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Famous Violent Criminals Getting Released from Prison in 2018

You may have heard of some, others you might rather not have—due to their extremely gruesome natures—but, these criminals getting released from prison in 2018 hopefully have made amends with their demons.

By Gerald OppugnePublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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From gangster rappers to serial rapists, the list of criminals getting released in 2018 isn't as stagnant as some might assume. Many of the names listed below reached the terms of their parole, or are in talks of early release, bit more than not their return back into society seems highly plausible. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your perspective.

Often carrying a load of interesting info on legalities and court cases, in addition to revealing secrets hidden from us in the past, these following criminals have given us a look into depravity, disrespect, and ignorance of human connectives. While some my be sorry for their sins, others possibly still members of the scariest cults that committed mass murders, yet it's all the same: they're free. Here's who to look out for among the famous criminals getting released from prison in 2018:

Paul Bernardo

Among the most feared serial rapists mostly known as "The Scarborough Rapist" in Canada, was allowed parole just last month in February 2018. Paul kicked off his namesake as of the 1980s with a string of savage rapes, which led to his connecting with Karla Homolka in the drugging, rapping and murdering of her sister, Tammy, who was only 15 at the time.

After continuing this savage display of cruelty on other minors, the duo was finally caught. Bernardo received a life sentence without the chance of parole for up to 25 years, hence his now being up for early release from state prison. Karla, on the other hand, got off on a lighter sentence and supposedly remarried, now living in the Bahamas since 2005. Just goes to show how our criminal justice system still has its kinks, I'm afraid.

Mark David Chapman

Don't know him? Well, you definitely know the man he shot: John Lennon. Thinking himself a coalescence of the Devil and Catcher in the Rye's antagonist, Mr. Chapman shot and killed the legendary Beatle in 1980, right after he received the rockstar's autograph and then waited around for an opportunity to shoot him in the back.

Sentenced to 20 years in maximum security prison, Chapman has the possibility for parole and will likely get early release, given his years in simultaneous psychiatric treatment for his obvious mental instability, which he shall hopefully remain confronting.

Anthony & Nathaniel Cook

The decade between 1971 and 1981 saw a string of murders committed in a variety of fashions; victims from 12 to 24 years in age were found in the trunks of cars with wounds from bats, concrete blocks, gun shots, stabbings, and more.

Brothers Anthony and Nathaniel Cook weren't discovered until many years had passed, once DNA technology had been further advanced. Despite the fact that Tony received a prison sentence of life without parole, Nathaniel, on the other hand, is eligible for release from prison as of this year.

Rae Carruth

This October, a former wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, Rae Carruth, is among criminals getting released from prison in 2018. Admitted parole after his conviction in a variety of charges stemming from an arranged murder of his girlfriend, Cherica Adams, who refused to have an abortion, Rae Carruth serves as a reminder that even famous NFL players are subject to great downfalls.

Once a 1997 first-round draft pick, Carruth was suddenly an occupant of the Tyrrell Prison Work Farm in North Carolina as of 1999 and the story behind his arrest and the events that took place are far too much to get into here, but I'll let you read his own speaking out on the crimes.

Kevin Gates

A famous rap icon and, more or less, notorious for peaking at the number two spot on Billboard 200 with his debut album Isla, Kevin Gates actually is among criminals getting released from prison in 2018. Whether it's good or bad depends on his next release, I assume, but what landed him behind bars?

First arrested at only 13 years old, Gates was apparently involved in a grand theft auto as under a gang activity, but in 2003 he was again arrested for a stabbing near a movie theater. Since 2013, though, he's been battling gun charges that were lifted this January, 2018.

Richard Nitz

Richard Nitz, a known homophobe and husband of Rita Nitz, would be convicted of first-degree murder in 1988 and sentenced to death. Richard beat a 23 year old gay man by the name of Michael Miley with a baseball bat before driving him to be shot and decapitated at an unspecified location, all with the help of his wife.

With a successful appeal, a new trial was mandated for 1996, which convicted him a second time with a sentence of life in prison. Coined "luckiest murderer in legal history," Nitz now sees a parole hearing in May 2018, since a 2004 court ruling had declared he not serve a life sentence. Talk about hitting the lotto.

Ellen Snyder

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Michael Snyder worked as a disabled mechanic before he was shot and buried in the back yard of his shared home with Ellen Snyder, his wife and murderer. Claiming battered women's syndrome, Ellen had actually led the family into half a million dollars in debt with over 40 forgery convictions, but she's now among criminals getting released from prison in 2018.

Ellen was arrested in 2010 from an anonymous tip that gave the whereabouts of Michael Snyder's body. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 11 years; now 52, she can once again see freedom, but hopefully no further re-marriages.

Ben Carr

Known more widely as "The Hulk," Ben Carr has certainly earned a name for himself among criminals getting released from prison in 2018. His means of time in prison, however, seems to be more the topic of discussion, given he was found to be running a smuggling ring from his cell in 2017.

Based out of the UK, Carr was convicted with 30 years for hiring someone to kill a mother of five, plus his involvement in a drug smuggling operation, for which made him exceedingly wealthy. For that very reason, he's practically gained control over the prison and could even appeal against his sentence, meaning gaining his freedom is as easily as asking kindly.

Genene Jones

More commonly known as "The Angel of Death," Genene Jones finds herself among criminals getting released in 2018, but her time in prison may be longer given new charges being added to her case. Sentenced to 99 years in prison for murder and a concurrent 60 years for attempted murder as of 1985, Jones eventually got lucky when a new law in Texas entitled her to parole for overcrowding issues.

She's among the most famous female serial killers for her myriad of kills. As a nurse in Texas, Jones had killed over 60 children for reasons stipulated by prosecutors as to show the need for a pediatric intensive care unit, yet others seem to think she intended to make herself out to be heroic by complicating their medical issues. In 2017, Jones was charged with the deaths of an 11 and 2 year old from 1981, most likely leading to her eventual extradition and sentencing in a different country.

David Berkowitz

This May, New York will subtly feel a sense of danger to their public safety, and not for some uncalled-for snowstorm of epic proportions. Well, maybe "Son of Sam" can be considered a storm, given his crime sprees using only a .44 Caliber handgun amid the 1970s.

Over the course of his 25 year prison sentence, Berkowitz has changed his views on humanity; first claiming in a letter to the New York governor in 2002 he belonged in prison for life, then averting since then to being of "no risk, whatsoever." Berkowitz stands for parole this year, but if he'll be granted early release remains not only a mystery, but somewhat of a public safety concern.

Leslie Van Houten

Once a follower of Charles Manson, one of the most notorious criminals of all time, and serving as among those involved in the infamous cult's murders in 1969, Leslie Van Houten has since claimed she was not only under the spell of the Manson Family's manipulative strings, but was also administered LSD, which furthered her displacement and grip with reality.

Up until 1972, a year following her incarceration, Houten was on death row when a California court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional, which spared her life, but not her freedom. Release recommendations have been given over the years, but rejected continuously by Governor Jerry Brown, who blocked her January 2018 parole. Houten's attorney, however, plans on fighting this ruling, so she may be among the criminals getting released from prison in 2018.

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About the Creator

Gerald Oppugne

I have no idea why I'm here, but let's make the best of it shall we? I like to drink and smoke, so I'll keep you up to date on those worlds if you like em as much as me.

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