Reporter and producer for WBRC, Beth Shelburne, is bringing attention to Willie Simmons, a man who has spent the last 38 years in prison for stealing $9. He was convicted of 1st-degree robbery and sentenced to life without parole in Alabama.
See her tweet below:
THREAD: Today I talked to Willie Simmons, who has spent the last 38 years in prison for stealing $9. He was convicted of 1st degree robbery & sentenced to life without parole in 1982, prosecuted under Alabama's habitual offender law because he had 3 prior convictions. 1/12 pic.twitter.com/s5BNK2Ejyd
— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) December 22, 2019
According to the Alabama reporter, in 1982, Simmons, an Army veteran who became addicted to drugs while stationed overseas, was prosecuted under Alabama’s habitual offender law because he had three prior convictions.
Mr. Simmons was told when he was 25 that he would die in prison. He is now 62 and the last time he had a visitor was 2005, right after his sister died.
Mr. Simmons was 25 when the state said he should die in prison. Today he's 62. When I asked his age he paused & laughed. "Been so long since somebody asked me that," he said. He hasn't had a visitor since 2005 after his sister died. "Haven't heard from nobody since then." 3/12
— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) December 22, 2019
Presently, Mr. Simmons is incarcerated at Holman, one of the most violent prisons in the country. He is studying for his GED and “tries to stay away from the wild bunch.”
Mr. Simmons is incarcerated at Holman, one of the most violent prisons in the country. He is studying for his GED and "tries to stay away from the wild bunch." He got sober in prison 18 years ago, despite being surrounded by drugs. "I just talked to God about it," he said. 4/12
— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) December 22, 2019
Mr. Simmons admitted to being high on drugs when he committed the crime that landed him in prison for life. “I was just trying to get me a quick fix,” he explained.
Mr. Simmons told me he was high on drugs when he committed the crime that landed him in prison for life. He wrestled a man to the ground and stole his wallet which contained $9. "I was just trying to get me a quick fix," he said. Police arrested him a few blocks away. 5/12
— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) December 22, 2019
Simmons recalled to Shelburne that his trial lasted 25 minutes and his appointed attorney called no witnesses. Prosecutors did not offer him a plea deal, even though all of his prior offenses were nonviolent.
He remembers his trial lasting 25 minutes and his appointed attorney calling no witnesses. Prosecutors did not offer him a plea deal, even though all of his prior offenses were nonviolent. "They kept saying we'll do our best to keep you off the streets for good," he said. 6/12
— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) December 22, 2019
Over the years, he’s filed appeal after appeal, with no lawyer. All were denied.
Over the years, he's filed appeal after appeal, with no lawyer. All were denied. "In a place like this, it can feel like you're standing all alone," he told me. "I ain't got nobody on the outside to call and talk to. Sometimes I feel like I'm lost in outer space." 8/12
— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) December 22, 2019
In 2014, lawmakers removed the last avenue of appeal for people like Mr. Simmons serving life without parole under the habitual offender law. The Habitual Offender Law can trigger a life prison sentence – sometimes even life without the possibility of parole – depending on a defendant’s criminal record, According to AL.com
Simmons hopes the powers that be in Alabama will reconsider his cruel sentence, “Yes, I’ve been hoping and praying on it,” he said. “I ain’t giving up.”
Beth Shelburne is not arguing for his innocence, but feels he has paid for his crime. “It sickens me to think about how many other people are warehoused in prison, forgotten,” she tweeted. “When tough on crime people say everyone in prison deserves to be there, think of Mr. Simmons. We should be ashamed of laws that categorically throw people away in the name of safety. We should question anyone who supports Alabama’s habitual offender law. It needs to go.”
Mr. Simmons did not deny his crimes & I am not writing this to argue that he's innocent. He has paid for his crimes with his entire adult life, cast away like he wasn't worth redemption. It sickens me to think about how many other people are warehoused in prison, forgotten. 11/12
— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) December 22, 2019
Let’s hope that this story gets the traction it needs to draw attention to this case.