other friends There was a paddy wagon We called them TNC Tuesdays and Thursdays and Thursdays, they drive around the neighborhood and they lock people up and they look for, you know, they raid and do stupid stuff. I come out, apparently two other, three other guys made a sale on the block that fit the description of us.

So we come walking, they made the sale leave and truancy rows, I mean T&T rolls on us and locks us up for the sale. So with that one, I. went to, I got arrested or whatever, and I just wanted to cop out like, yo, I want to get this over, I want to get out. They gave me an ACD for it. So, meaning don't get in trouble in six months and this goes away or whatever.

I didn't want to take it. I didn't want to fight it. It was, it was minor. So I was like, I'll take the ACD and leave it alone. And that became, like, little arrests telling me, like, it was a warning that something big was going to happen. But that was it. Oh, and, you know, the neighborhood kids.

I mean, the neighborhood police They didn't really appreciate us much because we was, you know, a lot of mischief, we was known. So they were all around and they would tell us, well, when I was younger before I turned 18, they would tell me, I can't wait to you turn 18.

I'm sending you upstate, you know? And I would laugh like, yeah, yeah, F you, whatever, whatever, but they were serious. So you're kind of living just like a normal kid life growing up in the city and doing what kids do. Yeah. As far as as as, in my environment because, you know, I, I learned that to use that excuse because not all kids do it, you know?

But as far as where I came from, yes. I feel like to a certain extent, I mean, like we, I went to school, but we did a lot of the similar stuff getting in trouble, getting, you know, like in trouble for, you know, small things. Yeah, yeah. Not as severe as like what some kids are getting in trouble for nowadays or some of the stories we hear about, like, using guns or heavy drugs or selling it like at a young age. Yeah, yeah. But you weren't on that path, clearly. No. So when do you end up getting in trouble?

How old are you? I believe I was 18 or 17 on the verge of turning 18. So what were you doing from leaving 9th grade till that and just doing this every day? Were you working at all? And how are you able to not like to just stop school completely? So I was hustling. I'm not going to lie. I was selling weed.

I was out there from that period. Not immediately, but as I older, got older, I had to support myself. financially. My grandmother was like, if you're going to not go to school, you're going to have to have a job. And it's not like I wasn't trying. Like I was putting in the applications, but like a kid at that age, it was hard to get a job, no, no background in anything. I was, I wasn't getting no callbacks. So I was like, you know what? I'm just going to sell some weed. And that's what, that's what happened. I was selling weed or whatever, whatever. But never got arrested for that. And like I said, the sale prior to that was someone else making that. And I got in trouble for it.

And did you have aspirations of like going to college or anything? At that time, no. But my main goal eventually was like I wanted to become a firefighter. That was my. I really wanted to do that. I just didn't know the avenue. Like I didn't know that there was no one telling me like, hey, look, apply for the FDY exam, none of that. And to be honest, I wasn't trying to figure it out at that time.

Like I was just like, I was just, I didn't know what I was going to do at the time. Why firefighting? For some reason, I always wanted to be a fireman. Like, I don't know why. Since a kid, I was like, I want to be a fire man. That was, that was it. And when you know, they asked you what you want to be in school, I would always say that. But like I said, I just didn't have no one to, I don't know why.

Like, I was, maybe I was naive. I didn't ask my grandmother, like, how do you do that or whatever? Like, you know, but, you know, the Puerto Rican lady, she might not know. So I just didn't pay attention. I love that. All right. So now you're 17, 18, walk us through that day where you end up getting arrested and going to prison. Okay, so it began like this.

The day before the arrest, I was outside on the stoop with my uncle. We were hanging out, you know, just talking or whatever. And a bunch of squad cars pull up to the corner of my block. So I get up to go see what happened. Like, what's the commotion about? Little that I know the commotion was for me. They jump out on me and they put me against the fence and they were like, stay right there. And I'm like, what do you mean?

Like, what's going on? and they're like, um, someone said you robbed them. And I'm like, what the heck? I was just sitting on this stoop. I didn't even get up off of this stoop. Like, what are you talking about? And they're like, um, just stay there. So what happened is the witness or whoever the person was, the complainant,

ended up leaving. They didn't even wait for the police. They just said, someone robbed them and they left. So I'm thinking it's another day in the neighborhood. They just want to fuck with me as a made-up story, whatever, whatever. They took my information and they left completely. And the part that I'm about to tell now, I really never tell anyone, but I'm gonna say it now.

So the next day, my aunt calls me. She's like, hey, stay in the house. The police that was messing with you yesterday a back out in the neighborhood. But they have someone else, like they have them hemmed up and they're like, they have him hemmed up. And she's like, don't come outside.

And I was like, what do you mean? Like I'm coming outside anyway. I was gonna go get a bacon egg and cheese. I go outside. in my slippers to go get the bacon, egg, and cheese. As I'm walking, they're ready, the commotion's over, they pulled somebody over. But I see someone like in a tenant, unmarked vehicle,

point at me, but I can't see who it is. Out of nowhere, cars jump back on the sidewalk and they throw me on the gate. And they're like, stay right there, move, don't move. I'm like, what are you doing? I just came out of my house. I'm going to get a bacon egg and cheese. They're like, you're arrested for robbery.

