Misdemeanor Turned Manslaughter

Terry Randolph was a good, God fearing man, father of two daughters whom he adored. The girls’ mother wasn’t very fond of him, her broken heart wouldn’t allow her to stop hurting him. Hurt people hurt people. They’re relationship remained strained through the years but his bond with his little girls grew strong through their daily activities. They fed ducks, rode bikes, made homemade ice cream cones, read books, cooked and did their extra “daddy homework”. Terry liked to expand on the lessons the girls were learning, taking them one step farther.

Those little girls loved their daddy; he loved his girls too. Unfortunately for him his family fell on hard times. Their matriarch, his grandmother, was ill and in need of around the clock care. The product of an addict and a convict, Terry didn’t have much in the form of parental support so he was charged with their family’s leader’s care. It was a full time job but he was up to it. Most of the family resided states away so it was his honorable duty to guide her home safely.

Now unemployed and acting as a full time caregiver, Terry still kept his girls most of the time. They proudly assisted in their great grandmother’s care. Their father looked on with pride in his eyes as his special little girls learned about compassion and sacrifice while they cared for the women that had always been so caring for them. Inevitably the strong woman returned home to Terry’s dismay and relief. The funeral was held and all of the family showed up. Everyone got their piece of the pie they were owed and Terry was just left to pick up the pieces.

He applied for new employment and found temporary lodging. His daughter’s mother showed him little compassion in his time of grieving. He was behind on his child support and she wanted what was owed to her. Terry made a trip down to the child support office to explain his situation and make payment arrangements. An agreement was struck and Terry was ordered to pay extra child support for the next six months. He complied and his check was quite short but he found a way to make it stretch.

When he finally made it to the end of his payment arrangement he was hauled into court again. Terry explained to the judge that he made a payment arrangement with child support and stuck to it. The judge called it a “secret agreement”. Terry didn’t understand, there was nothing secret about how they garnished his wages. They took his funds before he even saw them. Terry went on to explain to the judge that he was the primary caregiver for his dying grandmother and his daughters resided with him most of the time during that time. The judge asked to speak with the mother of the children privately about the case. After that discussion Terry was ordered to pay the excess child support until the debt was satisfied. This caused him a great hardship. His job held ample responsibility yet he was getting paid less than some of his employees after insurance, child support and taxes.

Pay day advance companies he visited before and after every pay day because he was always behind. Terry was not doing well. His license was mistakenly suspended due to a clerical error; Terry was pulled over and jailed. His car was impounded and he struggled to get it back and have the matter cleared up in court. Once the matter was resolved and Terry was out a lot more money; he was jailed again. The police knocked on the door of the room he rented at the extended stay hotel in his area. They informed him that he had missed a court date and he needed to come with them.

After being released Terry decided that he couldn’t go on working so hard for no money so he decided to change professions. He started waiting tables. It was humbling but with the tips he could pay his bills and survive. During his struggles the mother of his children moved them two counties away making it more difficult for him to visit with them. Yet, through all of this, his bond with his daughters remained strong.

Nine years past, Terry married and became the father of four additional younger children. He viewed them as a gift. They were the four children he lost to abortion without his consent in his former relationship. He wasn’t made aware until everything was done and over with. It was her body and her choice. When she wanted to have a child to get her man, she did. When she wanted to abort a child because it serve her purpose or might ruin her figure she did that too. It was her right and again, her choice.

Terry, now in his early forties was still waiting tables to make ends meat. He and his wife were very active in their church and community. They served, coached and mentored the children of their town. Terry was growing into a mature man and his oldest daughter was now in college. He gave large sums of money to child support whenever his family gained a windfall and he never saw an income tax check or pay check.

Again he was summoned to court. Terry was being sued for back child support. He had just paid four months at once but the court wanted more. He was berated and degraded for the twentieth time by the state’s attorney. She loved her job; she did it angrily and with great zeal. Terry had received many a tongue lashing from this awful woman telling him how horrible of a father and person he was. His child support was raised even higher three years earlier to almost nine hundred dollars a month. The judge asked what he had to pay to them on that day. Terry replied that he had just paid thirty-eight hundred dollars and he had nothing else to give. He was asked to go back out into the waiting room until they called him back in. Once back in the court room the judge asked him to stand and put his hands behind his back. Before Terry knew it he was being cuffed and led out of the courtroom down the back stairs and to a holding cell.

In that cell he met other unfortunate souls being beat up by the system. He met a guy by the name of Miguel whose son was turning eighteen in a couple of days but the court felt the need to lock him up anyway. Terry’s own daughter was nineteen with a job and her own car and he was still being charged child support for her. Eventually he was transported to the county jail and processed. His bond was seven hundred and fifty dollars or he would have to serve six months in county jail. He explained to the judge that in six months his family would lose everything. Instead of compassion he was met with contempt and ridicule.

