For we walk by faith, not by sight
The remarkable story of an innocent woman who beat a life without parole sentence
In August 1997, Susan Mellen prayed for a vacation. Two weeks later, she was arrested.
It was the “vacation from Hell,” Mellen said when she shared her testimony on June 9, 2024 at the California Correctional Women’s Facility (CCWF), at a Protestant worship service. She spoke about the trials and tribulations she encountered during her 17 years behind prison walls.
The audience felt empowered by Mellen’s humility and ambition to travel around the state, sharing her testimony. She did not carry an ounce of bitterness about the Life Without Parole (LWOP) sentence she received for the murder of an ex-boyfriend, which she did not commit. Her story demonstrated the enormous power of walking in faith, not by sight.
Seventeen days after her arrest, Mellen gave her heart to Jesus. It was Sept. 12, 1997. She sat in the county jail.
“I was so scared, looking at a death sentence,” Mellen said. “All I could do was look up and say ‘God!’ I felt that I needed him and he was all I had.”
Mellen added that her lifestyle was not always innocent, but she was completely innocent of this crime.
At the age of 42, she entered the California state prison system and was torn away from her mother and three children: Julie, then 20 years old, Jessica, age 9, and Donnie, just 8. But on the bus ride to CCWF, a rainbow appeared before her eyes. She said she felt it was God letting her know she wasn’t alone.
Starting her life in prison brought hardships, but Mellen continued to trust in her newfound faith by attending church at then-Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW) where she spent the first part of her sentence.
She was ministered by Pastor Pete Untalon, describing him as a God-given man who had a powerful way to deliver God’s word. At VSPW, she met his daughter, Melissa Untalon Espino, who sang for their church and would become CCWF’s chaplain.
Mellen’s strong faith gradually developed throughout the years along with thenCCWF chaplain Sandy Sebesta. Mellen attended the Women’s Aglow Prison Ministry, which kept her grounded and rooted in her walk with Jesus.
One of Mellen’s first trials was June of 1999, less than 10 months into her prison time. She was called to go to the captain’s office to be informed that her mother had passed away.
“My mom was my queen,” Mellen said.
She asked if she could attend her mom’s funeral but a counselor explained she wouldn’t be able to go because she had an LWOP sentence. The four-letter acronym left her feeling confused. Mellen had believed she was sentenced to 25 years to life. Today, she believes God protected her from hearing those horrible words.
It took about eight years, but Mellen began to adopt a new motto: “Life with one purpose.” It was her new acronym for LWOP. It reminded us to stop convicting herself with what man has judged on us, her purpose was clear to her — to help the incarcerated people to forgive themselves.
“You’re a candidate for a miracle,” Mellen told the audience.
Mellen was living proof of one.
Another key moment happened five years prior to her release, around 2009. She received a quarterly box. Inside, among other things, was a pair of white Adidas sneakers. When she got back to her room, she felt guided by the Holy Spirit to grab a black marker.
She remembered thinking, “That’s crazy, I am not going to write on my brand-new shoes.”
Still, she followed obediently and wrote “Freedom” on the bottom of her shoes. To this day, she still has them, her most prized possession. Mellen brought them in a blue bag and passed them around the crowd as part of her testament.
“God wanted me to walk in my freedom,” Mellen said.
As counterintuitive as it seems, Mellen said she was “set free in prison.”
Mellen’s physical freedom was also soon to come. Her case had attracted the attention of Innocence Matters, an organization close to her county of conviction dedicated to overturning wrongful convictions. Attorney Dierdre O’Connor brought the case to a successful conclusion.
Three days prior to her court date at Torrance Courthouse in Los Angeles Mellen felt she was already going to be gone by that Friday. She was exonerated Oct. 10, 2014.
The date was significant for Mellen — she recalled John 10:10-14 from the Bible, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
The officer over the PA system in the CCWF housing unit announced to everyone to turn to any news channel because Mellen was going to be released. She knew God would come through and show up. Her proof was that President Barack Obama had been cut off on television to announce that her sentence was overturned.
Back in Los Angeles, the judge said to Mellen, “The system has failed you, and I am sorry.”
Mellen walked out of CCWF after 15 years of wrongful imprisonment.
Today, Mellen lives in Torrance. She just completed a book chronicling her life story, soon to be published. And she shares her testimony with high school kids, gang-affiliated youth in detention centers, and churches in the area.
She regularly references Revelation 12: 10-12, because like the verse, she “overcame by the blood of the lamb.”
“My testimony,” she said, “turned into the sweetest love story for God’s glory.”
During her June visit to CCWF, she left the audience with that verse, as well as Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Being falsely accused of a crime made living in prison that much harder. Mellen’s faith helped her persevere through the hardships she endured. Mellen’s redemption brought hope to the audience, and she left them with what she called a gold nugget, a call to action:
“Love on Purpose. God is Love.”
