Sticks Stones...But Words Can Steal 17 Years of Life The power of the words we speak has always been downplayed. Sometimes we see the impact those words have on others lives, sometimes we dont. For Susan Mellen, 59, the impact of one persons words took away 17 years of her life. Susan was convicted of the 1997 killing of a homeless man she had once dated, Richard Daly. The man had been set on fire after being bludgeoned with a hammer. Jurors found Mellen guilty on the testimony of one person alone, June Patti, who died in 2006. She was sentenced to life in prison without parole. In 2013, attorney Deirdre OConnor, head of Innocence Matters, had been investigating a different case when she found Mellens, realizing right away that the case didnt add up. June Patti testified that she heard Mellen confess to the murder. However OConnor, after a little digging, discovered Patti was notorious for giving the police bad tips. It didnt take long for OConnor to prove that Patti was a pathological liar, and that her testimony in court didnt match her initial statements about the crime. Mellens defense attorney at the time didnt object to these discrepancies. During the course of her investigation, OConnor learned that the detective who had arrested Mellen was also responsible for a 1994 case that culminated in the convictions of two men whose charges were later dismissed by the Innocence Organization. LA Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold threw out the conviction, saying, The justice system failed in this case, immediately releasing Mellen. Three gang members were later linked to Dalys murder and one was convicted of the crime. Mellens children were 7 and 9 years old when she was sent to prison. Upon her immediate release, she danced around with her 16-month-old grandson. Mellen told reporters, I always knew that one day God would bring the truth to the light. She said she cried every night she spent in prison, but didnt lose hope, writing the word freedom on the bottom of her shoes because I knew I was going to walk free one day. The Torrance, California woman voiced a surprising sentiment to reporters later that day, claiming she had no hard feelings toward those who had put her behind bars. No, no, I always forgave my enemies. Even your haters, you have to forgive them and sometimes you have to thank them because they bring you closer to God. 