MY BROTHER’S DESCENT INTO CRIME AND CONSEQUENCES

MAE STAFF WRITER, MICHAEL PENDLETON, 9/23/24

I remember when I was like 12 or 13 years old; I was sitting in the car with my mom and dad when they got a phone call. My brother told them that he was trying to buy drugs. He was in the car with the dealer and things were going bad. He thought the dealer was trying to rip him off and they were in a heated argument. Over our car speakers I heard him and his friend yelling at the dealers  until it went quiet and I heard my brother say, “Aite blood, you ain’t gotta do all that.” The dealer and his girlfriend had pulled a gun. Before he could finish his sentence the gun exploded. My brother started screaming that his friend had been shot.

My mom and dad were trippin, screaming, “What the hell was that noise? What’s going on?” My brother didn’t respond. We heard doors open and my brother yelled, “They shot Isaiah then left out the car!” He realized the car was surrounded by people with their phones out and said, “I’m finna leave!” He left the car and his friend, and ran to an alley nearby to hide.

My mom and dad dropped me off at home and drove straight to my brother. 2-3 hours later, they came home; my brother was crying and had blood on his shirt. This was a lot for me to process as a kid. It was crazy. Isaiah was gone and my brother was in trouble. 

A warrant was issued for my brother in Arizona, where the murder occured. My parents tried to convince him to turn himself in but he was scared. It took 2 years for him to realize he needed to do the right thing. My mom and dad drove him to the prison, he was scheduled for a court date. Thankfully, Isaiah’s mother  spoke on my brother’s behalf and said, “he couldn’t have done that to his friend, they were like brothers,” and my brother got a lighter sentence; 5 years.

From prison, my brother admitted,  “this was almost the saddest time in my life because I did everything with him [Isaiah] no matter what it was and it's just hard to think about because I won’t be able to talk to him again.” 

My brother has since explained that, “prison can handle you, you can learn some things but it’s not cool at all.” He has a lot of time to reflect on his experiences and believes, “If I could go back and redo this situation I would; because nothing hurt more than losing one of my brothers because of some dumb shit I should not have been involved in.” To honor his friend, my brother got a tattoo of a cross and the words, RIP Isaiah. To encourage me, he advised me that, “this isn’t a game, pay attention to who you surround yourself with.”