‘I FELL IN LOVE WITH A PRISON INMATE'
SARAH NEVER THOUGHT SHE’D FIND LOVE WITH AN ATTEMPTED MURDERER
As a nurse in an aged-care facility, Sarah has always longed to help others in any way she could. But one day, a chance discovery online made the mother of two realise that she had even more of herself to give. Little did she know that just a few clicks would change her life more than she could ever have imagined.
“I saw a post on Facebook about having an overseas inmate as a penpal,” the 29-year-old tells New Idea exclusively.
“And I clicked over to the website that allows people to write to prisoners and began reading through the inmate profiles and one in particular caught my interest.
“So I thought it might be nice if I sent him a message so he would feel less alone. I thought I could make a difference to their day while being locked up.”
That prisoner was Cody Richison, a 29-year-old who was five years into a seven-year sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections in the United States. Cody’s profile included details of his conviction: first-degree attempted murder. But that didn’t matter to Sarah. “I had no reaction to his crime,” she says honestly. “I don’t judge people.” Within a few days, the mum from Wyong in NSW had officially signed up to Connectnetwork so she could communicate with Cody through emails and letters.
“I was constantly checking my mailbox to see if I got his letters,” she admitted. “We were honest with each other from the start. I told him straight up who I was and I expected the same from him. We got to know each other very well from our letters.”
Early on, Sarah even asked Cody about how he came to be in prison for attempted murder.
“All I can say is that he didn’t do it,” she asserts. “He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Undeterred by the obstacles in their path, their friendship soon evolved into a longdistance romance, and the pair counted down the hours until their next ‘face-to-face’ visits online.
“We kept in contact every day and we would have video visits two days a week when I was lucky enough to get them approved,” she said, adding that even her eldest child, 9-year-old Kodi, spoke to Cody on the phone.
Then in June 2019 – a year after they first wrote to each other – Sarah spent $6000 on a two-week trip to Colorado to finally meet her inmate beau for the very first time, while her children Kodi and Arianna, 3, remained at home in the care of family members.
“I was so excited and very, very nervous when I went to visit him for the first time,” she fondly remembers.
“I went with Cody’s mum for the first day and it was a long two-hour drive. When I saw him for the first time, I was so happy. It became real.”
Sarah visited the correction centre eight times in that fortnight.
The most special part, the mum says, was Cody’s surprise in learning sign language so he
“I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE NICE IF I SENT HIM A MESSAGE SO HE WOULD FEEL LESS ALONE”
could communicate with her as she was born profoundly deaf.
“Few people have ever done that for me, I couldn’t believe it,” she smiles.
During one visit, Sarah was brought to tears for a very
unexpected, joyous reason.
“Cody proposed then,” she smiles. “It was blunt but it was sweet at the same time. When he asked me to marry him, it made me feel so special.”
The newly engaged couple excitedly made plans for their future.
“We talked about how I planned to move over there with my kids as soon as he was out,” Sarah recalls.
“But when it got to the last visit, I was devastated, I did not want to leave. I wanted to stay but I had to go back to Australia to my children.”
Sarah’s spirits had lifted after Cody was released from prison in October and transferred to a half-way house, before eventually being set free.
“I was so over the moon when he got released. I was so excited for him and his family. I was in tears when I heard the news,” Sarah remembers.
However, their hopes and dreams of living together in the US were soon dashed by immigration red tape due to Cody’s conviction.
“It was so difficult for me to get a visa, and Cody felt it was too hard with everything they were going to ask about his crime,” she admits.
The relationship took another heartbreaking turn when Sarah discovered that Cody had cheated on her.
“I had just lent him $40 to go to work one day and a few hours later, he admitted to cheating,” she sighs. “I was so angry and upset.”
“When he broke the news to me, I went to my best friend’s house, had a cry and ate cheesecake,” she says.
While Sarah went on to forgive Cody, the deception was too much to bear, and she promptly ended their engagement.
“I ended it right on the spot because I don’t like anyone cheating on me. Who would like that?”
Despite everything, the pair have remained close, promising to remain an important part in each other’s lives.
“He is one of my best friends; he is very supportive and we still talk about everything,” says Sarah, who has since moved on with a new partner, who is based near her hometown.
“When I had trouble trying to help my eldest, [Cody] would call me and speak to him. My eldest and Cody have this strong friendship, which is great to see. And I’m still in touch with his family too.”
And no, she doesn’t regret clicking onto that website.
In fact, Sarah is thankful she took the chance and “didn’t judge Cody by his crime”.
“All of the experiences we’ve had has been worth it. I was there for him when he was at a low point of his life and it means a lot to me.
“I’m so grateful to him too. We will be friends forever.”