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Astonishing Stories: Longest Prison Sentences Served
Jul 27, 2024
Welcome back to our channel! In today's video, we're diving into some of the most astonishing stories of people who served extremely long sentences, lived to see the light of freedom, and tell their tales. From the longest sentences in history to innocent men who spent decades behind bars, and even one who made it out and became president, these incredible journeys will leave you speechless. **Featured Stories:** 1. **Ricky Jackson**: Convicted based on a false testimony, Jackson served 39 years before his exoneration. 2. **Harvey Stewart**: Texas's longest-serving prisoner, Stewart spent 60 years behind bars. 3. **Johnson Van Dyke Griggs**: After 66 years in prison, Griggs voluntarily returned due to life’s harsh realities outside. 4. **Craig Collett**: Wrongfully convicted, Collett received a $21 million settlement for his 38 years in prison. 5. **Eddy Collins**: Finally released after 43 years due to relentless legal battles. 6. **Francis Clifford Smith**: Served nearly 70 years, the longest in Connecticut's history. 7. **Paul Gaidel Jr.**: Spent 68 years in prison, hesitant to leave after being declared legally insane. 8. **John Phillips**: Maintained innocence for over 68 years before parole. 9. **Joseph Ligon**: Freed after 68 years, one of the longest juvenile sentences. 10. **Otis Johnson**: Wrongly convicted, Johnson emerged after 40 years as a reformed man. 11. **Walter Burke**: Spent over 700 months in prison, with denied paroles and unsettling past. 12. **Richard Hohneck**: Served 64 years for a premeditated murder spree. 13. **Ward Christensen**: A tragic failed escape plan led to 50 years in prison. 14. **Charles and Drake Ford**: Imprisoned for 64 years due to a questionable conviction. 15. **Clifford Hampton**: A life of crimes and parole denials kept him behind bars for 61 years. 16. **Henry Montgomery**: Finally freed after decades, thanks to a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
View Video Transcript
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welcome back to our channel in today's video we're diving into some of the most
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astonishing stories of people who served extremely long sentences lived to see
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the light of freedom and tell their Tales from the longest sentences in history to innocent men who spent
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decades Behind Bars and even one who made it out and became president these
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incredible Journeys will leave you speechless let's start with the story of Ricky
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Jackson one of the most shocking stories you will ever hear and one that breaks all records is that of Ricky Jackson he
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was sentenced to death at the peak of his adolescence and spent 39 years in prison finally regaining his freedom at
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the age of 56 Ricky Jackson is currently the longest serving in make to have been
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exonerated after being arrested for the murder of a ticket seller named Harold
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Franks Ricky Jackson along with Wy Bridgeman and Ronnie Bridgeman was
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convicted based on the testimony of a 12-year-old boy who identified them as
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the culprits in the murder of Harold Franks the trio was imprisoned for years
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due to this testimony however the story took a dramatic turn decades later after
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Jackson had spent 39 years behind bars fighting to prove his innocence the now
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grown man admitted he had lied about the defendants he publicly recanted
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revealing that his testimony had been coerced by the police to put the three young men Behind Bars additionally new
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evidence emerged that confirmed Jackson's innocence in the murder case
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in November 2014 thanks to this irrefutable proof Ricky Jackson and the
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Bridgeman brothers were exonerated and became free men again this was one of
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the longest sentences served by anyone after serving 60 years the Texas Board
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of Pardons and paroles deemed it appropriate to release him on parole due to his good behavior deteriorating
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health and advanced age Stuart spent most of his younger years in a thrilling
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criminal life burglarizing brel in Southeast Texas which allowed him to pocket $3,000 in a single
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hit however his life in prison was somewhat more interesting he experienced
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prison for the first time in 1950 one when he was sentenced to 10 years for burglarizing a junkyard he managed to
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get out of prison after 6 years on parole however just a year after his
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release he found himself back behind bars for a murder he claimed to have committed in
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self-defense during his sentence steuart escaped from prison but was recaptured a few days later this time he had to wait
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26 years before being released on bro in 1984 but guess what the man returned to
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prison in 1986 just 2 years later after being convicted of a new crime after
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serving 60 years in prison making him the longest serving prisoner in Texas
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history Harvey Stewart was granted Parole in 2011 next let's discuss Johnson van djk
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Griggs if you've ever faced denial you've probably never experienced it quite like Johnson van
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Griggs he was sentenced to life in prison for killing a man during a bar fight after drinking a few drinks his
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sentent began in 1908 and throughout his incarceration he repeatedly applied for
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parole which was denied 30 times after serving 66 years in prison he was
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granted parole at the age of 89 as it was deemed that he no longer posed a threat to society however the story
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doesn't end there at 89 Not only was his Advanced age a disadvantage but Johnson
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also had a reputation as a former inmate which significantly impacted his ability
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to find a decent job to support himself after struggling unsuccessfully to find paid work Johnson van djk Griggs did
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something unexpected he voluntarily decided to return to prison even though
