At the age of 18, Stacey Lannert shot her father twice while he slept. He had sexually abused her from the age of 8, but the final straw came when he also began raping her younger sister. Lannert confessed and was found guilty of first-degree murder. The judge later said the mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole was severe for someone her age and somewhat surprising considering the sexual abuse by her father. At age 36, she was given a shot at redemption when the outgoing governor of Missouri commuted her sentence. Released this week, Redemption, tells Stacey’s story of how she learned to be free while living behind bars.
Stacey shared an early copy of her book with us and to say we were moved by the story is an understatement. “Powerful! Gripping! There were so many times while reading I thought – if only those adults around Stacey were trained on what to look for – it’s why we do what we do every day.”
Stacey’s story is one of horrific sexual abuse but ultimately one of tremendous triumph. Redemption is a truly inspiring account of one woman’s victory over the tremendous trauma of abuse.
Stacey is a living example of someone who has truly walked from Darkness to Light and we honor her for sharing her story and for her amazing courage.
Hear Stacey’s interview this week on NPR. Find Stacey’s book at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.
Stacey ….just saw your story on tv and i can relate . I was abused by my dad (he has never deserved this title) and lived in fear the whole time i lived at home having to sit across the table from him every mealtime. he never interacted with us kids any other time i have an older sister and he got alittle free with his hands but she was old enough to stand up for herself then he came to me i was under the age of five. it has affected every facet of my life . i have been depressed most of my life i never thought about killing him though and don’t know why. i did wish he would get killed on the way home from work or something but he lived to be 76 never had much of a relationship with him but its ok better to have no relationship than the kind he wanted. to the lawyer who says you should be in prison still lets pray that he has no daughters and if he does i hope to God they never have to live through anything like it most cases of sexual abuse involve alcohol by the predator it changes you from that moment on for the rest of your life . i think about suicide everyday but i guess that i just dont want to lose hope that someday the pain will go away and i will feel normal i am glad you were released and are doing good things from your experience Good luck to you and i wish you the best life has to offer