Please Help Us Honor Allen "Tig" Fortune's Memory By Protesting Chad Hamilton's Release From Prison

Dear Friends and Family,

As Allen Fortune’s sister, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for loving my brother during his short time here on earth, and continuing to honor his memory even after his death. Many of you have kept Allen’s memory alive with words of encouragement to our family, letters, phone calls, and most importantly, prayers.

I also have all of you to thank for standing with our family in opposition to Chad Hamilton’s, Allen’s murderer, many attempts to be released prematurely from prison. We have been told that it has been your comments to this blog, signatures on petitions, and opposition letters that have helped convince the parole board to keep Chad Hamilton from receiving early release from prison thus far.

However, it is breaking my heart once again to be asking all of you to join with us again in opposing Chad Hamilton’s early release from prison. We have been informed that he will most likely be released this September (he was given a 10-year sentence in October 2007). There are a couple of ways you can help us try to prevent this from happening:

--PRAY: Ask God to have full reign over this situation, to hear our pleas, but that His will be done above all else.

--LEAVE A COMMENT: (before September 2^nd): You can honor Allen’s memory by clicking on the word “Comment” at the end of this post

• Here, I would love for you to leave a comment expressing your opposition to Hamilton’s premature release from prison and/or a statement regarding the impact of the loss of Allen Fortune’s life on you or anyone you know. If you did not personally know Allen, you may also protest from the standpoint of a citizen who has interest in protecting the sacredness of life as well as the safety of your community. Please feel free to sign your name or leave it anonymous based on your preference.

If you wish to keep your comments or letters confidential, you may e-mail them to me at angelafortune@hotmail.com as I will forward them to the Arkansas State Board of Parole for consideration.

Additionally, if you would like to learn more about Allen’s Story, please read the previous blog post by clicking the following link: http://rememberingtig.blogspot.com/2009/08/allens-story_23.html

With Much Love and Gratitude,

Angela Fortune

Please Help us Honor Allen “Tig” Fortune’s Memory by Protesting Chad Hamilton’s Release from Prison

We were recently informed that my brother’s murderer, Chad Hamilton, will be considered for release on September 2. We were formerly under the impression that he would not be considered for parole until February, which would have been one year from his last parole hearing during which his parole was denied. However, we’ve learned that a “Victim’s Hearing” will be held on September 2 in which the Arkansas State Board of Parole will consider letters, comments, petitions, testimonies and such opposing his release before a Parole Hearing is held in which they will decide whether or not to release Chad Hamilton from prison this month.

If you would like to help us honor Tig’s memory by protesting the release of his murderer, Chad Hamilton, from prison, please post a comment, including your first and last name, stating your opposition to his premature release from prison and/or a statement regarding the impact of the loss of Allen Fortune’s life on you or anyone you know. If you did not personally know Allen, you may also protest from the standpoint of a citizen who has interest in protecting the sacredness of life as well as the safety of your community.

Additionally, if you wish you may submit a personal letter of protest opposing the release of Chad Hamilton and/or expressing the impact of his crime such as the letters posted below. If you wish to keep your comments or letters confidential, you may e-mail them to me at angelafortune@hotmail.com as I will forward them to the Arkansas State Board of Parole for consideration.

Thank you for your time and effort in honoring my brother and inadvertently other victims of violent crimes who cannot speak for themselves.

Allen's Story

My brother, Allen “Tig” Fortune was murdered on May 8, 2004 by Chad Wesley Hamilton. Allen was attending an after-prom party when Mr. Hamilton wandered in off the street after leaving a local bar in town. After listening to multiple eye-witness accounts in court during TWO murder trials, we know that Chad Hamilton, a stranger to all, came in uninvited and started a fight with another young man. Allen walked up and asked Chad to leave, trying to break up the fight, and Mr. Hamilton pulled out a knife and stabbed him directly in his heart, cruelly and unjustly taking my little brother’s life.

Words are far too trite to describe the horror, agony, despair, and magnitude of the loss that Chad Hamilton has inflicted with his violent crime.

The hole in my brother’s heart upon which my precious mom and I stared the night of his murder is representative of the unending hole that is left in many lives that will never be filled. We not only mourn for what is lost, but for what will never be.

