EXCLUSIVE: The real reason criminal wept when judge revealed they were former classmates - he was a brilliant schoolboy who wanted to be a neurosurgeon but drugs and crime ruined his dream

  • Millions have viewed the video of Judge Mindy Glazer asking Arthur Booth: 'Did you go to Nautilus for middle school?' and the man weeping
  • Daily Mail Online has uncovered the full story of how Booth went from being a brilliant schoolboy destined to be a doctor to being in court 
  • He dropped out of school, because a crack addict and serial petty criminal and has spent half his life behind bars 
  • In contrast Judge Glazer fulfilled her childhood dream after graduating high school, college and law school - leading to their courtroom encounter

Like many teenagers Arthur Booth had dreams of a successful career. Outstanding at math and science he would tell friends and family he wanted to be a neuro-surgeon.

Sitting across from him in a classroom at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach Mindy Glazer also had ambitions.

She had set her sights on college - first she wanted to be a veterinarian, but then she decided she wanted to go to law school and a have career as a top lawyer.

As millions of people have seen in a heart-wrenching courtroom video only one of those students fulfilled their dream.

The former classmates came face to face when Booth, 49, appeared before Glazer in her current role as a bond hearing judge.

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Extraordinary moment: Judge Mindy Glazer and Arthur Booth had not met in more than three decades when he appeared in her courtroom for a bail hearing. He is charged with burglary and fleeing police

Bright promise: Arthur Booth was selected for Nautilus Middle School because of his intelligence, his family disclosed, and his dream was of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Mindy Glazer who wanted first to be a veterinarian, then a lawyer

Bright promise: Arthur Booth was selected for Nautilus Middle School because of his intelligence, his family disclosed, and his dream was of becoming a neurosurgeon. His classmate was Mindy Glazer who wanted first to be a veterinarian, then a lawyer

The mugshot of Arthur Booth after his latest arrest, which led to him appearing in front of Mindy Glazer
Judge Mindy Glazer in her official portrait

Now: The mugshot of Arthur Booth after his latest arrest, which led to him appearing in front of Mindy Glazer, seen in her official portrait

Full of hope: Arthur Booth aged six, when he was growing up in Miami Beach. 'He was such a lovely boy. So tenacious and always wanting to learn,' his aunt Betty Knight tells Daily Mail Online

Full of hope: Arthur Booth aged six, when he was growing up in Miami Beach. 'He was such a lovely boy. So tenacious and always wanting to learn,' his aunt Betty Knight tells Daily Mail Online

Recognizing his former school friend Booth, a burglary suspect, sobbed as he was overcome with emotion at the highly unconventional school reunion.

A video of the encounter has been seen more than seven million times.

It seemed a surprising moment. But Daily Mail Online has learned that it may be more surprising that they had not met before - as Booth has a lengthy criminal history.

Family members have revealed to Daily Mail Online that Booth has spent almost half his entire adult life behind bars.

An addiction to crack cocaine and gambling led him into a life of petty crime as he desperately sought out cash for a quick fix.

It has meant Booth has been in and out of prison since he was 17, squandering any chance of a normal life or the career that he had once hoped for.

'If it had not been for Arthur's addictions to gambling and drugs he would not be where he is,' said his cousin Melissa Miller in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Online

'That has been his downfall. He is not a violent person and has not hurt anyone but to feed his addictions he always needed money and it was easier to steal.

'He has been the architect of his own downfall and made a lot of mistakes.

'Everyone in the family now hopes that appearing before his old classmate and the shame he felt will be the wake up call. We just hope that he can move on from this and start his life over.'

Schooldays: Both Arthur Booth - the future serial criminal - and Mindy Glazer - the judge Views of Nautilus Middle School where convicted felon, Arthur Booth, studied.

Schooldays: Both Arthur Booth - the future serial criminal - and Mindy Glazer - the judge Views of Nautilus Middle School where convicted felon, Arthur Booth, studied.

Value of education: Both Mindy Glazer and Arthur Booth attended Miami Beach Senior High school. But Booth dropped out and became a criminal while Glazer went to university then law school

Value of education: Both Mindy Glazer and Arthur Booth attended Miami Beach Senior High school. But Booth dropped out and became a criminal while Glazer went to university then law school

Current home: Metro West Detention Center in Florida, where Arthur Booth remains. His family cannot afford the $43,000 bond set by his former classmate

Current home: Metro West Detention Center in Florida, where Arthur Booth remains. His family cannot afford the $43,000 bond set by his former classmate

Booth is currently being held at the Metro-West Detention center in Miami on $43,000 bond facing charges of burglary and fleeing from police.

He had only been out of prison for seven months when he was arrested on the latest charges,

Given his criminal record he is likely to end up back behind bars for another long spell as a repeated felon if found guilty of his latest offense.

