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Melvin Jerome Griffin # 767486 Macon State Prison P.O. Box 426 Oglethorpe, GA 31068 USA |
 teenager Melvin  Melvin's late father |
On the night of 2-23-1992 I had plans to go to the movies with my girl-friend Tanya. To pass some time before getting ready to go to the movies I decided I would ride around in my neighborhood and see who was out. I ran into a so called friend (Kyle) of mine who lived around the block from me. We got together and as we were riding around he told me to pull over to a store. He then got out of the car and made a phone call at the phone booth. I was not thinking anything about it. When Kyle got back in the car, he told me to take him to an address not far from the store and which I as told that it was a girl's house he knew. So, I took him to that address, which at the same time a pizza delivery man in a car pulled up. Kyle told me to pull up in front of the pizza delivery man which I did. Kyle then jumped out of the car and ran up to the pizza delivery man and robbed him. After that Kyle jumped back in the car and told me to drive from around that area. I asked him what was he doing and he told me not to worry about it. Now I'm telling him that I got to go and pick up my girl-friend, so that we can go to the movies. Kyle said, "Don't worry about it." I will have plenty of time to get to the movies. So, we end up on the other side of town. And as we were riding he saw two people using a pay phone near an apartment complex. Kyle told me to pull up in the complex and I did knowing what was about to happen. But I did not want to look like a coward. I was sixteen at the time and he was twenty or twenty-one. I wanted him to think, I was just as bad as he was, plus all I thought was that he was going to just rob them, not shot and kill them. When we got out of the car, he told me it was my turn to jack someone. At first I was going to do it, but I got scared and chickened out. I told him I would look out. Just so he would not think I was a coward. He got mad and just ran up to the people on the phone and a few seconds later I heard two shots. Then Kyle started running towards me screaming, "Run nigger, run nigger!" Not thinking, I started running with him. As we both started running towards the back of the complex Kyle threw the gun and cap into some bushes saying, "We will come back and get it later. Just run and get out of there!" So we ran a few miles and got to a Krystals restaurant. |
 Kyle Gadson |
SKETCH OF PERPETRATOR  click to enlarge |
Now I am really scared, because I left my car in the middle of the complex. I did not want to go home without my car. Plus it was too late to go to the movies. So, I called my girl-friend at home and told her something came up and that we were not going to be able to go to the movies. Plus I need for her to pick me up to go get my car. She said that she did not have a ride at the time. I said some more stuff for not picking her up earlier. By this time Kyle sees one of his friends and stops him. I hang up the phone and we caught a ride with his friend back to the complex to get the car and possibly the gun. |
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But when we got back there, there were people everywhere. We were not able to get the gun, but we did get the car and drive away. We went to my friend's house on the other side of town and I told him what happened. I really did not know what to do. At the same time not knowing, if anyone was shot or not, I wanted to look though. After we left there, we went to my girl-friend's house. We talked for a few minutes and then left and went to his house. We looked at the news and saw that those two people were shot and one was dead. I got really scared and just went home. Scared to go to sleep, because I was thinking that, if I did go to sleep God was gonna kill me for being so called bad. So, I called my girl-friend on the phone and we were just talking for several hours. I told her what happened and she told me to get the bible and read different psalms. I did and prayed. After a while I fell asleep on the phone. After waking up the next day I felt a little better and Kyle and me talked. He told me, "No matter what, don't say anything to anyone and nothing really can happen to you, because you are a juvenile." But Kyle would get into a lot of trouble, because he already had been locked up before. So, that is what I did. |
 Melvin's mother |
The gun that was used is a gun that I bought from another kid from the neighborhood and sold it to Kyle for about the same I had paid for it. In juvenile court I admitted to buying and selling the gun. I did not want to tell that I sold it to Kyle, so I made up something. The same bullets that were used came from Kyle's Dad's room. I never gave the statement about anything other than about the gun, because like Kyle told me - nothing bad could happen to me since I was a juvenile. Contrary to what I thought and believed, I decided to go to jury trial, after being told by my attorney that the prosecuter was only offering a deal, that of a life sentence for murder. I did not understand how that could have been when I knew and they knew that I did not kill anyone. I did not know that Kyle had made a deal, alltough what he said at trial and to the detectives contradicted all the evidence showing that in fact he was the triggerman. Kyle was still allowed by the state to testify and put everything on me. I received the maximum punishment to be imposed. Life+20+20+5 to serve consecutively while Kyle walked away with 18 years for involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and also for a previous rape charge he was already in jail for. In part due to poor representation by my attorney and also my ignorance of believing that as a juvenile nothing bad could happen to me as I was being told. |
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Kyle Gadson # 610752 known aliases: A.K.A. Gadson, Kyle Lamount A.K.A. Gadson, Kyle L. A.K.A. Gadson, Kyle Lamont Offenses: S/D Cocaine, Rape, Aggravated Assault, Voluntary Manslaughter, Forgery First Degree Incarceration Begin: 7-24-1992 Max. Possible Release Date: 7-13-2011 Tentative Parole Month: 04-2010 http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/GDC/OffenderQuery/jsp/OffQryForm.jsp Georgia Department of Correction (Offender Info) |
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My Words To The World Please, start the mp3 yourself. |
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Legal Defense Fund Melvin J. Griffin Account Number 1050860 Fort Stewart Georgia P.O. Box 132 Hinesville, GA 31310-0132 USA |
