5: The Fairytale Ending

It was so odd when you see someone at 14 and then you don't see them again till 30. I mean, he went from being like a scrawny little boy to being a man, you know? Carolyn Nielsen first met TJ while she covered his murder case for her student newspaper. They wrote each other letters across the many years he was in prison. A few weeks after he was exonerated and released, TJ met Carolyn for lunch downtown. He was in May in Chicago and the sun was out and we sat outside. How did TJ seem? He seemed really just how I thought he would seem, just like he was in his letters. Articulate, polite, calm, very kind of dry sense of humor. Was he angry at all about what happened to him? No, he wasn't. He really kept forward looking most of the time. I can't even begin to imagine what that would feel like. To be 30 years old and you've never had a chance to have a job and you've never had a chance to have a driver's license or even choose what you wanted to eat since you were age 13, right? To just go from having no freedom to having so much freedom and he seemed really lost. TJ was in state custody from February 1993 to May of 2009. 16 years, two months, and 27 days. 13 years old to 30 years old. He always swore he was innocent of committing the murder that he went down for. Lawyers and investigators took another look at the evidence. They re-interviewed eyewitnesses. The biggest bombshell came from an interview with Larry Toofle, TJ's friend and a fellow Simon City Royals gang member. Larry recanted his testimony. TJ is believed to be the youngest person in the United States history to be wrongfully convicted and later exonerated. TJ came home. From WBZ Chicago, I'm Frank Maine and this is Motive. The fairy tale ending. One day, TJ's mom, Vicki, got a voicemail. It made the Adiacy Menace number K-51114, has been released from the custody of Illinois Department of Correction. I've heard so many stories before. He'll be coming. He'll be coming. You get up here and then I'll send him. But this wasn't one of those false alarms. He's come home tonight. And I kept calling back and calling back to make sure it was true. Steve Drizzan was the director of Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions. It was the culmination of three and a half years of incredibly hard work. We approached Drizzan and other lawyers who worked to get TJ out of prison. But since TJ hasn't agreed to an interview with us, they also declined our request to talk. Here's Drizzan speaking in a short video that Northwestern produced. Walking TJ out of prison was probably the highlight of my legal career. That day, the day of TJ's release, Friday, May 1, 2009, was a day of genuine, deep euphoria for everyone involved. We got a bag of clothes for him since he was wearing when he was 13 years old. Probably not fit anymore. TJ's attorneys drove 200 miles west of Chicago to Galesburg, Illinois. TJ was at a prison called the Hill Correctional Center. It was at least the seventh prison that he was housed at. We're hoping that he's ready to come out. He's got his stuff packed up. We hope that we'll walk him out in a few minutes. We're just anxious to get him home. The sun is setting when TJ walks out. He's wearing a white hoodie and smiling. This was unreal. There's so many remarkable moments that day. Stuart Chanin was another lawyer who worked hard on TJ's case. I put my arms around him and give him a hug for the first time. I couldn't even believe that he was standing there. You are just clean. Gone. You're out of fresh sleep. Steve Drizzan again. We then took TJ out to dinner at a steak restaurant. At the restaurant, one of TJ's lawyers showed him how to operate a cell phone. TJ called his family. To prove that he was actually out of prison, TJ picked up a fork and tapped it on his wine glass. In prison, you get plastic forks, no metal or glass. And he goes, "I'm having a glass of wine." And I just couldn't believe it. We then drove to his mother's home. By the time we got there, it was after midnight. Then when he came, they pulled in front of the wrong house. And I ran out the house because I seen everybody getting out as you be. I threw my slippers down and I just ran. