I Was Sentenced to Life as a Teen — I Spent 18 Years in Prison | Melissa Doran

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 745 Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2026

⏱️ 104 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Melissa Doran grew up as the daughter of a cop in a strict household, but a lack of love at home led her to start rebelling at a young age. After being sent to a teen program in Utah and losing her father at just 16 years old, her life spiraled even further when she became involved with an older gang member, ultimately leading to a violent police shootout. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Melissa shares how those choices led to a 7-to-life sentence in the California prison system and what it was really like serving 18 years behind bars. She opens up about the reality of prison life, the mindset it takes to survive, and how she’s working to rebuild her life after incarceration. _____________________________________________ #ianbick #lockedinpodcast #prisonstory #lifesentence #teenlifer #womeninprison #truecrime #californiaprison _____________________________________________ Thank you to FACTOR for sponsoring this episode: 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. _____________________________________________ Connect with Melissa Doran: TikTok: @inmate92202_mellymel Instagram: @inmate92202_mellymel _____________________________________________ 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 Police Chase, Shootout & Arrest 00:56 Strict Upbringing & Family Life 02:24 Inside a Troubled Teen Program 03:44 Father’s Suicide & Everything Changes 05:14 Trauma, Loss & Family Breakdown 07:07 Life After Loss & Struggling to Cope 08:41 Falling in With the Wrong Crowd 13:46 Relationship With a Gang Member 16:06 The Plan That Led to Everything 18:22 Robbery Gone Wrong 22:15 High-Speed Chase & Shootout With Police 26:18 Hospital, Charges & Media Attention 33:09 Trial, Charges & Facing Sentencing 39:25 County Jail Experience Before Prison 44:47 Lost Dreams & Impact on Family 47:22 Sentenced & Transferred to Prison 50:33 First Days Inside Prison 54:22 Learning How to Survive in Prison 01:00:31 Daily Life & Adjusting to Prison 01:05:47 Grief, Loss & Mental Struggles Inside 01:10:29 Turning Point & Life-Changing Decisions 01:13:15 Best & Worst Moments in Prison 01:20:31 Law Changes & Chance at Release 01:27:42 Life After Prison & Starting Over 01:34:07 Lessons Learned & Moving Forward Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	We got on the freeway and the high-speed chase started.
0:03.0	So I'm driving on the freeway.
0:04.0	Couldn't have been more than a few seconds on the freeway.
0:07.0	He turns and starts firing that 38 next to my head out the back window towards the cops.
0:15.0	I got out of the car and I remember standing there and he was screaming, get in the car, they're going to kill you. Melissa Duran was just 17 years old and the daughter of a cop when her life spiraled into a police shootout that led to a seven-to-life sentence in the California prison system.
0:31.7	In this episode, she breaks down her strict upbringing, being sent to a troubled teen program in Utah, losing her father at 16,
0:39.4	getting involved with an older gang member, and what really happened the night everything
0:43.2	changed. She also shares what it was like serving 18 years behind bars, how she survived
0:48.8	prison, and how she's rebuilding her life today.
0:56.2	So I grew up in Orange County in Southern California.
0:59.4	Just my dad who, so my dad was a police officer.
1:03.1	He got injured in line of duty and was retired.
1:06.6	And then he started his own security company.
1:08.8	But he committed suicide when I was 16.
1:11.4	And that kind of was the catalyst of what drove me to meet, like, my co-defendant and the people that I was around.
1:21.0	So that was like the starting point, I guess.
1:24.7	Before that, what was your upbringing like?
1:30.8	My mom was not the greatest. She's kind of, it's about her. I guess narcissists would be the word that everyone uses. And then I had a little
1:38.0	brother who was my whole, like my whole, he was my ride or die. We were six years apart, but he was just
1:43.9	my best friend. And we did everything years apart but he was just my best friend and we did
1:45.2	everything together and so but my parents favored him like he was the favorite child and even like
1:52.8	anybody who knew my family would say that like oh yeah Trevor Trevor and so that was really
	...

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