About Gene

In 1977, at only 17 years old, Gene McGuire’s time living in freedom came to an end. He was one of three people that took part in a late-night bar robbery. His cousin, one of the men, fatally stabbed the bar owner. On the basis of a second-degree murder charge, Gene received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Nearly ten years later, Gene had a Christ-transformation after becoming influential in the prison culture.

Then after serving almost 35 years, a shocking miracle happened. On April, 3, 2012, at Wyoming County Courtroom in Pennsylvania, Judge Russell D. Shurtleff had made the decision that Gene was wrongfully convicted. With his life sentence reversed, he was released a free man – no parole.

His inspiring journey from being imprisoned for life to being set free by the power of God’s love, forgiveness, and freedom gives everyone hope. He is an advocate for the community, a speaker, and the author of Unshackled: From Ruins to Redemption.