“Odessa Brown got away with murder for 16 years.” So goes the title of an article in the Kansas City Star. In 1994, Brown was the caregiver of an 83-year-old woman in Muskogee, Oklahoma. But Brown was a crack cocaine addict. And that destructive habit caused her to steal a diamond ring from her client. But the woman discovered her theft. Afraid of being reported, Brown strangled the woman with an extension cord. Then something strange happened. No suspicion was raised concerning the death of the woman. The coroner ruled her death as a result of natural causes. Odessa Brown got away with murder!
A year later, Brown stabbed a 66-year-old man in Kansas City. Missouri. This time, however, her attempts to dodge suspicion failed. She was convicted of the crime and sent to prison. Her sentence was life with the possibility of parole.
The “regimented routine of prison life” allowed Brown to experience a drug-free existence. She devoted herself to physical fitness, even to the point of becoming a trainer of other inmates. But most important is that she “embraced a new-found faith in God.” And this new relationship with God led her to confront her guilt with the murder that no one even knew occurred. And so, in July 2010, she decided to write a letter to the District Attorney of Muskogee. She confessed to the crime, providing details. She was brought back to Muskogee to face the court and was given an additional life sentence. It will take a little longer before she will qualify to face the parole board.
Why did she confess to a crime of which no one was aware? Brown says: “I needed to do the right thing. I was more concerned about my soul than walking out and being free again.” The article further reports: “Now she hopes others who hear her story can be inspired to do something that, while it might harm them in this life, will save them in the next.”
I am reminded of how Jesus calls would-be followers to do whatever is necessary to get rid of the sin that enslaves us. In graphic terms, though clearly hyperbolic, he warns us: “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell” (Matthew 18.8–9 NLT).
A soul set free will do the right thing.
–Keith Y. Jainga