Steve Russell sat on the other side of the bulletproof glass screen with a strange smile on his face. He is wearing a white jumpsuit with a red collar that looks like ketchup. Interestingly, as soon as he opened his mouth, he talked about the bad food in prison. "Hot dogs, hamburgers, pork," he said with a smile. "Everything is made of pork." His optimism seems to be the opposite of his present situation. He was sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment 144 years for many crimes such as prison break and cheating, and currently only served 9 years. Russell is the most notorious and heavily guarded prisoner. His skin is pale and swollen, because he was shut in a single room for 23 hours, almost isolated from the world. A few months ago, a prisoner shook hands when passing an ordinary cell, which was the first time he had physical contact with anyone in recent years.
Although trapped in an endless prison, Russell believes that the theme of his life story is by no means crime and punishment. When asked why he was locked up here alone. He answered because he is a fool in love. "This is a love story," he said as if he were a TV host. "This is about what one can do for love. Love can make a person blind, so that he can only see the tree and not the forest. " He smiled strangely again, and a drop of light appeared under his right eye. He quickly wiped it off with his cuff.
Steve Russell has many names. As far as people know, he used the alias 14 to impersonate a judge, a doctor, an FBI agent and a law school student. Because he is good at escaping from prison, he got the nicknames of "Houdini" (a magician who is good at escaping) and "King Kong". 1992, he went to prison for insurance fraud, and in the following five years, he escaped from several different prisons in Texas four times. His story was adapted into a film, starring Jim Carrey. 65438+ 10 won unanimous praise at Sundance Independent Film Festival, which was considered as a humorous tragedy, reminiscent of another 2002 "If You Can Catch Me" based on the true story of fraud genius Frank Abagnale. Just as Arbanere pretended to be a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer to defraud millions of dollars, Russell's life story is like a fantasy novel. His escape tactics were bold and unexpected, which shocked the law enforcement personnel greatly. But unlike Arbanere, Russell's criminal motive is his love for another man named Philip Morris. The two met in prison on 1995 (prison break always happens on Friday 13, which is also Maurice's birthday).
"It was love at first sight," Russell said. "I thought it was impossible, you know, we are in prison! He speaks with a southern accent and has a gentle voice. I saw him in the library, trying to get a book from the shelf. He is not tall, only 5 feet 2 inches. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall, and I said, "Wait, let me help you." That's it. "I asked Russell to describe to me the man who made him fall in love." He is smart and likes fishing and driving. He also likes music. "What kind?" Classical music. Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. His character is a little confused. He has diabetes, but he will buy 12 doughnuts and eat them all at once. "
Russell and Morris (jailed for not returning the rented car) were both released on parole at 1995. They settled in Houston, and Russell began to look for money everywhere and squander it on his lover. He persuaded a medical insurance company to hire him as the chief financial officer with a false and exaggerated resume. He embezzled $800,000 to pay for his luxurious life with Morris. They bought a Mercedes, a motorboat and two identical Rolex watches. Russell also corrected his teeth and had cosmetic surgery on his eyes. In the end, his crime was exposed and he was about to be sent back to prison. At this time, he pretended to be a judge and called for the bail to be reduced from 900,000 US dollars to 45,000 US dollars. After returning to prison, he repeatedly escaped from prison with only one strong motive-being with Morris.
Perhaps because of this, the film based on Russell's story is called I Love You Philip Morris (played by ewan mcgregor). This film was rejected by many American publishers because of its gay theme. Finally, it was bought by the comprehensive film group in May, and it is planned to be released in the United States next Valentine's Day. "I think this is a good topic," Russell admitted. "I did it because I wanted Morris. I have lost my mind. " Crazy love led to the fatal flaw in his escape plan. Every time he managed to escape from prison, he always went to Morris. The police just need to wait for him. Morris has now moved to Arkansas. Russell hasn't seen him since his last arrest. Does he still love him?
"I'm not in love with anyone else anyway," he said with a shrug. "I miss him very much. But I've also become realistic. I don't want to do anything to hurt him again. Anything I do now will bring him trouble. I can't be with him, and they (law enforcement agencies) will never allow such a thing to happen. "
Russell is 52 years old, talkative and funny. He claimed to have an IQ of 163, and spent most of his spare time reading newspapers and magazines. "My cell is piled up so high." He gestured with his hand a few feet from the floor. "I read The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, National Geographic and The Economist. If you don't use it often, your head will degenerate. "
His voice also has a southern accent, his laughter is sharp, and he looks ordinary: bald, with broad shoulders and slightly fat. The only striking thing is a delicate tooth. This unforgettable appearance is Russell's greatest advantage. He seems to have a gift of chameleon, and can become any image without attracting attention. Steve McVicker, a reporter from Houston, wrote his story as a biography, and the film was based on this book. McVicker made friends with Russell during the interview. He said, "He has many different voices. When the police take pictures of him, he always dresses up in different expressions. "
Russell's escape was never violent, but it was definitely creative. He always said, "To be exact, they opened the door and let me out." He swaggered out of the prison gate twice. 1993, Russell, who was imprisoned for faking a back injury to defraud insurance money, spent several years in Houston prison and finally thought of a way to escape. He stole a woman's black trousers and a walkie-talkie from the prison infirmary and disguised himself as a temporary prison staff. "I used the walkie-talkie to ask the doorman to open the door for me, and the guy opened it." He explained. Isn't he scared? No, even if you are afraid, don't show it. You must pretend to be just. "
Three years later, he collected a pile of green felt-tip pens from the prison art classroom, squeezed the ink into the sink, and dyed the prison uniform the color of the surgeon's uniform. "Be very careful when dyeing, don't squeeze, or you will leave stripes on your clothes." He calmly explained the technical details. Under the doctor's uniform, he wrapped himself in several big garbage bags so that the following police dogs could not smell him. So he swaggered out of the prison gate in his homemade surgical gown. Russell knocked on the door of the house closest to the prison and claimed to be a doctor. His car broke down and he needed a ride back to the city. The stranger completely believed his lies. "I was already drinking tequila in a bar in Houston when the prison helicopter went out."
