Killer with a Conscience: The Will Leverett Interview

11/12/24 • 29 min

In 2011, Will Leverett stabbed 54-year-old Melissa Millan as she jogged alone at night on a trail in Simsbury, Connecticut. The case went unsolved for over four years. Overcome with guilt and shame, Will confessed his crime, first to a good female friend of his, and then to some members of his church. Soon after, they walked with him to the police station, providing moral support as he confessed to the crime. Will, now a member of PenPals.Buzz, hopes to meet an understanding and open-minded pen pal who would be willing to write him letters and emails. He loves animals, the outdoors, and hopes to travel one day, after completing his 35-year sentence.

Later in the episode, we chat with Tennessee inmate Luis Paz. Luis, who has written blogs for PenPals.Buzz, explains why giving real support to an inmate has nothing to do with money. He also talks about ways to make genuine connections with your pen pal. Spoiler alert -- it doesn't involve love letters or romance. He reminds us all to stop sugarcoating, and to give inmates real-life goals and encouragement (not a pity party).

Previous Episode

Inmate Service Companies: Hear Real Reviews from Inmates

Books such as The Best Resource Directory for Prisoners and Inmate Shopper list thousands of resources for prison and jail inmates. Companies around the USA offer services including online research, book and magazine sales, email forwarding, gift purchasing, printing photos of beautiful women, pen pals, blogs for inmates, discount phone calls, correspondence college courses, and much more. But which ones are reliable, and which ones should be avoided? In this podcast episode, we interview Illinois inmate, Daniel Patrykus. Daniel's blog, The Best Inmate Service Companies, details some of his go-to companies for inmate services. He talks with us in depth about some of these companies, and why he likes to use them (or not use some of them). Then, we talk with Gary L. Smith, the founder of Felon's Friend, a company that strives to do whatever it takes (as long as it's legal) to help inmates. Finally, we chat with new PenPals.Buzz member, James Hartfield, about his favorite companies, and about what he is looking for in a pen pal. This episode is packed with helpful information for inmates and their families.

Next Episode

Marijuana Inmates: Amy in Arizona Wrote to a Dozen Prison Pen Pals

At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amy, a cannabis marketing executive in Arizona, felt especially bad for incarcerated men and women. Prison was bad enough; the thought of the pandemic causing so many prisoners to be locked down constantly, not even allowed into the dayroom, was disheartening. In her late 40s at the time, and single, Amy took it upon herself to write to a dozen inmates. "Think of me as the cool aunt," she told some of them, making sure that the connection would stay strictly platonic. Since she worked in the cannabis industry, she was well aware that some Americans have actually been sentenced to life in prison for marijuana offenses, while violent offenders were getting released in a fraction of that time. How unfair, she thought, as she hand-picked some non-violent men (and even some women) who were convicted of a cannabis-related crime and wrote them a letter. Some replied almost immediately. Others never wrote back. In this interview, Amy shares her experience and offers suggestions and helpful tips for women who are still on the fence about whether to write a prisoner. Also in this episode, we put the spotlight on two PenPals.Buzz members, both of whom were convicted of murder. First, you'll learn more about Donzell Lowe from Illinois. Then, Big Steve will talk about Gregory Oliver, incarcerated in New Jersey. Both are serving lengthy sentences and seeking new pen pals and friends to exchange letters and emails with.