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Thank you. Oh my God. Oh my God. A more more. And when he finally laid down, I kept going in. They were touching him. My withdrawal was your feet and stuff. I just wanted to make sure this is not a dream. Yeah, my baby. While TJ was locked up, Vicki went through open heart surgery. TJ said, quote, "My mom fought to survive so that she could be here when I was released." Hello and welcome to Outlook from the BBC World Service. On today's program, the boy from Chicago, who's just been released after 16 years in jail, in a moment will talk to his mom. Plus, TJ's release became an international news story. Initially, he was kept out of the media glare so he could focus on rebuilding his life. Vicki went on the BBC to talk about her son coming home. What did it feel like? It was overwhelming. It's unbelievable when you wait for something so long and when it really comes up. I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest. And how is TJ now? What has happened in that week since he was released from prison? Too much. A lot of family and friends. A lot. You've been inundated with people coming to see him, have you? Yep. From California, Oregon, Florida, Tennessee. Just a lot of family. It's been like one party since he's been out. Victoria, how do you think you will get back into living in the normal world? I think he'll do well. He's very strong, very strong guy, very strong. They took away a boy, but they gave me back a man and a man I'm very, very proud of. Little over a month after his release, TJ gave a press conference. I love my mom and she was one of the main reasons I made it throughout these years. She's a strong woman and she's a strong woman and she's the one that was with me through thick and thin. My heart was flat lying and now it's got every big doored innocent. I've been trying to say that for 16 years. So when I heard it, I just. Cook County Judge granted TJ a certificate of innocence. It's the judicial equivalent of a pardon from the governor. I was expecting it because I'm innocent and there's nothing else to do. There was the right thing to do, so I was expecting it. But, you know, I'm happy that he's done. With that certificate in hand, TJ was now qualified to receive standard compensation from the state. For his wrongful conviction, TJ got almost $200,000. But more importantly, TJ could use that certificate and a lawsuit against the city and he could ask for a lot more money. I feel like I was robbed, you know, there's nothing. Nothing's ever going to make that right. TJ gave a little shout out to the judge. But as far as the courts go, he did the only thing he can do and according to, you know, his ability, he did. The now 30-year-old says he wants to spend time taking care of his mom who is a cancer survivor. Took a while, but TJ was eventually given his check from the state. He went skydiving. He went to Rigglyfield to watch his beloved cubs play baseball. He got his driver's license and he bought a navy blue Chrysler 300. TJ loved that car. He nicknamed it Bertha. But he was a terrible driver and he crashed Bertha a few times. TJ worked a couple different jobs, but he was more focused on the lawsuit he filed against the city and then he met a girl. You currently have a girlfriend? Yes. His surname Abby? Yes. Here's TJ talking about Abby and a deposition before his lawsuit against the city went to trial. Where did you meet Abby? She was walking down a street with two of her friends and I passed her by and a senior and a pro-star. Start talking to her. Is she actually expecting? Yes. Congratulations. Thank you. Vicki was ecstatic when she heard the news. They called me in his room because I got something to tell you were pregnant. I was more happy here. Everybody was used to play them too much. That's my job. First, TJ and Abby had a boy. and it's fun. because his son is like a deja vu. He loves the same things his dad does. Scooby-Doo loves Scooby-Doo, and now he loves the human. And turtles, that was the other one, the turtles. And he loves them. He looks just like his dad. - Ficky's nickname for her grandson is "Man-Man." - One time him and TJ stayed the night. TJ was in a big culture. Me and Man-Man were laying under love seat. And I said, "Man-Man, you know what? I never loved no guy like I love you." And TJ woke up and he goes, "When did I lose my status?" I put the day you had him. - TJ and Abby also have a daughter. Vicky calls her star. - And star she's my. my diva artist. - The grandkids call Vicky "Busha," a Polish word for grandma. - My whole phrase is full of her drawings. I love "Busha." I love "Busha." I love "Busha." Star loves "Busha." - If it isn't obvious, Vicky loves being a "Busha." Her eyes beam when she talks about her grandkids and watching TJ with his kids in the years after his release. This is the fairy tale, ending. It's all so different from the childhood that Vicky had and the way that she raised her own son and daughter. Vicky would beat her kids. - Because that's how we got it. I feel terrible. I wish I could take the