freedom: 2009-present
Being driven out of Mule Creek State Prison by Paul Ingels, the private investigator who secured my exoneration and release, in his truck "Big Blue" - Aug 13, 2009.
Minutes after my release, savoring freedom (and sausages with boysenberry syrup) at IHOP in Elk Grove, CA - Aug 13, 2009.
At IHOP - Aug 13, 2009.
Laughing at myself for being momentarily stymied by motion-sensing water faucets at a roadside convenience store—they didn't have many of those in prison! - Aug 13, 2009.
Superior Court, Criminal Courts Building, Los Angeles, as the Deputy District Attorney announces they cannot retry me for my mother's murder due to "destruction of evidence and death of witnesses" (To clarify: only two potential witnesses were dead at that point. My dad, who would have been a stellar witness to my innocence, and Mike Ryan, who certainly murdered my mother. Both were extremely good for me, making the State's excuse for being unable to proceed transparently false.) - Sep 21, 2009.
Filming the 48 Hours Mystery episode "The Whole Truth" in the decommissioned Sybil Brand women's jail in Los Angeles. Being in a dusty, deactivated jail was surreal and empowering, a step in reclaiming my life from those who stole so much for over 2½ decades. The episode aired on October 16, 2010, on CBS, featuring host Erin Moriarty.