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he hadn't committed any crimes during his parole at least in prison he had
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food clothing and shelter and he wasn't causing any trouble he spent two more
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years behind bars before deciding to leave and face the challenges of life outside a world that was ready to cast
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aside his weary 80-year-old body he managed to live another 10 years outside
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of prison before dying at the age of 91 what a life now let's shift from a convict who
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struggled for parole and employment to someone who received a massive payout for the time spent in prison due to an
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unjust accusation but can all the money in the world compensate for 38 years of lost
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freedom in 1987 Craig kollet went from being a simple Californian citizen to
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being a convicted murderer at the time it was proven that he had murdered his 24-year-old girlfriend and her
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4-year-old girlfriend and her 4-year-old son unfortunately this is yet another
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tragic story where law enforcement wrongfully placed an innocent person in a dire
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situation in 2018 at the age of 71 former California Governor Jerry Brown
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granted him a full pardon after new DNA evidence emerged proving his innocence
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as well as the possibility of tampering and mishandling of evidence by the investigators involved in the case the
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prosecuting attorney at the time had presented false evidence that led to the conviction of an innocent man
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fortunately Craig collet survived long enough to be released from prison after being
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exonerated upon his release kollet secured a settlement agreement that offered him $140 for each day he spent
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in a prison cell amounting to approximately $2 $1 million while this
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may seem like a substantial sum for Craig collet the prison experience can never be
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erased next let's discuss Eddie C cins Eddie Collins was 20 one years old when
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he bought drugs with his younger brother Johnny who was 17 a drug deal went wrong
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leading to an argument between the two men before Eddie could react Johnny shot
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the dealer who died a few hours later the two brothers fled but were eventually turned in by their mother
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both were charged with first-degree murder and a plea deal was offered Johnny accepted the play and served 10
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years for manslaughter Eddie however rejected the deal which would have kept him in prison for 20 years during his
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trial the jury attempted to convict Eddie Collins of manslaughter but the judge refused he was ultimately found
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guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after spending 30
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years behind bars dedicated attorneys made three attempts to secure clemency for him despite the commission's
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approval for then Governor Janet napalitano refused to sign the clemency
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petition however thanks to a change in the penal code Eddie Collins was able to
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apply for parole but this was not easy either the commission scrutinized and
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scrutinized Collins with everything they could to ensure he remained under control and wouldn't pose a threat If
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released into society after 43 years in prison and years spent trying to get out
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he was finally able to return home I felt like I had died and gone to heaven
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Collins remarked next let's talk about Francis Clifford Smith Francis Clifford Smith
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holds the record for the longest prison sentence served in the state of Connecticut he was convicted for
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allegedly playing a role in the murder of a 68-year-old night Watchman at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club Smith was
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sentenced to death by electrocution his head was shaved in preparation for the execution and he was likely already
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contemplating his final words but 2 hours before he was to receive the Fatal shock the Board of Pardons intervened
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commuting his sentence to 25 years to life Francis Clifford Smith spent
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approximately 70 years in prison with the exception of two very brief periods
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the first was a 12-day Escape in 1967 after Smith broke out of a farm
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prison he was granted parole in 1975 but was only out for 10 months before
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violating the terms of his release and being sent back to prison after spending
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decades aging Behind Bars Francis Smith was finally released in September 2020
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however this could have happened earlier he accepted the parole offer after the
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commission provided him with a spot at the 60 West Center a private housing system for elderly paral pleas Smith
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would now be under supervised parole what's tragic about this story is that
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after so many years it has come to light that he might have been innocent the confessions were obtained
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under duress from the prosecutor Witnesses recanted their statements and someone even came forward as the
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accomplice decades later it was discovered that Francis Smith did not have a fair chance of being acquitted
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and could have died in prison moving on to Paul G Jr he is a sort of legend in
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the realm of extremely long sentences a status well earned for someone who spent
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nearly 69 years behind bars born to an alcoholic bartender in
