A man known for escaping from Florida prisons may finally be freed, and this time, he won’t have to trick the system.
Supporters of Mark DeFriest scored a significant victory Wednesday after the Florida Parole Commission changed DeFriest’s parole date.
What started off as a four-year sentence for stealing tools that were eventually willed to him, has turned in to a life sentence for Mark DeFriest. His more than a dozen escape attempts, half which were successful—have added decades to his sentence. He was set to be paroled in 2085—but that’s 50 years after his scheduled release date. Wednesday, the Florida Parole Commission dropped the parole date to 2015, which means DeFriest could be released as early as next year.
During his time in prison DeFriest was a witness to the beating death of a fellow inmate and as a result of his testimony against corrections officers, he is in an out-of-state prison. His story is the subject of a documentary film.