The pain is ever present, however, God truly sustains us through our darkest valleys and His grace and strength are more than sufficient.

Since Allen’s murderer’s first conviction, he has appealed every decision of the court and fought every denial of parole by the State Board of Parole causing us to revisit and relive his brutal crime multiple times. Some may think it easier to overlook this criminal’s recurring consideration for release every few months, to give up and stop fighting, to act as if it is not happening, to “move on” as they say. That may be the “easier” thing to do but not the right thing. This is not about simple revenge against Chad Hamilton for his vicious crime against my brother because his actions are not rectifiable and nothing we do will bring Allen back to us. Ultimately, I believe God will serve due justice. I pray for Chad Hamilton and his soul because only God can turn worthless into precious.

HOWEVER, protesting this murderer’s release from prison IS about fighting for the ones we love. When we love someone, we stand up for them, honor and respect them no matter the cost, fight for them selflessly regardless of the possible emotional ramifications we may experience from reliving a nightmare. The purpose of protesting IS about speaking for those who have lost their voice; those whose voices have been taken away unrightfully by another human being. Allen is not able to speak for himself; his right to life was taken away by Chad Hamilton, whose voice still remains loud and clear. SO, I am his voice. YOU are his voice.

I want to thank those of you who have or will take the time to selflessly contribute to honoring my brother, someone who deserves to be honored.

Victim Impact Statement from Allen's Sister

To Arkansas Parole Board Members:

I regret that my family is standing before you once again due to Chad Hamilton’s choice to appeal your decision. I apologize if my words sound familiar as you respectfully listened as I shared my heart only four months ago about the impact of losing my brother and pleaded for the denial of his murderer’s parole.

As you reconsider the parole of Mr. Hamilton, the man who brutally murdered my brother, I plead with you to momentarily step into my shoes and consider the ramifications of his choices and the eternal impact he has had on countless lives. Every time I relive this tragedy, it is like a double-edged sword in that I’m not only reminded of the pain and sorrow of losing Allen, but also overwhelmed with fear of the possible devastation and harm Mr. Hamilton could bestow on another family.

Today I am pleading with you to honor your previous decision to deny Mr. Hamilton’s early release and to uphold the court’s verdict. I understand that Mr. Hamilton will not always be chained to the decision he made on that unforgettable night, but I will live with the heartache of his decision every moment of every day of my life.

I sincerely regret that I am unable to address you in person as I am living in Chicago. I would give anything to be there to express to you how the man requesting parole has profoundly altered the course of my life. My baby brother, Allen, had the best heart of anyone you’ve ever met. To know him was to love him. He was a selfless young man who loved and gave with all he had. He was a peacemaker from the very start. As long as I can remember, Allen never wanted anyone to fight or disagree. From our home as a child to his high school classroom, he was always keeping peace and taking care of those around him. Who would have guessed that this very attribute would be what put him in harm’s way of Chad Hamilton and cost him his life? He left home that Friday night after cooking dinner for my mom and kissing her cheek good-bye, never to return as a result of Chad Hamilton’s conscious decision to stab him through his precious heart, taking my baby’s brother’s innocent life.

More than myself, I regret that my sweet mom cannot be there to explain how having her youngest son tragically stolen away from her shattered her world. Allen was the culmination of everything she taught us to be--loving, loyal, humble-spirited, and kind-hearted. She loved him as much as any mother could love a son. She was proud of the person he was both in life and in death. Despite our mom’s challenging health conditions, her faith and love for family had kept her fighting. However, after Allen’s death, she often told me that her heart was breaking a little more each day, and I witnessed the pain of losing her baby boy ultimately become too much for her to bear. Two days after the final murder trial, her heart stopped beating and the doctor said he had never known of someone “who so truly died of a broken heart.” Words are not adequate to fully explain how the careless and cruel act of one man, Chad Hamilton, has stripped me of not only one but two of the most cherished people in my life.

As a Christian woman, I believe that God will ultimately serve due justice, but as a citizen of the United States, my hope is that I am affirmed in believing that our Justice System will protect the innocent and honor those who have been lost.

