Post One: Introductions

Bernell Selders Jr. #107622
N.L.C.I., P.O. BOX 4000
NEW LISBON WISC. 53950

Dear Brothers Keeper,
My name is Bernell Selders Jr. #107622. I am age 45, and I am a black male. I've been incarcerated since 1989, for a crime I never committed. In May of 1989 I met a woman on the city bus in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Over the next two weeks we had the beginnings of a nice relationship. Sex was involved drinking and some weed smoking. On June 2nd, 1989 I went to her apartment and was greeted by Kelly jumping on my back as I walked through the door of her hallway on the floor she lived on. When we got to her apartment I noticed the strong smell of incense. She walked me straight to her bedroom and push me onto her bed. We began kissing and feeling on one another for a few minutes, until someone came and knocked on her bedroom door, which startled me because I didn't know someone else was there. This young lady who happen to be black stuck her head into the room and said to Kelly to come on, then Kelly jumped up off me and said she'd be right back, and left the bedroom. After I wasn't excited anymore, I walked out into the living room where I noticed the smell of cocaine being smoked. Coming up from the hood I'm from your exposed to a lot of things and nothing really shocks you. But I must say, when I walked into her diningroom and seen Kelly standing there with a glass pipe up to her mouth, really shocked me. She tried to hide it behind her back when she looked up and saw me looking at her. So I played it off and ask her where the phonebook was so I could order a pizza. Picking up the book from the table in her diningroom I went and sat on the couch and ordered a pizza. I walked back to her bedroom to get the beer I purchase before going to her apartment. I sat back on the couch and open me a beer while they did what they were doing in the kitchen. After about five minutes the black woman came out the kitchen and said hello and that her name was Kim and introduce myself and she lift. Kelly came out the kitchen looking like she was tweeking.(eyes bucked out from the cocain)... I could tell she was embarrass. I said to her that, that stuff ain't good for you, of which she answered that she only did (it a few times because it was kim birthday. I left it at that because I knew it would be my last time messing with her after that. But me being a man figured I'd gone and stay to hit it one more time. (Have sex with her)...
We watched t.v. and listen to some music until the pizza came. We ate the pizza and drank the beer. I never been one to be able to drink without having to use the bathroom, so I went to the bathroom a few times. The last time I come out from using the bathroom Kelly was on the phone and I heard her say. (Knall I'll come over there. So I ask her what was up and she said she had to go somewhere. So I said forget it, I'll go over my son mother house then, and she walked me to the door like she was in a hurry. As I left her apartment building I decide to go to the store right across the street to get some cigarettes and once I open my pouch. (A leather bag you wear around your waist). I notice right away that my money was messed with because it was just shoved in there and that's not how I kept it. I notice that fifty dollars was missing after counting it, so after paying for my ciggarettes I ran out the store headed back to Kelly's place. As I got to the corner I saw her coming out the side door of her apartment building, so I ran towards her and when she saw me coming she tried to run back to the door but it had closed, so she went running along the side of the building towards it's back. I caught up to her and tripped her. At this point I was standing over her out of breathe, bent over with my hands on my knees. As I struggled to get out the words, "where the F_K is my money?" She tried to kick me in nuts, which is when I hit her in the face. I then grabbed her off the ground say, "Give me my money you stole from me." As I was walking her back down to the light by the door so I could search her. As we got closer to the door I saw my money on the grass. She had dropped it when she started to run. I had her by her cloths pulling her. Once I saw my money I bend down and picked it up and I smashed it into her face saying, "What is this Bitch? Pushing her up against the building bumping her head. I could’ve had her by her neck at this point but I don't remember. Anyway, I let her go and as she started to leave she stated she was gonna get me, and then ran off. I went over my baby momma sisters apartment where her and my son was living and where I stayed sometimes myself.

The next day I went to Denver Co. because this other woman I was seeing had recently moved there after claiming she was having baby by me and claiming she was having complications. Of which I had made plan a week prior.

