1 00:00:02,083 --> 00:00:03,583 - It may look like an innocuous building 2 00:00:03,667 --> 00:00:07,500 in a typical American suburb, but Alton City Jail 3 00:00:07,542 --> 00:00:11,708 is one of the most high-tech facilities on American soil. 4 00:00:11,792 --> 00:00:13,417 [heavy metal music] 5 00:00:13,500 --> 00:00:18,500 These eyes in the sky monitor prisoners, 6 00:00:18,583 --> 00:00:22,208 but Alton's perfect record of no attempted escapes 7 00:00:22,333 --> 00:00:25,250 is about to be tested by the brilliant mind 8 00:00:25,333 --> 00:00:27,208 of a determined father... 9 00:00:27,292 --> 00:00:29,000 ♪ 10 00:00:29,125 --> 00:00:31,917 - I just took off running, 11 00:00:32,042 --> 00:00:35,750 anticipating some bullets piercing my back. 12 00:00:35,833 --> 00:00:41,500 - A man who is desperate to break free or die trying. 13 00:00:41,583 --> 00:00:44,458 [dramatic music] 14 00:00:44,542 --> 00:00:47,083 ♪ 15 00:00:47,208 --> 00:00:52,000 Some of the greatest stories ever told start behind bars. 16 00:00:52,125 --> 00:00:53,500 [inmates shouting] 17 00:00:53,542 --> 00:00:55,333 Locked up in the most notorious prisons 18 00:00:55,417 --> 00:00:57,333 in the world, 19 00:00:57,375 --> 00:01:01,500 spied on by guards and fellow prisoners, 20 00:01:01,542 --> 00:01:05,583 it takes a devious mind to find a way out. 21 00:01:05,708 --> 00:01:07,333 ♪ 22 00:01:07,417 --> 00:01:10,833 It could lead you to freedom 23 00:01:10,833 --> 00:01:12,500 or it could cost you your life. 24 00:01:12,583 --> 00:01:14,292 ♪ 25 00:01:14,375 --> 00:01:16,792 But wouldn't you try... 26 00:01:16,875 --> 00:01:18,375 when you have nothing left to lose? 27 00:01:18,458 --> 00:01:22,292 ♪ 28 00:01:24,042 --> 00:01:25,417 [cell door clanks] 29 00:01:25,500 --> 00:01:28,375 [tense music] 30 00:01:28,458 --> 00:01:33,042 ♪ 31 00:01:33,125 --> 00:01:36,333 Alton City Jail may look like a middle school 32 00:01:36,417 --> 00:01:39,500 in a typical American suburb, 33 00:01:39,542 --> 00:01:43,333 but inside the maximum security federal wing 34 00:01:43,417 --> 00:01:45,833 lies a state-of-the-art surveillance operation 35 00:01:45,875 --> 00:01:49,250 that would deter even the most ingenious prisoners 36 00:01:49,333 --> 00:01:50,792 from trying to escape. 37 00:01:50,875 --> 00:01:52,125 ♪ 38 00:01:52,208 --> 00:01:53,667 - You really can't tell it's a jail 39 00:01:53,750 --> 00:01:55,542 from looking from the outside, 'cause it's actually combined 40 00:01:55,625 --> 00:01:58,333 a part of the police department itself. 41 00:01:58,375 --> 00:01:59,708 ♪ 42 00:01:59,792 --> 00:02:02,375 The Alton Police Department was constructed in 2002 43 00:02:02,458 --> 00:02:05,250 and it was one of the most secure facilities 44 00:02:05,333 --> 00:02:06,958 in Madison County, Illinois. 45 00:02:07,042 --> 00:02:09,500 Very high-tech security system 46 00:02:09,542 --> 00:02:13,750 as far as cameras, consoles to control doors in and out. 47 00:02:13,833 --> 00:02:17,792 - Cameras cover every corner of an inmate's life, 48 00:02:17,875 --> 00:02:21,083 including this 9x12 cell. 49 00:02:21,083 --> 00:02:24,167 - Each cell was equipped with a camera 50 00:02:24,292 --> 00:02:27,333 so that the prisoners could be monitored 51 00:02:27,417 --> 00:02:31,417 by corrections staff 24 hours a day. 52 00:02:31,500 --> 00:02:33,750 - They're checked no more than half hour apart, 53 00:02:33,875 --> 00:02:36,667 and they come through and they check each cell physically. 