Respectfully yours,
Angela Fortune

Victim Impact Statement from Allen's Best Friend

Arkansas State Parole Board Members:

Allen “Tig” and I met in kindergarten when we were 5 years old and became best friends. From that day on we were pretty much inseparable. That is until the tragic night in May of 2004 when Chad Hamilton’s careless actions changed our lives forever. Having your best friend of more than 15 years take his last breath in your arms is the most devastating and most painful situation I could have ever imagined being in. I would not wish that on anybody.

There is not a day or night that goes by that I don’t think of Allen. For so many years, Allen was always the first person to know when something new or exciting happened in my life. So much has happened since he’s been gone and I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve picked up my phone to call him only to remember that he is no longer there. I can’t count the nights I have dreamt of Allen. Dreams so real that when I wake up, I think he is only a phone call away… only to make myself realize that he is not there and will never be again because of Chad Hamilton.

Allen and I grew up talking about the future. Things like being each other’s best man in our weddings, marrying and living beside each other, and raising our kids together. When I proposed to my now wife, I wanted so badly for Allen to be the first one to know. On our wedding day, he was supposed to be standing beside me as my best man, but because of Chad Hamilton, Allen was nowhere in sight. Now my wife and I have had our first child, whom we named Keaton Allen in memory of my best friend. Keaton will never have the chance to meet his “Uncle Allen”. All of the plans that Allen and I had made throughout the years were shattered the night Chad Hamilton walked into our lives and took one of the most caring, loving, and kind men from this earth.

Allen did not deserve to die; he had his whole life ahead of him. Allen will never get to have a wedding; he will never get the chance to start a family of his own. Chad Hamilton still has his whole life ahead of him. He will still have the chance to marry; he still has the chance to start a family of his own if he chooses too. Allen didn’t have a choice. Allen did not choose to die. Chad made that decision for Allen.

Spending a couple of years of a ten year sentence in jail for taking someone’s life is not near enough of a punishment as Chad Hamilton deserves. Chad’s family will see him out in the “real world” again. Allen is not coming back. We won’t get the chance to see Allen again.

Please take all I have said into consideration as you make the decision on whether Chad, Allen’s murderer, deserves to walk the streets again or to sit in jail for a little longer as we hope he will someday feel even a little remorse for the devastation he has caused the Fortune family, me, and everyone else that was in Allen’s life.

Thank you,
Zachary C. Byers

Letters from Friends and Loved Ones Remembering Allen and Opposing Chad Hamilton's Parole

Dear Arkansas Parole Board Members,

It is disheartening to me to be going through this process again just as we did only a few months ago. It is difficult to be watching the Fortune family continue to endure the pain and heartache as this murderer is challenging the authority of the State Parole Board and a decision that has already been established. Mr. Hamilton continues to be a threat to society in general and to many people in my hometown community and as the previously written letter below explains, I remain strongly opposed to the release of this man under any circumstances: I am writing this letter in hopes that you will not let Chad Hamilton out on parole. It has only been four short years since the death of Allen Fortune. I remember my mother waking me up to tell me the horrible news and couldn’t imagine that it would turn my world upside down. That Saturday we spent the entire day with Allen’s mourning family and I remember hoping that it was just a horrible nightmare. That following Monday I broke down at school because students and teachers talked about Allen’s death and they were clueless of what a tragedy it really was. I even remember months and months afterward crying myself to sleep thinking of the pain that it caused to lose someone you love, but also I cried for his family and his closest friends. It is so hard because Allen’s future was stolen from him and he missed out on so many things. He would never be able to graduate from college, get married, have children, or be present for major events in family members’ and friends’ lives.

I first met Allen Fortune when I was six months old and he was seven. His mother took care of my older sister and me while my parents worked. Allen and his sister, Angela were home schooled for several years and after they finished their lessons each day we played together. Allen and I became inseparable and he basically became my older brother. I looked up to him so much that I tried to be like him. On my fourth birthday, I asked for a cowboy hat, boots, and a toy gun. I cherished the time we spent together as a children and it was amazing that a boy seven years older than me enjoyed it too. Even as Allen became a teenager he took time to talk to my sister and me. I remember helping his mother babysit and Allen would come by after work to check on his mom and play with the two small children. It was amazing to see a twenty-year-old young man be concerned for his mother and to care so much about children. He was always very gentle and so kind. Allen is terribly missed and his death has affected so many people.

