That Aaron Schmidt, you know, that young fella, did he get out? Did he get parole? I heard some folks talking ’bout it, and I just wanted to know what’s the real deal. That boy, he did something real bad, but he was just a kid. A damn fool kid, but still just a kid.
I remember when it all happened. It was back in, uh, 2011, I think. January, yeah. He was just 14, that Schmidt boy. Just a little shaver, barely a teenager. He shot that poor girl, Alana. That poor, poor girl. Such a pretty child. They say Aaron Schmidt shot his neighbor, Alana Calahan. That was such a terrible thing. Killed her right in her own house.
And for what? Young love, they say. She was his girlfriend, or used to be, I reckon. He was mad, that boy. Mad ’cause she didn’t want him no more? I don’t know. Kids these days, they get all twisted up over things us old folks wouldn’t bat an eye at.
Well, they locked him up, of course. They gave him life, they said. No parole. Life in prison for that Aaron Schmidt, that’s what the judge said. Judge Michael Annis, I believe it was. He said life in prison without parole, plus five more years. Imagine that, a life sentence for a boy who hadn’t even started shaving yet. It was a big deal, a real big deal. Everyone around here was talkin’ about it. A 14-year-old boy, going to jail for the rest of his life. It’s a hard thing to think about, even now.
They said he wouldn’t never get out. No parole for Aaron Schmidt, ever. That’s what they told us. He done wrong, real wrong, but still…life without parole, it just ain’t right for a kid. I don’t care what nobody says. He was just a kid. And now, people are asking, did Aaron Schmidt get parole? I don’t think so.
- He was just 14.
- That poor girl, Alana.
- Life in prison.
- No parole.
- He was just a kid.
Then there was some talk, some years later, about some law or another. Miller versus, uh, Alabama, I think they called it. Something about young’uns and how they’re sentenced. Some folks thought it might help Aaron. That boy’s lawyer, he tried to get him another hearing. Tried to use that Miller v. Alabama thing to get Aaron Schmidt out of jail, or at least get his sentence changed. I heard he appealed. He wanted a new sentencing hearing.
But it didn’t work, I don’t think. They said no. Aaron Schmidt’s appeal was denied. They said he had to stay right where he was. In that prison. In Georgia, somewhere. He’s still there, as far as I know. Still serving that life sentence. Locked up with grown men, bad men. It just don’t seem right, somehow.
I heard there’s others, too. Other kids, locked up like that. Five of ’em, they said. Five teenagers in Georgia, all serving life without parole. Just like Aaron Schmidt. It’s a sad thing, a real sad thing. They do wrong, sure, but they’re just kids. Their brains ain’t even fully cooked yet. How can you lock a kid up forever and throw away the key? It does not make sense.
So, did Aaron Schmidt get parole? From what I hear, no. No parole for Aaron Schmidt. He’s still in that prison. Still paying for what he did. It just seems so very sad to me. He was so young.
That’s all I know about it. Just what I heard folks talking about around town. It’s a sad story, that’s for sure. A sad story all around. That poor girl, Alana, and that boy, Aaron. Both their lives, ruined. Just ruined. Did Aaron Schmidt get parole? I don’t think so. He did a bad thing, but he was just a kid.
I don’t know much about laws and courts and all that. I just know what I see and what I hear. And what I see is a boy, who should be out playing, living his life. Instead, he’s locked up, probably for good. I don’t know the answer to it all. I really don’t. But it don’t sit right with me, none of it does. It just ain’t right. That is all I know. Life in prison is a long, long time. Too long for someone so young.