I'm like, robbery, I didn't do anything. Like, what are you doing? So I grabbed the gate. I didn't want to let go of the gate. So they're over here yanking me trying to pull me off the fence and I'm not letting it go. At this time, a scene forms like a bunch of crowds come around. My mom is now screaming like flipping out

because she don't know what's going on. She's like, my son just left my house. Like, what are you doing? So she didn't want me to get beat up. So she's like, just go with them. And I'm like, no, I'm not going with them. I didn't do this. I swear I didn't do this.

I'm not going. The neighbor across street was like, go. Your mom is getting agitated. My mom is a firecracker, like Spanish, Puerto Rico. And she, what the fuck, my son? So I'm like, I don't want nothing to happen to her. I let go. I go to the precinct and I'm in the cells and I'm just like, what the hell just happened?

Like, I just didn't even know my head was spinning. So I was just thinking, like, you know, maybe this is a made-up story because they always threaten me and they always fucking with me. Like, maybe they just try to pin something on me. I don't know. Or maybe someone's confused. So I get. remanded because remember now I have the ACD,

which I completely forgot about it because I'm thinking, oh, that's a little slap on the wrist, but now it comes into play that it gets bigger because it's like you can't get in trouble for six months and now that opens up. So I didn't know, I get sent to the boat. There's a boat in the Bronx called Vernon Bain something. So they sent me to the boat and I hear my charges,

24-hour arraignment, indicted, whatever, whatever. And now I hear my list of charges, robbery the first robbery in the second about four counts I can't remember them all so now I call my mom and I'm like yo ma just leave me here because maybe it'll get dismissed maybe there's a mistake like let's see what happens and she's like you sure I'm like yeah so then I get indicted and then I'm like this is real like there's something's going on like something that's completely wrong and now they put the co-defendant with me the kid that they got earlier but I really don't speak

much on him because I can't say if he did it or not. I don't know. I know the kid from the neighborhood. We're friends like as far as they, hey, what's up, but we don't hang out. So his story is for him to tell. But what I did make sure is that we didn't have separate jobs. So that way there was no, he could blame me for something. Get it? Because he don't know me. He don't, he could hate. So you're running out of closet space. The good news, you don't need to stop shopping. You just need to start selling with the real real. The real real real is the world's large. just and most trusted resource for authenticated luxury resale. Whether it's that mini bag that can't even fit your phone or those boots you never fully broken,

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He got to have no remorse. Like, yeah, what's him? Wait, why didn't he just say he didn't know you and that you weren't involved? Whether he did it or not, you know? Because we got blindsided. Like, get it?

Like, they just was looking for someone to grab. Well, I don't want to say that because there was someone who was saying that we both did it. But I don't know if it was coerced. So you're saying you didn't do it at all? Completely. I had no idea. 100%.

And did you ever associate with the people that you think did it? I don't know. Because you don't know who actually did it. I don't know who actually did it. And I feel like if they did know, they wouldn't tell me. And do you think that this guy that was co-charged with you did it? Or was involved with them in any way? So from my encounters with him,

because we, like I said, I moved to keep the trial together. I'm like, I'm not going to let him separate because I don't, he can say anything, right? Like, he don't know me. He don't got no ties to me. He could be like, yeah, what's him? And then all that weight would be on me. So we kept it together. But from our encounters together, 100% he said that he did not do it.

Wow. So no connection at all. Well, neighborhood connection. We know each other with sub, hey. Yeah, but not like a direct. Not like my best friend or like, sleep over my house type of thing. I'm saying like seeing earlier that day,

hanging out with them. Oh, no, no, no, no. So the evidence was very slim. Slim. And now when you say the boat, is that like a jail that's on a boat? It's a prison. It's a barge, a prison barge.

And this is separate from Rikers. Separate from Rikers. Okay. Yeah. So when they talk about like closing Rikers and stuff, is this like an alternative holding that they have out there? I believe that that was an alternative for space. There was maybe overcrowding in Rikers.

but I'm not sure they might have closed the barge first. Okay. It might be closed. How did you get on the barge? Like is it in the middle of the water or is it just parked on the side? Parked on the side. Okay. On a docker.

What happens is you go to Central Bucket for a couple nights and then they transport you to the barge. Okay. And that was because you couldn't get bail. Well, yes, they offered bail. But I didn't take the bail yet because I'm like maybe it's a mistake. Why I'm going to pay maybe some. They'll be like, oh, we've found. figuring it out, so we're going to let you go.

Now, the cops that arrested you, did you know them at all? Were they neighborhood cops that were, you know, after you? Not the blue and whites, the detective, yeah. The detective. The lead detective on the case. Yeah. He always had a thing for us, for the kids on that block. Yeah.

Was he a white guy? Yeah. Okay. Older? He looked pretty young. He could have been, like, you know, early 30s. I don't know how old you start off as a detective. but he looked pretty young.

So why do you personally feel that you got arrested that day? So I personally feel it was a case of misidentification. And I, in my heart, I believe the person realized that, but I believe that she might have been told, hey, it's too late. Like, you're going to perjure yourself if, like, I don't know, like, I felt like she was pushed. I don't know because on the indictment on the minutes,

the minutes is the transcripts of, you know, everything that was spoken of in the court case. She said that two Puerto Rican kids on bikes robbed her. One which she claimed to be me was blocking her from moving and the other pulled out a knife and said, give me your bag. And her description of me was completely off. Like she said that I was chubby.

at the time. I had a chip tooth. These are still my teeth to this day. No veneers. Like, I never had a chip tooth. I never weighed. If you see my pictures from then, I weighed like a buck 20 soaking wet.

