15 Celebrities That Have Killed People
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14) A Tiger That Didn’t Change Its Stripes: Jack Henry Abbott
In 1981 famed novelist Norman Mailer lobbied to have Jack Henry Abbott, a convicted killer, released from prison on parole because he believed that the inmate was a talented writer. Abbott had been corresponding with Mailer about life in prison, and the author had been so impressed by the inmate’s letters that he helped to get them published in book form. Titled, “In the Belly of the Beast,” the book would go on to be a best seller. Abbott was released from jail in June of 1981 with the understanding that he would be working with Mailer.
The inmate’s unusual story made him an instant celebrity once he was released. He appeared on “Good Morning America” and went out to dinner with other important authors. Sadly, only a few weeks after Abbott was released from prison, he would kill again. This time, his victim was a waiter who wouldn’t allow Abbott to use an employees-only bathroom. The two men argued, went outside of the restaurant, where Abbott stabbed the 22-year-old waiter to death.
A number of celebrities attended Abbott’s trial to support him, including Susan Sarandon, who would go on to name her baby Jack Henry, and Christopher Walken. In the end, Abbott was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years to life. He never finished out the sentence, though. In 2002, Abbott hung himself in his cell, using a noose he constructed out of bedsheets and shoelaces.