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1894 G lost his father at the age of five he was thrust into the system and
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spent much of his childhood in an orphanage at the age of 14 he decided to
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leave school and start earning a living in the real world he tried various jobs in his hometown of Hartford before
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working in hotels in New York City on July 26th 1911 Paul gael's life took a
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dramatic turn G was about 17 years old and working as a bellhop at the iroy
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hotel in New York he committed a robbery and murder of a wealthy elderly broker
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who was a guest at the hotel the Young G crept into the guest's room and used a
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cloth soaked in chloroform to incapacitate him G made off with a few
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dollars from the robbery 2 days after committing the crime gadel Jr was
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arrested and charged with second deegree murder he was sentenced to 20 years to
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life in prison interestingly gu received a sentence reduction due to his good
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behavior and the relationships he maintained with the prison authorities however he did not qualify for parole as
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doctors declared him legally in in 1926 over time he was transferred from
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one facility to another allowing him to build connections with prison officials
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when gu was finally granted parole in 1974 he was 80 years old and reluctant
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to leave having spent 63 years of his life behind Prison Walls gu knew no other
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life and had no family surviving alone on the outside seemed impossible Gael
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was prepared to stay in prison for nearly another 6 years before he finally decided to leave on May 7 1980 Paul gule
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Jr completed the longest prison sentence in US history with his release as he
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exited the facility he requested that his story not be turned into a publicity
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stun let's talk about John Phillips a man whose Journey began at the age of 17
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and led him to prison unlike most people who dream of the day they will finally be free from
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those dark walls John Phillips has no desire to leave prison when most people
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are thrown into a cell they can think of nothing but their release John Phillips
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however doesn't care at all about what his life will be like outside the Prison Walls he began serving his sentence in
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the summer of 1952 for the rape of a little girl although Phillips maintained
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his innocence the circumstances surrounding his case made it impossible for him to
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escape it was a difficult situ ation for him according to a report from Philip's
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trial an evaluation conducted in a psychiatric institution revealed that he had the mind of a 7-year-old child
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however regardless of this evaluation the report also indicated that he knew the difference between right and wrong
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regarding the charges against him his lawyer did not hesitate to plead guilty which allowed him to serve a life
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sentence in prison rather than being sent to the gas chamber his claim of innocence was not con considered because
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people with mental or intellectual disabilities are not known for making accurate confessions after spending
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years behind bars John Phillips was cited in a 1981 article as the longest
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serving prisoner in North Carolina the article caused a stir prompting prison
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to work towards his release at that time John Phillips was not interested in leaving and so he
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declined the offer after spending more than 68 years in prison John Phillips
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now an octogenarian has made several attempts to obtain parole without success he was finally granted parole in
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2020 one later when act why he had pleaded guilty while maintaining his
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innocence John Phillips replied they told me I could live Joseph ligon's early life was
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difficult the young Ligon grew up on a farm without access to the luxuries of life he eventually dropped out of school
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around the fourth grade without having learned to read or write at the age of 13 he moved with his family to
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Philadelphia in February 1953 Ligon started hanging out with a group of
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teenagers two of whom had been drinking the group of five began stealing money to buy
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alcohol after consuming two bottles of wine the group of teenagers who could barely distinguish left from right went
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out into the Streets of Philadelphia and stabbed eight men two of the men died
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this was ligon's first experience with alcohol and the events of that night are now seen as both foolish and horrific
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lion later stated that he had not been allowed to be represented by a lawyer or even receive visits from his family
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before being coerced into signing a confession concocted by the police as a 15-year-old who couldn't
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read he found himself before a judge during a one-day trial and was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree
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murder Joe Lian maintained his innocence of the crime but admitted to having stabbed one of the surviving men with
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the Supreme Court ruling it unconstitutional to sentence miners to life without the possibility of parole
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ligon's sentence was reduced to 35 years in prison considering the time he had
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already served having already served a significant portion of his sentence he
