This is Mikal.
The State of South Carolina is preparing to execute him for murders committed when he was only 21, after living through years of trauma as a child.
Mikal Mahdi was a 14 year old boy who needed mental health treatment.
Instead, he was sent to juvenile prison and locked away in solitary confinement.
While most teenagers are playing sports or making their way through school, Mikal endured years of extreme prison conditions.
While most teenagers struggling with depression are taken to the doctor, Mikal was strapped down and isolated in prison.
Now, the State of South Carolina wants to execute Mikal for tragic crimes he committed when he was only 21.
But Mikal Mahdi is a smart, intellectually curious person who could have done so much more with his life if given the chance.
He just never got the chance. And everyone deserves a chance.
SIGN THE PETITION
Let’s stop Mikal’s execution.
Watch this short teaser to learn more about Mikal’s story.
click here to watch the Full film
Learn more about Mikal’s STORY
through the timeline of major events in his life:
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1992 | age 9
Mikal's school principal contacts his parents after he makes a suicidal statement at school.
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1993 | age 9
Mikal's third grade teacher highlights Mikal's positive traits, saying he is "warm and pleasant" in groups.
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1993 | AGE 9
Following suicidal statements, Mikal is hospitalized at Walter Carter Center.
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1998 | age 14
At the age of 14, with still-untreated depression and trauma, Mikal is locked up in a Virginia juvenile prison after committing property crimes.
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1999 | Age 16
Records show that Mikal’s deep depression, hopelessness, and suicide attempts continued throughout his years as a teenager in prison. At 16, he tries to electrocute himself and is placed on suicide watch.
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1999 | AGE 16
Mikal’s trauma and depression cause him to lash out aggressively. But instead of receiving trauma treatment, 16-year-old Mikal is locked away in solitary confinement. This happens repeatedly, with stretches in solitary as long as 5 to 10 days at a time.
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2000 | Age 18
During a brief stint out of prison, at age 18, Mikal commits a serious assault and is sent to an adult prison in Virginia. During his next three years of incarceration, Mikal receives no meaningful treatment for his childhood trauma. As a result, Mikal’s angry, aggressive outbursts in prison continue.
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2001 | age 19
At 19, Mikal is moved to Virginia’s Wallens Ridge State Prison, one of the harshest supermax facilities in the country.
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2002 | Age 20
During his time at Wallens Ridge, Mikal is exposed to mostly-white prison staff who use racial slurs and beat inmates nearly to death. Mikal himself is tasered and shot with rubber bullets, even for minor infractions.
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2004 | age 21
In 2004, at age 21, Mikal is finally released from prison at Wallens Ridge. His capital crimes would occur little more than two months later.
In 2004, at age 21, Mikal committed the
tragic murders of Captain James Myers
and Christopher Boggs.
Today, as an adult, Mikal is remorseful and accepts responsibility for his actions.
Text from a letter written by Mikal in 20xx
Mikal doesn’t have
to be executed.
SIGN THE PETITION
Organizations that protect children from mistreatment and abuse in the justice system are speaking up for Mikal.
“Executing people who were abused by our justice system when they were children isn’t the way to a better world. By stopping Mikal’s execution, we can show the compassion our system should have shown when Mikal was a child in need of help that never came.”
XXX of X org
“When kids become involved in the justice system, they should get the support and nurturing they need to get back on track. Mikal Mahdi got the opposite. All the juvenile prison system did was add more trauma to what he’d already been through.
XXX of X org
People are speaking up for Mikal
People who love and support Mikal know the murders he committed were horrible and inexcusable.
Their hearts go out to the families of the victims. They also know that Mikal is more than those terrible decisions that he made.
“It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— Carol Wilson
“It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— Shareef Mahdi
“It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— Nathan Burwell
“It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— Sheriff Woodley
“It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— Billy Smith
“It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— Sophia Gee
SIGN THE PETITION.
Help stop Mikal’s execution by adding your name to the list of people who recognize that children should not be mistreated by the State, and then executed by the State.
Clemency Application [LINK]
RESOURCES
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