Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Every crime has a story.
Every case has another side.
Real crimes, uncensored and raw Memoirs from an award winning criminal defense attorney.
This is the dodcast.
[00:00:17] Speaker B: Welcome to the second episode of the dodcast, where we bring you real crime, uncensored and raw. And this is our second episode, our last episode. I had a client that was accused of murder today.
I have another one of my clients that was accused of murder. And like I said last week, the fact that he's here today is an absolute miracle. It is a statistical improbability in this country to be charged with murder and to be a free man. Sitting here Today, less than 2% of individuals that are charged with murder in this country are acquitted. Now people ask me, well, Dodd, why are you doing a podcast? You know, why are you even doing this? And it's very simple. Because I've been a criminal defense lawyer for 22 years, and when people find out I'm a criminal defense lawyer, the first thing they want to know, what is the craziest case you've done?
Tell us about your craziest case. So I decided what we're going to bring crazy to you. We're going to bring crazy to your living room. We're going to bring crazy to your phone, to your tablet. So that's why we decided to do a podcast and bring on real clients. Nothing's rehearsed. In fact, this is the first time I'm seeing him since he's been in jail. When he pulled up to this studio today with his mom and dad. The last time I saw his mom and dad were in the hallways of the courtroom after his case. The last time I saw him, he was wearing his jail scrubs as he's sitting in jail. So again, like I said, the fact that he's here today is a complete miracle. Now, how. How did we come about this case? And he is the cousin of one of my very good friends that I went to college with. And I want to give a shout out to, number one, my buddy who told me about this case. It's his cousin. And also, you know, a shout out to Santa Clara University. We went to college there together. We lived on the same floor for a couple of years. I'm not going to mention his name for confidentiality purposes, but he is the cousin of one of my really good friends. And back in the year when this happened, and again, we're not going to mention years, times, dates, we're not going to mention names, again for confidentiality purposes.
Back when this happened, I got a text message from him. And I hadn't spoke to him for years. And all you defense attorneys know what I'm talking about. When you get a text message from somebody you haven't spoken to in years, it only means one thing.
They need help.
Something happened. They need advice.
So when I saw his text message, without even reading the text message, I thought to myself, something happened. And he told me, we need help.
My aunt and uncle need help.
My cousin is in jail, accused of murder.
All he did was drive these knuckleheads.
And I read the article, I called him and I explained to him, even though he was just the driver, under the California felony murder rule as it was at the time, an old archaic, unjust felony murder rule, he's just as liable as the people that went inside as the people that did the killing. So under the old California felony murder rule, when he was arrested, you don't have to commit a murder. You don't even have to be at the location.
The mere fact that you were a driver could convict you of first degree murder. And you can be facing life in prison, just like thousands of people in the state of California were doing life sentences for a crime that they did not even commit.
But fortunately, as this case was going, the law changed. Senate Bill 1437 was enacted and it changed the law.
And thank God it did, because if it didn't, he probably wouldn't be here today.
The law changed and he was one of the first people to benefit from the new law.
And what the new law said is just because you were the driver doesn't mean you're guilty of felony murder. You had to have either done the killing or been a substantial part, a substantial factor, an aider and a better in the actual crime. And they enacted that law. So the getaway driver doesn't do life because there are hundreds and hundreds of people doing life. So today I have with me a client of mine. Thank you for coming.
[00:05:19] Speaker C: Yeah, no problem.
[00:05:21] Speaker B: Your life changed. Yes, a little bit in November. And I'm not going to say the year, you know, your life changed and you sat in prison for almost about four years.
Right.
Let's back up a little bit and talk about how you knew the three other individuals that were involved. And this is a case that involved three, four total people, four co defendants. It was my client and three other boys. How did you know three of the boys?
[00:06:01] Speaker C: I grew up with two of them.
[00:06:03] Speaker B: And when you say you grew up with two of them, you grew up with the twins, right?
[00:06:06] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:06] Speaker B: Without saying their names, you grew up with the twins. How. And did you go to school with them?
