MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release
MARLO HAMPTON STATEMENT
Atlanta, GA – (January 12, 2012) – “I am shocked and saddened to hear of the recent distortions of events and false accusations disseminated over an altercation I was involved in over a dozen years ago. It had been my preference, out of respect for the person involved, as well as her family, to not speak about this incident publicly, but the recklessness with which the story is being manipulated has forced me to come forward.
I was in my early twenties, and what took place started out as an argument with someone who was once my friend, over the phone. In the first incident, I was ambushed at my house and badly beaten. Though charges were initially filed, those charges were later dropped and I filed a restraining order. As disturbing as the carrying of a weapon may seem, it was quite common in the environment in which I was raised, and not only I, but also the person involved in the altercation, had each brought weapons to protect ourselves. There was a confrontation, her knife dropped, mine did not.
I was arrested and convicted of aggravated battery for which I served 6 months in jail. What is so disturbing about the false reports now circulating is that it was she, my friend, who appeared in court on my behalf and fought to reduce my sentence.
Like many people, I was deeply saddened by her untimely death - 6 years later - and shocked at the recent attempts to connect me to it. Ultimately, it does a disservice to her and her family, to guess and draw conclusions as to her state of mind when she committed suicide. Those reasons are obviously personal and painful and do not deserve to be speculated on for the purposes of entertainment or drawing readers to your site. She and her family remain in my prayers.
My attorneys will be sending a cease and desist letter with a request for retraction shortly.”