54 00:02:36,750 --> 00:02:40,167 - The lights at Alton are never turned off, 55 00:02:40,250 --> 00:02:43,167 keeping inmates visible to corrections staff 56 00:02:43,250 --> 00:02:45,667 24 hours a day. 57 00:02:45,792 --> 00:02:47,167 ♪ 58 00:02:47,250 --> 00:02:49,375 But perhaps the most challenging aspect 59 00:02:49,458 --> 00:02:51,583 of incarceration at Alton 60 00:02:51,667 --> 00:02:55,000 is that inmates are confined to their cell 61 00:02:55,083 --> 00:02:57,667 at all times. 62 00:02:57,708 --> 00:02:59,833 - Alton City Jail was what was known 63 00:02:59,875 --> 00:03:02,083 as a 23 and 1 facility, 64 00:03:02,208 --> 00:03:05,250 which means 23 out of 24 hours a day, 65 00:03:05,333 --> 00:03:07,042 inmates were locked down in their cell. 66 00:03:07,167 --> 00:03:10,167 They only had one hour of rec a day, 67 00:03:10,250 --> 00:03:11,750 so the rest of the day was spent 68 00:03:11,875 --> 00:03:14,708 either working out, writing, 69 00:03:14,792 --> 00:03:16,250 and for some of the individuals, 70 00:03:16,375 --> 00:03:17,667 they spent most of their time 71 00:03:17,750 --> 00:03:19,708 figuring out how to agitate corrections staff 72 00:03:19,708 --> 00:03:21,000 and cause problems. 73 00:03:21,042 --> 00:03:24,125 [dramatic music] 74 00:03:24,208 --> 00:03:25,667 ♪ 75 00:03:25,750 --> 00:03:28,958 - Escape from this high-tech steel and concrete cage 76 00:03:29,042 --> 00:03:30,833 is impossible, 77 00:03:30,917 --> 00:03:34,042 but Quawntay Adams has been facing the impossible 78 00:03:34,125 --> 00:03:36,292 ever since he was a child. 79 00:03:36,375 --> 00:03:38,333 - By the time I was 12, 80 00:03:38,375 --> 00:03:41,000 gang culture in LA was at its peak. 81 00:03:41,083 --> 00:03:42,417 ♪ 82 00:03:42,542 --> 00:03:44,958 My family was heavily involved. 83 00:03:45,042 --> 00:03:47,500 ♪ 84 00:03:47,583 --> 00:03:49,125 - As a Black man in a white world 85 00:03:49,208 --> 00:03:51,917 growing up on the rough streets of Compton, 86 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:57,667 Quawntay felt his only path to success was in the streets. 87 00:03:57,792 --> 00:04:00,667 - The only person that I thought or believed 88 00:04:00,708 --> 00:04:05,333 that I can be was the people who were around me, 89 00:04:05,417 --> 00:04:08,042 and those were the Crips, those were drug dealers, 90 00:04:08,167 --> 00:04:10,167 so as I dreamed as a child, 91 00:04:10,208 --> 00:04:12,792 I dreamed of being the best Crip 92 00:04:12,875 --> 00:04:14,333 or the best drug dealer. 93 00:04:14,375 --> 00:04:17,208 Had I been exposed to something else, 94 00:04:17,208 --> 00:04:20,542 then maybe I would've wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer, 95 00:04:20,708 --> 00:04:24,458 but my only escape that I saw was selling drugs. 96 00:04:24,542 --> 00:04:25,833 ♪ 97 00:04:25,875 --> 00:04:28,667 - He was in and out of the prison system since 15. 98 00:04:28,708 --> 00:04:31,875 His upbringing taught him to trust no one, 99 00:04:31,958 --> 00:04:35,667 that the only way to navigate the world is on his own. 100 00:04:35,708 --> 00:04:39,000 In 2004, he hoped to score a payday 101 00:04:39,083 --> 00:04:41,083 that could turn around his life, 102 00:04:41,167 --> 00:04:45,625 a $1.4 million marijuana deal. 103 00:04:45,708 --> 00:04:47,833 But he was caught in an FBI sting. 104 00:04:47,917 --> 00:04:49,500 [siren wailing] 105 00:04:49,625 --> 00:04:54,500 Sentenced to 35 years, a severe, life-ending term. 106 00:04:54,583 --> 00:04:58,667 - I felt like my life was over. 107 00:04:58,792 --> 00:05:00,792 - But Quawntay has a stubborn habit 108 00:05:00,875 --> 00:05:04,500 of taking a bad hand in life and making it good. 109 00:05:04,583 --> 00:05:09,375 He's an ingenious man capable of wearing many hats. 110 00:05:09,458 --> 00:05:12,833 He's a listener, a learner, and observer. 