verbal. and from what i understand, it must be received from the victim as a threat. >> with the odds against them, pro per inmates thomas gleason and ronnie senegal still feel that they can represent themselves better than a public defender. >> so it's just simply being out there on the streets. the odds are against me. when police officers come through like slave catchers, you know, and literally give you cases that you have not committed and they know you haven't committed. but to gain the conviction and the actions from some of the courts are atrocious. >> well, the representation that i had, i felt he was incompetent. you know, i'm facing 42 years to life, and i just took it into my own hands. i felt i could represent me better because i was at the incident. you know what i mean? can't nobody represent me from just paper drawn up.