I Accidentally Killed Someone — Then Had to Survive Prison | Jesse Smithers

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 745 Ratings

🗓️ 18 February 2026

⏱️ 175 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jesse Smithers was just a teenager when a street fight turned fatal, forcing him to accept a 10-year plea deal in the Minnesota prison system. In this interview, Jesse breaks down how he survived a decade behind bars only to face a new battle upon release: a system that wouldn't hire him. Pushed back into selling drugs to survive, Jesse reveals how a miraculous case dismissal became the final wake-up call he needed to leave the life of crime behind forever. _____________________________________________ #ianbick #prisonstories #minnesota #prisonsurvival #lockedin #truecrime #inmate #survival #prisonlife #minneapolis _____________________________________________ Thank you to FACTOR & AVA for sponsoring this episode: FACTOR: Head to https://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50% off your first Factor box PLUS free breakfast for 1 year. Offer only valid for new Factor customers with code and qualifying auto-renewing subscription purchase. Make healthier eating easy with Factor. _____________________________________________ AVA: Take control of your credit today. Download the Ava app and when you join using my promo code LOCKEDIN, you’ll get 20% off your first year—monthly or annual, your choice. _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 The Fight That Got Me Locked Up 02:00 Jesse’s Story Starts Here 04:40 Meeting My Dad & Family Truths 07:00 Growing Up Without a Father 10:00 Teen Sports, Trouble & Getting Put on Probation 13:20 When the Justice System Got Its Hooks in Me 16:20 First Time Locked Up: Juvenile Detention 20:20 Inside Elmore Academy: What Really Happens 27:40 Life Right Before Everything Went Wrong 32:00 The Night Everything Changed 36:00 After the Incident: Shock, Panic & Arrest 41:00 Tried as an Adult & Facing Serious Time 49:40 Courtroom Strategy: Lawyers, Bail & Playing the Game 01:00:00 The Case, Community Rumors & Hidden Plea Deal Pressure 01:10:00 Sentencing Day: Victim Statements & Walking Into Prison 01:18:00 First Time in State Prison 01:25:00 Prison Politics 101: How to Survive Inside 01:36:00 Fights, Gangs & the Real Rules of Prison 01:43:00 Stillwater Prison: Violence, Wars & Survival Stories 01:56:00 Getting Out of Prison & Starting Over from Nothing 02:05:00 Life After Release: Temptation of Fast Money 02:19:00 Back in the Game: Drug Dealing, Addiction & Another Arrest 02:30:00 New Case, New Charges & Choosing Sobriety 02:41:00 Turning Point: Recovery, Family & Real Success 02:50:00 What I’d Tell Any Kid Before They Ruin Their Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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