EPILOGUE
Dear Reader,
God has been so good to me, a very undeserving man. Karen Bayliss modeled Christ’s unconditional love for me, and through her, I was able to learn that I am an accepted, blessed, forgiven child of God! There is contentment in my life now, and security, and acceptance—just like Karen said there would be if I gave my life to Christ.
In order to bring these memoirs to a close and to catch you up on the very latest happenings, allow me to reprint this latest interview I did with Rolling Stone feature reporter Steve Meek. The story ran six months after my acquittal.
With warm regards,
Everett Lester
Matthew 11:28–30
Steve Meek (Rolling Stone): It’s good to see you again.
Everett Lester (formerly of DeathStroke): Thanks for coming. It’s good to be with you, Steve.
SM: So much has changed since we last talked. Where do we begin?
EL: How about with my new wife?
SM: Yes, please. Tell…
EL: Karen and I were married in the spring. We had a double wedding with my sister, Mary, and her new husband, Jerry. It was beautiful. The ceremonies were held at a church in Topeka, Kansas, with magnificent stained glass—and Karen’s dad officiating.
SM: Karen is a lovely lady. I will note here for the story that we are at one of your homes, this one in suburban New York, where Karen greeted me first today. Now Karen was the young lady who wrote to you throughout the DeathStroke years, correct?
EL: She wrote; she sent gifts; she sent roses. She sent my first Bible.
SM: Is that how your life began to change?
EL: Yeah. I thought she was crazy. But what she did, slowly but steadily, was model the love of Jesus Christ for me. Now understand, her love was not romantic. She hated my music. She was just a girl doing what she thought God was prompting her to do, and that was to write to me—reach out to show me God’s love.
SM: Why did she choose you?
EL: (laughing) She knew how messed up I was! She has a whole scrapbook of my Siren and DeathStroke days. It’s like, she picked the darkest, most demented star she could find and set out on a mission.
SM: Why did you listen? Why did you accept what she had to say, with all the other voices calling out to you?
EL: And there were a lot of other voices! (laughing) No, but seriously, Steve. I didn’t listen at first. However, I wasn’t content. I was miserable. Addicted. Angry. Suicidal even. I needed something money couldn’t buy. I needed to be accepted and loved. And the only One who could do that was Jesus Christ… Karen’s letters and the Bible helped me realize that.
SM: I must say that, sitting with you here today is remarkable. You have certainly changed. It’s dramatic.
EL: That’s only because I’ve accepted the gift of Christ’s love and forgiveness, just like you and every person reading your story has the opportunity to do. He’s come inside me to live, you see.
SM: I see something.
EL: He’s who you see, Steve. I promise. It’s not me!
SM: Everyone knows you were acquitted of Endora Crystal’s murder, but many people do not know what became of the incident in Dayton, Ohio, in which the young girl was injured during a DeathStroke concert.
EL: Olivia Gilbert is the young lady’s name, and I’m thankful to say she’s doing very well. It’s a miracle, really, an answer to much prayer. She’s swimming again. Our families have become dear friends. They ended up dropping the charges against me.
SM: There was an aggravated assault charge filed by the Dayton police.
EL: We paid a fine for that, and fortunately, I didn’t have to do any time, just community service.
SM: Tell us what your plans are, musically.
EL: Karen and I believe God has plans for us. Part of those plans may involve my music. I’ve been writing a lot of songs that have to do with this new life I’ve found. I’m also interested in explaining to people what Christ has done for me—and what He’s done for them.
SM: Are you talking about a concert tour?
EL: In some form or fashion, probably.
SM: Let me play devil’s advocate here. (laughing) Sorry about that.
EL: (laughing)
SM: Do you expect your old DeathStroke fans to come out to that tour? I mean, hasn’t there been a lot of animosity?
EL: There’s definitely been a backlash. Some of the crazy, hard-core DeathStroke fans miss the old Everett Lester and company. But there are thousands of people we’ve heard from who are intrigued by what’s happened in my life. We want to meet those people and share more with them.
SM: Allow me, if you will, to touch on the accident your nephew David was in last year. This seventeen-year-old boy was killed in a head-on car crash. I know he idolized you. How has his death impacted your life?
EL: (pauses for some time) A culmination of events led me to Christ. The trauma I caused Olivia Gilbert and her family was one; David’s death was another. I am still hurting from that, because I let him and his older brother down. They did love me and my music, and I stood them up time and again… (pauses) It’s a debt I hope to repay in the days ahead—very soon.
SM: We’ve talked before about your childhood. I know it was rough. How has your newfound faith helped you cope with that?
EL: When we’ve talked in the past, Steve, I believed I was destined to be like my father all my life. He struggled with alcoholism, anger, adultery, depression… He actually drank himself to death. And I guess I always just assumed his sins would automatically be passed down to me, and I would have to bear them all my life. But I’ve got to tell you, dude, Christ changed all that. The lines of those habitual sins have been severed. I’m not saying I don’t sin, but I am free, I walk in the power of Christ, and I am forgiven. And that will be the lifeline I hope to pass down to my children.
SM: Are children in the picture?
EL: Karen wouldn’t have it any other way!
SM: We’ve interviewed rock stars on the pages of this magazine who’ve said they were “born again,” said they had been converted to Christianity. Some really mega rock stars. I won’t name names. But my point is, they’ve fallen away. They’ve gone back to being the people they were before their religious conversions. What about you? Is this going to last?
EL: All I can tell you is that since I surrendered my life to God one day when I was at the end of my rope in a high-rise down in Miami, I became a new person. The old Everett Lester is gone. I’m new—and I’ve never felt better, never felt like this before. It’s better than any drug I ever tried, which is what Karen promised me one time. But to answer your question, yes—it will last, simply because it’s not of me. If it was my doing, then it could easily be undone. You get me?
SM: And your desire is to share your new faith with the world.
EL: The problem is, Steve, you say that like it’s some heavy burden. But the thing is—it’s not! I’ve been made right with God thanks to Christ. I have new life! Now the Bible says, I should implore others to do the same! That’s what Karen did for me! Christ saved her. She became free and found the meaning of life. Then she pleaded with me to do the same, so I could enjoy the same peace and freedom and promise of eternal life she found. She didn’t do it out of obligation, but out of love for God…out of the joy that overflowed from her.
SM: If you keep talking like this, you may convince me to be saved.
EL: In that case, how would you like to stay for lunch?
The End…for Now