Facing Freedom

PAGE 6
In January 2009, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt commuted Stacey's life sentence from life without parole to 20 years. After 18 years in prison, she was set free. Stacey says she has a lot of people to thank for her release. "[I was released] by the grace of God and the perseverance of two wonderful attorneys, a police detective who never gave up and a governor who had a lot of courage," she says.
Her own faith and patience helped her survive the past 18 years, she says, but her attitude couldn't always be positive. "There were times I gave up," she says. "I really believed I would spend the rest of my life in prison.
Her own faith and patience helped her survive the past 18 years, she says, but her attitude couldn't always be positive. "There were times I gave up," she says. "I really believed I would spend the rest of my life in prison.