Josh was born and raised in Springfield, Ohio. He grew up with his older brother William (who is holding him in this picture) and his younger brother Luther. For a while, Josh and his family also lived in Adams County. Josh's parents split up not long before he was arrested. 

Josh has over two thousand supporters from all over the world. People from the U.S., Mexico, England, Germany, Puerto Rico, France, Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, Ghana, and several other countries have been following Josh's life for the past couple of years. United they stand for his freedom. 

In May 2015, Josh joined the dog program at Warren Correctional Institution. Ever since then, he has cared for and trained dogs for 4 Paws for Ability. This organization places service dogs with children who have a variety of special needs (e.g. Autism, Down's Syndrome, Fragile X). Josh is responsible for the basic obedience of the dogs. In addition, he watches the dogs of several staff members.