Kelly, who happens to be a white female claimed she just met me on June 2nd. and that she never knew me before that day. I lost a set of keys to my baby mothers sister apartment two weeks prior to June 2nd. and they was found on the headboard of kelly's bed, but that was over looked. She stated I trashed her apartment looking for money and whatever else I could steal. But yet my fingerprints was only found on a ashtray and beer bottle, but I empty all her dresser drawers all over her room and after that day she claim to have never went back there. But when the police took pictures of her apartment nothing was out of place in the whole apartment. Her statement on the police report was that, I had a butter knife at her throat and I forced her to have sexual intercourse, Penis to vagina with me, then I made perform the act of penis to mouth, and that ejaculated inside of her. Then at the preliminary hearing that they gave me after the lost juridiction over me by not giving me a preliminary hearing within 20 working days because I was in custody with a $50,000 bail that I couldn't afford. She stated that I now had two knives and that I first made her perform penis to mouth first and then penis to vagina and then I force her back into her bedroom and repeated both acts on her in her bedroom. After that I took her money out her purse and other items. Then I stated I wanted her to take me to her cash machine to get all her money. As we was leaving her apartment I had the knife up to her throat with my arms wrapped around her and that we both fell down the stairs and all this time the knife was at her throat but she never got cut. Once we were on the sidewalk she broke away from me and ran into traffic.
That four black ladies picked her up and took her to the police station. Once at the station, one of the ladies went inside and got a police officer and he came out to the car and help her into the station. But there was no police that came forward saying they helped any woman into the station claiming to be raped. Per sergeant working that day. And no statement from any black ladies that she said took her there, no nothing. In fact, A police officer came and stated on the stand that she was just sitting there on a bench.
They took a rape kit on her and no semen was found on nothing or inside of her. She claimed I hit her so many times with a close fist that she lost count, but her face only had slight scratches on it. I am a professional Boxer. Her own sister get on the stand and say Kelly told her that two black ladies picked her up and took her to the police station. At the Jury trial Kelly stated now that I had a hand full of knives all that time. My brother worked 3rd shift and he would sleep from about 4:00p.m til about 10:00p.m. before he have to go to work. Kelly would call me 5 to 10 times a day waking my brother Corey up for two weeks but she say she just met me on the 2nd of June. My God sister that lived with us talked with her numerous times and so did my mother, but again she claim to have only known me that day. The bus driver that knew me even stated that we was on his bus a number of times together.
I was charged with 5 charges. 1-count of 1st. degree sexual assault penis to vagina livingroom) (1-count of penis to mouth livingroom (And the same two charges in the bedroom, and 1-count of armed robbery.
After a long time the jury came out with a question for the judge. The question was. (What happens if we came to verdicts on three of the charges but just can't agree on two? The judge said they would have to stay there until they all agree. Ten minutes later they reached a verdict on all charges.
As you can figure I was found not guilty of three of the charges and guilty of two. They found me guilty of penis to vagina and not guilty of penis to mouth in livingroom. They found me guilty of penis to vagina and not guilty to penis to mouth in bedroom, and then not guilty of armed robbery. The State added on habitual to each charge because I had a felony within five years of each other. Each charge carries 20 years and with addition of habitual that adds half of what your charge carry, so the judge sentence me to 30 and 30 running wild. I have now served almost 21 years for a crime that not only I didn't do but that never happen. I was a young poor black man accused of raping a white woman in Wisconsin.

In 1990 my appeal attorney came to see me and he was drunk as all outdoors. Just reeking of alcohol. After the attorney visit that correctional officer reported the situation to the administation and the next thing I knew was all my transcripts was sent to me from that attorney and the public defender office refused to issue me another attorney. So for 21 years I've been praying that God send me someone to help me. I have seen parole two times and I'm about to see them for the third time July 21, 2010. They want me to take a sex offender treatment program, and after meeting someone special and the fact that this is a program that the parole board say I have to take in order for them to be able to grant me my freedom and after talking with my family and now grown children, but moreover, I'm plane tired of being sick and tired. I Have to go into that program and admit to something I know I didn't do, and then If I'm ever granted my freedom I have to be labeled a sex offender. My family tell me to do what I have to in order to come home, but they don't understand my plight. Over the years I have prayed that God gives me the heart to forgive and he has. I don't hate anyone and I know that I'm no saint and that yes I've done my share of wrong, but in order for god to forgive me, I to must forgive. So I say to you that has read this, forgiveness sometime starts
in ones own heart and then just maybe the world will join in.

If there is anyone in the position to help me I have copies of my transcript, but the state has destroyed all the evidence in my case, even after the judge ordered the state to keep them.
You may write to me directly at: Bernell Selders Jr. #107622
N.L.C.I., P.O. BOX 4000, NEW LISBON WISC. 53950

I will up date if I'm ever moved to another Institution and
you may go through MISS Peggy Swan
Thank you for reading my story God bless.
Truly,
Bernell Selders Jr.