I would like to start off with a "thank you" to all of you who have supported me, shown interest in my case and have helped me.  I am ever so grateful!  I would like to personally thank each and every one of you, and if you would leave contact information upon my release I will personally thank each and every one of you.

I am not a hardened criminal, nor do I ever want to be.  I did commit a crime, at the time it is what I believed I had to do.  I did not commit armed robbery and I have never stolen anything!  Actually, as an early teenager I did steal a couple things from a store, but I couldn't stand it inside myself so I went back in and told the desk clerk and paid for them.  I haven't stolen anything since! 

I did take about $600.00 out of the wallet that was in a pants pocket in the corner of the room when I was making it look like my granddaddy had left.  It was not on his person nor was it in his presence.  The only reason I even took the money was to buy food for the house and pay bills.  Bills took the most part of the money and if the bank that the house mortgage was on, the electric company, gas company and phone company do keep records that far back, you will see that I paid those bills after his death and that the total amount was more than $600.00.  The District Attorney tried to make a case out of the $600.00 saying that I went in with the intent to commit armed robbery and the only way that the money could be gotten was to murder my granddaddy.  That was not the case and the jury found me not guilty of murder.  The judge would not give a lesser offense of robbery or theft by taking because my granddaddy was not present when the money was taken.  The money was taken in an afterthought while cleaning up the room.

Now that I have told you what happened, I would like to tell you about myself.  I was 19 years old when this happened.  When I got out on bond, I did not run hog wild like most would have.  I actually worked during the day and continued Vo-Tech college right up until the night before I came to prison.

All I ever wanted was a normal life.  I was going to college to study automotive technology, was in the top of my class and was about to graduate.  I was pursuing my dream of becoming an Automotive Engineer.

I have been incarcerated for 9 years and since the beginning I have held a steady job.  I have attended every self-help class that was offered and got on-the-job training for the warehouse job I held for 5 years.  Since then, I have gotten into the vocational class of Automotive and Diesel Mechanics.  I have completed that and am currently an aide in the class.

I use my spare time constructively by the self-study of various subjects.  In pursuit of my dream to become an Automotive Engineer, I found out that it's not just the study of automotives but the study of various subjects.  I have managed to get books on these subjects and study them day in and day out.  I have studied automotive technology, electric engineering, mechanical engineering, physics and chemistry.  These 5 subjects play a big part in the automotive field, but are mostly overlooked when you think of a car.  I do not have a degree in any of these subjects, I only know certain parts that apply to the automotive field.  It's actually amazing at how much they play into the every day car that you buy and drive.

I have also studied computer technology - that is also one of the biggest helps in working in the automotive field.  The basic operation of a home computer is almost exactly the same with the computer in cars.  Today's cars are all but totally computerized and with a basic understanding of how the computer works, what makes it work and how it cooperates with different devices, auto repair and design are simplified.

After my release, I hope to and plan to start an automotive repair shop and re-enroll in automotive college to pursue my dream in the automotive engineering field.  Once I have my life stabilized and on track, I plan to start up a couple of foundations that are very important to me.  I want to start a battered women and children foundation, a children's organ and cancer research funding foundation and a misused justice foundation that would help people just like me.  It is a very sad and such a horrible feeling knowing in your heart that all you want to do in life is help others, and you have the skills to help them but you can't get to that life to make it happen.

I am not trying to, nor could I, save the world - that is not my intention.  However, if I could save one woman or one child from coming to prison or save one child's life or help one wrongfully incarcerated person get out of prison, that to me would be worth everything I've been through. 

I grew up in a small town and I'm nobody special, but I did live a very bitter and abusive life and from an early teenager I always dreamed of helping others out there like me.  My dream is to become an automotive engineer, but that is the second dream in my life, which will give me the power to fulfill my first dream, to help people.

Again, I would like to thank all of you who have showed support and offered help.  I will not lose sight of my dreams or goals, no matter how long it takes me to get out of prison.  Most people want to be rich and famous, but all I want is to live a normal life with the woman I love.  If I can get a second chance, I will show the world who I am and what I can accomplish.  Thank you for all of your support.

- Billy

Following are some of the certificates of completion regarding several of the programs Billy has taken advantage of since his incarceration began.

Diesel Mechanics                          Family  Violence                             Victim Impact     
Corrective Thinking                        Corrective Thinking I                         Warehouse
Forklift Operation                          Substance Abuse 101

Billy is an avid supporter of the Georgia Innocence Project.  The GIP is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping inmates who can conclusively be proven innocent by DNA testing of evidence done after their convictions.  The Georgia Innocence Project is based on the model of the original Innocence Project founded in New York in 1992.  As of August 10, 2007, 206 defendents previously convicted of serious crimes in the United States have been exonerated by DNA testing.  

Unfortunately, there are also many cases where inmates have been wrongfully convicted and DNA is not an available option as far as evidence for proving innocence.  Such is the case with current Georgia inmate Jerry Biggs, Jr..  Donations for the GIP to handle non-DNA cases are desperately needed.

If you would like more information, please visit  the official Georgia Innocence Project website at http://www.ga-innocenceproject.org.