UPDATED 10/8, 10: 50 a.m. ET: Momolu Stewart was released from prison on Monday, thanks in large part to the letter that Kim Kardashian wrote to D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno, the New York Postreports.
“[Stewart] is especially deserving of your consideration,” Kardashian wrote at the time. “He has been rehabilitated and is no longer dangerous to society.”
It appears as though the judge agreed.
“I was buried alive,” Stewart told Oxygen upon his release. “So now, I’ve been resurrected. I’m back and I’m better.”
See original story below.
Kim Kardashian has been lobbying for the release of a D.C. man who was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he committed when he was 16.
Momolu Stewart could be released under the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act, a D.C. law that permits those convicted of violent crimes when they’re minors to petition to be released after 15 years, Fox 5 reports. In one week, Stewart will find out if he will be released with time served and probation. He’s been incarcerated for over 22 years.
For the first time, the sister of the man who was killed, Mark Rosebure, spoke publicly. “You took a life, you serve your time,” Joyce Bagley said, per Fox 5. “The judge gave you a sentence, you should continue with your sentence. But that’s the new law.” Her brother was 23 years old and a new father when he was killed. Bagley said that though she’s forgiven Stewart, it’s difficult to forget. She chose not to speak at Stewart’s hearings.
Stewart’s friend Kareem McCraney is another person fighting for Stewart’s release. McCraney was also convicted of Rosebure’s murder and was released last year. He said the shooting happened because he and Rosebure had a long-running feud, and the murder took place when he thought Rosebure was armed.
McCraney currently works as a program analyst for D.C.’s Corrections Information Council, and he’s also a violence interrupter. He was the first person released under IRAA. So far, 17 people have been freed under the law and haven’t re-offended.
Stewart has earned his GED, is part of a mentoring program, and received college credits from Georgetown Prison Scholars while in jail. He met Kim when she visited the jail to learn more about the program. She then wrote a letter of support to the judge, calling Stewart a “model citizen who has demonstrated clear rehabilitation,” and that he would be an asset to his community. Her’s was the 40th letter of support, according to Stewart’s lawyer.
A judge has ruled that Stewart’s sentence will be reduced. He will find out on Oct. 4 if he will be freed right away.
