Pen pals
Letters changed the lives of prisoner, area resident

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

Robert Ndyabagye, an inmate at Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants, and his fiance, Lucila Melendez, celebrate following a prison graduation ceremony where Ndyabagye received his GED. The pair plan to wed on Christmas Eve this year in the prison. [Courtesy Photo]

GRANTS — Their story has all the elements of a movie of the week: Drama, romance and a happy ending. Robert Ndyabagye and Lucila Melendez are engaged and plan to be married on Christmas Eve 2007, one year to the day from when he proposed.

There is so much more to their story, though.

Unusual situation
Ndyabagye is in a situation that is not usually conducive to romance.

Ndyabagye is an inmate in Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants, and Melendez lives in Farmington.

He is in prison for an armed robbery conviction and is due to be released in late 2009 or early 2010, depending on good time and other factors, prison officials confirmed.

Ndyabagye is a legal immigrant from Uganda. He and his family moved here when he was younger, when his father became a student at University of New Mexico on a scholarship as a long-distance runner.

He is a legal immigrant with a green card and that special status may cause him problems once he is released.

Even though he may face deportation to Uganda, he and Melendez will proceed with their marriage plans.

Unusual meeting
How they met is the unusual, to say the least.

Melendez is attending college and seeking a degree in criminal justice. "I wanted to get some idea of what's going on in prison," she said.

She started writing another inmate at the prison in Santa Rosa and Ndyabagye saw her picture, liked it, and started writing her.

In two years they became pen pals, developing a mutual understanding and attraction and strong feelings through their letters to one another. They fell in love.

Ndyabagye was transferred to Western in Grants five months ago.

"After two years of writing, we became best friends, then I started to understand him and his feelings and we fell in love," she said.

He proposed on Christmas Eve 2006 and she accepted.

"We plan to be married in the prison on Christmas Eve this year," she said.

Melendez and Ndyabagye were sitting together in the prison gymnasium following a graduation ceremony at Western last Friday where Ndyabagye received his GED.

Maturity, self-esteem
"I have grown up a lot since being here, and I now have a family," the 27-year-old Ndyabagye said.

Melendez, 30, has four children from a previous marriage, ages 13, 10, 9 and 4.

Ndyabagye said he knows he made a mistake, and when he is released he is staying far away from the so-called "friends" that were influential in him committing the armed robbery.

He said when he is released he plans to fight deportation and intends to become a citizen, regardless of the obstacles in his way.

"I am really happy that he got his GED," she said.

"He has come a long way while in here and has developed changes in everything: Self-esteem, attitude and he cares more about life in general," she said.

"I support him a lot."

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197, or fax: (505) 287-2581.