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Dear Tina:

First of all, let me say I am very sorry for all you and your family have suffered over the years. I cannot undo the harm I have done to you and your family. It was a terrible, tragic incident that should never have happened. If I could erase your pain or take your pain onto myself, I would do so.

I also want to thank you for having the courage to write to me and tell me how you feel and to let me know the impact my actions had on you. I am truly sorry to have caused you such pain. I was a callous, selfish person who only thought about himself.

Are you aware that there is a process called "Core Transformation" (or neuro-linguistic programming - NLP) which can change your life in one session if you want to give up the pain you have been carrying with you for 28 years? Although it has been around since the 1970s, I learned about this process in 2004 and was amazed about the way it changed me. If you are interested, read the book Core Transformation, by Connierae Andreas or Google Dr. Richard Bandler. It helped me do the emotional healing I needed so I could bring love and the Lord into my life. I'm sure it would help you as well.

I have always said that I will take responsibility for what I did. What I am not willing to do is take responsibility for the lies told at my trial.

No doubt, seeing Dick after the fight was a terrifying experience for a 9-year-old girl to witness but that does not justify the statements you gave at the trial about the fight that were for the most part false. You have been carrying false memories about what happened for the last 28 years (it was 1984 and you were 9 years old). Do you want to know who started the fight and what really happened? Read my blog dated September 6, 2011.

I don't expect anyone to come forward after 28 years to tell what really happened. I'm sure that you believe that what you remember is what you really saw. Nor do I expect your brother to accurately remember the events of the night. You were both children who were traumatized by what happened. But Ron and your mother know the truth about what happened. Your mother told the truth in her statements to the police yet she and Ron both intentionally lied at the trial and made sure you and your brother did, too.

Did you ever stop to wonder why there was a fight and how it started? Why did those two men show up at 3 AM at your apartment? I didn't know either of those men. What possible reason would I have to attack Dick? It's ridiculous - unless you subscribe to the homicidal maniac theory based on my prior manslaughter conviction (an incident you obviously know nothing about). If that theory was correct, why did it take me 11 years to strike again, including 7 years free out in society? Once again, it's ridiculous. Nothing that happened that night makes any sense unless you realize that Ron lied about everything that night - why he and Dick came to your apartment, who started the fight and the fact that he never went down the hallway and could not have seen me straddling Dick even if it did happen (which it didn't!). Ask your mom. I don't expect her to go into court and admit she lied, but at least she can tell you the truth: Ron never went down that hallway. But he claimed he did and repeated that lie about what he saw and did so many times in front of you and your brother that you still believe that is what you saw.

Had you saw Dick 5 minutes earlier when he exploded in a rage and attacked me as I offered to shake hands with him, you would be viewing the events of that night very differently. Unfortunately, all you had were Ron's self-serving statements which completely misrepresented what occurred that night.

But I'm sure you don't want to read about me justifying my actions. I am responsible for Dick's death. I could have handled things differently. I could have chosen not to use a knife. I could have let Dick beat me senseless. But I panicked when he sucker-punched me and trapped me in that dead-end hallway. I was scared, dazed and confused. I didn't think, I just reacted. Had I known someone was coming to attack me, I simply would have left. Others knew what was coming but no one told me and I didn't have a clue.

Do you want to know what Ron said to Lyle while Dick had me trapped in that hallway and I was hollering for help? He said "you're next". By the way, Dick was a renowned street fighter in the Madison area and everyone who knew him, feared him - including the police. The one thing they didn't count on was that ANYONE could ever beat Dick in a fight - even with a knife. It was the first time in decades of fighting and beating up people that he ever lost a fight. The only other time was in the early 1960s when he was shot in the leg as he forced his way into an apartment and attacked a man who had a gun.

How much do you know about Ron? Did you know that he was out on parole for attempted murder? And that if he would have told the truth he would have been sent back to prison? His previous girlfriend dumped him and he couldn't accept it so he did a home invasion, tried to shoot her new boyfriend as he jumped out a window and then sexually assaulted her while he held her captive.

After he was released on parole for a few weeks, he faced revocation for choking his new girlfriend. He beat the charge because she was too emotionally unstable to testify at his hearing and without her testimony there was no proof. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it turned out that Dick went to have a talk with her before the hearing to make sure she wouldn't testify (this last sentence is just speculation based on what I know about Dick and his previous pattern of behavior).

Ron was released from the county jail 3 weeks before he brought Dick out to your apartment. The only difference between what Ron did to go to prison and what he did at your apartment was that he brought his brother instead of a shotgun.

It is unfortunate that you witnessed Dick's agonizing death, but neither he nor Ron were the intended victims that night: my cousin and I were.

So let me tell you once again, I am sorry for all the pain I caused you. If what I said in this response causes you any additional pain or anguish, I am sorry for that as well. You are looking for closure and healing, not to be told that you've been believing a lie for 28 years. I swear to you that everything in this response and my previous blog is the truth. It is all a matter of public record. If you don't believe me, go look it up for yourself.

If there is anything I can do to help you put this terrible ordeal behind you, please let me know. All I want is for you to be whole, healed and happy for the rest of your life. I will be praying for you.