[00:06:11] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: What grade? Did what you guys went all through high school?
[00:06:15] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:15] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:06:16] Speaker C: Was like. I think, like, known him since, like, sixth grade, seventh grade.
[00:06:19] Speaker B: How often would you guys hang out?
[00:06:21] Speaker C: Almost every day.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: The third individual that was involved, did you know him?
[00:06:28] Speaker C: No, I was more of a recent person I'd met at the time.
[00:06:30] Speaker B: Okay, how did you meet him?
[00:06:34] Speaker C: I think just through one of my buddies, one of my friends, one of the people we hung out with.
[00:06:37] Speaker B: Okay. Did you know anything about the victim in the case?
[00:06:44] Speaker C: No. No.
[00:06:46] Speaker B: And last episode, I said, sometimes victims have it coming. And I wouldn't even go as far as calling the dead guy in our last episode as the victim. But in this case, I won't go that far. You know, I'll call him the victim. But the victim had a past.
[00:07:09] Speaker C: Yeah, from what I heard, yeah.
[00:07:11] Speaker B: What do you. What did you hear about him?
[00:07:13] Speaker C: It was just.
Well, he was a. Pretty sure he was a sex offender, but what he did, I didn't know exactly. I don't. That's probably all I got to hear. And I'm like, all right, I'm good. I don't know.
[00:07:24] Speaker B: The victim in this case, an elderly gentleman, lived by himself in an apartment, and he was a sex offender.
And his crime was he raped a boy, and he was a sex offender because of that. And there was a time where the media all over Southern California had his face plastered all over the media because they were asking if there are more boys out there to come forward.
And a lot of people were scared to come forward, but the actual rumor was that there are several boys that he's raped. And some of the allegations were he would take showers with boys and give them too much to drink, give them a lot of drugs, and then, you know, do things that they didn't want. And the irony behind all this was the victim, the sex offender was. Was also a reserve police officer. I don't know if he knew that.
[00:08:30] Speaker C: No, I heard that, too. I didn't know how true that one was, but I heard that, too.
[00:08:33] Speaker B: He was a reserve police officer. So we have a reserve police officer, sex offender, preying on boys, doing drugs with other individuals.
You knew that he was a sex offender, right?
[00:08:49] Speaker C: From what I heard, yeah.
[00:08:51] Speaker B: On the day of the incident.
Tell me what happened.
[00:08:58] Speaker C: Oh, did we.
And what we do? Oh, we went to. Went to a stop at like, a. So like a. Like a Home Depot or something like that to go get some. Like. But what.
[00:09:07] Speaker B: What was your. What was the understanding of what you guys were gonna do?
[00:09:10] Speaker C: Oh, just go in there, get some money, I think some weed, and then just leave.
[00:09:15] Speaker B: So the whole intention.
Yeah, the. The whole intention for you was just to drive them to the house.
They were going to go in there.
One of the boys knew where he kept all his money, right? Yeah, he knew where all the money was. They were going to go in there, they were going to open up the safe, take the money, take the drugs and bounce out of there. That was what. That was what you thought they were going to do, right?
[00:09:40] Speaker C: Yeah, it was supposed to be quick. Easy.
[00:09:42] Speaker B: Quick and easy.
[00:09:42] Speaker C: Another day.
[00:09:43] Speaker B: But before you guys went there, you guys stopped somewhere, right?
[00:09:47] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:47] Speaker B: Where'd you guys stop?
[00:09:48] Speaker C: Went to Home Depot to go get, like, pliers or channel locks just to
[00:09:52] Speaker B: go in through the front door and to. And what about to cut the lock?
[00:09:57] Speaker C: I don't know if. Oh, wait, no, yeah, I think. I think he did have that. I don't know what he was going to use that for, though. I thought they just had to go inside, they get the safe or whatever, like, nothing crazy, but.
But, yeah, just go get that, go inside and then come out.
