I was forced to rob my own bank, part 2

Many years after he’d held a gun to her daughter’s head, Michelle wrote to Robert Ortiz seeking closure. It took him years to write back – and then they met.

In 2000, Michelle Renee was at home with her seven-year-old daughter Breea when armed men burst through the door. They held Breea hostage while they took Michelle to the bank where she worked. She was told to remove all the money from the vault or her daughter would die. The gang were later caught and imprisoned but the fallout from that day and the accusations hurled at her during the trial would leave a lasting scar. Ten years after the event Michelle and Breea chose to write one of the gunmen a letter. It was a way of bringing the story to a close, they weren’t expecting a response. It took him years but Robert Ortiz did write back – asking did she want to meet?

This story is told in two episodes, in episode one Michelle tells the story of the day of the robbery and the impact of the trial when suddenly she stands accused. In episode two we bring in Robert and hear how two people have built a friendship from the most unlikely start.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Thomas Harding Assinder and Andrea Kennedy

Lives Less Ordinary is a podcast from the BBC World Service that brings you the most incredible true stories from around the world. Each episode a guest shares their most dramatic, moving, personal story. Listen for unbelievable twists, mysteries uncovered, and inspiring journeys - spanning the entire human experience. Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected. Got a story to tell? Send an email to liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or message us via WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784 You can read our privacy notice here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5YD3hBqmw26B8WMHt6GkQxG/lives-less-ordinary-privacy-notice

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(236)

Love Stories: My two husbands

Kris Armstrong and Brandon Smith took their marriage vows seriously. But after Brandon suffered a major brain injury, Kris made a decision that led to their unique blended family. Texans Kris and Bran...

17 Aug 45min

Love Stories: Do you remember me?

A secret tore apart their teenage love. Four decades later, they got a second chance.In 1970s Nottingham, two teenagers fell head-over-heels in love when Mark Bethel arrived from the Bahamas to study....

10 Aug 42min

Love Stories: Finding you in a warzone

In 2016 Janay was a journalist in London and needed footage of the conflict in Syria, so contacted camera operator Habak in Aleppo. What followed was a love story neither saw coming. When Lebanese jou...

3 Aug 44min

Introducing: Love Stories

Introducing a new season of five remarkable true stories in which love rises above prejudice, waits decades, crosses oceans and survives war. From India to Italy, Syria to the Bahamas, and the UK to t...

30 Juli 2min

I crash-landed inside an active volcano

Chris Duddy survived 28 hours in Hawaii's Kīlauea volcano after his helicopter crashed.Cinematographer Chris Duddy has worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest movies like Titanic and Terminator 2. Filmi...

27 Juli 40min

Why I don't hate the person who tried to kill me

In July 2011 Bjorn Ihler was a 20-year-old performing arts student and a member of the youth division of the Norwegian Labour Party. He participated in the Party's summer camp on Utøya island, about 3...

20 Juli 41min

The prisoner who was forced to celebrate a World Cup victory

Miriam Lewin was never much interested in football. Growing up in Buenos Aires, she cared far more about politics than the team her family supported. But in 1978, when Argentina won the World Cup, she...

13 Juli 39min

My father and the curse of the golden egg

Serena Kutchinsky was 10 years old when her jeweller father Paul unveiled his masterpiece to the world: a giant, golden, diamond-encrusted egg. Paul had recently taken over the family business, the ce...

6 Juli 40min