23 Apr 09

Prisoner Updates

Jose in San Diego wrote: I wanted to ask you what happened to a few people we were introduced to over the years. What became of “Weird Al”? Any word on “Ogre?” There was an incident in the kitchen with a fellow by the name of “Magpie” a couple years ago. He had money, but believed he could not function on his own outside. Any word on him? What about that fella “Lurch”? And "Iron Man" as well. I hope most of them are ok. Just a quick synopsis of their current standing will suffice.


Ogre – In early 2008, Ogre was shipped to California to serve a sentence there. Two Tonys put it like this: “Ogre got out. Fuck him.”

Two Tonys – I haven’t heard from him in over a month. I’ve been worrying about him. Just last week, I dreamt I was in prison chatting with him, and he assured me he was in good health.
Just received this update on Two Tonys from his daughter: Two Tonys is doing good, so he says on the phone. My husband was in Tucson last weekend and they had a nice visit. He is really skinny, but otherwise seems to be feeling OK. He calls every week. That's so weird about your dream because he seems to be doing alright.

Iron Man – He is fast approaching his release date of 02/17/2010. He is working out fanatically, and staying positive as expressed in his most recent letter.

Magpie – He left Arizona after serving over thirty years, and no one has heard from him since.

Bones – This member of the South Side Posse Blood gang has five more years to serve for violent crimes. He is working as a barber for 35 cents an hour.

Bald Headed Fred – BHF has three years to serve for home invasions, assaults and kidnappings. He works in the inmate store for 50 cents an hour, and was ticketed for disorderly conduct in March.

Lurch – I wrote to Lurch but never received anything back. He has difficulty reading and writing.
Just received this update on Lurch from Weird Al: Lurch was involved, and charged with the murder of another inmate. He turned "states evidence" and testified against the others who were involved and was shipped out of state as a reward.

Max – He is still in Las Vegas. The economic downturn affected his job, and he has started his own business.

Savage (C Ducc) – This member of the Crips has four more years to serve. He has been assigned to a work crew, earning 20 cents an hour.

Xena – I suspect Xena is suffering from depression, and that’s why she doesn’t write often. She is working as an education aide for 30 cents an hour.
One of Xena's friends recently sent me his story. Dubbed by the media as "Smiling John," he is a murderer who was on America's Most Wanted. The story is a long one, and I hope to post it in the next few months. All I'll say is, it's quite unlike anything I've ever posted here before. Click here for a taste of Smiling John’s story.

Junior Bull – The son of “Sammy the Bull” Gravano was finally moved out of the state system to a federal prison.

Royo Girl – She recently broke her foot during a drunken wrestling match with her roommate. She knows I am dating Kathi, and she is dating a military man. She still intends to do a masters in criminology in Australia.

Slingblade – There is still no one helping this mentally-ill Vietnam vet effect his release. He is stuck inside, and according to the inmates, his mental condition is such, he’s beyond caring. He is a rec-field worker, earning 25 cents an hour.

Weird Al – He is on parole in Tucson. He has renamed himself Sorta Normal Al, and started his own blog, Pea Brain Speaks, which you can read by clicking here.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent email he sent me.
“You know, I got up this morning and it suddenly hit me how nice it was not to be in prison. I no longer have to wait for my door to be popped open in the morning to go outside. Being a Pea Brain, it sometimes takes me while to catch on. I'm going to try and spend the day being a little more grateful for what I have. Tomorrow I'll go back to being the greedy bastard I truly am. Hope all is well with you and yours today. Have some fun. I'm off to my gym to be punished by my personal trainer from hell. See Ya.”


If you have any further questions about these or any of our other friends inside, please post them as a comment, and I'll do my best to answer them here.

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Shaun P. Attwood