You know? I always said, I don't doubt the claim that maybe she did get robbed. Who knows? But it wasn't me. Like, your description is off. And did she do like a lineup? Was there a police lineup?

There was no lineup. So their reasoning for no lineup was, little did I know, when I came outside that morning, she was in the van and she pointed me. That was the person pointing. So I guess it's like an on-spot thing, but I-

I've heard of this, yeah. I didn't know. I didn't know what it was. And I asked for that. I also said, hey, I wasn't even in a lineup. They were like, the person pointed at you. What did this woman look like? So the funny thing is, this woman lived,

one, two, three, about five houses down for me, right? And this was the early, stages of justification, right? Like, so this woman came from somewhere. I don't know where, like what state somewhere and moved here. And you can tell because at the time they would stick out, it wasn't many people. So like from other places coming to live in the neighborhoods. So she was a white woman and she lived a couple houses down and this goes to show you how I didn't know this woman, right?

She was walking by one day. As the trial was happening, she was walking by the house and I'm sitting. I got out on bail. I will go back to the bail story. I got on bail. And one of my friends cat calls at her. He's like trying to talk to her.

But I don't even know that this is the woman that's accusing me of robbery. Like I get back to the court. The judge is like, we're going to slap an order of protection on you. You're harassing this woman. I'm like, what woman? I don't even know what she looks like. At first I thought it was a complete lie that there was no one that got robbed. before I even got to see her on the stand.

I thought this was made up all the way to the end. I was like, I've never even seen this woman. I don't even know what she looks like. Wow. Did you ever get a chance to talk to her afterwards, like to this day? So when I got brought to court, no, while I was waiting for the indictment, I got slapped with a new charge.

I got slapped with medicine because my parents, my grandmother ended up knew who she was. So they went to her and was trying to speak to her. But my grandmother's loud. She can be intimidating, you know? Little short lady, she's loud. So I guess she got frustrated. Like, my son didn't fucking do it.

Like, and I'm sitting there in the holding, and they hit me with a medicine charge. So I'm like, what the heck is going on out there? I didn't even speak to anybody. Call my mom. She's like, I spoke to the lady. I said, Ma, they just hit me with another charge. Anna, I order of protection.

Like, you're crazy. Like, leave her alone. Like, leave that person alone. How does a legal process play out? Are you offered a deal? What happens next? And how long does that take? All right. So now I'm sitting on the boat. I see my lawyer and he's like, what's going on? I said, listen, I didn't do this at all. Like, he's like, we can give you five years probation. Like, I can try to get you five years probation. And I'm like, I don't want anything. I didn't do it. Like, I don't want nothing, you know? Kind of being naive that these things do happen, that people, the injustices do happen, you know? I only see them on TV.

I never met nobody that was arrested for something that they didn't do. And when you go to stay prison and you ask anyone what they're in there for and you tell them you're innocent, they say me too. Right? Like everybody in there is innocent. So I was like, yo, this is real. Like they're really trying to set me up. Like or whatever the case is. So the lawyer offered me, I mean the lawyer tried to get me the five years.

I said, I don't want it. So we go to trial immediately. So he's like, we're going to take it to the grand jury And we'll see where it goes from there So they bring me down to go to court, right? I'm new to this. Like I said, like little minor stuff central book is But I don't know legal terminology

So I'm one of the last people to go see the judge. My lawyer comes in and he goes, Do you want a waiver to go to the grand jury? I thought that meant yes, to go to the grand jury. like, yes, like, yes, I want to go. But it means that when you waver, you don't have to appear. So I'm sitting there waiting to go to court and they shackle me back up. I'm like, wait, I didn't go to court.

And they're like, you wavered. That means that you don't want to go to court. So again, a play on words. Not saying that he did it intentionally, but I was, to me, I was still young. Like, mentally I wasn't grown. And I misunderstood and I lost my opportunity because in the grand jury is, where she gave the description of like I just explained to you. And maybe if they would have seen me in person, maybe they would have tossed it.

They were like, this clearly not the same guy. So I missed my shot right there for that. So then from there, he's like, what are we going to do now? I was like, we're going to trial. Like, I didn't do it. I'm not taking this charge. Do you think that the attorney thought you were guilty? Like, do you think he was actually in your corner or no?

At first, I feel like he was just going through the motions. It's probably another case for him. He just wanted to get it over with or whatever, whatever. But as time went on, I believe he understood. Because I even asked for a lie detector test. I was like, listen, I'll take a lie detector test. And he's like, it's insubmissible in court. And I'm like, why?

Like, if it can prove me innocent, why? You know? And then he was like, they're not going to do it. He's not going to go for it. So I guess he seemed like that I was trying everything to show him that Listen, it wasn't me That's when he believed so But do I believe he fought for me as hard as he could have?

No The trial dragged for a while But I don't think he fought for me as hard as he could Because even so like When him and the DA would have little sidebars I would hear from the side and he'll be like if you don't bring this up I won't bring this up and I and I wanted to be in the loop like what do you mean? What's don't bring you?

what up. So I'm like, damn, I don't know. Now, if you took the five years probation, would that have been a felony? Yeah, I believe so. I, because I didn't even, I didn't even ask. As soon as they offered it, I didn't even say, I didn't even contemplate taking it or anything. I was like, y'all, I didn't do this. I'm not taking anything. So I'm pretty sure I would have stood on my jacket. Do you wish you took it to this day? No. No. I don't regret my decisions because I didn't do it. Like, and, you know, I lost a lot of time, but it's helped me become the person I am today. What were you facing going into trial? Like how many years in prison if you lost? To be honest, I don't know because I don't know what each felony carries. I know.