More than 35 years ago prison wasn't on the horizon when Booth was handpicked to attend Nautilus Middle School after achieving outstanding grades at the William J. Bryant elementary school.

His mother Hilda and step-father Fresswell were delighted their son, the eldest of three children, had been picked to go what in the late 1970s was considered one of the best schools in Miami.

Family members said Arthur had self taught himself Spanish and excelled at math and science.

'We always knew Arthur was something special as he was born with six fingers on his right hand,' said his aunt Betty Knight.

'He was such a lovely boy. So tenacious and always wanting to learn. He really was very bright and his parents were thrilled when he was chosen to go to Nautilus.'

Arthur would take a 30-minute bus trip to the school in Miami Beach from his home in North Miami and according to family members achieved outstanding grades. An honor roll student he seemed destined for college and a successful career. 

It was at Nautilus that Booth first met Mindy Glazer, who lived with her parents and her brother, Stephen, in Biscayne Bay

She too was bright and ambitious, at first wanting to be a veterinarian, then - after she visited her married cousin and her husband in New York, where he was a defense attorney.

In their courtroom encounter she fondly remembered him as the 'nicest kid in middle school' and reminisced about playing football together. 

Booth left Nautilus in 1980 with glowing reports and attended Miami Beach High School whose alumni include actor Andy Garcia and actress Ellen Barkin. 

He remained in High School until the 11th grade when he dropped out. By that time, according to family members, Booth had become addicted to gambling.

Game of pokes and craps replaced his studies. 'Arthur would just gamble on anything and at anytime,' said 27-year-old Melissa. 

: Growing up with his mother and stepfather, Arthur Booth was the eldest of three children, and posed with his younger brother
: Growing up with his mother and stepfather, Arthur Booth was the eldest of three children, and posed  near his home

Bright childhood: Growing up with his mother and stepfather, Arthur Booth was the eldest of three children, and posed with his younger brother, and near his home (right)

Arthur Booth's family said he was a happy child - he is pictured aged five
At the age of 11 he was a pupil at Nautilus middle school, selected for it because of his academic potential

Happy: Arthur Booth's family said he was a happy child (left aged five). At the age of 11 he was a pupil at Nautilus middle school, selected for it because of his academic potential

Friends: Arthur Booth during his middle school years. He was an honor roll student and seemed destined for the top. He learned Spanish by himself and wanted to be a neuro-surgeon

Friends: Arthur Booth during his middle school years. He was an honor roll student and seemed destined for the top. He learned Spanish by himself and wanted to be a neuro-surgeon

About to go wrong: A family portrait of the 16-year-old Arthur Booth with his mother and a relative was taken just before he began to go off the rails. He dropped out of high school and turned to drugs and petty crime

About to go wrong: A family portrait of the 16-year-old Arthur Booth with his mother and a relative was taken just before he began to go off the rails. He dropped out of high school and turned to drugs and petty crime

'It just took over his life. He didn't have a job so the only way to get money was to steal. He would break into warehouses or empty homes. He was never violent to anyone. He just needed money quick and that was how he got it.'

Court records show that at the age 18 he was jailed for grand theft. In the 1980s, out of prison and out of work, he became addicted to crack cocaine.

While many US cities were blighted by the cocaine epidemic Miami, as the gateway for the drug from the South American drug cartels, was awash with the white powder.

Booth was in the grip of the drug and spent months in prison after being arrested at least three times for possession.

Melissa said many family members tried to get Booth help but all attempts at an intervention failed.

'Arthur didn't want to help himself and turned away from those who loved him the most,' said a family member who asked not to be named.

'People tried to get him help but it was a downward spiral. He needed money to pay for drugs and he could only get that from dealing or stealing.

'Nothing anyone said to him made a difference. It was a desperate time back in the 1980s when so many people were on crack.'

WHAT HAPPENED IN COURT 

Wearing an orange Miami-Dade detention center jumpsuit Booth shuffled uncomfortably in the dock.

Judge Glazer looked up from her desk and instantly recognized him.

'Mr. Booth, I have a question for you.'

'Yes, ma'am.'

'Did you go to Nautilus for middle school?'

Looking at the judge, Booth said:'Oh, my goodness!'

'I'm sorry to see you there. I always wondered what happened to you, sir,' she said,

Overcome with emotion Booth repeated 'Oh My goodness' while weeping and burying his head in his hands.

'This was the nicest kid in middle school. He was the best kid in middle school. I used to play football with him, all the kids, and look what has happened. I'm so sorry,' the judge said.

In 1988, at the age of 22 Booth was jailed for 20 years on burglary and theft charges. According to his cousin Melissa he spent 10 years behind bars before being released on parole.

That year Glazer passed her own personal milestone: she graduated from the University of Miami with a BA in Arts.

She then studied law at St Thomas University School of Law, graduating J.D., specializing in tax law, in 1991, when she was admitted to the Florida Bar and started her own practice.

