This post is NOT about me.
It’s about a brother in Christ that God has brought into my life to share his story and ask you to join me in supporting him. Let me introduce Arthur. And on his left is his lawyer from the Exoneration Program who daily fights for Justice! May our Heavenly Father bless them both!
Here is his story in a nutshell.
On Sept. 21, 1986, two men were killed in a fire in Cook County, IL. Investigators suspected arson, and nine months later, Arthur Almendarez and two other young men were arrested. They were convicted by especially corrupt individuals in the Chicago Police Department and they were sentenced to life in prison without parole for first-degree murder and aggravated arson. That, my readers, was 35, THIRTY FIVE years ago! Arthur was just turning 20. He was totally innocent.
They have maintained their innocence and claim two detectives brutally coerced them into signing confessions. Sadly this had been done numerous times and all eyes of those who were supposed to protect the innocent were averted. They had locked eyes on their victims and like evil manifested, pursued until they took down the innocent regardless of the truth. One of these men is Artuhur Almendarez whom I had the privilege of meeting this past week in Rockford, IL.
Multiple times an appellate judge even ruled there was no other evidence aside from those forced, signed statements connecting the men to the crime and a new trial was needed. The court cited the detectives’ history of forcing confessions.
Finally as of last week, these men have been given the gift of freedom we all take for granted. But it doesn’t end there for them. These are men are practically at retirement age, with routines, thought patterns and protective measures in place in their minds that simply put, is unfathomable to understand for someone who never suffered this way.
“Serving a life sentence without parole for a crime you didn’t commit is not easy,” Almendarez said. “I’ve tried not to let the anger poison my soul. But I have been so mad. I have to learn how to be free, how to be a man,” Almendarez said. “I was 20 years old when I went in and all I’ve learned is how to be a convict.”
“We have tried to keep the faith, year after year, trial after trial,” Arthur’s sister said. “Our mom has passed away, and she would always say that he’s coming home.”
Now, my friends…this is me, Tricia, speaking on his behalf. It’s time for me to help, and I’m asking you to join me however the Lord puts on your heart to do. God has provided a safe roof over Arthur’s head and that’s about it. It’s all he has. He’s navigating everything from how to use a cell phone to where/how to get a job. The mental shift is literally mind boggling, yet in my conversations with Arthur, he is a strong man, a man of faith, who knows he has lots of work to do.
Please consider your part in helping restore our Christian brother as you would want to be helped were you in his place. I believe gifting him financially would be very beneficial at this time. Here is one way in which you can offer monetary assistance via Venmo. Until he even has a bank account next week, you can send donations to my Venmo and I have a simple way to get that into his hands. You can also contact me privately to discuss further. Thank you! I remember many years ago when I volunteered for Voice of the Martyrs and their core verse is this:
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