So I beat all the charges, but one. I was charged with robbery in the second degree. And the minimum for that charge was three years, three and a half. I was given the minimum. Three and a half with two. two years post-supervision, which parole. What charges did you win? I'd be robbery in the first,

which is a, I guess like when you robbed them directly or whatever. I don't remember the other two, but the robbery in the second was acting in concert. So they pretty much couldn't determine if I wasn't there or not. You know, it was my word against that person's word. So my lawyer told me, is easier to be a murder or something like that versus a robbery because he says she said.

And a lot of times people are already going in with the cassette that you're guilty. Did you testify at your own trial? Yes. And what was that experience like for you? It was nerve wrecking, but I believe that since I didn't have nothing to lie, it was easier for me.

You know, I was just telling the truth and it just, it was easy. I believe the jury, believe me, but they just couldn't really tell. And I believe the judge believed me also because his closing remarks, the way he said, he said, he said, he said, because you were found guilty

by the jury, I have to impose a sentence. But going back to the school thing, he said, you know, if you was in school and you was doing what you were supposed to do, this probably would have never happened to you. And, you know, they hit you with, if there's anything I can do for your early release, I'll put it in the paperwork, but once you got, I had a three-year flat, and I had to do my three years.

Do you feel like you got convicted because it was a crime that was, one, against a victim, or a woman victim, and two, because there was no alternative suspect. You know, the jury sympathized with her. I'm assuming she testified. She did. And there was no alternative to point the finger on. I just. Like, they want the jury wanted someone to be. held accountable.

No, I just believe that, you know, from her testimony, I believe her experience was real. I believe whatever she said on that stand was real. I just believe she had the wrong guy. Like I said, I can't speak for the other dude. But I believe me personally, she confused me with someone else. Like, she sounded like she went through that experience. And I believe the jury wasn't sure.

if we were guilty in that, but we were there. So they were, someone was going to pay for it, but wasn't sure. Describe that feeling of getting the verdict read and, you know, what's going on in your mind before the moment's during and then the moments after. All right. So I was out on bail at the time. So I got to live a little bit of life before coming in for the verdict. I was fighting my trial outside.

So that day. I get called up, I come in or whatever, and they're about to read the verdict. And I'm just staring above the judge's head. And God, we trust. And I'm like, God, you know that I didn't do this. I'm like, please, like, you know I didn't do this. So they begin to read the verdict. Robbery in the first, not guilty.

So right there, I shoot up on a high, like if I beat the whole thing. And then robbery in a second, guilty. Right back down. Hit the floor. like because I didn't know what the minimum charge that was going to be for that. And then whatever the other two charges were, not guilty, not guilty. But I was in shock still. So I turned to my lawyer and he's smiling like, like if I just won the lottery.

So he's like, he's like, congratulations. I'm like, but I just got found guilty. He's like, he said, but the minimum on that charge is three and a half years. And I'm like, three and a half years. I'm going to jail for three and a half years. He's like, yeah. So I talk to you outside. So we stand in and I waited and they imposed the same.

sentence or whatever. But they also gave me more time out. So my lawyer said, hey, listen, look, he has a grandfather that's sick. You know, can he spend Father's Day with him? This happened in February, I believe. And they made me return June 17th, which is the day after my birthday. So you were sentenced right then and there after the trial? That sentence, but they gave me like, you know, they were like, oh, you were found guilty,

whatever, this carries a minimum of boo-boo-boo. Now, in most state cases, you're technically, you know, remanded right then and there to the system. Yeah, I wasn't remanded. Okay. Yeah, they told, they gave me a sentencing date. They told me to come back in June 17th for sentencing. The DA strongly was against it. They were like, he's a flight risk, blah, blah, blah.

And the lawyer was like, he's not a flight risk. He's just, his father's sick. He wants to spend time with him. He's not going nowhere. And I was like, I'm not going nowhere, man. And then when you got sentenced, you were your handcuffed right? sent in there and brought. So for sentences that came in,

the judge was like, that's when he gave me that little spiel about the school and stuff like that. And he said, I'm gonna impose the minimum three and a half years to two post-release supervision. And I was cuffed.

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Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. Wow. Yeah. So why the boat is where you're going to serve your sentence or was that like a transit center? Yeah, basically. So the boat is somewhere you stay for a little while and then from the boat you go to Rikers and then from the Rikers you go to Ulster County, which is another intake, and then you go to upstate whatever jail they're going to send you to. How long were you in transit for before you got to upstate? So I was in the boat for about a month before they sent me to Rikers.

Rikers, I was about, I want to say, three months. in a sentence house where, like, you know, it's a house where you're at before you go upstate. Now, in your whole prison experience, how are people treating you that you had a crime against a woman? So I feel like not necessarily they didn't care if it was a crime against a woman. It was like I said, hey, what are you in here for?

Hey, I got it. I'm locked up for something I didn't do. Well, me too, him too. Everyone, all of us. And then when I would sit down and I was adamant about, hey, I'm dead serious. They would just be like, yo, that's messed up, man. Like, it's crazy that you're in here for something you didn't do. And I'm like, I'm dead serious.

