From Life in Prison to the Eras Tour

"Early one morning in 2003, I woke up next to my girlfriend, Ambere, in the Venice Beach apartment that we shared. Sunlight flitted over the Pacific Ocean and into our bedroom. I ate breakfast and worked out. Then I got to business, which, at that time, was dealing marijuana. Ambere, like my parents, wanted me to find a real job, and I planned to."

"I drove to Hollywood to make a bulk purchase from a dealer named Earl at his apartment. I owed him some money and had given him my handgun as collateral. But he was no longer happy with the terms of the agreement. We began to argue. I felt like he was trying to outsmart or outtalk me. I grew angry. He was rude, so I made sure I was ruder. The fight soon turned physical. It ended when I shot and killed Earl."

"When first responders went into the apartment, I could hear their shocked reactions to the sight of Earl's body. They talked about me as though I weren't there. "We got him on the way out, trying to leave," I heard someone say. "He said he's banged up, but he looks O.K. to me." Hours and hours passed before the police allowed me to call Ambere."

Joe Garcia lived with his girlfriend Ambere in Venice Beach in 2003 while dealing marijuana. A planned bulk purchase from a dealer named Earl in Hollywood turned into an argument that escalated into violence, and Garcia shot and killed Earl. Neighbors called 911 and police arrested Garcia at the scene; he was held in Los Angeles County jail and later issued a tatt. Hours passed before he could call Ambere, and he left a remorseful voicemail. While serving time for murder, Garcia heard Taylor Swift's music and thought of Ambere. Garcia and Ambere reunited last year.

Read at The New Yorker