# How exactly did Willie Horton manage what he did after fleeing custody? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017 "2012-11-14T19:42:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/1 "2012-11-14T19:42:49Z")
Willie Horton, of course, was the Massachusetts inmate serving a life term for murder who nonetheless was able to take advantage of a state furlough program and raped a woman in Maryland, which was used to great effect against Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential campaign. According to Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > On June 6, 1986, he was released as part of a weekend furlough program but did not return. On April 3, 1987 in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Horton twice raped a local woman after pistol-whipping, knifing, binding, and gagging her fiancé. He then stole the car belonging to the man he had assaulted. He was later shot and captured by Corporal Yusuf Muhammad(formally named Joseph Bell)of the Prince George’s County Police Department after a pursuit. Did he get money as part of his furlough, maybe from a family member or (God help us) the state? How did he get to Maryland? How did he get a gun?! I’m kind of in awe of his resourcefulness. I almost feel like he should have been conscripted into some special, Expendables-type military unit, not sent back to prison. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/2 "2012-11-14T19:49:24Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > How did he get to Maryland? How did he get a gun?! I’m kind of in awe of his resourcefulness. I almost feel like he should have been conscripted into some special, Expendables-type military unit, not sent back to prison. Don’t know if this is exactly how it went down in his case, but IME “resourcefulness” = willingness to steal (especially from friends and family) when it comes to habitual criminals. This, obviously, includes stealing from other criminals. There is little of which to be in awe, really. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/3 "2012-11-14T20:58:35Z")
Where is he now? In a super-max prison? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/4 "2012-11-14T21:11:58Z")
[wiki link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Horton) > [@](#): > > On October 20, Horton was sentenced in Maryland to two consecutive life terms plus 85 years. The sentencing judge, Vincent J. Femia, refused to return Horton to Massachusetts, saying, “I’m not prepared to take the chance that Mr. Horton might again be furloughed or otherwise released. This man should never draw a breath of free air again.” > > On April 18, 1996, Horton was transferred to the Jessup Correctional Institution (then called the Maryland House of Correction Annex), a maximum security prison in Jessup, Maryland, where he remains. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/5 "2012-11-14T21:12:45Z")
It doesn’t strike me as that amazing that someone could get from Massachusetts to Maryland in not-quite-a-full-year. I guess what part are you having trouble with specifically? Maybe I’m just confused. ---
**Author:** ![suzieinlusby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@suzieinlusby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suzieinlusby)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/6 "2013-02-07T20:56:34Z")
I am the sister of the couple this man attacked…and there is NOTHING I am in awe of in this scum. I am, however, in awe that he was ever allowed to walk the streets again after killing the teenager in Mass. There is nothing redeemable about this human being. The only reason the officer is still alive is because the gun he stole from my family had two safety switches on it, not one, so when he aimed and pulled the trigger, nothing happened. Some of the comments on this subject amaze me, people really should try, just once to imagine the horror and fear this situation was, and still is, for any one involved. That ANYONE thinks they have a right to do this to some ones life still amazes me. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/7 "2013-02-07T21:20:18Z")
**suzieinlusby** I am so sorry for your family. Isn’t the idea that a prisoner sentenced to life-without-parole should never be allowed to go outside a prison ever again? ETA: Yes, and anyone who feels the slightest bit of admiration for this monster who terrorized and killed a teenager, escaped from a work furlough, broke into a couple’s house and raped and terrorized them for twelve hours needs to have their head examined. ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/8 "2013-02-07T21:42:23Z")
As for me, before I got to the “after fleeing custody” part of the subject, i thought this was about the former Detroit Tiger. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/9 "2013-02-07T21:42:49Z")
Is there a single person who feels admiration for him? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/10 "2013-02-08T05:39:28Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > Is there a single person who feels admiration for him? See last 2 sentences of post #1. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/11 "2013-02-08T06:01:23Z")
> [@Simple\_Linctus](#): > > Is there a single person who feels admiration for him? I’m guessing they meant not admiration per se but more like they found it impressive he could do that. I could say it is impressive a serial killer managed to remain undetected so long, doesn’t mean I admire him. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/12 "2013-02-08T16:38:05Z")
Hi **suzie** , welcome to the boards. You’re going to want to post any outraged diatribes about me in the BBQ Pit. This is the General Questions forum. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/13 "2013-02-08T16:57:01Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Hi **suzie** , welcome to the boards. You’re going to want to post any outraged diatribes about me in the BBQ Pit. This is the General Questions forum. I am not a mod, and neither are you, but I don’t see anything in **suzieinlusby** ’s post that violates the rules of this forum. Expressing simple amazement is not an insult, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/14 "2013-02-09T08:51:44Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > I am not a mod, and neither are you, but I don’t see anything in **suzieinlusby** ’s post that violates the rules of this forum. Expressing simple amazement is not an insult, as far as I know. Word. (BTW, am I the only person on SDMB that still uses “Word”?) ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_Ferguson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@Harvey\_Ferguson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_Ferguson)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/15 "2013-02-09T20:36:52Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Word. (BTW, am I the only person on SDMB that still uses “Word”?) I hope so. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/16 "2013-02-09T21:27:50Z")
Just so long as no one uses Access I am happy. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-did-willie-horton-manage-what-he-did-after-fleeing-custody/641017/17 "2013-02-09T21:59:21Z")
The OP asked how he got the gun. > [@suzieinlusby](#): > > the gun he stole from my family I won’t comment any further.