I Got Life in Prison — Then I Escaped

Stephen McCreary was sentenced to life in prison for second-degree murder in 1977 after growing up in the dangerous streets of Detroit, surrounded by some of the city's most ruthless killers. While serving his sentence, he offered a deputy warden $10,000 to help lower his security classification, eventually escaping a Michigan prison in December 1987. He spent time on the run in New York and Hawaii before being caught trying to obtain a passport. After his escape, Stephen spent decades in maximum-security prisons, ultimately serving 41 years behind bars. Today, he takes us inside his life of crime, his daring prison escape, surviving some of Michigan's toughest prisons, and what it was like to finally walk free after more than four decades. #prisonbreak #escape #prisonstories #truecrimestories Thank you to AG1 & GLD for sponsoring this episode: AG1: Go to https://drinkag1.com/lockedin and for a limited time, get a free Immune Support Bundle, including a bottle of Omega-3 fish oil and a bottle of Vitamin D3K2, with your first subscription order of AG1 Next Gen or AG1 Pro. GLD: New customers get 40% Off with code LOCKEDIN at https://www.gld.com/ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://ianbick.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction: The Hitman Who Escaped 00:40 Growing Up in Detroit 02:29 Parents' Divorce and Father's Breakdown 04:06 Falling In With the Wrong Crowd 07:39 Lost Basketball Dreams 08:52 Stealing Guns at 16 13:00 The Robbery Plan 15:52 Shooting the Kingpin 19:53 Arrest and Life Sentence 24:54 Tried to Escape Day One 27:51 Mentored by the Most Feared Man 33:47 Entering Jackson Prison 39:30 Prison Yard Politics 44:52 The Deputy Warden Connection 47:35 The Escape Deal 51:05 The Shakedown 53:00 Paying Off the Warden 56:03 Escaping Over the Fence 01:05:38 Mother Picks Him Up 01:09:04 The Failed Getaway 01:11:22 Fleeing to New York 01:14:04 Hawaii and Final Plans 01:15:30 The Capture 01:18:42 Testifying Against the Warden 01:21:23 Federal Prison Life 01:24:48 Back to State Prison 01:26:04 14 Years in Level Five 01:28:07 Targeted by Hitmen 01:31:22 The Parole Board Hearings 01:34:44 Codefendant Saves His Life 01:42:22 A Knife Attack Over a Book 01:47:47 Growth Behind Bars 01:53:02 Finally Free After 41 Years 01:57:00 Life Lessons and Reflections To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka