MELISSA BELANGER #491509

Co-Chair of Lifers Legislation and Aiding & Abetting Committee for Chapter 1014.

Question: Have I ever committed a crime?

Yes, is the answer to that question. Living a dysfunctional lifestyle that I was living as a kid led me onto a path of destruction and damaging things, such as committing crimes at a young age. I caught my first felony and 13 misdemeanors when I was the age of 13 years old for an assault and battery on a classmate of mine in school. Then, I got another charge for assaulting the principal at the school.

Things went on a downward spiral from there: crime after crime. I have 8 assault and battery charges and 2 breaking and entering someone’s home, 5 minors in possession – all of this when I was still a minor. Then, I journeyed on a dysfunctional lifestyle and became an addict, breaking the laws with no care at all.

I’ve been in 14 foster homes, 2 lock-ups for juvenile children, and 1 suicide hospital from the age of 13 to 15. I became pregnant at the age of 15 before I tried to end my own life because I felt no one loved me and wanted me. I felt abandoned by everyone, even by my own parents. After my daughter was born, I found love and true happiness through her. I started to live better and tried to give her a better life than me until I trusted someone that took my whole world away from me, but I allowed that to happen.

My ex-husband committed a murder that was later blamed on me. I ended up with 3 life sentences and 8 to 20 years for this crime. No, I never murdered anyone, but I did fail as a human to get my victim help when I was told what my ex-husband did. I failed to call the police for help, so yes, I committed another crime by not reporting a crime because I was a coward and failed to do the right thing, so I am doing life in prison.

Do I believe I should’ve got all that time for not reporting a crime and an accessory after the fact? No, but I do believe I should get some time because someone lost their life. I regret my decisions every day for the choices I made on October 13, 2001? Yes.

So yes, I, Melissa Belanger, 491509, committed a crime. Thank you for listening.