I mean, you're in a tough position because you literally have no proof. No proof. And everyone says that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. But it wasn't, you know, the crime, it wasn't like, it wasn't like, you know, she was assaulted or anything. Whatever the people did to her, they basically told her, give me. her bag, like in the movies, and she gave her bag and they left. You know, like, I guess if it would

have been more severe, maybe I would have had some problems for the crime, but I didn't run into problems about the crime more so. What year did this happen, this incident, the arrest? The arrest happened in 2002. I got sent since 2003. So do you think that if it happened like today, you wouldn't have been convicted because there's cameras, there's cell phones, there's, you know. I would have definitely had a better shot. I just want to prevent it. perspective for the audience, you know? Yeah. Because if I think it's harder now than ever to get wrongfully convicted of something like

this. Like this is basically like a mugging, you know? I definitely would have had a better shot because, you know, cameras everywhere, cell phone towers. But, you know, at the time I had a cell phone as well. And I told them about the cell phone. Then they're like, hey, someone else could have been on that phone call. Like, you know, I'm like, so like all my ideas were getting shot down by my attorney.

But I felt like he knew best. He's mine as early. And there was no one else that could have pinpointed you anywhere, no witnesses, nothing? Yes. So my mom, I was home that night. So at the time, I had a girlfriend and me and her were bigger and we were in a fight or whatever. So I was kind of going through like, you know, a funk and I ended up going home early that night and going to bed. I did make a phone call or received a call early, but it wasn't for long.

It was probably like a brief minute. And it probably would have been able to. to be used, but my mom knew I was home. The problem with my mom was that she's a hothead. The DA would have tripped her up. So my lawyer was like, hey, listen, I don't recommend your mom taking a stand. Your mom, she's like, she's not going to be able to. So I had to fend for myself.

Now, what about appeals? There was no way to appeal everything because you did go to trial. Yep, I did that. I did the appeals. So the appeals made it to the highest court. And from what I understand, again, like, I don't know. the legal processes. Like I,

um, it has to be unanimous or something like that on the judges to vote guilty or not guilty. And I believe one judge voted against me versus in favor. So was the mean evidence her word against yours? Yes. That was the biggest evidence. Yes. She must have been a very compelling witness though too.

Yes. Like I said, I believed her. You get what I'm saying? Like I like, I don't feel she was lying. I feel like when she heard, testimony, she might have realized, hey, maybe I got the wrong guy. But maybe the detective twisted her arm a little bit.

Hey, if you go back on your statement, you're going to perjure yourself. Because I just feel he didn't like us. He didn't like me. He didn't like the neighborhood kids. Now, if someone like an audience member did a deep dive into these court cases, is there things that they'll find that will give a different perspective? and like to like to back up your claims or vice versa

you know is there like a gray area where it's like oh maybe he did do it I don't think so and I will hope some that's my goal to come on here and hopefully someone will want to do a deep dive on this or maybe she'll see it and me and her can have a conversation like I'm harmless I would love to sit down

and tell you like it wasn't me I didn't do it like please clear my name like even though it's too late for me to be a firefighter but just having my name clear to be amazing. You know, it's like people tell you, forget about it and move on. It happened so long ago. You tell people that were molested

to forget about it and move on? Like, I have a son now. I fear that he gets mistakenly accused of something he don't do it. He goes to jail. I still have nightmares. I wake up that I'm in jail. And my reoccurring nightmare is that I'm in jail

and I get the news that my mother's sick and she's going to die while I'm in jail. jail. Like, you know, it's trauma. I can't just get up and forget about this. How did it make you feel to sit in prison when you knew in your heart you didn't do it? So, what's that feeling? I get that question all the time, right?

You know, even while I was in there, the other inmates, you know, how are you doing this? And, you know, you're familiar with the bubble, right? That's the desk where the correction officer sits. Every time that phone rang, I thought it was them calling to say, hey, you got the wrong guy. come come get this guy and get him out of here that phone were ring you'll see me be like why is that phone ringing you know and by the time i realized i wasn't getting out of there i had a year left so like i said i went to the boat i went to rikers i went to oster from oster i went to green correctional facility where i met my man alpha mel and um as i was there my classification dropped

from violent to non-violent because robbery is a violent felony, right? And I went to Mount McGregor. And from McGregor, I realized I had the year left that I'm doing this time. But what I said is like, I got 365. I'm coming home.

How much you have to serve on a three year? All of it. You have to do all of it. Well, I got sentenced to three and a half, right? I didn't do the half because of good time. So I did my three because I had a three-year flat bid. So, you know, on flat bids,

you're not eligible for early release. You can't apply for work release and all of that, but it's very rare that you get it. So, you know, we got this thing called jailhouse lawyers where that's the old-timer or someone who thinks they know what they're doing, right? So they're like, listen, hey, tell them you use drugs. Maybe you'll get a program and you'll get out early. So when an intake, they're like, hey, do you use any drugs?

I'm like, yeah, all of them. Like, because I'm like, I want to go to a drug program. What that did was messed me up more and delayed me more. Now I'm in a program called ASAT. I don't know if you've made you with ASAT. It's a drug program in the prison. And I'm sitting here with people telling their testimony about using drugs. And I'm frustrated because it's like militant style.