I plead again do not let Chad Hamilton out on parole, not only for the safety of Allen’s family and friends, but also for the city of Stuttgart. If this happened once, couldn’t it happen again? I would never wish someone else to go through all the pain and loss. It is hard for me to look at Stuttgart as safe place even now. I can’t imagine what it would be like if Chad were to get out of jail. I only ask that justice be served.


Sincerely,
Lauren Osburne

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Dear Members of the Parole Board:

As much as it pains me to be writing you this letter, only four months after Chad Hamilton’s original parole hearing, my pain does not even pretend to scratch the surface of the suffering that my dear friend and roommate, Angela Fortune, sister of the victim Allen Fortune, has had to endure. I witness the torment, grief, and loss that lives with her in every moment of every day, and continues to impact her heart, mind and daily activities. Chad Hamilton was convicted, in two separate jury trials, for the murder of Allen Fortune. As a citizen of the United States of America, I must ask the question of how someone that has been convicted of manslaughter of an innocent victim can be released from all punishment after only serving a small portion of his sentence? I understand that Chad and his family and friends must be rooting for his release, and feeling as though he has suffered enough. However, I beg for you all to consider how the actions of one man, Chad Hamilton, have devastatingly altered the lives of everyone in the Fortune family, Stuttgart community, and anyone else who knew, loved and cherished Allen Fortune. While Chad and his family will undoubtedly plea for his release, please remember that his family is not experiencing the suffering or able to understand the grief experienced by all of those that dearly loved Allen Fortune.

As I write this letter, I feel compelled to start by telling you about the outstanding character, loving nature and kind heartedness of Allen Fortune. Allen was undoubtedly a young man who recognized that the most important things in life were to love God first, and to love others before himself. Allen was known for being friends with anyone who needed a friend, for lovingly help take care of his mother in her poor health, for serving those that needed to be served, and ultimately for his willingness to keep the peace and protect others, no matter the cost. The cost Allen ultimately paid for with his life.

I did not personally have the honor of knowing Allen Fortune. However, as a close friend and some would say sister, of Allen’s sister, Angela Fortune, I feel as if I have known Allen my entire life. I often have to remind myself that I did not know Allen here on this earth, because I so accurately know him through the stories of those that love him most, and the strong legacy that he left. As one of Angela Fortune’s college roommates, I was there the night that Angela received the call that Allen was murdered. I personally witnessed the moments of shock and devastation the Fortune family went through upon hearing of Allen’s death. I saw the wound in Allen’s heart as his sweet mother lay over his body in the hospital room. I have heard the cries and stories of friends and family in the Stuttgart community that were deeply affected by Allen’s life. I know without a doubt that the loss of Allen Fortune has left a hole in the hearts of countless, a hole that cannot be mended.

As a current roommate and close friend of Allen’s sister, Angela Fortune, I have most closely seen how Allen’s death has wrecked and devastated her world. Angela Fortune is one of the strongest, loving and most positive people I have ever known. It has been shocking for me to witness how her brother’s death has changed her world. Angela continues to be light to the world through teaching reading to middle school students and constantly ministering to others around her, yet not a day goes by that her heart doesn’t pain for the loss of her baby brother. Angela’s love for her brother made her feel like a second mother to Allen, and her grief is nothing short of a mother loosing her child.

As a close friend of the Fortune family, and out of my love for Allen Fortune, I beg you to consider the precious life that was taken by Chad Hamilton, and to not grant his parole after only having served a small portion of his sentence. I equally beg you to consider the love that has been forever stripped away from all those that dearly loved Allen. My plea is not for revenge and severe punishment to be bestowed on the convicted, but rather that the precious life of Allen Fortune, a kind-hearted and loving young man, be honored by our justice system.

Sincerely,
Meredith White

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To members of the Arkansas State Parole Board:

It is with deep regard for the difficult role you serve that I write to you asking that you please deny Chad Hamilton (ADC#: 133998) parole. I am saddened to have to be watching the Fortune family once again go through the pain of the parole process because of Mr. Hamilton’s choice to appeal your decision of just four months ago. Each time it forces them to relive their beloved Allen’s death and is like salt to their wounded hearts.

