Kim Kardashian tells convicted triple murderer he deserves a 'second chance': Reality star meets with prisoner serving life sentence for killing innocent elderly couple and their son in revenge firebomb attack
Kim Kardashian continued her work with prison reform on this week's episode of The Kardashians, where she visited Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California.
The 43-year-old reality star was joined by her 40-year-old sister Khloe and two of her best friends Simon Gebrelul and Savas Oguz on the trip to the prison, which is about 35 miles northwest of Fresno in Northern California.
Kim meets up with Scott Budnick - founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition - who tells them that Governor Gavin Newsom chose this prison to start a new model of more humane prisons, after sending a delegation to Norway, which is home to the most humane prison system on the planet.
Kim takes a seat and says to the group, ‘So if anyone’s willing to share anything, I’d love to hear.'
The first one to speak up Michael Freitas, who was sentenced to life in prison in August 2002 for the firebombing of a home in Gilroy, California which killed three people - Hilgino Pequeno, 80, his wife, Guadalupe, 78, and their son, Daniel, 47.
Kim Kardashian continued her work with prison reform on this week's episode of The Kardashians, where she visited Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California
The 43-year-old reality star was joined by her 40-year-old sister Khloe and two of her best friends Simon Gebrelul and Savas Oguz on the trip to the prison, which is about 35 miles northwest of Fresno in Northern California
Kim meets up with Scott Budnick - founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (right of Kim) - who tells them that Governor Gavin Newsom chose this prison to start a new model of more humane prisons, after sending a delegation to Norway, which is home to the most humane prison system on the planet
The first one to speak up Michael Freitas, who was sentenced to life in prison in August 2002 for the firebombing of a home in Gilroy, California which killed three people - Hilgino Pequeno, 80, his wife, Guadalupe, 78, and their son, Daniel, 47.
According to a 2002 Los Angeles Times article, prosecutors said then-23-year-old Gilbert Guzman ordered then-21-year-old Freitas to throw a device at a home back in June 2000.
Guzman was said to be in a dispute over a woman with David Pequeno, grandson of the homeowners and Daniel's nephew, who did not live at the residence.
Freitas revals, 'I’ve been incarcerated since the age of 18, and I’m serving life without the possibility of parole. I’m 42 years old today. Judge told me that I’m irredeemable, that I would die in prison and they never see no hope, they never see nothing that a person actually can change. Like I can tell you today that I’m in the last semester, I’m gonna get my Bachelor’s degree out of Fresno State. Um I don’t believe that I do deserve a second chance, but if a second chance ever does come, I’m well-prepared that I know today that I’ll never harm another individual ever again.’
‘I really hope you get that second chance because you are worthy of that, you really are,’ she tells Freitas.
She addresses the group and says, ‘I think the hardest part for me is hearing how young everyone was, like I don’t think you went in with the intent for that outcome, but you’re young, and to not have the hope of a second chance… is insane to me.’
Kim says in confession, ‘Some of these people committed these horrific crimes, but they were teenagers and think about how different you are if you’re in your 40s and 50s and 60s than you were as a teenager, and of course they’re decisions they have to live with and choices that they made and those choices should be punishable, but I do believe that some people should have second chances.’
Another one of Scott’s team says, ‘One of the things we have in common is trauma. All of us who have been locked up, we all come from traumatic backgrounds and the inability to cope with traumatic experiences are what led us to act out. A lot of us were taught that violence is the option, alcohol is the option, using drugs is the option. We always call it a toolbelt. We were given inappropriate tools on how to deal with life’s hurt, but coming to prison like this, you start learning, OK this tool didn’t work, this tool didn’t work, this tool didn’t work, and you put new things in. And the next thing you know, we start teaching each other how to be better people.’
Another inmate named Oscar said he’s ‘extremely nervous because my sister-in-law loves the show, so if I blow it she’s gonna be mad,’ as Kim laughs.
According to a 2002 Los Angeles Times article, prosecutors said then-23-year-old Gilbert Guzman ordered then-21-year-old Freitas to throw a device at a home back in June 2000
Guzman was said to be in a dispute over a woman with David Pequeno, grandson of the homeowners and Daniel's nephew, who did not live at the residence
Freitas revals, 'I’ve been incarcerated since the age of 18, and I’m serving life without the possibility of parole. I’m 42 years old today. Judge told me that I’m irredeemable, that I would die in prison and they never see no hope, they never see nothing that a person actually can change
Kim says in confession, ‘Some of these people committed these horrific crimes, but they were teenagers and think about how different you are if you’re in your 40s and 50s and 60s than you were as a teenager, and of course they’re decisions they have to live with and choices that they made and those choices should be punishable, but I do believe that some people should have second chances'
Kim says in confession, ‘I do understand that not everyone feels the way that I feel, but it still doesn’t change the empathy that I have for someone wanting to better their life, especially if you don’t know their background and their history and what led them to make the choices and decisions they’ve made, that’s where we as a society are not sympathetic and don’t take the time to understand where the root of the problem is. We just see maybe their rap sheet and who they are on paper and there’s just so much more to them than that'
Another inmate named Oscar said he’s ‘extremely nervous because my sister-in-law loves the show, so if I blow it she’s gonna be mad,’ as Kim laughs
‘You know, hearing Mike talk right now, it reminds me about something I think about every day, what my victim’s mother told me when I was sentenced. It was, “I hope you wake up every day with nothing to look forward to.” And I realized I was living like that way before that even happened. And I have to be better for myself in order to be better for society, because even if I do not go home, I’m encountering people who do go home.’
Kim says in confession, ‘I do understand that not everyone feels the way that I feel, but it still doesn’t change the empathy that I have for someone wanting to better their life, especially if you don’t know their background and their history and what led them to make the choices and decisions they’ve made, that’s where we as a society are not sympathetic and don’t take the time to understand where the root of the problem is. We just see maybe their rap sheet and who they are on paper and there’s just so much more to them than that.’
Another unidentified inmate says, ‘Even though they say I’m never going home, I’m gonna prove that I’m worthy of a second chance, so what I do in my spare time is I try to mentor people informally. I know what it’s like to hurt, to feel broken, depressed, sad.’
Khloe tells him, ‘It’s so important, what you’re doing, because it does so much for people’s morale, and you know it better than anyone, so don’t stop.’
Khloe adds in confession, ‘I can really see that this prison model is working. These men are evolving and they’re being taught and given the tools as to how to deal with so much of the trauma they once experienced. And if any of them do ever get out, you want them to be equipped with these tools, you don’t want them to fall back into the routine and habits that they once lived, and it can’t be easy.’
