The only child of professional parents in a suburb of Richmond, VA, Kemba lived a sheltered life. When she was a sophomore in college, she met Peter Hall, who was well-known on campus but not a student. With his self-confidence, nice clothes and fancy cars, Kemba felt she had found a "knight in shining armor," and became involved with him. Unfortunately, Peter was also a cocaine dealer.

As time passed, he exerted more and more control over her, and became both physically and verbally abusive. Under threat of physical harm to herself and her family, Kemba began to carry money and weapons for him. In 1994, she was indicted as a member of a cocaine distribution conspiracy.

Although Kemba was a first-time offender, with no prior record, and a survivor of domestic violence whose actions clearly occurred under coercive threats by her abuser, and pregnant at the time of her conviction, she was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment. After serving six years, Kemba received clemency from President Clinton in 2000.