[00:10:09] Speaker B: And so they, you know. You went to the Home Depot, the three boys went inside, they bought some lock cutters and some other things to try to get into the house.
You guys get back in the car. You guys even went around the complex to make sure he wasn't there, right?
[00:10:25] Speaker C: Yeah, I went to go. There was like a parking structure that was.
I think. I don't remember if it was attached to or close by, but went to go check. One of his cars is gone, so. All right, cool call.
[00:10:36] Speaker B: He's not home.
[00:10:36] Speaker C: Yeah, he must not be home because he's supposed to. Supposed to be gone. That's why they're like, oh, he's not going to be there. Go do it. So it's like. Then they call, doesn't answer the phone.
[00:10:44] Speaker B: Okay, well, he's not home.
[00:10:45] Speaker C: Probably not home, then. Let's go do this.
[00:10:47] Speaker B: So the three get out of the car.
You're just sitting there in the car thinking they're going to walk in there, open up the safe, cut it open, take the money and drugs and bounce. That's what you thought?
[00:10:58] Speaker C: Yeah, it's going to be quick, easy. I don't even think I finished my cigarette. I don't think I smoked half it. I think it was like.
[00:11:03] Speaker B: So they get out of the car.
How many minutes later did they run back?
[00:11:09] Speaker C: I don't think it was more than five minutes, but I Don't think it was less than like three. It was quick. It was like really, really quick.
[00:11:16] Speaker B: And just for the viewers. So you know what happened when they went inside, because obviously he wasn't there and he has no idea what happened inside. And I'm just telling you all the evidence that came out during the preliminary hearing. So the boys go inside and unbeknownst to them, he's home and he comes out of the shower. And it's interesting because a lot of the allegations in his prior cases was he was taking showers with boys and he comes out of the shower and the kids are startled.
And unfortunately they're so scared that they take what they purchased at the Home Depot, smack him in the head, and they repeatedly smack him in the head and they bludgeon him and they beat him down. And unfortunately he dies right there on the kitchen floor.
And they run back into the car and my client takes off. No idea what had just happened. In fact, when the boys ran into the car, they didn't know that he was dead in the kitchen. They had no idea.
And in fact, you didn't even know he was dead until the cops came to your house and you're arrested, right?
[00:12:49] Speaker C: Yeah, I was like the final confirmation, like, oh, he really is dead.
[00:12:53] Speaker B: And now you're charged with murder.
You're facing life.
What did you, what did you think on your drive as you're cuffed and you're sitting in the back of a police car and they've told you you're charged with murder and they're driving you down to the jail? What's going through your mind at this point?
[00:13:16] Speaker C: Honestly, not a lot. Like, I, dude, I was so up on drugs. Like in my, like the way like the fog in like your mind, you don't even notice it until like it finally starts to go away. But like, I knew they were coming like the night before because one of my other friends got arrested. So I was, all right, well, they're probably gonna come for that. So then they came to my parents house again. I kind of had a feeling they were coming. So it's like show up.
It's like all that happens. They raid the house. And then I still go, but I just want to lay down, I just want to rest because I know I'm not gonna have any drugs. I know I'm gonna be sick. I know I'm about to go through it. So it's like I, I really wasn't even worried about that stuff. Like, I just wanted to get through my, my sickness of Drugs first. Let's.
[00:13:55] Speaker B: Let's talk about that a little bit. You know when you say you were so up on drugs, what was your drug of choice?
[00:14:01] Speaker C: Oh, heroin.
[00:14:02] Speaker B: How often were you taking it? Every day when you were arrested. You high?
[00:14:08] Speaker C: Yeah, I think I. I think I took my last hit, like, right before I walked outside.
I think I still a little bit left, but I didn't. I didn't bring with me anyways. I was like, I'm just gonna take a hit, and then I just put it in the trash. And then I walked outside.
[00:14:18] Speaker B: Were you going through withdrawals while you were in jail?
[00:14:20] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:14:21] Speaker B: Explain.