111 00:05:12,875 --> 00:05:15,333 - Quawntay Adams was unequivocally 112 00:05:15,500 --> 00:05:19,250 the smartest inmate I had ever come into contact with. 113 00:05:19,333 --> 00:05:20,708 [soft dramatic music] 114 00:05:20,708 --> 00:05:22,542 - But Quawntay has a reason to escape 115 00:05:22,625 --> 00:05:24,917 that is far bigger than himself. 116 00:05:25,042 --> 00:05:26,167 The night of his arrest, 117 00:05:26,292 --> 00:05:28,542 he learns he's about to be a father. 118 00:05:28,625 --> 00:05:31,250 - Once my ex-girlfriend told me 119 00:05:31,375 --> 00:05:34,167 that she was pregnant with my child, it hit me. 120 00:05:34,208 --> 00:05:37,333 I had told myself that if I brought a child in this world, 121 00:05:37,417 --> 00:05:39,458 I would want to be there for that child 122 00:05:39,542 --> 00:05:42,792 from the beginning till the end, 123 00:05:42,875 --> 00:05:48,083 and it hit me hard because I was facing life without parole 124 00:05:48,167 --> 00:05:52,417 and would never have the chance to be there for my child. 125 00:05:52,500 --> 00:05:56,417 And I started thinking about how I grew up 126 00:05:56,500 --> 00:05:58,792 and then I started realizing 127 00:05:58,875 --> 00:06:02,583 that I was repeating that same cycle. 128 00:06:02,667 --> 00:06:07,083 And I started having thoughts of breaking out of prison. 129 00:06:07,167 --> 00:06:10,125 [tense music] 130 00:06:10,208 --> 00:06:16,792 ♪ 131 00:06:16,875 --> 00:06:19,083 - Quawntay Adams is checking out escape routes 132 00:06:19,167 --> 00:06:20,917 from the moment he arrives. 133 00:06:21,042 --> 00:06:22,792 - We pulled up to Alton Jail. 134 00:06:22,875 --> 00:06:26,417 I looked up at the building, studied the structure of it. 135 00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:30,792 The roof, cameras, gates, everything. 136 00:06:30,875 --> 00:06:34,500 - His careful observation leads to a discovery. 137 00:06:34,583 --> 00:06:38,417 - Well, the first thing, I saw an exhaust vent 138 00:06:38,542 --> 00:06:41,375 on the side of the attic of the jail. 139 00:06:41,458 --> 00:06:44,667 - If he could somehow get to this vent, 140 00:06:44,708 --> 00:06:46,750 he thinks he can get out. 141 00:06:46,833 --> 00:06:50,042 Quawntay's keen eyes focus and record the scale 142 00:06:50,167 --> 00:06:51,583 and size of the building, 143 00:06:51,667 --> 00:06:55,083 the operation of the gates, armed guard locations, 144 00:06:55,167 --> 00:06:57,500 and the angle of the cameras. 145 00:06:57,583 --> 00:07:00,375 But without a cellmate or time on prison grounds 146 00:07:00,375 --> 00:07:02,250 mingling with other prisoners, 147 00:07:02,333 --> 00:07:04,708 there's another hurdle to escape: 148 00:07:04,833 --> 00:07:06,333 Quawntay will have to break out 149 00:07:06,417 --> 00:07:09,250 without help from the inside. 150 00:07:09,333 --> 00:07:12,875 Not that Quawntay was about to trust a stranger anyway. 151 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,208 Growing up in the streets taught him that. 152 00:07:16,292 --> 00:07:19,625 He would have to go it alone. 153 00:07:19,708 --> 00:07:22,667 - In order for an inmate to break out of that facility, 154 00:07:22,708 --> 00:07:24,375 it would have to be with the assistance 155 00:07:24,458 --> 00:07:27,292 of somebody from the inside. 156 00:07:27,375 --> 00:07:28,625 - In the four years 157 00:07:28,708 --> 00:07:30,000 since the Alton Jail was constructed, 158 00:07:30,083 --> 00:07:32,500 there had never been an attempt to escape by an inmate. 159 00:07:32,583 --> 00:07:36,500 - The walls of Alton are impenetrable 160 00:07:36,542 --> 00:07:39,250 with the exception of a very small, 161 00:07:39,333 --> 00:07:42,083 rectangular vent for airflow. 