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could have immediately applied for parole however Ligon was opposed to such a release he always believed that his
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original sentence was unconstitutional so he went back to court to contest his parole and won Joseph Lagan was released
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in February 2021 without the possibility of parole after spending 68 years behind
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bars Joseph Ligon became a free man Otis Johnson the world was very different at
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his birth his black mother had to ask a Caucasian couple she had worked for to sign as his parents just so she could
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access appropriate Health Care in his adolescence Otis Johnson earned a reputation for defending himself against
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bullies his father sent him to Hong Kong to live with monks and learn discipline
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and martial arts the circumstances surrounding Otis Johnson's case Drew numerous questions
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over the years in addition to the fact that the initial arrest was based on an anonymous tip only the officers involved
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in the farm identified Johnson as The perpetrator who shot a police officer
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furthermore aa22 caliber weapon was discovered in a basement which according
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to the police was on the Escape Route no search warrant was issued no
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fingerprints were found on the weapon and no gunshot residue was detected on Johnson which might have at least linked
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him to the crime were still at the beginning of the trial a 14-year-old boy
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came forward to testify that Johnson was not guilty of the crime after his testimony the judge excused Ed the
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witness and instructed the jury to disregard the entire testimony considerable legal efforts were made to
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give Otis a chance to fight the system despite these efforts otus Johnson was
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ultimately found guilty and sentenced 25 years to life in prison for the
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attempted murder of a police officer Otis Johnson spent 40 years behind bars
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during which he earned two college degrees and participated in self-help programs becoming a beacon for other
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inmates Johnson attended nine parole hearings and although the commission recognized his exemplary behavior parole
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was denied eight out of nine times because he had not admitted to his crime
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on his nth attempt in August 2014 after numerous back and forth efforts atis
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Johnson was granted parole with only his papers and $40 the world had indeed changed
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significantly from his memories 40 years ago Walter Burke who has spent over 700
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months in prison is also on this list because he could have been a free man despite the heinous nature of his crime
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Burke was sentenced to a term of 10 to 18 years to life in 1955 for murder he
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had sexually assaulted 4-year-old Patricia Johnson and decided to kill her because he feared her parents he killed
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the girl with an axe and buried her in her parents basement at the the time of the crime Burke was only 17 years old
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prosecutors sought the death penalty by hanging for his crimes but the jury opted for a second degree murder
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conviction taking his age into account the first parole hearing took place in
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1966 but it was immediately denied due to the nature of the crime committed he
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prepared to be released again in 1977 but that request was rejected
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because of allegations of inappropriate activities with minors in 1978 and 1979
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Burke participated in a program for sexual offenders but he was sent back to prison for stealing a check at this
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point Burke became aware that he might never be released from the four walls of prison and he was comfortable with that
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fact Richard honick was the co-author of a premeditated crime that spanned
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several years and cost him just over 64 years of his life honk was convicted of
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the murder of Walter of cler but this was not the beginning of his story years
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before killing their former classmate honk and husen had been arrested for setting multiple fires their testimony
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against honk and husen led them to swear Vengeance against those who had
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testified against them the Duo's Revenge involved committing yet another crime
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one that was unexpected in its brutality their plan was indeed more
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severe but that's exactly what they did they had a very elaborate plan to
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execute it equipping themselves with several weapons a 16-in Bowie knife a
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silverplated sheath knife a 44 caliber revolver a 22 caliber revolver a e22
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caliber revolver and 38 caliber revolver and cartridge belts the victim was found
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in his room stabbed in the back husen confessed that hon had used an 8-in
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Bowie knife to stab the victim victim their detailed plan also included their
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means of Escape but this part didn't quite go as expected hon was arrested
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and sentenced to life in prison for his crimes after a difficult period during
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the early years of his incarceration he eventually started to turn his life around and was granted Parole in
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1963 64 years after first entering prison H is now 80 5 years old Ward son
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story is a prime example of a very poorly executed Escape Plan Ward
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Christensen was only 17 when he was sentenced for murder all he and his friend Norman Westberg wanted was to
