Ryan Fair is the son of Rufus Fair and Shya Risher Simmons. He has been incarcerated
for 7 years on a 53-year sentence; these are his first felony convictions. He was convicted of an
“accidental” second-degree murder with a firearm. On November 30, 2016, Ryan was on foot
and stopped by someone’s house he had sold weed to before, Ryan was paranoid and
suspicious. Under the influence of Xanax, he wasn’t thinking correctly; he wasn’t in a
rational state of mind. When Joe Davis came out to the porch to conduct “the deal,” he
reached into his pocket, Ryan saw he was reaching for a gun and shot his firearm one time,
the other guy fired (3) times and shot Ryan in the back. Unfortunately, a man lost his life.
Even to this day, Ryan is unclear about “why or how” all of this happened, because he was
high on Xanax. But not one day goes by when Ryan doesn’t regret that this happened, he is
extremely remorseful, and he uses his time in prison to better himself and those around him.
Prison has become a place of Higher Learning for him.
I will let Ryan tell his story:
“I’m Ryan Fair, I’m 30 years old and had a promising future as a teenager.
Unfortunately, due to my poor choices and drug addictions, I ruined my life and ended up
being convicted of 2nd degree murder. I’m a first-time offender and have never been in any
“real trouble” before this. I have three good parents (dad, mom, and stepfather) and a tribe of
family that have been involved in my life and upbringing. They helped me enlist in the Army
after an unsuccessful semester in college. I scored high on the ASFAB test, but I wanted to
chase my cultural ambition as a rapper and producer (1st bad decision). I wasn’t good at
marketing and selling myself to earn enough money to pay my bills, so I began to sell drugs
(2nd bad decision). I began using and abusing the drugs I was selling (3rd bad decision),
specifically Xanax, and I experienced memory loss, loss of time and items, an inability to be
rational, and I ended up far from my potential, acting completely out of character from the
way I was raised. One evening, already paranoid from being in the streets, a possible drug
transaction turned into a fatal shooting. Fast forward 7 years later, I have developed a serious
relationship with God and a strong commitment to becoming the best version of myself.
I no longer write lyrics or involve myself in negativity. While incarcerated I developed
a passion to learn the law and earned my Paralegal Certification through numerous courses
at Adams State University in 2023. I’m serious about my sobriety and I am currently pursuing
my Advanced Paralegal Certification at Adams State University. Also, I am persistently
applying the Narcotics Anonymous (NA 12-step) program to my everyday life as well as many
other self-help materials. My goal is to share my life experiences through being a lawyer’s
assistant in juvenile crimes so those coming behind me (the younger generations) do not make
the same mistakes I did. I have made prison a place of productivity and higher learning.
Would you please stand with me in my request to the Commonwealth of Virginia, and
the Governor, to give me a Second Chance with the opportunity to give back to my community
in a positive way? I am eternally grateful for your signature!
Ryan Fair
As Ryan’s parents, we humbly ask for your signature and support. This will give our son a
chance to demonstrate to the parole board his deep remorse, his personal growth and
development, and his commitment to being a positive and accountable citizen to his community.
Thank you for helping him and us receive this chance.
Sincerely,
Rufus Fair,
Shya Risher Simmons.