162 00:07:42,208 --> 00:07:45,000 There's no grille that might lead to a crawlspace 163 00:07:45,042 --> 00:07:48,250 or offer an ability to tunnel out. 164 00:07:48,375 --> 00:07:51,375 The floor below belongs to the chief of police, 165 00:07:51,458 --> 00:07:53,875 so that's a dead end. 166 00:07:53,958 --> 00:07:57,833 The ceiling, which would inevitably have to be accessed 167 00:07:57,875 --> 00:07:59,708 to get to the air vents-- 168 00:07:59,833 --> 00:08:02,000 well, good luck with that. 169 00:08:02,083 --> 00:08:03,792 ♪ 170 00:08:03,875 --> 00:08:07,500 - The cells were constructed of block-and-mortar cement. 171 00:08:07,583 --> 00:08:10,000 The tops of the cells were solid steel. 172 00:08:10,083 --> 00:08:11,667 It was very thick steel. 173 00:08:11,750 --> 00:08:14,750 - This was the first time I had been to a prison 174 00:08:14,833 --> 00:08:17,542 where everything was high-tech. 175 00:08:17,542 --> 00:08:20,333 I started feeling like I would never get out. 176 00:08:20,417 --> 00:08:23,833 ♪ 177 00:08:23,917 --> 00:08:26,542 - Breaking out of this impenetrable fortress 178 00:08:26,625 --> 00:08:29,000 will require a miracle, 179 00:08:29,042 --> 00:08:32,875 but one night, he gets his first smell of hope. 180 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,875 - I was laying in my bunk one night 181 00:08:34,958 --> 00:08:39,250 and I smell that distinct smell of rain. 182 00:08:39,333 --> 00:08:40,708 [thunder rumbling] 183 00:08:40,792 --> 00:08:42,500 Growing up in Southern California and LA, 184 00:08:42,542 --> 00:08:44,792 it didn't rain much, but when it did, 185 00:08:44,875 --> 00:08:47,208 I studied every little thing about it. 186 00:08:47,292 --> 00:08:51,500 I walked over to that exhaust vent and I started smelling. 187 00:08:51,583 --> 00:08:53,750 I knew that that exhaust vent 188 00:08:53,833 --> 00:08:56,833 was leading to somewhere close around, 189 00:08:56,917 --> 00:08:59,333 and I knew that if I could just follow that exhaust vent, 190 00:08:59,458 --> 00:09:01,000 I'd find my exit. 191 00:09:01,042 --> 00:09:03,500 ♪ 192 00:09:03,583 --> 00:09:07,917 - Remember, no matter where you go, 193 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:12,167 no matter what you do, you're always on camera. 194 00:09:12,208 --> 00:09:14,375 ♪ 195 00:09:14,458 --> 00:09:17,333 Except maybe right here. 196 00:09:17,458 --> 00:09:18,833 ♪ 197 00:09:18,917 --> 00:09:21,250 - I started looking to try to figure out 198 00:09:21,375 --> 00:09:22,875 what angles of the cell 199 00:09:22,875 --> 00:09:24,917 that the camera was not capturing 200 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:26,792 and I noticed that behind the camera, 201 00:09:26,792 --> 00:09:30,250 there was 12 inches of blind spot. 202 00:09:30,375 --> 00:09:31,625 ♪ 203 00:09:31,750 --> 00:09:37,125 - This tiny area occupied by the toilet and the sink 204 00:09:37,208 --> 00:09:41,708 are just out of view of the surveillance system. 205 00:09:41,833 --> 00:09:43,833 - It's the only place in the cell 206 00:09:43,875 --> 00:09:45,500 that isn't visible on the cameras 207 00:09:45,500 --> 00:09:47,458 because, of course, it's over the toilet. 208 00:09:47,542 --> 00:09:51,167 - It's from this most miniscule of spaces 209 00:09:51,250 --> 00:09:55,042 that Quawntay Adams, who stands 6'4" tall, 210 00:09:55,042 --> 00:09:57,333 thinks he can escape the claustrophobic, 211 00:09:57,417 --> 00:10:00,500 high-tech hell of Alton. 212 00:10:00,667 --> 00:10:03,833 To pull this feat off, Quawntay realizes 213 00:10:03,917 --> 00:10:06,917 that he has to get through the steel ceiling. 