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leave Chicago and move to the more unsettled region of South Dakota reasons
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known best to them while seeking a bit more excitement in life isn't a crime
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their plan was to find someone who would kindly stop and give them a ride so they could steal their car it would have been
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a relatively Simple Plan to execute if their victim hadn't been a teacher named
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adaa Cary unfortunately carara defended herself against the boys despite being
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shot twice and struck in the head with a hammer she survived long enough to
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provide the police with all the information needed to track down the culprits Chron and Westberg were
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eventually apprehended brought to Justice and sentenced for the murder of
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Adare Harry did not survive long after the attack and Christensen committed suicide in
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1943 Westberg lived long enough to accumulate a record of misconduct in prison his sentence was later commuted
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based on the time he had already served totaling 50 years Christensen died 3
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years Christensen died 3 years after his release Charles and Drake Ford at 64
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spent a long time in prison especially when they were ly innocent of the crime for which they were incarcerated Charles
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Ford was arrested and imprisoned for a brutal murder without a fair trial his
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conviction was handed down in the 1950s and a black man found himself before an
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entirely white jury to decide his fate Charles Ford was accused of brutally
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murdering a man he was said to have shot the victim and then finished the job by
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striking his head with the rifle butt however over time evidence emerged
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showing several instances of misconduct by the prosecutor additionally Ford
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claimed that the police had violently coerced him into confessing to the murder of Vincent Lewis The Alibi
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Witnesses for Ford were never called to testify the witnesses who testified against him provided contradictory
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statements and his attorney never informed him of his rights in 1915 Ford
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was accused of second-degree assault which impacted his new trial in
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2015 however even this accusation had inconsistencies as the only link to the
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case was a rental car registered in Charles Ford's name that was found at the crime
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scene Mr Ford indicated that the victim had pointed out another man in the
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courtroom and the judge simply said that the person looked like him Charles Ford
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was ultimately sentenced to 5 years of Probation and broke down in tears when the judge rendered the verdict Clifford
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Hampton is another young man who found himself behind bars at the age of 17
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Hampton killed his childhood friend Bertha Anne Gibson because she refused to have sexual relations with him this
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occurred in 1958 and Bertha was only 10 years old Hampton was unable to control
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his emotions and ended up stabbing Bertha 28 times in total once the emotions subsided he turned himself into
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the the police unsurprisingly Hampton was tried as an adult despite being a
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minor the trial resulted in a life sentence just 3 years after his
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incarceration Hampton stabbed another inmate to death because the latter had circulated rumors about him this led to
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a new life sentence Clifford Hampton's time in prison was marked by a series of
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offenses ranging from illegal Contraband to sexual misconduct aside from the
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horrific murder committed in the 1950s all of these actions hindered his chances of parole and
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release after several hearings complications and bribes the parole
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board and the committee of Pardons and paroles finally decided to grant Clifford Hampton his
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release his sentence lasted 61 years Henry Montgomery in 1963 was just 17
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years old when he was accused of shooting a white deputy sheriff about 6 black men were arrested following this
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shooting and numerous violent activities had marked the days leading up to the trial Henry was tried found guilty and
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immediately sentenced to death however in 1966 the Louisiana Supreme Court
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overturned the sentence deeming the circumstances surrounding his trial to be unfair during a new trial in 1969 he
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was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Henry Montgomery's teenage incarceration was
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very harsh but he managed to become a model prisoner a counselor and a mentor
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to other inmates in 2012 a Supreme Court ruling deemed mandatory life sentences for
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juveniles without the possibility of parole unconstitutional allowing Montgomery to
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begin appealing his sentence his first appeal was denied because Louisiana courts did not apply
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the ruling to cases that had already surpassed the direct appeal process it took 4 years for the Supreme Court to
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mandate that all states prohibit such sentences this decision allowed
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Montgomery to appeal for parole his parole was denied twice in
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2018 and 2019 however in 2021 he was finally
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released Richard Phillips is another example of someone who suffered due to judicial incompetence and few survive
