“I was in technical school when it happened, and I was only...

“I was in technical school when it happened, and I was only three months
from graduating. I was going to be an HVAC repairman. Then one day
these two older kids asked me to come with them to Manhattan. They told
me they were going to do something, and they needed a lookout.
Honestly, it was just something to do. We didn’t talk about money or
anything. We drove to the place and they told me to
stand on the corner. There weren’t even cellphones in those days, so I
don’t even know what I was supposed to be doing. The two guys went
into a store, and after about five seconds I started hearing shots.
They came running back out, and somebody was chasing them, shooting at
them. So I ran straight home and I turned on the TV. And I saw the
faces of the two guys I was with. It said they were wanted for double
homicide. A couple days later, two detectives came and arrested me in
front of my entire family. My mother was screaming. I didn’t think
that I’d done anything wrong. The first time I met with my lawyer, she
told me that she could get me life without parole, like that was a good
thing. It didn’t feel real.”