August 12, 2026

I Killed Someone in Self Defense — Then Spent 10 Years in Prison Proving It | Erico Montalvo

Erico Montalvo grew up in Rhode Island without a father in the picture and a mother too consumed by the streets to be present — and by the time the system found him he had already cycled through juvenile detention multiple times and built an identity that the streets had shaped long before he was old enough to understand where that path was going. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what happened just days after he turned 18 — an accidental altercation with a veteran that turned into a self-defense situation that ended in the veteran's death — and what being charged with murder instead of recognized as a victim of circumstance actually produced over the ten years he spent fighting his case from inside a Rhode Island county jail before finally taking a manslaughter plea deal and accepting a 13 year sentence. _____________________________________________  #prison #selfdefense #truecrimestories _____________________________________________ Thank you to FACTOR & HIMS for sponsoring this episode: Factor: Head to https://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until! _____________________________________________ Hims: Visit https://hims.com/lockedin to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you. _____________________________________________ Connect with Erico Montalvo: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RicoStillMadeit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ricostillmadeit/ Website: https://linktr.ee/Ricostillmadeit _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Guest Introduction 00:22 Early Life in Providence 02:00 Mother's Mental Health & Upbringing 03:13 Father's Deportation 05:00 Feeling Like an Outsider as a Kid 07:36 First Wrong Turns & Finding Identity 10:31 Gang Culture in Providence 16:00 Homelessness & Juvenile Detention 19:27 Getting His GED in Juvenile 21:00 Sponsor Segment: Factor Meals 23:07 Turning 18 & a Spiritual Warning 28:00 Close Calls on the Streets 30:40 The Night of the Incident 37:22 Fight, Stabbing, and Escape 43:03 Learning the Victim Died 43:50 Realizing the Victim Was a Veteran 47:00 Hiding Out and Seeking Help 50:03 Getting Arrested 52:54 Interrogation & Initially Charged with Murder 01:00:00 First Lawyer & a Broken System 01:05:59 Meeting Dawn Huntley, a New Lawyer 01:09:32 Adapting to Prison Life 01:13:00 Finding Faith in Prison 01:21:00 Starting to Turn His Life Around 01:30:00 Facing a 60-Year Offer 01:37:00 COVID Stalls the Case 01:41:00 Considering Trial 01:49:00 A Shocking Plea Deal: 25 Years with 3 to Serve  01:55:50 Walking Through the Sentence 02:03:11 Release and Adjusting to Freedom 02:08:00 Finding Purpose and New Community 02:14:20 No Regrets and a Mission _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

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