It was around 2012, and I was still using a lot of drugs, I was tweaking and using alcohol with pills, gang banging and all of that, but I knew something in my life needed to change.

I've served a total of two prison terms. The first time I was arrested, I was 18 years old, but my first stint in prison occurred when I was 22.

I despised drugs. I could not stand them because of my mom. I had never wanted to touch a drug in my life, but eventually, I was affected by it, and it did grab hold of me.

“Every person has two wolves inside of them that are constantly fighting each other—one is good and one is evil. The one that eventually wins that battle is the one you feed the most.”

The time I got to spend with my Grandma are my best memories, and to go just for the weekend was heaven, it was like my little oasis in hell.

I had to grow up extremely fast and become an adult at a very young age because I had a responsibility to take care of my younger brothers and sisters.

It's a little bit difficult for me to talk about all of this, because ever since I was young, I've had this survival tactic where I would deliberately repress my memories and I still do it.

I remember that night so vividly. Everybody was asleep and I was only a kid when I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and quietly snuck into Alicia’s bedroom.