time back, you know. But we all know they can't. I apologize to both of them 100 times over. As there's nothing I can do about it. I cannot change it if I could I would. I go, "But I'm making it up with my grandchildren." My grandchildren are the world to me. And they love me just as much as I love them. And then like my daughter, she don't touch her daughter. My daughter-in-law, she don't touch her daughter. They broke the cycle. You know what I mean? WBEZ supported by the Gynecology Research Lab at Endeavor Health. Period pain affects millions of people. Researchers want to learn from those experiencing period pain. The NIH funded study wants to know whether a common over-the-counter medication can reduce period pain over time. Compensation is available. Learn more at cureperiodpaint.org. Help us get across the finish line. You'll make the difference as our newsroom plants for the year ahead, allowing us to tell bigger, bolder, and more in-depth stories. So become a monthly donor. Give now at WBEZ.org/donate. So TJ sounds like he's doing great on the outside. He's a family man with two kids, and he's renting a big house in the Chicago suburb. But cracks are starting to form in his domestic life. I got a picture of TJ polishing his daughter's toenails. You know, that's the father I wanted for my grandchildren. But then after he started with the banging again, he would buy them anything in the world they wanted. But that's not what they wanted. If he bought Mayman the helicopter, Mayman wanted him to play the helicopter with him. Not just buy it and say, "Here." In 2012, the big money came. TJ's awarded $25 million from his lawsuit against the city of Chicago. TJ breaks up with Abby. He starts dating other women. Vicki started to worry that TJ was getting back into the gang life. TJ began wearing black and blue all the time. She said, "I know what those colors are." Black and blue are the gang colors of the Simon City Royals. Then everything spirals out of control. Think back to episode one. "They all know who they're seeing. They're just Batman. They get the person to live. They all buy the Simon City world. Remember, TJ buys a fleet of luxury cars and shares them with young gang members. He would literally take 10 guys to the auction and buy them a course and buy them a range rover. And he would tell me, "15 years." He makes videos threatening the police and other gangs. The police, of course, is up with video oblivious that we're right here. It's no longer my father. "I'm the exact one right up on him. I'll tell him to shoot." And then, in May of 2015, TJ lost his freedom again. "Wasn't I blessed you at all?" In that $90,000 Mercedes, TJ drives up to a man and shoots him in the leg. "I'm a brother, man. I ain't got to get you, man." "I would do shit. So bitch." "So bitch." "So bitch." In 2009, TJ is released from prison. In 2012, he's awarded millions. Just a few years later, he winds up back in prison for the shooting. I wrote a bunch of stories about TJ, but I never got to directly ask him what happened. Why did he blow his second chance? I sent TJ a lot of letters, but he never wrote back. Then, in the fall of 2018, I got an email. It was from an account called People for Thaddeus Amenez 18. The sender's name was Brian Nelson. I had heard of Brian Nelson. He was a former gang leader. The email started, quote, "This probably isn't what you expected, but it has come to my attention that you are working on another story about TJ." The email continued, "I don't know who you've talked to in the past or where you got your information, but I'm here to tell you that you've got it all wrong." I tried to ask questions, but Brian Nelson refused to answer anything. He said he knew TJ well and he was simply going to set the record straight. TJ is not a bad guy. Sure, he's made some bad choices with his life, but given the circumstances of not only his childhood, but his early adulthood as well, I am not at all surprised by those choices. The emails were polite and intelligent. I got more than 30 of them over the next three days. They kept coming, even in the middle of the night. The emails addressed what TJ did with his money on the west side. TJ was not behind any gang wars. He did not contribute to the rise of violence in any part of Chicago. According to the emails, it was the police that created that nasty rumor. They said that the police demonized TJ because they hated myth or mistakes that somebody like TJ was wrongfully convicted. The emails say, "It's no secret that TJ and the Chicago police do not like each other." TJ blames police for the suffering he endured, and the police blame TJ for exposing their misconduct and giving the department a black eye. This animosity has been evident since TJ's release in 2009. Within months after his exoneration, police began illegally following and monitoring TJ. They conducted multiple surveillance operations on him without warrants. They raided his homes on the basis of false pretenses, and without probable cause. The police were on him, always. If you were in J-Walk, they would have caught him. Just watching for him to do something wrong. On April 6, 2010, the police raided TJ's home in a rest room. Here's TJ in a deposition recorded in jail. Like what led to the arrest? They searched my house. Was there a search warrant? Yeah, there was a search warrant. They executed it. You know what the basis of that was? Uh, yeah. They thought there were stolen weapons in my house. The police had received an anonymous tip that TJ had some guns that he had stolen from a police officer. Who told the police that? I don't know. You don't know? No. TJ wasn't in his house at the time, but Vicki was. In the walk past the kitchen, I get a shotgun in my face. Then the lady cop says, "Get against the wall. I'm going to search you." Then I says, "Can I go in my sons' room and get a pack of cigarettes?" You got a heart problem. You're not supposed to be smoking. And I says, "If anything is going to give me a heart attack, it's this." I never been to them like that. Only watching movies. According to Vicki, the police then tore up TJ's room. I thought they were breaking the walls. One copper goes. At least got a lot of shoes and clothes. Like that, I go 16 years worth. The police found one shotgun and two handguns, but they weren't the stolen weapons. TJ had a permit for them. But they also found some illegal mushrooms. TJ pleaded guilty to the drug charges. At sentencing, he begged the judge for leniency. He said in court, "I'm catching up to my age. I'm learning. I'm growing. I beg you to understand my situation when I first got out. I had no idea how this world worked. No idea at all. Have mercy on me and give me one more chance." The judge went easy on him. She gave him probation and 250 hours of community service. I think you're going to be a flagship example of success the judge told him. When awful things happen, I hate to say it, but sometimes it happens for a reason. And maybe you'll turn this around to change someone else's life. I got more messages from Brian Nelson if people for Thaddeus and Men is 18. They said that two years after the raid, the police harassment got worse when TJ was awarded his money. Federal jury has awarded 25 million dollars. and damages to a man who spent more than 16 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. The emails. After TJ won his lawsuit, the police began dispensing rumors and misinformation about him and embarked on a propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against him. Rumors like paying guys to join the royals and igniting gang wars for fun. And it seems to have worked because the media ate it up, then fed it to the rest of the world. And now everyone thinks TJ is a menace. TJ didn't really care about the money he received from the lawsuit against the city. You wrote that he used it for evil, but that can't be farther from the truth. A lot of the emails talk about TJ's generosity after he got the money. Vicki can back that up. Best tipper in the world. And that's only because he says, "Mom, you've been a wait-year center bartender all your life." And you always made sure that we tipped good. 90% of the time he tipped well over what the bill itself was. Vicki remembers one time when TJ took her out from mother's day soon after the money. They went to a nice restaurant downtown. Vicki says it was the best mother's day she's ever had. You know, he's pulling the chair out and he goes on pulling the chair out for you. He'll ain't never done that. And the waitress commented how nice he was treating me. He goes, "Well, you only got one mom." He goes, "Do that kid. She goes, "Yeah, go shoot me working on mother's day." So I think he gave her $200. The emails said TJ helped his family, his friends, and even strangers. He covered medical bills and college tuition. TJ financed barbershops, towing companies, daycares, jewelry stores, recording studios, and tattoo parlors. The emails made TJ sound like a saint. Every week he made it a point to help the homeless. On these days he would go to his bank on the south street, the northern trust, and withdraw large sums of cash. Then he drived to the most impoverished areas of Chicago and hand out $100 bills. I told Vicki about the emails. TJ with his