Even though things have taken a turn for Kimberly Menzies and Usman Umar, she has a lot riding on their romance.
Kimberly has loved in the past, long before beginning her 90 Day Fiance journey.
For twenty years, she was married to Jamal’s father. But he was not her only ex-husband.
Her other ex is actually in prison for murder. But this is actually more complex than you might guess.
Kimberly Menzies was once married to a man named Kevin Golphin.
Kevin is in prison for murder.
Though he was at one time sentenced to death, he is instead serving life in prison.
In Touch Weekly reports on details from that erstwhile marriage.
“Kim saw his story on TV,” a source revealed, “and went to jail one weekend to visit him.”
The insider explained: “Kim believes in not judging others, and that’s why she did what she did.”
In September of 1997, authorities arrested Kevin and his brother, Tilmon Golphin. They were teenagers at the time.
The brothers faced charges of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon.
They also faced charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied property. Also, one count of possession of a stolen vehicle.
So what happened?
According to authorities, 19-year-old Tilmon and 17-year-old Kevin killed two white police officers during a traffic stop in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The trial ended up being rushed, scheduled just five months after the crime. The jury trial took place in one county, with the jury selected from another.
That’s super weird, especially since Johnston County — where the jurors originate — is conspicuously whiter than Cumberland County.
Johnston County may be adjacent to much more populous and diverse counties, but Johnston is best known for its pork industry.
The report does not explain how the court justified a rushed trial that seemingly picked and chose its jury from another county.
The imported jury worked as prosecutors had intended, apparently.
Both brothers received a guilty verdict.
The court sentenced both teenagers to death.
“He was sent to death row, and she began writing and visiting him more frequently,” the insider revealed.
“She felt like there was more to the case than met the eye,” the source noted. Yes, we also get that impression.
Obviously, the insider acknowledged: “She does not condone what they did or say it was right.”
“She was not in love with him but loved him as a person,” the source said of Kimberly and Kevin.
“He needed someone to be his power of attorney, and that was it,” the insider explained.
The source added: “The whole thing lasted about two years before it was annulled.”
Specifically, Kimberly married Kevin in 1999. Two years later, they had the marriage annulled.
Not only is Kevin not Jamal’s father, but he and Kimberly never consummated their marriage.
She saw a young adult sentenced to death and obtained the legal leverage to advocate on his behalf. It was an act of compassion.
Remember, Kevin and Tilmon’s sentencing took place in the ’90s.
North Carolina later banned the death penalty for minors, no matter the crime. Kevin received a life sentence.
Additionally, a judge ruled that racial discrimination had illegally impacted Tilmon’s trial. In September of 2020, he too received a life sentence.
Kimberly and Kevin are still friends. He knows about the show, of course.
“Kevin wants her to be his wing woman once he is released from jail,” the insider detailed.
And the source then added: “Her past is her past and has nothing to do with her present.” Naturally.