Once in jail Terry shared a cell with men who were charged with serious crimes and many of them had been to prison more than once in their lives. He was surrounded by career criminals, gang members, violent felons and drug addicts. Most of them had no respect for their fellow man or his life. They had no respect for themselves. Feeling like life was all but over for them, knowing they would not see the outside world again for over a decade left them with angry malice in their hearts. Terry was sitting on a bunk watching Matlock with a few of his new friends. Then another group of prisoners were let into the large cell.

One of the disrespectful young men walked right to the television and started turning the channels. Terry called out to him to ask him to turn it back to what they were watching.

“If you don’t mind we were watching that.”

Without turning around to look at Terry the boy yelled over his shoulder at him followed by a slight chuckle.

“Chill out old man; I’m just trying to see what’s on.”

Terry got slightly irritated.

“You see what’s on, Matlock, and we are watching it. So turn it back!”

Finally the disrespectful boy turned around all puffed up to face Terry.

“So what you want to do old man? You tryin’ ta shake somethin’?”

Terry wasn’t trying to become violent. He just wanted to pass his time watching a familiar show. He stood because he didn’t want to be in a defenseless position when the kid approached him.

“Look, I’m just trying to watch my show alright.”

The prisoner walked right up and looked Terry in the face.

“Well you ‘bout ta get yo old ass whipped, running yo mouth!”

Terry just smiled at him. He was now a good Christian man who tried to refrain from violence but still knew very well how to handle himself. He tried to hold his tongue but gave into his moment of weakness and frustration speaking in language the boy could understand.

“So what you want to do jit?!”

The boy took a swing at him and connected to Terry’s skull. Terry slipped his punch breaking the boy’s pinkie in the process. Then Terry delivered a three punch combination, upper cut, jab, haymaker knocking the boy down and out. On the way down he hit his head on a metal bench. The tough guy laid there slumped over on the ground passed out. The men in the cell went wild screaming insults down at the youngster sprawled out on the floor. Guys walked by and gave Terry handshakes and pats on the back. The accolades he accepted but Terry was not proud of himself. He was instantly convicted for allowing himself to become violent. He prayed quietly to himself asking for forgiveness for his actions.

After his prayer, he noticed that his adversary was not getting up. The corrections officers rushed into the cell and slammed Terry to the ground and put him in shackles. He was placed in an isolation cell while the corrections department investigated exactly what went on in the cell. While in isolation Terry again cried out to the Lord and prayed for the health of the young man he assaulted.

While all of this was going on Terry’s loving wife was putting together the funds to bail him out. She paid his purge and thought her husband to be released within the next twenty-four hours. That would not happen. She spoke with her Tear Bear just eight minutes before the fight broke out.

“How are you holding up honey?”

“I’m okay; I was just speaking with some of the guys in here trying to get them to change their lives.”

“That’s you always the motivational speaker and mentor, even in jail.”

“Thank you Baby. I love you. I can’t wait to see you.”

“I will be so happy when you’re home. The bond has been paid so you should be out anytime now.”

Now here he sat, all alone awaiting the fate that lay ahead of him because of his fight. Two detectives entered his small cell with some questions about the altercation. Terry was smart enough to ask for an attorney before he answered any of their questions. The detectives rose to leave but then turned and dropped a bomb on Terry.

“Oh, by the way, you know that kid is in a coma right? Yea, you might want to think about that sir.”

Terry’s heart sank and tears streamed down his cheeks. He wondered how he got to where he was. All he wanted to do is be a good man and do good in the world. Now, he may have killed a man, the last thing he ever wanted to do. From that point on time started moving fast. Before he knew it he had been to trial, offered a plea, sentenced and bused to prison. Now Terry wouldn’t see his family on the outside before his fiftieth birthday. A faithful, virtuous woman he married; she stayed by his side throughout his sentence. She always brought the children to see him. Terry knew that he was Blessed to have her as a wife and he thanked God for her daily.

Eventually Terry started a prison ministry serving a new purpose, inspiring God’s people in a far different setting. Many lives were touched during his seven years of incarceration and all six of his children grew closer together in his absence. Terry found a new calling for his life and he was determined to serve it. The ground he kissed when he was released then he stood, hugged and kissed everyone of his family members. Less than a year later Terry stood in front of a small congregation in a store front on the west side if town. From the pulpit he spread the gospel and the good word of the Lord. After his first service, Terry sat at his desk and thought about the difficult journey he had been on. He bowed his head and thanked Jesus for his suffering. For if he hadn’t traveled that rough road, he wouldn’t be where is was on that day. Through a misdemeanor turned manslaughter a pastor was born and the world is all the better for it.