An Alabama man who was sentenced to life in prison after stealing a man’s wallet that contained just $9 is now getting attention on social media after a local reporter highlighted his plight.
Willie Simmons, who has spent the last 38 years in prison, was prosecuted as a repeat offender and sentenced to life in prison in 1982. Beth Shelburne, a reporter for Birmingham, Alabama, Fox station WBRC, interviewed Simmons, an inmate of the Holman Correctional Facility, and published details of his life on Twitter.
Simmons told Shelburne he was on drugs when the $9 theft happened, and that he had previously served time in prison for grand larceny and receiving stolen property. He reflected on his trial, which he said lasted 25 minutes with no witnesses called by his court-appointed attorney, and explained that prosecutors didn’t offer him a plea deal. Simmons also has had multiple appeals denied.
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
“In a place like this, it can feel like you’re standing all alone,” he told Shelburne. “I ain’t got nobody on the outside to call and talk to. Sometimes I feel like I’m lost in outer space.”
While in prison, Simmons is studying for his GED and tries his best to say away from “the wild bunch.” He said he’s been sober for about 18 years. In 2014, lawmakers passed an alteration to the habitual offenders law that eliminated Simmons’s last option for appealing his conviction.
In 2014, lawmakers removed the last avenue of appeal for people like Mr. Simmons serving life without parole under the habitual offender law. I asked if he had hope that leaders would reconsider that. “Yes, I’ve been hoping and praying on it,” he said. “I ain’t giving up.” 10/12
— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) December 22, 2019
Shelburne concluded her thread by explaining that she’s not arguing that he’s innocent; rather, she’s highlighting laws “that categorically throw people away in the name of safety.”
Following her sharing Simmons’s story, a number of people expressed their dismay at the “draconian law,” including reality TV star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian West, who has championed criminal justice reform recently.
We often ask these days where is the outrage? Do we really believe the best place for Willie Simmons is prison until he dies? Will people even read about his story or just scroll on and finish Christmas shopping and decide where to go for lunch? ? https://t.co/M8qAyEgCAw
— Angela Ganote (@angelaganote) December 22, 2019
This case is heartbreaking. ?Alabama has made some changes to their Habitual Felony Offender Laws but they weren’t retroactive- I hope @GovernorKayIvey will consider commuting Willie Simmons and others who have been sentenced under this draconian law and seen no relief. https://t.co/mnHEOspNxX
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 22, 2019
This case is heartbreaking. ?Alabama has made some changes to their Habitual Felony Offender Laws but they weren’t retroactive- I hope @GovernorKayIvey will consider commuting Willie Simmons and others who have been sentenced under this draconian law and seen no relief. https://t.co/mnHEOspNxX
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 22, 2019