And they're like, you have to live out your bag and you have to fold the sheets and you have to do a bunch of stuff. And I'm like, I don't even belong here. Again, another avenue that I went, which was the wrong path. And then coming home, because that's on record, I have to do it when I get out now. again for post-release supervision. So now I'm sitting there and they're like, hey, so what are you here for? I'm like, for being dumb. Like, for just following jailhouse lawyers and giving me advice, there was no coming home

early. I was going to do those three years. No, speaking of jailhouse lawyers, there was no one in there that, because there are cases where like one will find your case, look at it and find something that's able to flip it. Yep. So I actually found this Alzheimer, but it was too late. Like I was on my way home and he started actually helping me with.

with the case. He ended up, what did he do for me? He was the one who set up the appeal for me. Like, he was like, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna get them to do this pro bono and whatever. And he was the one who got mines

all the way to the Supreme Court, but I lost them in transit. Wow. I lost them in transit. But he started helping me. And then I got the answer to the appeal while I was home. Not the first appeal,

the last appeal. So there's a couple, processes you can go through. And the last appeal, I got it while I was home and I looked at it. And I was like, I'm already home. But, you know, in my heart, I always wanted to go back and try to refight it or whatever, whatever. But resources financially, I just can't do it. What were your grandparents saying while you were in prison? Did they stay on your side the whole time? Yes. They knew from day one I wasn't there. Like, she knew I was home that night. I was adamant about that, that I didn't do it. I was like, my, I'm many things, but a robber, a thief.

is not me. You know, like, I won't, I won't do that. I won't take someone's property physically from them. I'll probably go steal a candy bar, son, as a kid, but I'm not going to come harm someone. You know, it's not my character. Anyone could tell you. And at the time, like, not to say that I'm proud of it,

I made decent amount of money selling weed as a kid, you know, for the things that I liked, my little sneakers and, you know, clothing and stuff like that. I didn't need to do that. You know, at the stand, I just wanted to go apes shit and be like, I fucking sell weed. I don't need your shit. But I didn't.

I just kept myself reserved, you know. Was there anything bad that happened to you in prison? So I see, I watch a lot of podcasts about prison stories. And I'm like, damn, thank God that it didn't happen to me, you know. Like, I had enough fights as I would say everybody else would, you know, for stupid things, like the telephone and, you know, learning the culture of the prison. Like, you know, like, you're not supposed to do certain things. But as far as me getting into trouble, I kept my nose clean, you know, I stood out of trouble. I'm a little bit of like a class clown,

so you know, I get along with everyone. Like I just don't stay with a set group of people. Like I didn't go like, hey, there's the Puerto Ricans. Let me go chill with just the Puerto Ricans, you know? Like I moved around and I made a ton of friends in there, you know. And my time was it rough as far as I see like on these podcasts, you know, like people get into these crazy things. But again, like, you know, I tell people, you know,

jail is boring. Like, it's like, you know, you go there and you get into these things because you either, you're either gang banging, you're gambling, or you're getting into deep into some other stuff. Like, you know, but you go do your time. I don't know how the feds work, but as far as my journey, that's how it worked for me, you know. Where do you think the criminal justice system failed you? At what part? Was it the trial? Was it the court level?

Or does it start at the initially, you know, arresting officers or the detective? Where do you think the flaw was? I feel like the floor was It's just so like cut and dry Like there's no other avenues Like if maybe the officer He, I don't know Like he didn't want to hear me out at all

Like once he slapped them cuffs Like Then there was another neighborhood detective Right Her name was Ms. Williams She knew us growing up Like we were the little mischievous kids But you know she'll pull up on us

And be like What you guys getting into today? Like you know someone who we thought was cool. So right before me going in to go turn myself in, I, she pulls up and she sees us because every time she'll see us, she'll stop and have a conversation. So I'm like, Ms. Williams, what's up with your boy? His name was Saggar Reese, Detective Sagittor Reese. Maybe he see this. Yo, it wasn't me. I didn't do it. But he, I go, Ms. Williams, what's up with your boy, Sagary Reese? She's like, that's not my boy. I'm like, yo, he stuck me with a robbery that I

didn't do. And she turns around and tells me, well, listen, look, if you get me some information, of some stuff that's going on in the neighborhood, maybe I can speak to your judge. I said, you know what, forget it, man. F you. Like, I thought me and you was like, like, you cared for us because we were neighborhood kids. I said, just F you.

And I just turned around and kept playing basketball. Like, thinking that she was a cool person, but she wanted some type of evidence or something or somebody to say something about something else. The time you lost, what does it mean to you? How impactful is it? That time that you spent in prison. Tremendous, man.

I lost an aunt while I was in. she passed away, you know, also a chance to grow, you know, a chance to become from an adolescent to a man. I spent my 21st birthday in prison. That's the time when people get excited. I could get into the titty bar, even though I was getting into them anyway with fake IDs, but like, you know, I can legally go. I don't got to use a fake ID from Connecticut like I had, you know. I felt like I lost so much. At first, I was bitter towards it, right? But I also feel like maybe something bad could have happened to me. A lot of people was like, maybe you would have got killed in these streets.

Something could have happened to you or maybe you would have been arrested for something bigger eventually, you know. So I look at it like that. I look at it like that and I look at it as like, you know, it taught me to become a father for some reason. Like I feel like it made me a good father because I have a son and I also have three. So I was able to use my mistakes in order to guide them to not making the same mistakes. What would you have done differently looking back on it? I know you don't regret what happened to you, but what would you have done differently? In life?

