It was Easter, 2020. PenPals.Buzz member Colby Brookman was driving home from dinner at his mother-in-law's house, where he had been drinking. His wife, J'lynne Stothers, was a passenger in the front seat. In the back were Colby and J'lynne's two infant daughters, Ariana and Ava, along with his 32-year-old brother-in-law, Matthew, who was autistic.

Unaware he had made a wrong turn, Colby was trying to find a local radio station on the dial as he drove his 2004 GMC Sierra, too fast, down Grand Avenue in Oroville. He thought he was on a highway heading back toward Sacramento. It happened so fast. He heard his wife yelling his name, "Colby!!" When he glanced up from the radio, he knew he was about to crash. Afraid of rolling his truck, he continued straight. Seconds later, he, his car, and his entire family were submerged 32 feet underwater in a canal near Lake Oroville. His brother-in-law died at the scene. His two daughters died at the hospital the next day. J'lynne survived. Colby was arrested at the scene, after blowing a 0.12 blood alcohol level, just slightly over the legal limit in California.

Today, Colby Brookman is five years into his 37 years to Life sentence at the Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, a prison exclusively for inmates with "sensitive needs." He's housed with gang dropouts, police informants, sex offenders, and former law enforcement officers. When a man is convicted of killing two young children, he wouldn't fare too well in a general population prison, especially one in California. The life sentence sounds harsh, but the ultimate punishment, says Colby, is looking in the mirror each morning and knowing he, himself, was responsible for the death of his children. He was supposed to be their protector, and instead he drove them into a canal, to their death.

We interview Colby about life with his daughters before the accident, what happened leading up to the crash, his alcoholism, his intense guilt and shame, and his coping techniques which help him get through each day in prison (including trying to make new pen pals and friends to communicate with through his incarceration). What might his daughters would say to him today, if they could speak from the grave? Would they forgive him? Would he ever want to marry and have kids again? What advice would he give to an alcoholic who continues to drive drunk (as he did almost every day)? He'll answer these, and so many other questions in this heartbreaking interview.

Learn more about Colby Brookman on his PenPals.Buzz profile page

Annie Perry is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who often helps her therapy clients learn to manage grief. She's also a prison wife. Annie met her husband, Henry, nine years ago on a prison pen pal site called Friends Beyond the Wall. Today, their relationship is stronger than ever.

Together, they formed a business called JailHouse Books, and have subsequently published over 90 books, including at least 75 activity books created specifically for incarcerated men and women. In addition to sudoku, word searches, crosswords, and a myriad of other challenging and fun puzzles, these books offer inmates strength, comfort, encouragement, and a sense of belonging.

On this episode, Annie speaks in more depth about the books. She also shares valuable insights and suggestions, based on nearly a decade of experience, for other prison wives or partners navigating through their own prison relationships. "I'm not just a prison wife, I am Annie," she proclaims, stressing the importance of staying actively engaged in something meaningful (and unrelated) to her prison wife status. She recommends continuing to work on yourself and continuing to do the things you like to do without letting prison consume your identity.

Annie and Henry have been together for nine years -- significantly longer than the vast majority of prison relationships. Their love story is yet another wonderful example of how a prison pen pal website can (and often will) lead to a successful and productive marriage.

Find Annie Perry on TikTok @TeamPerry2016 or search JailHouse Books on Facebook for more information.

As a young boy, Christian LaFargo was introducted to the violent El Monte Flores EMF gang, affiliated with the Mexican Mafia, in Southern California. Forced to grow up with an incarcerated father, EMF was all he ever knew. "It's just the culture there," LaFargo said. Chris, better known in EMF as Bossy -- pled guilty to multiple charges, including attempted murder, and was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison.

Now more than halfway through his sentence, this man, age 39, has done the unthinkable. He has completely transformed his attitude, his life, his behavior, and his future. No longer part of the EMF gang, LaFargo details his journey, his mental fortitude, his new-found faith, and the steps he has taken while incarcerated to create hope and redemption for himself and for others who might be growing up fatherless or going down the wrong path in life.

LaFargo talks candidly with Big Steve about his belief that one's life doesn't have to be defined by his or her circumstances. His inspirational story is one of hope and redemption. Perhaps something he talks about can spark a change in someone, in or out of prison, who may be going through a rough time. If this man can turn his life around, it's proof that anyone can.

Christian LaFargo's full pen pal profile can be viewed at https://penpals.buzz/inmate/christian-lafargo/

When a prison inmate spends their hard-earned money for a pen pal profile, it should be considered an investment -- into their lives, their happiness, and their future. But what actually makes a profile good or bad? In this episode, Big Steve and Daisy share proven tips and techniques to help incarcerated men and women write a profile that will catch a reader's attention and get results. The tips shared in this episode could make all the difference between a profile that gets zero responses (or hits, as they're called) or a profile that gets dozens of letters, emails, and messages each week.

If you're locked up and listening to this episode from the comfort of your cell (on your tablet), we hope you'll take these suggestions to heart and start writing more successful profiles today. And for those in the free world who know someone in prison, we hope you'll take notes, and share this valuable information with them. You could even play the podcast for them over the phone, and let them take it all in!

