Elderly Former Convict Robs Bank Because He Missed Jail
An elderly ex-con who spent much of his life behind bars will most likely be sent back to jail after robbing a bank and quickly getting caught, admitting that he robbed the bank because prison was "the only life he knew."
73-year-old Walter Unbehaun attempted to rob a bank in Illinois earlier this year, after walking into the bank using a cane he's used since having hip-replacement surgery. Federal prosecutors are aware that Mr. Unbehaun will be getting exactly what he wants with a return ticket to prison, but the threat he poses, as someone who wants to commit crime to go back to prison, is too much of a gamble for them.
"Did the system fail Mr. Unbehaun?," wrote prosecutor Sharon Fairley in a filing asking a judge to sentence him to six-to-eight years. "We may never know. But, what we do know is, clearly, Unbehaun lacks the desire to lead a law-abiding life outside of prison walls."
During the February 9th stickup, Unbehaun told the cashier that "This is a hold up. I have nothing to lose. Give me the money in the drawer." He was carrying a gun in his waistband. He has a history of health problems and was facing difficulties adjusting to life outside of the only home he's known.
Unbehaun, whose life of crime goes back to 1963 and includes armed robbery, gun violence, and car theft, will be sentenced next month.