As I have walked alongside the Fortune family through the darkest valleys of their lives—from the night I woke up to the screams of Allen’s sister learning her baby brother had been murdered, to going through two excruciatingly difficult murder trials, to caring for Allen’s mother in the final months of her life and witnessing first-hand the depth of her broken heart over the loss of her son and the toll it took on her—I have intimately seen the devastating and earth-shattering impact this man, Chad Hamilton, has had on not only one family but on scores of family and friends whose lives will never be the same.

While my heart aches for the Fortune family, I plead with you to keep Chad Hamilton behind bars not only for their sake, but for those who could find themselves in harm’s way of Mr. Hamilton in the future. He has already proven himself a continued threat to society, having left the state while on house arrest (pending a re-trial), only to be arrested under intoxication and carrying a weapon very similar to that which took the life of Allen Fortune. Please help protect another family from experiencing the anguish the Fortune family has gone through by denying Chad Hamilton’s request for parole.

With deepest respect,
AnnaLee Livingston

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TO: Arkansas Parole Board

We are writing to let you know that we STRONGLY oppose the release of Chad Hamilton from prison on parole.

The first time he was tried, he was found guilty of murdering Allen Fortune and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He appealed the decision and was then sentenced to 10 years. To only serve a VERY short time in prison for stabbing someone in the heart seems extremely unjust.

We have seen firsthand how the murder of Allen Fortune has affected the Fortune family, especially Allen's sister Angela. She has spent most of her life taking care of her mother (Jeannie) who has had multiple health issues including being on dialysis, heart problems etc. Angela is one of the most loving, giving, self-less people I have ever met. Jeannie always told Angela that if something ever happened to her "you and Allen will ALWAYS have each other." The night he was killed, my sister was at Angela's house. When she heard Angela crying and screaming, she thought the phone call was news that her mom had died. It was horrifying to learn that Allen, known by his friends as a peacemaker, had tried to break up a fight and was stabbed in the heart by Chad Hamilton. Two days after the funeral, Angela's mom was back in the hospital for a month. Her health gradually deteriorated even more over the next couple of years and I believe she also had a deep depression over the loss of her baby boy.

Allen's death has absolutely devastated Angela. It has affected her life in so many ways and it is still hard for her to even talk about everything that happened.

During Chad Hamilton's retrial, Jeannie again was very sick and was already in the hospital in Little Rock. Angela and my sister would drive to Stuttgart to listen for a SECOND time to the events of the night of her brother's murder over and over and over. Then they would drive back to Little Rock and stay with Jeannie through the night. On the last day of the trial, they walked into Jeannie's room to see a panicked look on her face with her hand to her heart. She was put into ICU that night and died two days later.

This family has suffered SOOOO much and it seems to us that for JUSTICE to be served and to honor the life of Allen Fortune we hope and pray that you will NOT grant parole for Chad Hamilton. He has shown NO remorse for the crime he committed. In fact, during some of the trials he would just sit and stare at the family and try to make eye-contact with them. If any of them looked at him, he would smirk.

Chad's grandparents live in the same neighborhood as Angela's brother (Stoney) and his wife and it was SO upsetting for them to know he was so near their home and their two children the first time he was released from prison. (Chad stayed with his grandparents.) Stoney's wife did not even feel comfortable letting her children ride their bikes anymore in their own neighborhood.

Thank you for taking the time to read our letter. We beg of you to DENY Chad Hamilton parole from prison.

Sincerely,
Dr. Glen and Lisa McSpadden

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Arkansas State Parole Board Members:

I strongly oppose the release of Chad Hamilton from prison. His violent crime of brutal murder not only robbed Allen Fortune of his life, but eternally impacted countless others. I’m sure that members of this board have tirelessly listened to and read vignettes of victims, where they are suddenly portrayed as nearly angelic or flawless. Please understand that, as a friend of the Fortune family, I knew Allen. This is not a sob story or me rewriting history. Allen Fortune was an exceptional young man, a peace maker and a beloved friend to many. His life was unfairly and unnecessarily taken by the convicted murderer who is requesting that you grant him parole after serving only two and one half years in exchange for a precious human life. Chad Hamilton would pose a threat to any community in which he resides and as a friend of the family and a citizen of Arkansas, I am asking that you protect the people of this great state by denying his request for parole.

I appreciate your serious consideration.

Sincerely,

James Seawel