[00:14:22] Speaker C: I took. You just feel like. Like, can't sleep? Your muscles ache?
What? Like your mind is just racing? Like, for me, personally, I couldn't even really eat for whatever reason. Like, my esophagus would just tighten. Any kind of food going down, it'd be painful. And it was like that for like two months. Took about two months for me to finally start feeling normal. I was with no medication, nothing. Just didn't give me.
So did you.
[00:14:47] Speaker B: Were you able to eat at all
[00:14:49] Speaker C: for, like, honestly, I would say for like a month and a half to two months. If I anything other than like some lettuce or just drank water, like, my esophagus would tighten.
But for whatever those two things just. It did not do that.
[00:15:02] Speaker B: So were there drugs in county jail?
[00:15:07] Speaker C: Yeah, there was.
[00:15:08] Speaker B: There's some weed.
[00:15:10] Speaker C: No one had any tobacco. It was just. And then some meth every now and then.
[00:15:13] Speaker B: Would you do any drugs in jail?
[00:15:15] Speaker C: In jail? Yeah, I did meth, I think twice. And then that is. That is not the place you want to do it.
[00:15:20] Speaker B: Explain. Explain to our viewers why. Why would. Why don't you want to do meth while you're in jail? I mean, what was the environment?
[00:15:27] Speaker C: You're just locked in a fucking cage all day. You can't really go nowhere and your mind's racing. It's like all you can really do is read a book. Like, I wouldn't recommend doing that.
[00:15:36] Speaker B: How do the drugs get in? Just so our viewers know. I mean, there's drugs all over jail. Any type of drug you want, it's in every county jail and every prison across California. How do they get in?
[00:15:47] Speaker C: If someone's ass or the fucking guards bring it in, that's about it.
[00:15:51] Speaker B: That's exactly how. Either there's someone on the inside or. Or someone puts it in a balloon, puts it, you know, in their butt, and they bring it in. So there's drugs, you know, all over jail. So, you know, we think we incarcerate people to get them clean. In fact, we're doing, you know, quite the opposite. So you're going through these withdrawals.
You have an arraignment coming up, and you're about to be formally charged with murder.
And what I want to know is, when you first saw me walk into that jail facility and I introduced myself to you, what did you think to
[00:16:33] Speaker C: yourself, this guy seems better than the last public on your head.
[00:16:37] Speaker B: Okay. Why? I mean, and I told you I knew your cousin.
And did you ever think to yourself, I'm probably gonna do life anyway?
[00:16:49] Speaker C: I know I was gonna do a lot of time. I had a feeling I already told myself that. And I was like, I mean, it is what it is. You can't do about it. Like, yeah, I'm not the one that gets to say it's either. You have a little bit of say. You're the lawyer, but then the judge and the prosecutor. Everybody has a say except for me, basically. So when it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen.
[00:17:06] Speaker B: When you went to court and we had multiple court appearances in this case, when you would go to court and you would see, you know, the other three boys that were charged, you know, two of them being twins and your best friends, I mean, what did you think? Like, why did these guys get me? Like, how pissed off were you that these guys went in there, killed this guy, and now you're the one facing murder charges?
[00:17:35] Speaker C: I wouldn't say mad. I don't hate them at all. Not at all in any way, shape, or form. I'm not mad or I don't hold a grudge against them at all. I just.
Even when we went to the courtroom, I wouldn't.
I wouldn't, like, dog them or be mad. Like, I'm sitting here. It's like I. I made my own choice. At the end of the day, I could have said no. Like, they didn't hold a gun to my head. They didn't make me do, like, oh, come on. Or beg. It's like they just told me about something. All right. Yeah, let's go. Fuck it.
[00:18:01] Speaker B: What was it like being in county jail? Cause I know you. You started in county jail, then you went to state prison, right? What's the difference between a county jail and a state prison?
[00:18:13] Speaker C: One sucks a lot more than the other.
[00:18:15] Speaker B: Which one's that?
