Rahamn’s statement has been lightly edited for clarity.

I am originally from Newark NJ. I moved to Chester Pennsylvania with my grandmother (who is my biggest supporter) in the early 80’s. She was trying to give herself a new start. I was the oldest among my sister and two cousins. My single mother had an addiction and was uneducated, as was my grandmother, and as we all know, education starts at home. So, needless to say, I didn’t just grow up with no male figure to look up to, I didn’t know what to even dream about.

However, I worked hard at excelling in sports, because with a scar on my face that made me insecure and socially awkward, I had a moment to see that being good at athletics, people would accept you and love you. Violence was never a part of my repertoire. Although I was allowed to play any sport my grandmother said no to boxing.

I picked up stealing cars in my early teens and became a frequent resident at Lima Detention Center, where the staff recognized my athletic talent and suggested to my grandmother that she should reach out to Glen Mills (Reformatory) Schools, where I could possibly utilize my talents and maybe find my purpose in life. Unexpectedly, while at Glen Mills, eight months later I was notified by my counselor that I had a child on the way, and that was it. I was so oblivious to any and all responsibilities that I didn’t know how to feel. Still failing to comprehend the concept of finding a career mindset, I carried on with an uneducated thought process and poor thinking of selling drugs as my means of survival.

I left Glen Mills with a G.E.D, with hopes to return to Chester High School to play sports with my best friend. Unbeknownst to me, that same year a G.E.D would be considered a high school diploma, which made me ineligible. I was 17.

A year later, 63 days into being 18, I approached a car amongst a few other drug dealers with the intent to sell some drugs. As me and the victim were exchanging drugs, someone presented a gun, grabbing for the money out of the victim’s hand, causing a tussle. A shot went off, causing me and everyone else to run.

In 1997, I was convicted of 2nd-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole (LWOP). I truly couldn’t believe I was convicted with all of the inconsistencies and the obvious mishandling that took place. It took me about seven years to fully understand that I was sentenced to die in prison. I was having a hard time adapting because I was waking up every day, blaming everybody else. I wanted to prove my innocence only to find out that I was time-barred, which was another process I had no clue about.

That was about the time I started to take my life seriously, and then I began to learn to take accountability for whatever role I played in causing another person to lose their life. I cried often for wasting my life while burying my irresponsible thinking. Then I started to really understand what self-values and morals were.

Although I was living with a lot of shame, I made it my duty to become a better man. I had a yearning to be a present father to my three children. I started working on me more, participating more, and being assertive.

As of late, I’m about to enter my 3rd semester of college, in the Villanova Program. I have started my own mentoring program called S.L.A.M. (Support Lead Assist Mentor) that I intend to introduce to my community while training others to have their own chapters.

I write books and I have written a movie script that is sure to change the world. I am a true believer that God has preserved me for a second chance to be a great impact on peoples lives. That is the motivation I wake up with every day now.

Thank You for listening.

— Rahamn Henderson