How does the government decide who deserves to spend their life in prison? Is it a fair trial of their peers? Is it based on the power of the defense one can afford? And how can one person that killed many serve the same sentence as a person who killed no one?

Felony Murder.

We have all watched the news or seen it flash on our media devices. Some cases catch our eye immediately. Maybe we knew the people. Maybe we heard our peers talk about it. Or maybe it is big news that goes along with what our world is facing today. But what about the cases that get little to no attention? What about the people who can’t afford proper defense? Should they be made to suffer the same consequences as those who make headlines for committing heinous crimes?

This story is about a boy who became a man behind the wires of Colorado’s state prisons. His name is Alarico Medina but he is only known to most as 126920. Picked up at the young age of 18 and sentenced to felony murder which some don’t know that this sentence carries life with no possibility of parole. Another thing people do not understand and are so unaware of is that you can get this life sentence and kill no one.

 In 2004 Alarico was asked to defend the honor of a girl he barely knew by his girlfriend. Being 18 and ambitious Alarico agreed. He was told this girl was raped by a man and that he was to go over and  see the man. Alarico got in the car along with 3 others and drove to the apartment. When him and another walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell Alarico knew he only wanted to talk to the man and find out if it was the truth knowing that sometimes his girlfriend can exaggerate and get out of hand. He didn’t know that ringing the doorbell would change his life forever. After a push of his finger the door opened and one simple question was asked. Next thing Alarico knew was he was being pushed out of the way and loud BANG had went off. Running down the stairs and back into the vehicle he was in shock and scared. What had happened? What was he going to do?

Driving home that night everyone was quiet. Things were said like “don’t tell a soul”, “we didn’t do anything”, “they won’t know”, kept being passed around.

Later, police officers charged in weapons drawn and Alarico was arrested. 18 years old being drug to the station, his clothes taken from him, his picture taken, his fingerprints done, and then sat in a room only for people to come in and ask him question after question. Alarico though had hope, he knew he did nothing wrong. He thought how could he get into trouble all he did was ring the doorbell. 6 weeks of trial went by and after everyone had turned on him he sat in court defeated. He wanted to start it all over he wanted to speak now and tell people what had really happened but he was too late. They were after him from the beginning. All that came from his 6 weeks was that they knew he did not shoot the man. The jury was instructed on how Felony Murder works and with them using burglary as their backing felony even though they knew he never stepped foot into the apartment they sentenced Alarico to life without a life.

At 18 years, old he was told he was never going to have another birthday, Christmas, Easter, thanksgiving, or any other holiday with his family again. Along with this life sentence came the probability that he would never find love, have kids, or even eat a decent meal for the rest of his life. He will never know what it is like to go shopping or stand in line to pump gas, he won’t ever have to work a 9 to 5 job or pay taxes. I know people are saying lucky in a joking manner but all the little things that we take for granite like sleeping in a soft bed, or using the bathroom in privacy are things he will never get to experience. All because he rang a doorbell.

Now I ask that you as readers place yourself in the shoes of the ambitious and arrogant 18-year-old that we all were at one time. What would it feel like to you? How would you feel if a simple 60 second move changed your life and stripped you of everything you had? Look around you now young and old. Look at the things you have done with your lives, the family you may have grown, the job and successes you may have achieved, the shoes you wear on your feet, your spouse’s smile, everything you hold near and dear to your heart. Now imagine none of it exists. Are you short of breath? Is your heart pounding? Can you feel the anxiety? This is what it was like. Would you be able to handle it?

It has been almost 15 years now and Alarico is 31. He has almost spent as much time behind bars as he had in the outside world and all for ringing a doorbell.

The reason I am writing this is to make the public aware of some of the laws that United States of America still has. He was sentenced to the same amount of time as those who have personally pulled the trigger and killed more than one person.

Can you tell me where is the justice in that?

People say that Justice had to be served that day. That someone had to pay for the life that was taken. I understand that justice needed to reign but true, honest, fair justice would have sentenced this man to the same terms that the shooter was sentenced to. 4 years is all the shooter did in this case. If justice was going to be served everyone else in the case should have served the same initial time as the shooter. Alarico is not looking for pity or some sort of reimbursement, he just wants the people of America to know what felony murder can really do. He wants people to realize that this sentence can take a life when the person who receives it does not have to take a life. Why would a murder get a deal and serve 4 years when a boy who knew nothing about the killing that was about to take place was told to sit in prison for the rest of his life.

Now that the story has been given a brief run through let me tell you about Felony Murder.

Felony Murder is defined as; The statute classifies a homicide as first degree murder when committed during one of these predicate felonies: Committing or attempting to commit arson, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, sexual assault, or a class 3 felony sexual assault on a child.

This means that if you are committing any of the above felonies and someone is killed in the meantime you can be charged with felony murder which always hold a mandatory sentence of life with no possibility of parole. To hold felony murder to a case the prosecutor must be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that one of the backing felonies was being committed in the process. They must also prove that the knowledge of harm or murder must be known to the people involved in the committed felony.

In Alarico’s trial they found out he was not the shooter. They also knew he did not step foot in the house to be able to use burglary as his backing felony. They also could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he knew that man was going to be shot.

To hold burglary as his backing felony they stated that the barrel of the shot gun had passed the threshold of the door way. The prosecutor kept saying that Alarico knew the other man had a shot gun. Over and Over it was stated without any proof. I believe that they were reaching very far to hold burglary to his sentence. To use the barrel of a gun that was not held by him and a shoe print that did not belong to him is reaching far beyond reasonable means to sentence someone to such a crime.

I have in my possession an audio tape of the shooter stating that Alarico had no idea that he was going to shoot the man he states that Alarico had no idea he even had a weapon on him. He states in this tape that he has killed before, and if he would have known the roommate was home he would have killed him too. Now, Doesn’t this sound more like a killer? Shouldn’t this man be the one sentenced to a lifetime?

Please vote! Please vote to show support in bringing Alarico home to his family. 15 years is a long time for ringing a doorbell, especially when the one who really committed a crime only had to do 4. Bring Alarico home to his family. He knows what happened was NOT right he knows someone had to pay. Why did it only have to be him?

We are now looking for guidance and help to fight Alarico’s case. He still has a family and they still love him. He knows what happened that night was not right. He feels remorse and sorry for the family afflicted, he wants to be given a second chance. Is this too much to ask?