[00:18:16] Speaker C: County jail. Why is that? Because it's more like, you're not really supposed to. Like, I mean, there are people that do a lot of time there. But, like, you don't want to do a lot of time there. Like you say there till your court's over. And then if you have to go to prison, you go or you release. So it's like, it's not like, meant to be a permanent place, like a prison.
[00:18:32] Speaker B: Well, what, how, what was the, I guess the atmosphere in county versus when you went to state prison?
[00:18:37] Speaker C: Well, you can actually walk outside and
[00:18:38] Speaker B: state prison, that's to go to the yard.
[00:18:40] Speaker C: Yeah. In county you're lucky if you get like, you get it once a week, give or take. And then you have to go to the roof. There's a, there's two roofs. I don't know where the other one's at, but you go to the roof and it's just a giant cage and you literally, you can only see the sky. You can't see like all of LA or nothing. Just fucking all blocked off.
[00:18:58] Speaker B: So we got lucky during this case because during this case the law changed.
And as I explained earlier, in order for him to be charged or convicted of murder, he had to have been a major participant in the actual killing.
And once the law changed, I had several meetings with the DA's office.
Several meetings. And of course the DA, worthless as usual, they wouldn't just dismiss the charge.
Even though the law changed. They didn't want to do anything.
They wanted the case to go to a preliminary hearing and they wanted a judge to take the hit and do the dirty work like they do in almost every case.
They always want everything to go on the judge. They don't want to be the bad guy.
So we go to a preliminary hearing with the three other boys, myself, all the attorneys, and I had the first opportunity to cross examine witnesses and then make my argument to the judge.
And the judge agreed with our position that he was not a major participant. And murder charges were dismissed.
And I remember when I heard the judge dismissed the murder charge, I heard your mom in the back let out a big gasp, like she was so relieved. What were you thinking when murder charges got dismissed?
[00:20:27] Speaker C: I didn't believe it because I know they can refile up to a year later. So I was like, yeah, no, this ain't over yet. I was like, I'm not. This is not over yet. Like, thought about that for a while.
[00:20:36] Speaker B: And then you were sentenced on just the burglary because you were, I mean, you were, you know, you were the robbery, you know, you were guilty of, you know, being the driver, going there, you know, agreeing to be the driver for them to Go take the money. You pled to a lesser charge. You did some time. You get transferred from county.
Where did you go to prison after that?
[00:20:59] Speaker C: Because you get sent to like a hub and they send you to a main prison. I think I was at Wasco. I think that's where they sent me. It's either Wasco Delano for like Southern California.
Just the two. Well, Wasco. And then I went to the one. Like, I don't want to say it, but just two.
[00:21:17] Speaker B: Okay, so when, when you first, when you first went to prison, Explain to me what happens when you first get to prison. I mean, what. Explain the classification process in prison.
[00:21:30] Speaker C: It is different, but you just, you get off the bus, they just ask you your name, they ask you. I think they ask you what you're there for, and they ask you a bunch of other stuff. And then go to a holding cell with a bunch of other people. And then they just pick you a building, you go in there and that's where you're at. Then you got to go see a counselor. They tell you how many points you have, where you're probably going to go, or if you want to go do some other stuff. Like if you want to sign up for fire camp. There's other stuff too.
[00:21:53] Speaker B: But did you try fire camp?
[00:21:56] Speaker C: I was supposed to go there, but all the COVID stuff and them sending out like, it just. It ruined a lot of stuff.
[00:22:04] Speaker B: How was it meeting your. Your cellie?
[00:22:07] Speaker C: Well, actually, I was in a dorm when I got to Wasco, so everything's wide open.
[00:22:12] Speaker B: How many different people in the dorm?
[00:22:13] Speaker C: There was like 200 people when I first walked in there. It was packed.
[00:22:16] Speaker B: 200 people all sleeping.
[00:22:17] Speaker C: One room. Yeah, yeah. Just a big ass, like an industrial building.