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such a shock Phillips was convicted of murder in 1972 and served 45 years and 2 months
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for a crime he did not commit he was arrested tried and sentenced based on
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the testimony of a single witness who was the main suspect in the case the victim George Harris had been missing
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for about a day before his wife found his abandoned car with blood stains on
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the front seat it took several months before Harris's body was discovered by a
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janitor about 2 weeks after the body was found the victim's brother-in-law Fred
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Mitchell was arrested for armed robbery and concealed carry of weapons but this
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is where the case truly becomes controversial initially no samples or
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photographs were taken from the victim's car additionally Mitchell had been arrested with a weapon that matched the
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murder weapon described in the autopsy report of Harris however Mitchell's testimony to the invest instigators
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implicated two other men Richard Palumbo and Richard Phillips he claimed that
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these two men had killed Harris a few days later Palumbo and Phillips were
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arrested and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy given the gravity of the
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crime it is shocking that Mitchell's testimony was the sole basis for implicating Phillips in the case after
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testifying in court Mitchell contradicted statements he had made both in court and during police interviews
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despite this Phillips and Palumbo were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of
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parole it took 40 years but Palumbo eventually testified under oath that he
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and Mitchell were responsible for the crime he claimed that he had only met
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Richard Phillips 8 days after the crime and that Phillips was not involved
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Mitchell had simply decided to frame Phillips to escape prosecution it also turned out that a non-disclosure
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agreement had been made between the prosecution and Mitchell granting him some leniency in his armed robbery trial
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in exchange for testifying against the two men Phillips was finally released in
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2017 and received compensation of over $1 5 cents
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million Anthony Ma's story adds yet another example of an extremely long
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sentence served by an innocent man in fact Anthony mazza's 44 years in prison
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are recorded as one of the longest sentences served by an innocent person
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in 1972 police discovered the body of Peter armata 34 bound and locked in a
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closet in an apartment belonging to Robert Anderson so how did Anthony Maza
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become involved in the case the testimony of Anderson implicated matah
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Anderson told the police that he had come home at an unusual hour and found Maza wearing leather gloves over the
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corpse matah was then arrested and during a search of his home the police
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discovered a credit card and a driver's license belonging to the victim Anderson avoided prosecution after agreeing to
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testify before a grand jury despite his testimony being riddled with inconsistencies it was admitted by the
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court leading to mazza's conviction the court was further inflamed by other Witnesses Who provided
30:55
vague descriptions leading to modo being sentenced in 1973 to life imprisonment
31:01
without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and armed robbery
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things did not go well for Maza as his legal team made several unsuccessful attempts to have his case reviewed it
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wasn't until 2006 that a statement from Anderson's brother was discovered which played a crucial role in finally
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addressing the miscarriage of Justice William Anderson claimed that his brother Robert was much more
31:27
involved in the murder than he had revealed to the court despite the expectation that this Revelation would
31:33
facilitate a retrial it took 14 more years for Maza to have his conviction
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overturned after numerous denials Maza was finally exonerated and released from
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all charges in 2020 at the age of 73 Nelson Mandela is probably the most
31:51
famous person on this list and while his sentence may not be the longest what he achieved afterward is truly remarkable
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Mandela was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his efforts to overthrow the
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aparate government he fought against the discriminatory regulations that plagued his home country the government's
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repression against Mandela began with travel restrictions Banes on associations and even suppression of
32:18
free speech in 1956 he was arrested under a treason charge specifically designed to
32:25
Target anti-apartheid activists although acquitted after an extremely long trial
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that lasted until 1961 Mandela was imprisoned again in
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1963 this time he was tried with several others for sabotage treason and violent
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conspiracy in 1964 he was sentenced to life imprisonment narrowly avoiding the death
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penalty Nelson Mandela was eventually released in 1990 and within 4 years he
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became the leader of his party and the president of South Africa developing infrastructures that improve the quality
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of life for black South Africans it's a powerful conclusion to a somber
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narrative if you enjoyed this video please don't forget to like subscribe
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and hit the Bell icon for more gripping Tales From history's underworld stay
33:22
tuned for our next episode thank you for watching