For six days and nights, without food or water, the man who became known as Tulsa's "Tower Guy" held police and rescuers at bay, capturing the attention of the nation and fueling speculation about what led him to climb that tower, and why he wouldn't come down.

It turns out that William Sturdivant II was a very troubled young man, who was dealing with serious mental illness, including schizophrenia.

He had a meltdown after going off his medications and travelling to Dallas to see his young child.

He walked all the way back to Tulsa, sleeping beside the road, hoping someone would give him some food.

Why did he climb that tower?

Finally, Sturdivant has decided to explain what happened.

"I just needed to get away," he said. "I felt like the world was coming to get me. Like people wanted to kill me, everybody was out to get me."

Up there, he said, he felt safe -- though he admits, he doesn't remember much of the ordeal.

But he does remember deciding to come down.

"I was getting weak," he says. And no, he never planned to jump - this was no abortive suicide attempt.

In his exclusive interview with KRMG, you'll hear about his mental illness, the events surrounding that time, his struggles in jail and his hopes for the future.

You can hear the entire interview HERE.

If you're using a device that doesn't support Flash, CLICK HERE for the mp3.