PenPals.Buzz office manager, Daisy, has typed and edited thousands of prison pen pal profiles from the PenPals.Buzz corporate headquarters in Anderson, CA. She knows what works, and more important, she knows what doesn't work. You'll hear several real examples, from actual profiles on our website, on what NOT to write and why. (Spoiler alert: It's never a good idea to upload a picture of yourself flipping off the camera -- at least not if you actually expect someone will want to be your pen pal!).

Jimmy Tench, convicted of murdering his mother, Mary Tench, and sentenced to Death Row in Ohio, recently appeared on Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks (Season 2, Episode 4: He Murdered My Mother). Now, Jimmy (or James Tench, as he's listed in the Ohio DOC) speaks to us from a telephone in his prison cell. During the interview, he goes into more depth about how he was portrayed on Evil Lives Here and mentions several topics which weren't discussed on the TV show, such as his negative experiences with his attorneys, what positive things he has gained from his time on Death Row, and what it was like growing up with what he says was an abusive, alcoholic father.

Even though there were 1,000 pieces of evidence used against him at the trial, including Mary Tench's blood on the shoes found in his bedroom, and a video of him buying duct tape just before the murder, Jimmy proclaims his innocence, and suggests that he knows who the real killer was. We ask him what he'd like to say to the killer; his answer may surprise you. He also discusses his childhood, his hobbies prior to his arrest, his relationship with his girlfriend at the time of the murder, and why he thinks his sister, Jennifer Swain, turned on him.

While he admits no involvement in the murder, there is one piece of the interview that our producers found chilling. When Big Steve asked Jimmy how he felt about the death penalty prior to his arrest, he replied, "if someone was convicted of what I did" (emphasis added) that he would be in favor of a death sentence for him. Was this just a slip of the tongue? Perhaps.

Jimmy Tench then challenges some misconceptions about what life is like on death row. For instance, who would have thought that a death row inmate gets 8 hours a day outside of his cell? Time to play basketball, softball, or walk to the chow hall? Who would have thought they would have their own TVs? The idea of someone "rotting away on death row" seems far from the truth (at least at Ross Correctional in Chillicothe, Ohio).

Finally, we speak with him about his involvement with pen pals and his profile on PenPals.Buzz. He shares his contact information and invites anyone, male or female, to write him. His full profile is posted at https://penpals.buzz/inmate/james-tench/

On the evening of July 17, 2024, Bianca, from the UK, was browsing inmate profiles on PenPals.Buzz and was attracted to Armon Irons, an American prisoner with tattooed hands. Minutes later, she sent him this email:

Good evening Armon, Sending you lots of love from across the pond. Loved your profile. Never done this before. I am a virgin! If you would like me to write to you I can. Anyhow, I will keep this short and sweet like me! Tally Ho Captain.

At the time, nobody would have guessed that those 47 words sent via a prison pen pal website would, less than eight months later, lead to one of the greatest love stories of all time. In this heartfelt episode, Big Steve speaks candidly with Bianca as she tells her story of strength, passion, love, and determination, all with a positive attitude and a great sense of humor...or shall we say, humour?

Hear about the letters, the emails, the phone calls, the proposal, the wedding, and even what her 14-year-old daughter thought of mommy falling in love with a prisoner. Picture Love During Lockup meets Love After Lockup meets 90 Day Fiancé, all in one exciting 45-minute episode. This is reality programming at its best!

The Prison Pen Pal Podcast explores all aspects of prison inmates and their pen pals. Thinking of writing a prisoner? Already have a loved one who is incarcerated? Curious about why someone would write a letter to an inmate? Or, maybe you just want to learn about an entirely new way of making friends. You'll hear from the host, Big Steve, as he helps to humanize inmates and demonstrates the value in writing a pen pal. This is true crime at its best. Enjoy our two-minute trailer describing this groundbreaking podcast.

St. Peter, Minnesota boasts a plethora of sights: a beautiful arboretum, a Veteran's Memorial, the Paddlefish Brewing Company (with 12 homemade beers on tap) and last but not least, the prison artist known as Alfson. This artist, whose real name is Benjamin Alverson, can't really be considered a prison artist, as he is technically not in prison. He's been held captive in a Civil Commitment Facility (a prison disguised as a mental health hospital to get around due process laws) in St. Peter, for well over a decade. This place is a real dark stain on the community, yet Alfson copes with his captivity with incredible grace and a positive spirit. In this episode, we interview Benjamin Alverson by telephone and dig deep into his life -- his childhood, his upbringing, his family, his spirituality, his love of pets, his hobbies, and of course his artwork. What does he create? How does he create it? What is he allowed (or not allowed to buy)? Is he allowed to sell his pieces? Alfson is a PenPals.Buzz member, and in addition to sharing his artwork with the world, would love to make some new pen pals and friends. So download, stream, press play, whatever you do -- just listen to this episode and learn more about this fascinating man.