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Who is John Kelsey?

December 15, 2016

 

John Coryell Kelsey III is an inmate at the St. Louis Correctional Facility. His earliest release date is December 9, 2034 at which time he will be 54 years old. He was 35 at the time of his sentencing in 2015.

 

His long arrest and conviction record includes no assaultive offenses. Prior to his July 22, 2015 sentencing hearing, his attorney and several friends and relatives submitted letters to Judge Jamo asking for mercy. Those letters paint a picture of John Kelsey, the man. Following are excerpts from those letters:

 

Attorney Brian Morley:

John Kelsey is thirty-five years old born in Brighton, Michigan. He is the second oldest of four children and has three sisters, Dawn Hadley Waggoner, Christina Kelsey, and Alicia Waggoner, all of whom live in the Brighton, Michigan area. John Kelsey has strong bonds and relationships with each of his sisters.

 

His parents, Frank and Marcia, live in Brighton, Michigan and have for all of Mr. Kelsey's life. His Father is retired from the construction industry; his Mother is retired from University of Michigan Hospital where she was a lead MRI Technologist.

 

Mr. Kelsey graduated from Brighton High School. Ever since his late teenage years, he has been employed as a union carpenter - both with a then-existing family business as well as on his own - and has established an excellent reputation within the mid-Michigan area for his workmanship.

 

Although never married, he maintained a serious and long-term relationship with Megan Johnson. Ms. Johnson and Mr. Kelsey have two children in common: Jonathan Coryell Kelsey - age 11, and Taylor Lorraine Kelsey - age 8. To say that Mr. Kelsey is close with his children is an understatement. He has worked hard to maintain a close and loving family relationship with his children as well as the mother of his children and spends a considerable amount of time with the children.

 

Approximately nine years ago, Mr. Kelsey was involved in a serious automobile accident which resulted in a closed-head injury. Plainly speaking, it took Mr. Kelsey a number of years to overcome the difficulties associated with his injury and be able to fully and properly function on a daily basis.

 

Although this Court is aware of Mr. Kelsey's prior criminal history, it is relevant to note that his more serious offenses occurred at least a decade ago. Further, and as is evident in his criminal background, Mr. Kelsey's prior convictions have not involved what could be classified as dangerous felonies. In other words, Mr. Kelsey's life was, and is, on the right trajectory and with an appropriate sentence, he will be able to continue his path towards being a fully contributing member to society as a whole as well as to his family and children.

Marcia McGarry, John's mother:

John and I are very close and have had many discussions about his future goals and dreams. In the past 8-9 years he has worked very hard to put his life on track. He has made me proud to he his mother through kind deeds for people who cannot afford to pay for work, or are physically challenged and are not able to do necessary home repairs. He is a loving person with a big heart. Unfortunately, he has not been able to obtain some of the goals that he needs in order to succeed due to limitations or lack of resources.

 

My son is a devoted father to his two children, Jonathon 10 and Taylor 8. John is deeply engaged in their school work and after school functions. He has been a patient and loving teacher, sharing his expertise and encouragement with whatever upcoming interests that his children are involved. In the past, John and his family have enjoyed camping, biking, kayaking, fishing and a lot of good times around the campfire. Jonathon and Taylor speak well of their Dad and desperately need him back in their young lives. John's children have asked me to communicate that they love their father very deeply, and miss him terribly. They are praying for his expedited return home to them.

Sister Alicia Waggoner:

The easiest way to convey my brother's true character is to relay to you some stories from our past. Growing up, my brother watched over my sisters and me. Being the only boy, with three sisters. I think he felt a great responsibility to protect us all. Insisting that he escort my friends and I to school dances as teenagers. Helping me payoff debt of my first credit card. Most notably coming to my rescue when my husband deployed to Iraq in 200H. During his deployment I purchased our home in Howell, which needed extensive repair. My brother helped me almost daily, volunteering his time and expertise. He added a new roof, windows, drywall, and more. He was at my beckon call. Even after my husband returned and John purchased his own home that also needed much work he was putting new siding on mine. During the fall of 2014, he was spending most of his days after work helping my husband load, haul, cut and stack wood to heat our homes. It gave me comfort to know my husband wasn't doing this job alone. Your honor. this is who my brother is. At any time, he would drop everything to help his loved ones. Always finding a way to be there and do the job skillfully. Hard working and dependable are some of his greatest traits.

 

More importantly, he is a dedicated and loving father. If you look at the pictures of him and his children, you will see his heart. Committed to finding a way to be at his son's games, his daughters dance recitals, and their school functions. He took them to church with him in Brighton and spent his time with them in a quality manner. He tried to make sure that his kids had a great life and showed them love immensely. It hurts me to think he will miss the rest of their adolescent years. They are the ones who will be most affected by his absence.

Brother-in-law Jon Waggoner, Livingston County Veterans' Services Director:

John and I have not been close friends in the past and I truly didn't know him very well until I returned to Michigan after a six year enlistment in the Army, ending in 2010.

 

In 2008 I deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and sent my wife (John's sister) back to Michigan, from Alaska, to purchase a home and be near her family while I was deployed. She purchased a home in Howell that had been foreclosed and was in need of extensive renovation. While I was not available to work on our new home John stepped in and helped out. It gave me great comfort to know that while I was away fighting a war my wife was being cared for and the repairs would be done correctly.

 

John is a skilled carpenter and works very hard to make sure any job that he is doing is done in a quality manner. He too purchased a home that had been foreclosed and was in need of renovation. He made sure that the first two rooms that were renovated were the bedrooms for his two children, Johnathan and Taylor, while he slept on the couch in the living room. He is a dedicated father and we spent many hours discussing his desire to make a better life for his children and of his concern that they not make some of the mistakes he had made.