At first, she said in a profile of her judicial career in Daily Business Review, 'I wanted to do criminal tax litigation. But I really liked estate planning,'

She went back to law school and got a master's degree in estate planning.  

Aged 32, Booth was released and tried to find work, but as a convicted felon, found it hard. The one upside of prison was that he was able to kick his drug addiction but his weakness for gambling remained.

Within a year he was arrested on burglary charge and returned to prison to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

In 1997, at the age of 31, he was on work release duty with other inmates helping to clean trash from the roads around Miami.

Despite nearing the end of his sentence Booth fled from the work details and went on the run.

Family members hid him and he remained free for almost two months until he was caught while attending a Miami Heat basketball game.

Around the same time - the year 2000 - Glazer became a judge. 

Over the last 15 years Booth has been in and out of prison. He was last released in December 2014 and found work with a construction company.

'Arthur has good intentions but is always caught up in bad circumstances,' said Melissa, a 4th grade teacher in Miami. 'I am sure there were times that he regretted what he did. 

Rare glimpse of freedom: Pictured before his latest incarceration, Arthur Booth has spent half his adult life behind bars 

Rare glimpse of freedom: Pictured before his latest incarceration, Arthur Booth has spent half his adult life behind bars 

Family man: In the months when he has not been in prison, Booth, 49, dotes on his grandchildren. His daughter Artravia Lynn has three children: Clytie, seven, Clyei, five and Cashmeir, three.

'It was hard for him when he was out as he couldn't get work. No one wanted to hire a repeat felon. He would go for jobs and they would just turn him away.

'It was the same when he was trying to find an apartment. He was a felon and no one wanted him.'

During the months he was not in prison Booth would spend time with his daughter Artravia Lynn and his three grandchildren Clytie, seven, Clyei, five and Cashmeir, three.

Artravia refused to comment about her father when contacted at her home in Opa-Locka, near Miami airport.

One family member said Booth doted on his grandchildren and his biggest regret was not spending more time with them.

'Arthur knows what he has done with his life but when he talks about his grandbabies his eyes light up. He is so close to them,' said the family member.

Most of the his extended family have watched the courtroom video when Booth came face to face with his former classmate.

Being a grandfather: 'Arthur knows what he has done with his life but when he talks about his grandbabies his eyes light up. He is so close to them,' a family member says

Estranged: The house in Miami where where convicted felon Arthur Booth's wife lives

Estranged: The house in Miami where where convicted felon Arthur Booth's wife lives

etty Knight said the family wanted him to use his encounter with his classmate three decades on as inspiration to quit crime forever
Melissa Miller, cousin of Arthur Booth

There for him: Betty Knight, Arthur Booth's aunt (left) and Melissa Miller (right), his cousin, said the family wanted him to use his encounter with his classmate three decades on as inspiration to quit crime forever

The touching encounter ended with a reality check when Judge Glazer set Booth's bond at $43,000.

But she had some comforting parting words for her former classmate, telling him: 'Mr Booth, I hope you're able to change your ways.

'Good luck to you, sir. I hope you are able to come out of this okay and just lead a lawful life.'

Booth refused to talk with Daily Mail Online when contacted at the Metro West jail.

Judge Glazer declined to respond to a request for an interview. 

She made headlines of her own four years ago when the director of a luxury Miami Beach condo where she lived accused of her of being a dictator.

According to the Miami New Times, Glazer, the mother of three, clashed with Alex de Gasperi.

In a resignation letter he claimed Glazer and her husband David Gaynor - with whom she has three children - intimidated the condo board into switching insurance providers.

He claimed the deal netted Gaynor $3,500 in commission and said Glazer used her influence to secure the deal.

Gaynor denied the charge but the letter came weeks after it was revealed he had been asked to pay state nearly $50,000 for wrongly claiming Homestead tax exemptions on two condos.

Booth's extended family hope the emotion charged encounter will act as a wake-up call.

At her home in Miami his mum Hilda said: 'I just hope that he can turn his life around.'

Hilda, a former bank teller, said she did not want to talk about her son. 'It is a private family matter,' she said from behind the screened door of her home.

Other family members said Arthur was intelligent enough to know that he has to turn his life around.

'Arthur will have seen how far he has fallen and what could he have made of his life,' said his 65-year -old aunt Betty.

'He will have realized in that moment what he has lost.I know he has told people from jail that he feels so ashamed.'

Melissa, who has started a GoFundMe page to help raise funds to pay for an attorney, added that Booth is full of regret.

'Standing there and seeing his former school friend made him so remorseful. He knows that if he gets a second chance he has to do something with the rest of his life.

'He has spent most of his adult life in jail and that can't go on. I have fond memories of him growing up. He was so good at maths that he would help me with my SATs when no one else could.

'Everyone in the family wants to support him. He needs to go to Gamblers Anonymous and stop that addiction.'

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