BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Lamarr Scott's guilty plea in 2018 helped free Valentino Dixon, an innocent man convicted of murder. Lamarr Scott is the one who did the crime, when he was 19 years old. He spent the next 28 years in prison.
"Me getting out of prison, I didn't know when I was gonna go, I didn't think I was ever gonna get out to be honest with you," said Scott.
It had been a long time since he felt freedom. His childhood spent bouncing between foster homes because both of his parents died when he was five. He dealt with abuse.
To get by in his teenage years, he started selling drugs.
"Within a short period of time, guns were in my hand unfortunately and a life was taken," Scott.
He served his time and has now been free for more than two years as of May 13. He credits his time in prison, for finding faith and forgiveness.
"Looking at my life and saying it wasn't my fault, I didn't have anything to do with that. It was an education for me, being in prison for 28 years was an education for me," said Scott.
A new path
Since his release, he's been doing some construction work, practicing his Muslim faith and working with the organization Mad Dads to combat violence.
"I'm not the same kid I was when I came in when I was 19-20 years old. So give me that latitude to show you that I'm not the same individual...and that's exactly what I'm doing now," said Scott.
He's always dreamed of starting his own re-entry program, which he admits is easier said than done, so now he leads one at the Northland Workforce Training Center.
When he's not there, he's at the Martha P. Mitchell Community Center getting technology lessons.
"They gave me a laptop, that's the first time I've ever had a laptop," said Scott.
So Alex Vignogna teaches him how to use email on a computer and anything else he'll need on the job through free services in the SUNY Attain Lab.
"Just a lot of the skills that passed him by while he was incarcerated, he now gets the chance to catch up and learn," said Vignogna.
What's ahead in the future?
Scott's goals for the future are to go on a vacation and get his driver's license.
"I took my driver's test twice, I failed both times. I backed up and hit the curb," said Scott.
Here's what he wants people to know:
"I want them to know and understand that there was a young man that made some mistakes in his life and unfortunately it took 28 years of his life in imprisonment to figure it out," said Scott.
