TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – One of the strangest cases in Florida prison history was before the board responsible for parole Wednesday at the state Capitol. It involves a man who was sentenced to four years for prematurely taking possession of his father's tools. Thirty-four years later, he is still behind bars after earning the nickname Florida's Houdini.
It will be at least a year before Mark DeFriest is likely released. That's because he still faces one-year sentences in Alabama and California for possessing marijuana and escape tools. His lawyer says his case is not unlike that of thousands of other inmates with mental illnesses.
Recommended Videos
DeFriest was 19 when he was sent to jail for taking possession of his deceased father's tools before the will was probated. He's still in prison Wednesday, almost 35 years later.
The reason: Defriest tried to escape 13 times. He succeeded seven times, earning the moniker Florida's Houdini and inspiring a documentary. His lawyer, John Middleton, said he wasn't just escaping, he was trying to survive.
"The terrible rapes, from being beaten and everything else, and he reacted by escaping," Middleton said.
A former jailer told parole officials DeFriest was different than any other prisoner he ever supervised.
"I don't think I ever arrested anybody that intelligent," said retired Deputy Sheriff David Gantt.
The case gets even more interesting. DeFriest isn't even in a Florida Prison.
He was transferred to an out-of-state prison after witnessing guards beat inmate Frank Valdez to death.
On Wednesday, the Commission on Offender Review cut his release date from 2085 to next year. The lone dissenter, Richard Davison, called him "a prisoner of his own making."
His pending release is due largely to the efforts of filmmaker Gabriel London.
"A prisoner of his own making. No, he's a prisoner of his own mental problems," London said.
DeFriest has gone from being disciplined dozens of times a year to being a model prisoner. All since being told there was a light at the end of the tunnel leading to his release.