money he would go to northern trust bank, get money out and drive around and give it to homeless people. The truth. $100 to every homeless person he's seen. He read underneath the viadoc. And you know how they sleep in their little tents for blankets. He'd give every one of them $100. TJ withdrew tens of thousands of dollars from ATMs. People began to worry about him. He was spending a lot. He was also disappearing for long periods of time. Vicki'd call him. "Where are you at? Where are you at?" He goes, "Mom, I'm not a kid. I go, are you by the royals?" He goes, "No," and I say, "Swear on my grave." And then he goes, "I swear on your grave, ma. I'm not by the royals." He swore so. I took his word. Yes, TJ is in a gang, and that alone seems to be his demise. It comes with a stigma hard to defend or escape. I myself was a member of the royals for a very long time, but I changed my life and I am no longer a part of that culture. I have faith that TJ will soon follow that same path. I wish you could sit down and talk with him and get a better feel for who he is. He's nothing like the person you've made him out to be. We who stand behind him, know who he is. We love him and care about him, and we will continue to support him. Hopefully, I've been of some assistance to you. Good luck, and thank you for your time. That's how the emails from Brian Nelson ended. Who's Brian Nelson? He was a royal who was in prison. Is he the one that became like an activist? Yeah. Exactly. I remember TJ showing me that article, and we read it. Nelson was a leader of the Simon City Royals when he was in prison doing 28 years from murder. I looked up where Nelson was nowadays. He was working at a non-profit legal center, helping ex-offenders like himself, so I went to talk to him, and I handed him the emails. What a fucking idiot. So you didn't write that? No. And I would never send anybody email discussing gang business. It's just something I wouldn't do. Brian Nelson does have an opinion on who actually did write me these emails. He says he's a hundred percent certain that it was TJ. He told somebody what to type up and send it to. Why use your name, though? Who else does he know from the prison system that has a respectable name up here? And in prison, you were a leader of the Royals, so I would look at this as, "Here's a legitimate guy who should know." Yep. Right? Yep. He's looking for your approval. I can't prove it, but I also think these emails are from TJ. Just listen to this one. Talk to the people who really know TJ. Not the police who have their own agenda and their own motives for tailoring TJ into a monster. Not the media who only know what they've been told by those that want to hurt him. And not even his mother, who has a chip on her shoulder, because TJ stopped talking to her and giving her money after an incident that involves her getting drunk. Now I know that TJ and Vicki have had a rocky relationship since he started going back with the Royals, but who else would know that? Brian? No. So say these emails are from TJ. Well then, here's our window into how he really feels. Listen to this one. He was thrown in jail when he was just 13 years old for something he did not do and left to rot in there for 16 long years. After that kind of experience, did anyone really expect him to get out and not have problems living in a normal world as a normal person? Is a ton of cash and an apology from the state supposed to magically erase the memories of his traumatic endeavor and the damage it did to his psyche? I've been where he's been. I know what he went through. What exactly did TJ go through in prison? And how did that lead to everything going so wrong? TJ may not want to talk to me, but ironically, he may have put me in touch with the exact right person who can describe what he went through in prison. Brian Nelson. Brian was a leader of the Simon City Royals. He was the guy. He built the gang structure in the prison that TJ walked into. I never asked to be a leader. I never wanted to be a leader. And I'm not going to let nobody hurt my guys. Next time on Motive. The guy had a sawdust, single shot shotgun underneath his pillow. And I'm looking at this little homemade knife I got. I'm a holy fuck. If you're enjoying the show, leave a rating or a review on Apple podcasts. Or wherever you listen, it really helps. Motive is a production of WBZ Chicago based on original reporting from the Chicago Sun Times. I'm Frank Maine. The producer is Colin McNulty. The executive producer is Kevin Dawson. Our engineer is Shelley Stephens. Special thanks to listeners whose financial support of WBZ made this podcast possible.