Freed inmate speaks

HICKORY, N.C. -- Prison guards came to Glen Edward Chapman’s cell on North Carolina’s death row Wednesday and announced he would be released.

Ten minutes later, he was a free man after spending nearly half of his life behind bars.

“I’m not asking, ‘Give me 15 years back,’ because it can’t happen,” Chapman said in an interview Thursday afternoon. “It’s done. It’s over with. So I can’t let it stop me from going on. I’m taking it one day at a time and hope for the best.”

Chapman was sentenced to die after he was convicted in the 1992 murders of Betty Jean Ramseur and Tenene Yvette Conley.

Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin ordered a new trial after a review of the case revealed the lead investigators had provided false information during the trial.

Ervin also found Chapman’s defense team did not properly represent him in his trial.

Catawba County District Attorney Jay Gaither said there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a new trial.

Chapman, 41, was 25 years old when he was first arrested.

He said death row inmates do not have access to computers at Central Prison in Raleigh.

Friends showed him the Internet for the first time Thursday. He also got his first cell phone.

“It comes in handy,” he said. “It’s been ringing nonstop.”

His first meal upon his release was a bologna and cheese sandwich. He said it tasted just as good as the steak dinner he had Wednesday evening.

Chapman said he plans to take classes in carpentry and woodworking and could eventually build cabinets or furniture.

“Something that you can look at and say, ‘I did that.’ Something that you can be proud of,” he said.

After waiting years for his release, Chapman said he hopes his ordeal is an inspiration for others who feel powerless in their own struggles.

“Keep fighting,” he said. “Somebody’s going to hear you. If you have to write 1,000 letters, write 1,000 letters. Somebody’s going to hear you.”