However, his carefree days did not last long. Less than 1 year later, he was sent back to prison. This time, he planned the boldest escape plan. Since 1998, 10 months, he has been faking AIDS symptoms. He hardly eats anything, and he also eats a lot of laxatives in order to pretend to be sick and weak more truly. He wrote a false health report in the prison library with a typewriter, and sent it to the relevant departments through the internal mail system and added it to his medical file. Surprisingly, Russell's performance was very successful. The prison sent him to a nursing home without even checking for HIV. There, he pretended to be his doctor, called the parole officer and was allowed to participate in a new drug experiment that did not exist. A few weeks later, the fake doctor called the prison and informed them that Russell had died unfortunately.
In fact, Russell, alive and kicking, once again embarked on a journey to see his Philip Morris. "That escape was the most difficult," Russell said. "I had to force myself to lose weight and read a lot of books about AIDS symptoms. Anyway, do everything you can think of. My idea comes from studying. I looked around and looked for weak links. "
He said that he can play people of different professions because he sounds like an expert full of jargon every time. "I made it up a lot of times, which is completely nonsense." I'll let him perform. He immediately changed to a low, angry voice and said, "I am the judge of Steve Russell's bail hearing this morning." I don't have a printer here, but the lawsuit list should indicate that his bail has been reduced. "He grinned and said," it's a bit like acting. "
Nobody knows what kind of person Russell really is. He has many aliases and faces. During the six months of collecting writing materials, Steve McVicker visited Russell every Saturday. "He is a born liar, but he is also very interesting and charming." McVicker said, "If he can get out of prison, I can imagine having dinner with him."
Terry Coppers, a police officer who chased Russell twice, said, "He is a big guy, arrogant and conceited, and likes to be noticed. He has a dual personality: he is confident and persuasive in the face of strangers and people who don't understand his essence. For those who know his background, he is like a deflated ball. His voice will tremble and become a timid little man. "
According to Jim Carrey, who plays Russell in the film, the truth is not complicated: "The important thing is that he (Russell) wants to be loved, and he feels deprived of his rights all his life. When I mentioned this, Russell gently refuted this assumption. But judging from his growing background, there is some truth. 1957, Russell was adopted by his biological mother. She just divorced her biological father and doesn't want to raise the children alone. Russell later found his mother and found that she and her father had already remarried and had three more children. " I feel abandoned. "He said.
His adoptive parents Brenda and Thomas are quite conservative people. They run several food production companies in Virginia. Russell later married and gave birth to a daughter Stephanie. In the late 1970s, Russell was a law-abiding citizen who played the organ for the local church on weekends. Ironically, he also volunteered to be the local deputy sheriff. From 65438 to 0985, the death of his adoptive father triggered his personal crisis. Russell abandoned his wife and 12-year-old daughter, ran away from home and went to Houston to start a gay life. Three years later, he moved to Los Angeles.
"People will say that my marriage is a fake marriage, but I don't think it is fake. Women are also attractive to me, but men are more attractive. " He said. It was his sexual orientation that indirectly pushed him to the road of crime. When he was a sales manager in a food company in Los Angeles, his boss found out that he was gay, so he was fired. From then on, he became cynical. "After losing my job, my mind was completely confused," he said. "My life is getting out of control." Soon, he was arrested for indecency and using a fake passport. 1992, and finally went to prison for forging a back injury and defrauding insurance money.
In retrospect, did he regret it? "Yes," he finally said after a long silence, "I deprived my daughter of the opportunity to see me (Stephanie still visits Russell in prison occasionally). At that time, I was completely another person. " He said that he had succumbed to prison life. He said it was too tiring to plan to escape. If time could go back, would he make the same choice? "If I start over and lose my job, I won't complain, but I will find another job. I was at a loss because I was so angry. Now I am no longer angry. "
The news that the film will be released soon made him a celebrity in prison. Occasionally, prisoners and prison guards ask him for autographs. Although he can't see the film yet, he managed to download some clips from Google, and he was surprised by the accurate interpretation of Kerry and McGregor. Kerry and Russell have never met, but he has heard the recordings made by Russell and Morris as consultants to the production team. "They got it," Russell said. "The way we talk, the way we dress-everything, I can't believe it."
Although Russell said he had resigned himself, few people believed him. McVicker said that he wouldn't be surprised if he showed up at his door tomorrow. "He is a persistent person, and the Steve I know will keep in touch with Philip Morris." Terry Corpus said, "His little head is always spinning."
Russell told me that he was "quite happy" in prison, but this sentence ended in a sad tone, and his drooping eyes also showed the opposite situation. If he really intends to escape, it must be on a Friday in 13. When is the next conflict between the two dates? "1 1 month." He answered without hesitation.
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Give it to me. Haha ~ ~ The vivid performance of the movie Jim Carrey is Russell! ~~