Yeah, in life, going back to childhood. Would it have been staying in school? 100%. I would have definitely stay in school and finished. I also probably would have made more friends. who were more school focused as well. Like, I love my friends, you know. They say, you know who your friends are

when situations happen, you know? Like, they say when you get arrested, everybody's gonna abandon you. In my instance, all my friends were there for me. None of them abandoned me. Whether it would be sending me packages, socks, t-shirts, my little circle was there for me. They helped me down.

Maybe because they knew I was innocent, but I didn't lose any of my friends. but surrounding myself with people who knew more on the roads to take to become someone successful in life. You know, like I said, I was just lost. Like, we didn't have nobody explaining things to us. Like, if you wanted to be a basketball player, like, I thought you just had to get discovered playing ball in the park. Like, I didn't know you had to go here, go to this college so scouts could see you or whatever. Like, if you want to be a fireman, take the FDNY test, go to college, get two years, credits of it so you can be.

A fireman, like, you know, I didn't know those. And those helped me raise my kids because I put them in avenues and kept them busy and kept them in sports growing up as well. Because I also feel like idle time. There was nothing to do in the neighborhood, you know? We had this one park where they had handball courts and a basketball court. They knocked it down to build an annex. Now we had to travel to another park and another side of the neighborhood, right? And we were not welcome in that neighborhood.

Like, you know, we would fight every day over there. But, you know, and we would be in that. park but there was nothing to do man there's no rec sensors no iFCAs at the time over there by way i'm at where we can have fun so all that mischief came in out of boredom what happened to your co-defendant so my co-defendant he blew trial on on every charge but i believe being that he was a minor he didn't do all the time he just got off on something easy but my name's mackenzie and i I started to GoFundMe for the adoptive mother of a nonverbal autistic child. The mother had lost her job because she wasn't able to find adequate care for this autistic

child. So she really needed some help with living expenses, paying some back bills. So I launched a GoFundMe to help support them during this crisis. And we raised about $10,000 within just a couple of money. of months. I think that the surprising thing was by telling a clear story and just like really being very clear about what we needed, we had some really generous donations from people who were really moved by the situation that this family was struggling with. GoFundMe is the world's number one fundraising platform trusted by over 200 million people. Start your Gofund me today at gofundme

dot com. That's gofund me.com. Gofund me. This podcast is supported by Gofund me. We came, when I came out of prison, I never seen them again. When you came out, did you get your life on track or were you getting back into trouble again? So when I came out of prison, right, I had a plan. While I was in there, I was like, listen, I want to do these things. I wrote them down and I'm going to work on them. So when I came out of, when I was in Queensboro, they brought me down from McGregor to Queensboro. I told you, that's where I seen the girl on the college.

she was in the rain and stuff so when you go to Queensboro there's a couple programs that come to the prison before you're being released and they speak on you and they like kind of try to recruit you like there's a program called ready, will and enable which is like a program that

it gives you a job, it gives you somewhere to live and they pay you while you attend but I was like I have somewhere to live I'm not going to do that I went to this program that came and visited me and they were called CEO Center for Employment Opportunities or something like that, where they put you at job sites

and you get paid $40 a day. They help you get your GED or whatever, whatever. And every Friday, you go on a job interview for job placements. I was doing that for a little while, but the $40 a day wasn't enough. So I began to dibble and dab again and selling the weed. And what happened was,

was on parole and my parole officer, I managed to escape staying out of trouble because besides selling the weed, I was laying low. My parole officer was like, hey, listen, look, I'm not letting you go because you don't have no pay stubs and in order for me to let you go, you have to have employment.

So my cousin was working at this place and he was like, hey, I could get you a job here. So I ended up getting a job there as a temporary person, It was a seasonal job. And as I'm working at this job, I'm busting my butt. Because I say work ethic is your work ethic. However you work is how you work.

If you're lazy, you're lazy. So the last store that I'm setting up building out, the guy asks me, he goes, hey, he tells my boss, do you mind if I keep this guy? And my boss was like, no, because I'm going to make him a general manager at a location I have in Brooklyn. So I was like, hey, boss, look, I'm not ready for that. You know, like, let me stay here with this dude. so I can learn the ropes,

and then I'll come back to you for that. So he was like, I'm going to let you stay, but I'm going to make you an assistant manager. I was like, I could probably handle that. So I stood on as an assistant manager. Got hired permanently as an assistant manager. The following year, the great as assistant-made manager.

Stood there for a couple years. In total, I was in the company for about 12 years. I ended in that company as a district manager. But the company were under right before the pandemic. But what happened was before the company went under, my boss became a regional. I don't want to name drop the companies, but he became a regional vice president at a company.

He sent the recruiter to all the stores that were closing. His recruiter came to my store and was like, do you mind if I recruit employees? You guys are closing anyway. I said, knock yourself out. I said, but I know your boss. And she was like, who's my boss? I was like, Jason.

And she was like, do you mind if I give him your number? I was like, yeah, go ahead. He called me within 10 minutes. He's like, hey, my man, Eddie, like, what's up? I hear you closing. You want to come over here? I got a position for you. Came on with them as a district manager for a couple months.

They're seasonal. So I did six months with them. Then the pandemic hit. Was out of work for two years, three years, however long the pandemic was. But then I was like, it's time to get back into work. And I applied for Fritole. And I'm currently a truck driver for Fritole.

