Michelle West | CAN-DO
Michelle West | CAN-DO
Michelle West, 58, has served 26 years in federal prison after being sentenced to two life sentences plus 50 years for a murder she did not commit. Criminal justice advocates say she is a deserving candidate for clemency.
"I do recognize I made the worst mistake in my life when I started dating Olee, who unbeknownst to me put a hit out on someone who stole money from him," West said in her petition for executive clemency.
West met Olee Robinson in 1987 when she was 25. She started a relationship with him a few months later. Robinson then hired Edward Osborne to kill Michelle's friend Sherman Christian. Osborne admitted to the murder but served no time in prison because he was granted immunity for testifying.
When West found out that Robinson was involved in the murder, she did not report it. She claims she feared retaliation from Robinson, who allegedly threatened her daughter.
West was incarcerated when her daughter was only 10 years old.
"Everything I do is based upon my goal to be reunited with my child," West said.
Instead of giving in to despair, West has served her time with dignity and hope. She earned a Marist College Certificate of Achievement in Business Management with a 3.584 GPA. Notably, she started a mentoring program at FCI Danbury where she met weekly with younger inmates to help them cope with incarceration.
The victim's daughter, Candace Christian, wrote a letter to President Trump to request clemency for West. "I am writing you because I feel you need to know that I do not hold my Godmother responsible for what happen to my father, who is the victim in the case she was tried for," Christian said. "Please have mercy on Michelle and set her free so she can come home to her daughter and help me continue to navigate through life."
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