'Prison Houdini' serial escape artist who made 13 jailbreaks will be released almost FOUR DECADES after he was jailed for four years
- Mark DeFriest was jailed for four years in 1980 for stealing his father's tools
- But he's been behind bars for 36 years, because of his escape attempts
- Sent to a psychiatric hospital, he made the first of his 13 jailbreaks
- DeFriest stole LSD from the unit's dispensary and spiked the staff's drinks
- Following each escape , prison authorities would add time to his jail term
- In all he has spent 27 years in solitary confinement as punishment
A Florida man dubbed the 'Prison Houdini' who was sentenced to four years in prison in 1980 for stealing his late father's tools is finally approaching release - 36 years later.
Mark DeFriest was 19 when he was given the light jail term after his stepmother reported the theft - even though his late father had willed the tools to him.
But the inmate, now 56, extended his stay in custody after 13 escape attempts - seven of which were successful.
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Mark DeFriest, pictured, was jailed for four years in 1980 but has never since been released
The then 19-year-old was accused of stealing his late father's tools by his step mother
DeFriest, right, pictured with his father, was a troubled but highly intelligent child
As a young child, it was clear that DeFriest had a special talent, although he was seen as slightly odd.
He had the ability to disassemble and repair almost any type of machine. He was able to build bugs or rewire the phone and broadcast his step-sister's conversations on a loudspeaker along the street.
Teachers noticed that DeFriest had above average intelligence and that he was a loner with disciplinary problems.
By the age of nine, he had been expelled from school and began his adversarial relationship with those in authority.
He moved to Florida to be with his father aged 14 and dropped out of school a year later and began working as a certified welder.
When he was 16, he married the 21-year-old Brenda and started selling customized military scrap to fishermen.
However, after his father's death in 1980, his life spiraled out of control.
After receiving his four year jail term for theft, DeFriest was sent to a psychiatric institution where he made his first escape attempt.
An animated movie has been made about DeFriest's remarkable life and his extraordinary set of skills that led to his audacious escape attempts
Film director Gabriel London is responsible for the documentary which reduced the sentence
At one stage, DeFriest's parole date was set for 2085, meaning he was only due for release at the age of 125
It is understood that DeFriest laced the staff's drinks with LSD from the dispensary and waited for them to trip out before fleeing.
However, security staff were alerted and he was forced to abort the attempt.
At one stage, his parole date was set for 2085, meaning he was only due for release at the age of 125.
Of the time in jail, he has spent 27 years in solitary confinement as punishment for escaping or breaking other prison rules.
A film of his life managed to prompt prison authorities to reduce the jail term by 70 years.
He received parole for the original jail term on March 13, 2015, but is still in prison because he still has time to serve for having contraband, such as cannabis, in his cell.
The film, The Mind of Mark DeFriest, increased the profile of his plight.
In one of his escape attempts, DeFriest convinced several inmates to make a break and he scaled a fence and hot wired a car.
Another attempt involved removing a tooth so he would be sent to the dentist.
He once made a replica firearm using a tube of toothpaste and a items acquired from the woodworking shop.
Last month, a parole board ruled that DeFriest's release date could be moved forward.
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