On a night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1996, Marcus Cheffen robbed Don Allison at gunpoint, shooting him in the leg and narrowly missing a critical artery. At the time, Allison believed Cheffen deserved to spend his entire life behind bars, and Cheffen was sentenced to 95 years in prison.
"This guy tried to kill me. And I thought he should never, ever see the outside of prison barbed wire for the rest of his life," Allison said.
Cheffen spent 24 years in prison, including 13 years at Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. During his incarceration, he said he made a conscious decision to change, learning a trade as a barber and working as a hospice worker.
"I made my mind up when I got to Angola. I was going to do the right thing," Cheffen said. "Sorry and accountability is two different things. You can say, "I'm sorry," but not taking accountability of what you did."
He began writing letters to Allison from prison to express remorse. Allison's spoke out against Cheffen's release at his first parole hearing, but a conversation with his wife that same day made him begin to change his mind.
"The very day I asked the parole board to keep Marcus behind bars, my wife asked me, 'Don, do you think you did the right thing this morning?'" Allison recalled. "I thought, 'Oh man, I'm busted now.'"
That question became a turning point and led him to the Louisiana Department of Corrections Victim-Offender Dialogue Program, which allowed him to meet the man who nearly killed him.
During an eight-hour conversation, Cheffen admitted everything and shared how his work in hospice care had humbled him. "He said, 'Mr. Allison, I change men's diapers. It is a humbling experience,'" Allison said. "That told me he has a compassionate heart."
At the same time, Allison was going through a personal transformation—studying to become a deacon in the Catholic Church, a process he said deepened his capacity to forgive.
"It made me more willing to forgive him," Allison said. He later reflected that Cheffen's release might never have happened had he not begun his own spiritual journey toward becoming a deacon.
At Cheffen's 2020 parole hearing, Allison spoke in his favor.
"I have forgiven Marcus. I'm very confident in telling you that Mr. Cheffen is a different man. He clearly deserves a second chance," Allison testified.
Today, the two are more than just acquaintances. They are friends and advocates, working together with the Louisiana Parole Project to provide legal aid, education, and housing to formerly incarcerated individuals.
David Begnaud loves uncovering the heart of every story and will continue to do so, highlighting everyday heroes and proving that there is good news in the news with his exclusive "CBS Mornings" series, "Beg-Knows America." Every Monday, get ready for moments that will make you smile or even shed a tear. Do you have a story about an ordinary person doing something extraordinary for someone else? Email David and his team at [email protected]