 

The man that I had gotten to know over the past four years is a dedicated father, a loving brother and a dependable friend who is trying to be a better man and raise his children to be honest and law abiding citizens.

Family friend Tom Forster, retired group therapist at W. J. Maxey Boy's Training School:

I have known John Kelsey for more than thirty years. He and my son were good friends since grade school. Their friendship brought us together with John's family.


Throughout his years since high school, I've known John to be a reliable and skilled carpenter, true to his word and, more recently, a dedicated father. He is not a bad person. He has never committed an act of violence or theft. Up to this point he has been a hard working and productive member of society. As reported by one of the prosecution witnesses [V3-76], he was there for his children every day after school.

Sandra McGarry, John's aunt:

Johnny has had some struggles in his life. and I saw him a couple of years ago when I visited: he was doing very good, taking a very active part in his family, the gatherings: he has a good sense of humor, his children and sisters love him. he is a personable and extremely likable young man. . . John is a wonderful and talented carpenter. He can build and fix anything. He absolutely could be an asset to any community.

Al Maloney:

As I have been a long time family friend I have grown to love him like a son. John in my eyes has always been a good person and never wanted to cause harm to anyone. He has gone out of his way many times to help me just, out of the kindness of his heart. He has two great kids, John Jr. and Taylor that need the love and guidance of their father; please don't take him away from them for any more time then what is right.

 

I know that whatever happened that night, it was never John's intension for anyone to be hurt. He just isn't made that way. Sometimes things happen that never should have. I believe that even the jurors knew that.

 

John had been making great progress in his life, changing it for the better for himself and his children. He and his ex-wife were almost to the point of getting back together. He had been telling me that he wanted to start his own roofing company and how that would bring everything back into prospective.

Kathryn Laurain:

I am a longtime friend of the Kelsey family, and have known John since he was very young. I have known him to be a kind, and hard working man. He is a good and responsible father; always trying to do his best for his children, that I am certain will suffer in his absences.

 

I am aware that John has made an attempt to get back his drivers license, and was denied. In light of this, not having been in trouble for a long time, I can imagine how difficult it is for a grown man, with children, trying to do the right thing, not having the freedom to drive. . .

(Note: John told me that he had taken steps to try and restore his license to the extent of setting up payment plans with the state for driver's responsibility fees and paying them about $3,000 in a year's time.)

 

Sharon Karston, USMC (retired):

I have known John Kelsey of 4109 Morton Road, Stockbridge, construction and roofing worker, for some time now. Both professionally and socially through his family and friends. I know him as a son, a brother and most importantly as a father to his two young children.

 

I understand that John Kelsey has be convicted by a jury of his peers on two charges. I am aware of this as I was present during his trial. He is very upset about the charges because of his belief in his innocence. I also believe that John is sincerely as upset for the loss that this family must endure as a result of this case.

 

John has been under a lot of stress trying to make a new start for himself and his children. Imagine if you will how John must have been feeling when he finally had things in his life going so right. And not only for him but for his children too. John recently had found a place he could call "his home". And it was this place that John has been working so very hard on to make it just that, "Home". With a sincere heart I can say that despite these charges against John I would trust him with anything of value of mine, including my life.

 

I can only say that in all the time I have known him, John Kelsey has been a decent, hardworking and trustworthy person. I believe any behavior he has displayed that caused him to be charged with these crimes are a result of his youth and that our society lacked in providing him with the proper tools to move completely forward in a world such as ours. I know from personal experience what it is like to look at life through the eyes of disparity. And so it is in that, I ask your Honor to show mercy on John. He is still young enough that he could recover from this and have a chance at being a good father to his children, a loving son to his parents and an amazing brother to his siblings.

Sister Dawn Hadley:

My brother has made incredible progress as a man, son, and father over the past few years. I have watched him responsibly and actively participate in his children's lives and be an attentive son to my retired parents.

 

He has offered his time and labor to all of us, completing numerous tasks without ever expecting anything in return. We have always had a very close relationship and I have enjoyed raising our children together and I would trust him with my life. He is an incredibly loyal and reliable friend to me and his absence has been incredibly painful for our family but especially tough on his kids.

 

It has been my brothers commitment to his kids that has really impacted me the most, he has repeatedly reminded me of his wish that they get the tools they need so that they "won't make the same mistakes" that he did when he was younger. He has successfully co-parented with the children's mother, ensuring that my nephew get to Sylvan Learning Center every Saturday for tutoring. The kids are involved consistently in multiple community sports and dance and have been since they were old enough to participate. Since John didn't have a license it was incredibly difficult to accomplish all of this, but it didn't deter him. Instead he humbly asked for rides and coordinated schedules with friends and family to be on time and available for all of it. It was incredibly rare that he drove himself anywhere, he did so much for others, they were willing to help him. I believe if he gets the opportunity to continue parenting his children in this way that they will have a positive impact on society.

 

My parents have spent a third of their retirement on my brother's defense because they believed in his innocence and have suffered daily since his arrest. I want more than anything for him to be able to be productive for his parents and his kids so that true healing take place. I believe that John was at the point in his life when true progress and learning were taking place and he was positively impacting the lives around him before this incident. It is for these reasons I am ask you for leniency when you decide his fate. Thank you sincerely for taking this into consideration.

 

Saturday Night

   
 

Sunday Morning

   
 

The Okemos Raid

   
 

The Funeral

   
 

The Arrest

   
 

The Trial

   
   

High and Drunk

   
   

Headlights Off

   
 

Prosecutorial Excess

   
 

The Sentencing

   
   

Kelsey Criminal Record

   
 

Who is John Kelsey?