Local Man Turns Life Around after Serving 37 Years in Prison
Originally given life without parole after being convicted of first degree robbery, Ronald McKeithen says he’s blessed someone noticed his case and did something about it.
“I hadn’t talked to a lawyer in 37 years,” said McKeithen.
Due to three prior offenses, McKeithen’s sentence was based off the Habitual Offenders Act, which made his sentence so long.
“If Ron was sentenced today,” said Carla Crowder, Executive Director of Appleseed, Center for Law and Justice, “he’d probably be sentence to a 20 split 5 sentence, which is is 20 years max with 5 years to serve in prison.”
After reaching out to the victim in the robbery, they were upset and shocked to hear about McKeithen still serving time in prison, and as a petition was started for his release, they were one of the first to sign.
McKeithen now is a full-time employee with Appleseed and the Offenders Alumni Association, and says he’s not only blessed to have a job, but to be able to help people who are in the same position as he was.
“I’m always trying to get them to look at the glass half full,” said McKeithen, “instead of half empty, because if you think about what we been through and have overcome, we shouldn’t complain about nothing.”
