Man Who Spent 44 Years In Prison Dies Of COVID-19, 3 Weeks To His Release

The 60-year-old Michigan, who was an United States inmate had spent 44 years in prison on a first-degree murder conviction, connected to a shooting that happened when he was 16, in 1976.

He died from COVID-19 on April 20 in the prison close to his release, first week of May.

A postmortem test confirmed that William Garrison had the virus without complaining of any symptoms to his family or the prison staff.

According to a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, Chris Gautz, the agency tried to release Garrison on parole earlier this year, but “he refused to leave prison.”

He said;

He did not want to be on parole, he wanted to wait and just walk out completely free from supervision.

The Department of Corrections again offered parole to Garrison, citing his age and concern about the virus, he agreed, and the Department of Corrections asked the prosecutor’s office if the mandatory 28-day waiting period for parole could be waived for him.

He died before the office responded to the request.

Yolanda Peterson, Garrison’s sister, said her brother was going to stay at her home after his release.

She said;

My brother shouldn’t have died in there like that.

He was trying to get free