That's how it was for. I went from having my own cell with like 14 people, like where we were at, which is lovely, you know, I hate to say it, but it's really nice. And he could breathe in there. So it's. Then I went straight. Just having a packed building that sucked. Like, that was like, oh, my God, now there's no privacy.
[00:22:40] Speaker B: When you go to prison, you hear this term a lot. Let me see your paperwork. Let me see your paperwork. Are people asking for your paperwork?
Are there other inmates asking for your paperwork? Are they asking for your charging documents? Do they want to know why you're there?
[00:22:52] Speaker C: Some people do, yeah.
[00:22:53] Speaker B: And do you show it to them?
[00:22:54] Speaker C: Yeah, you have to if. If they want to, yeah. But for all that, no, you don't have to do that.
[00:22:58] Speaker B: And you told them you were there for started off as murder, murder, got dismissed, or just fate, you know, you're just doing a little bit of time on a robbery case.
Did you witness.
Let's talk about prison politics. Tell me about prison politics.
[00:23:14] Speaker C: Well, for me, I didn't really have it because mine was different. But that sucks. Like, when you have to go pick your race, do all that stuff, it's kind of stupid. Thank God I didn't have to really experience that. But
[00:23:29] Speaker B: tell me about that. When you say we have to go pick our race, you know, tell me about that.
[00:23:32] Speaker C: Plus I see like, where, like, who do you. Who you roll with? Basically, like either white, Hispanic, black or other Asians. It's usually that's just who you go and kick with. But where I was at, you could just take whoever you got along with. Didn't really matter.
[00:23:46] Speaker B: The reason why inmates like prison over county jails, because you guys actually get to go outside and look at the sun and the blue sky and the fresh air. You guys get to go in the yard.
[00:23:56] Speaker C: You get more freedom. Yeah. In prison. And the food's a little cheaper in LA county. It's like at the time it was like A$18 for one singular square soup there, just for one. But when you go to prison, it's like 25 cents.
[00:24:07] Speaker B: How do you explain to the viewers what, you know, everyone's probably, well, you have to buy, you know, food, you know, why are you buying food in jail?
[00:24:14] Speaker C: This is jail. Food sucks. That's why. So if you're broke in jail, you don't have people that look out for you. It's going to be hard.
[00:24:20] Speaker B: How did you get money?
[00:24:21] Speaker C: My family looked out. I was lucky.
[00:24:24] Speaker B: So you were, you were buying soups and spreads and, you know, other things that are considered gourmet in county jail. Right.
[00:24:30] Speaker C: Coffee and soup.
[00:24:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:31] Speaker B: And then what about state prison? How's the food there?
[00:24:34] Speaker C: The actual food that they serve it? It could be a little better. Like, you want, like, what'd you get in County?
Just like Brain Motion county sometimes, like chili Mac. That was probably like one of the better things.
[00:24:46] Speaker B: What was your favorite meal in prison?
[00:24:48] Speaker C: They actually had like a crock pot towards the end. It was actually like, pretty decent. Like, exactly, you know, like crock pot and like the thing like with the, the beef and like potatoes and all that. It was actually. It tasted pretty good. I was surprised.
[00:25:00] Speaker B: How much, how much total time did you do at state prison?
[00:25:03] Speaker C: An actual state prison? What I didn't. In LA County, I was there for Like, I can't remember if I was in LA county for a little less than two years or. I think it was a little less. So I think you did about, like, 18 months, something like.
[00:25:18] Speaker B: How many fights did you witness?
[00:25:21] Speaker C: I think la. Just one?
Yeah, I think it was just one. And then in prison. Let's see.
[00:25:28] Speaker B: Tell me about something.
[00:25:29] Speaker C: There's a few.
[00:25:30] Speaker B: Tell me about the fights in LA County.
[00:25:33] Speaker C: I don't think there wasn't even that many of us, only like 14 or 15 of us at a time. So everyone was cool with each other. I don't. I don't really remember anyone getting into fights in LA County. Maybe, like, talking or about to get into a fight, like, actual fighting. I don't really recall that. Like, prison. Yeah, some people started fighting.
[00:25:49] Speaker B: Talk about that. Talk about the fights in state prison.
[00:25:51] Speaker C: I think the first fight I saw when I was in state prison was. It was like a week or so after I just gotten there and how to do with my bunk. I don't know what. I can't remember what happened, but something happened with, like, the gays and some other people in the building, so.
[00:26:05] Speaker B: I know the gays, you said.
[00:26:07] Speaker C: Yeah, there's some gay people in there. Because I'm on. I'm on the other side. I'm not on the main line. I don't care about that shit. But. So something happened. They were getting to a fight, and this was, like a brawl. Ended up turning to something, like, really big. And it started off right on my row, where my rack was at. I've never seen a man get rushed like that before.
[00:26:24] Speaker B: When you say right on my row, my rack, explain what that means.
[00:26:26] Speaker C: Like your bed. Okay, so I'm seeing. I really can't remember what the fire was over, but it started right next to my bed. And, like, it was this big white guy and this older black guy. Like, you could know something's happening. Everyone's, like, looking at each other. Stuff's happening. So you walk over to our side, you're not supposed to go. At the time you were supposed to go on the other sides. Like, if you're on this side, you have to stay on this side. From the other side, you stay over there. So, like, they're about to go over and they just start getting into a fight. The white guy rushed the black dude, like, heavily. Like, he pushed him back, probably like three rows. Just beating the shit out of them. They just started fighting me.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: You're seeing all this.
[00:26:58] Speaker C: I'm watching all this. The whole fucking building is. And then Two or three other people start getting involved. Other people start fighting. It's like a big brawl and it just starts like kind of getting out of hand. And then the. The police come in. They just. They throw some fucking. I think they threw one of the.
The pepper spray grenades like over on the corner and they shot some bald and sprayed them all this shit starts to calm down. They bring him out. And then my fucking bunky, I guess he got involved in it. Some people didn't get caught for it. Some people just. They slipped out at the last second. They didn't get caught. It's only arrested like a handful of people. So my bunky, he's standing there, the.
The workers in the building, two of the inmates that come over like, what are you doing? He's like, what? Like, why are you getting involved in this? He's like, why are you getting involved in their fucking business? And before he can even answer, there's one dude in the front, there's one dude in the back. The guy in the back just cracks him in the side of the head.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: Cracks your bunky?
[00:27:45] Speaker C: Yeah, just hard as fuck. And the guy in the front starts beating the show and they both just beating the crap out of this guy in the dm, like walking in between the tables, go to the front. And then that's when cops come back in because they hit the alarm. They're telling him to get off. He's not getting off. So they spray him with pepper spray. He's still not getting off him. They're just beating the shit out as full as pepper spray on his face like that.
[00:28:05] Speaker B: Did you see multiple fights while you were there or was that one of the worst?
[00:28:08] Speaker C: A couple? That was probably one of the worst one I saw. There was like a couple more, but they weren't like anything like that was like a big one that.
[00:28:14] Speaker B: What about drugs in state prison? Did you. Were there drugs in state prison or was it more prevalent in. In county?
[00:28:23] Speaker C: No, I did. I got. It was weird. Like, I guess you'd say I got lucky because I didn't really see that many drugs in county or prison. Well, if it's. This is covet, so like a lot of stopped, so.
[00:28:33] Speaker B: But there. But there were drugs. There were other people bringing him in, in and out of prison, right?
[00:28:38] Speaker C: Yeah, I think. I think it was more the. The deputies bringing in because there wasn't too many visits going on when I was there. So.
[00:28:44] Speaker B: Do you remember the day you were released?
[00:28:47] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:28:48] Speaker B: Tell me about that. How was that? What happens the day before? Or a Few days before your release date. What's going on? What's going through your head? What's going on?
[00:28:59] Speaker C: Nothing stupid happens and you have to stay for a lot longer.