Those jobs are great. have a couple of friends that do that and you get your own route eventually and I do I have my own route you make a lot of good money doing that yep yep so benefits everything exactly so I'm doing pretty good at least in the employment but it's not it's not where I want to be but I'm doing it because I got to do it what have been some challenges of having a violent felony on your record so that the challenges have been to get into fields that I want to be in like I applied for the FDNY exam. I passed the exam.

But I went to the medical, I believe it was, and I didn't pass the medical. And the, you know, the psych test and everything like that, whatever. I believe it was because of that. I'm not sure. But I didn't qualify after that. Can you be a felon in FDNY? No. So wouldn't they just qualify you off the bat?

Like, why'd they even have you take the test? That's what I was saying. I didn't know. I took the test. Just didn't make it past that. Can you join like a volunteer fire department? I probably can. I never really looked into it.

I'm actually, it's funny that you say that I began last week. I volunteer for Adam Wuchelza. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, yeah, because I, you know, I believe in explorer outlets. Like, I work for Frito Le now, right? And I feel like if that's all you do, you're not opening other doors. Like you got to go into other places and try to like create opportunities for yourself. So one, the animal shelter is therapeutic for me, you know?

Like I like animals. I go there. You know, I really stress, helping the animals out. But you never know what that leads into. I'm networking. I meet somebody and I, hey, listen, I got a ton of clinics. Like, I might need you to run these. Never know, you know.

So I'm always exploring different things. Do felony is on your record on a state level because it's been so long? Do they kind of dissipate over time? Do they have less of an effect? Like your convictions were, you know, coming up on 22, 23 years ago. Yeah. So what I believe. is now there was a law past not too long ago.

If I'm not mistaken where they're not supposed to ask you these things or whatever. But what they do is they ask you, have you been convicted of a crime or felony within these past years, right? So I say no, because it's been over 27 years. Like if they ask like, hey, seven years, no. Haven't been connected. Seven years of a felony. 22 years ago. What about housing?

Has that affected you at all? No, not yet. Because I have an apartment, so I haven't had to go through that struggle yet of applying somewhere where, you know, maybe a private building where they might look at that. I wouldn't know.

Has New York changed their laws about putting felony on your record? As far as what? Jobs? Jobs, anything, or housing if you were looking at that? Housing, I wouldn't know. Jobs, like I said, the last time I applied for a job,

Has you, have you been convicted of a felony or crime? It gives you a certain date. Like, you know, a time frame, seven years, four. And the answer is no, because if you've been convicted 23 years ago, you haven't been convicted in the past seven years. Yeah, the seven years part. Yeah, yeah. That comes up a lot on like even, I was applying for the TSA pre-check thing.

And it says, like, before seven years, you know, you can't apply. Yeah. So I'm assuming what they do is, the trick is they still deny you based on your felony, but they don't say it's based on your felony. Yeah, that's what they do a lot.

Exactly, exactly. Because remember, I was a district manager, so I know how the application system works when it comes to jobs. Yeah. So is Frito life felon friendly? Yes. Okay.

That's awesome. That's good to know for people that are listening. Yeah. Yep. And you don't need to CDL. So what are the lessons and takeaways, you know, you want people to understand from your story.

I want you to understand that injustice is real, man. This could happen to any one of us. Your son, your daughter, your father, you know, I didn't really think take it serious because I was young at that age, but listen, there was a man that was just executed. I don't know his story. I don't know if he's innocent or not, but if he is out, you know, like this happens way too often. It has to be more done to be able to prove someone's,

innocence. That's basically it, man. Like I feel for my kids. I got three sons. You know, like I worry about them and I'm happy that, you know, they have jobs. They can prove like, listen, I was at work. I didn't have that, you know. I didn't have an alibi. I was at home. It was my word against that person's work. Are you making sure that they didn't make the same mistakes you made early on, you know, going to school? Definitely. I was definitely a hands-on parent. Not meaning like I beat my kids, but I was focused. I went to parents each night. I did it all. and done for me, I made sure I asked them, listen, what do you want to be? And they would tell me

and I'm like, okay, this is the school you're going to. Dad, I don't want to go there. My friend is going here. So your friend wants to be a nurse and you want to be a nurse? No, exactly. You're not going to thrive. You're going to be bored. When you started to date and whatnot after your conviction, did people, did women believe you

that you were wrongfully convicted? So, the funny part of it was that I was with someone. Remember I told you I was in a rocky relationship during that time? When I came home, that was over with, right? So the woman I'm with now is the woman I met when I came home. And she genuinely believed me off the back.

Like, it was like I explained to her and she believed it. Do you guys have been together for 20 years now? Yeah. Wow, that's incredible. Yeah. Good for you guys. Yeah. And you guys look good for your age too.

Thank you, thank you, man. I appreciate that. Your early 40s now? 41. I just made 41. Yeah, I would have peck. I pegged you at 30, man. Thank you, well.

I appreciate that. That's awesome, man. Well, Edgar, thank you so much, man, for coming out to Connecticut today to spend your Sunday. And, you know, keep doing you, man. And, you know, hopefully this episode inspires some people and, you know, get your story told in your words for the first time. Thank you, man. I appreciate that. I hope that this maybe gets to the person that this happened to, like, or like, even the person that accused me of this, like, man, please, let's have a conversation.

It wasn't me. It wasn't me. Like, you know, just clear my name at this point for some peace of mind at least. And maybe it helps prevent the next. The future. Yep. The next thing from happening because we do have law enforcement that listens to the show. Oh, awesome.

Awesome. That's great, man. Well, thank you again. Thanks, man.