"From the day after I committed that horrible act, I was focused on bettering myself."
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Benard McKinley was convicted of murder as a teen and was set to spend his entire life behind bars. Still, he was eager to get an education.
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“My objective and goal was to better myself, no matter if I had to spend the rest of my life in prison,” said McKinley, 38. “I allowed my prison cell to be my university.”
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In 2001,
McKinley shot and killed Abdo Serna-Ibarra, a 23-year-old man, during a fight. McKinley, then a member of a gang, was 16. The victim was on his way to play soccer at a park in Chicago when the fight broke out.
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“It was the worst
mistake I’ve ever made. I took an innocent person’s life over a senseless argument,” McKinley said. “I regret it with everything in my heart.”
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In 2004, he was sentenced to 100 years in prison. His sentence was revised in 2019 to
39 years, and a few months later, it was cut to 25. In the time since McKinley’s conviction, courts across the country have reconsidered how they handle juvenile offenders.Â
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The Illinois appellate court determined that McKinley’s original sentencing was too harsh, as it did not take into account his age,
or his commitment to rehabilitate...read more