[00:29:02] Speaker B: What are the other inmates doing? I mean, are they congratulating you? Are they all pissed off that you're going home and they're not going home? How's that?
[00:29:09] Speaker C: A lot of people, they don't even tell you their release date just because they don't. They're worried that someone else is probably going to do something that can't happen. Someone will be jealous or someone will just be a hater.
Yeah. Something get you in Trouble, stay for 30 more days or God forbid, something way longer. But most people just keep to themselves about their day. I told some people, but other than that, like, it was.
[00:29:30] Speaker B: Did you have to go. Go through declat. Like, you. When you went there, you have to go through the classification process. When you left, did you go to the declassification? I mean, do they tell you about your parole?
Did they talk to you any about that at all?
[00:29:43] Speaker C: Yeah, they started doing all this stuff. Like, I want to say like a month.
Give it. Like, if it's. Everything starts about a month or a few weeks before, like, all right, well, there's your po. They sign you up for, like, I think Medicare or something. You have to have something on the way out. Like, there's a.
It's a few things that go. And then on the day they hit you up at like 6am they'll call your name while I go to the front and they take you back to where. I'm sorry, where you. Where you entered the prison. That's where you're leaving now. Have all your stuff with you. And then it's just. Literally just wait for an hour and they come pick you up and you leave.
[00:30:14] Speaker B: When. When you saw your mom and dad, what did you think? Did you find. Did you walk out and say, I'm a free man. I never thought this would happen.
[00:30:20] Speaker C: Yeah, I was tripping out. I was like, damn, I'm actually leaving right now. It was crazy.
[00:30:24] Speaker B: What was the first thing you guys did?
[00:30:26] Speaker C: Some. Some Taco Bell. And I got some clothes, too. Taco honestly wasn't even. Like, everyone was saying, don't go eat, like, a lot of oils. You'll probably throw up. Like, it. I didn't throw up. I just. I don't know when that honestly wasn't that good. Like, it was. All right, what's.
[00:30:40] Speaker B: What's life like now? I mean, what's. What's a Day in the life, I mean, do you go back and does it ever haunt you what happened? Do you ever think about that day and say, why did I do that? Or do you just take it as you know, this is a learning lesson. This is why I'm here.
[00:30:54] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean I would thought about that like going back, like, no, why did I do that? Not, not really. I wish I didn't do it. I wish I wasn't a part of that. But I just, like you said, just learn from it, go for it.
[00:31:06] Speaker B: If there's one, one thing you have to tell, you know, kids out there that, you know, get caught up in drugs, caught up in the wrong crowd, what would you tell them coming from someone who has lived it. Yeah.
[00:31:17] Speaker C: Just don't do drugs. Make better decisions. It's like, make smart ones.
[00:31:21] Speaker B: The one last thing I want to talk about and we're going to wrap up here is, you know, you know there's this myth, right, that, you know, don't go to jail. If you go to jail and drop your soap, something's going to happen. Right?
So there, there just, that's. People always talk about that, don't drop your soap. And is that real?
[00:31:44] Speaker C: I mean, someone will accommodate you. That's. Someone can if you want to.
[00:31:47] Speaker B: Yeah, but it's, it's not, you know, you're not taking a shower and drop your soap and all of a sudden something's going to happen. Like everyone thinks it happens, right?
[00:31:55] Speaker C: No, they'll fuck around and make fun of you if you actually do that.
[00:31:58] Speaker B: Like so it's just, it's just a myth that people just throw out there to make fun of people. Right. You never saw it.
[00:32:05] Speaker C: Well, now you got the shower gel so you don't have to worry about the soap dropping. So.
[00:32:10] Speaker B: And that's the wrap on our second episode of the Dodcast. Join us for the third episode. Thank you and have a great day everybody.
[00:32:19] Speaker A: When freedom's on the line, the truth matters.
[00:32:23] Speaker C: Follow.
[00:32:24] Speaker A: Subscribe and join us next time on the Dodcast memoirs from an award winning criminal defense attorney.
