Dear Editor,
Thank you for publishing the letter of Mr. Joseph Hamilton in your March 7, 2026, issue. Actually, I was responsible for writing the letter for him. Let me explain.
I met you years ago, as a result of you bringing your youth group, Top Gun 65, to Angola. I was the coordinator of a Juvenile Awareness Program that spoke to young people to steer them in the right direction. As a courtesy, you extended a free subscription of the Free Press Newspaper from that time in 1996 until now.
Not only have I enjoyed and shared your paper with many here, but I have also appreciated how you have utilized your paper to speak out for those who had no voice to speak. That is what led me to write to you concerning Mr. Hamilton.
By befriending him, I learned that he was not only illiterate but also did not challenge his conviction of any possible errors. He has been here for 45 years and was resolved to die here. In prison, to make an attempt to trust someone is to chance misuse and the exposure of your personal information. Many choose to live in denial and never reach out for help.
A long journey enabled me to get him to open up. After we did so, I began to see why. Mr. Hamilton was abandoned at a young age, was in special education, and only completed the 6th grade. He had serious mental health issues and simply had a rough life. Not only did the streets overwhelm him, but coming to Angola at a young age, his vulnerability exposed him to pure hell for the past 45 years. This is only a small part of his story.
Reaching out to you and having his story published, hopefully, and prayerfully, will cause someone to wish to help him. I have reached out to over 25 sources, but your publication is, so far, the only positive response we ve gotten. For that, I wanted to personally thank you for allowing God to touch your heart and feel compassion for this situation.
Again, thank you.
Brother Keith Alexander