214 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,833 It's his only means of getting to the ventilation system 215 00:10:09,917 --> 00:10:13,000 that might lead to the outside world. 216 00:10:13,083 --> 00:10:16,875 - I knocked on the ceiling. [tapping] 217 00:10:16,958 --> 00:10:19,542 Once I felt that it was hollow... 218 00:10:19,625 --> 00:10:21,167 [tapping] 219 00:10:21,208 --> 00:10:22,708 I knew then that 220 00:10:22,792 --> 00:10:25,125 if I get my hands on a hacksaw blade, 221 00:10:25,208 --> 00:10:27,500 that I can crawl around in that attic, 222 00:10:27,583 --> 00:10:29,208 follow the exhaust vents, 223 00:10:29,292 --> 00:10:32,792 and break the slats out of the vent and escape 224 00:10:32,875 --> 00:10:34,208 and see my daughter. 225 00:10:34,292 --> 00:10:36,333 ♪ 226 00:10:36,375 --> 00:10:40,500 - For Quawntay, this is a mission bigger than himself, 227 00:10:40,583 --> 00:10:43,333 but it is impeded by his lack of tools. 228 00:10:43,375 --> 00:10:46,167 Alton doesn't have working tool or machine shops 229 00:10:46,250 --> 00:10:48,708 where prisoners can gain access to tools 230 00:10:48,792 --> 00:10:50,500 if they're clever enough. 231 00:10:50,542 --> 00:10:52,167 And even if they did, 232 00:10:52,250 --> 00:10:55,667 there are metal detectors at every turn. 233 00:10:55,708 --> 00:10:59,375 But the observer's brain is always at work. 234 00:10:59,458 --> 00:11:04,500 ♪ 235 00:11:04,583 --> 00:11:06,792 - I reached out to my cousin, 236 00:11:06,875 --> 00:11:10,000 and I sent him a coded message 237 00:11:10,125 --> 00:11:15,375 behind a postage stamp asking him to send me a saw blade 238 00:11:15,458 --> 00:11:18,833 inside the cover of a hardback book. 239 00:11:18,875 --> 00:11:21,750 - And how does one send a coded message 240 00:11:21,833 --> 00:11:24,250 on the back of a postage stamp? 241 00:11:24,333 --> 00:11:28,167 - We had developed a code to communicate with each other, 242 00:11:28,292 --> 00:11:32,000 a numerical system which would unlock secret messages. 243 00:11:32,042 --> 00:11:33,667 - Only the person getting the letter 244 00:11:33,750 --> 00:11:34,958 knows how to break it down. 245 00:11:35,042 --> 00:11:37,833 For him to deliver that kind of message 246 00:11:37,917 --> 00:11:39,667 of what he wanted and how he wanted it 247 00:11:39,708 --> 00:11:41,875 again shows Quawntay's mind. 248 00:11:41,958 --> 00:11:44,833 ♪ 249 00:11:44,958 --> 00:11:46,500 - Getting that blade 250 00:11:46,583 --> 00:11:49,500 is Quawntay's only way out of Alton, 251 00:11:49,500 --> 00:11:50,708 the only option to avoid 252 00:11:50,833 --> 00:11:54,167 spending the rest of his life behind bars. 253 00:11:54,250 --> 00:11:55,292 ♪ 254 00:11:55,375 --> 00:11:57,917 But will the postman deliver? 255 00:12:02,542 --> 00:12:06,167 [tense music] 256 00:12:06,292 --> 00:12:09,708 - Quawntay Adams has spent the past two months 257 00:12:09,792 --> 00:12:12,208 in the maximum security federal wing 258 00:12:12,292 --> 00:12:14,833 at Alton City Jail... 259 00:12:14,917 --> 00:12:18,458 one of the most high-tech prisons on American soil. 260 00:12:18,542 --> 00:12:22,875 Prisoners are confined to their cell at all times, 261 00:12:22,958 --> 00:12:28,250 where they are monitored by 24-hour security surveillance. 262 00:12:28,333 --> 00:12:33,042 Quawntay devises an ingenious way to smuggle in a blade... 263 00:12:33,125 --> 00:12:34,458 ♪ 264 00:12:34,542 --> 00:12:37,333 The U.S. Postal Service. 265 00:12:37,458 --> 00:12:42,333 He orders a book and sends it to another inmate. 266 00:12:42,417 --> 00:12:45,833 ♪ 267 00:12:45,875 --> 00:12:48,375 - He had no idea that the book was coming. 268 00:12:48,458 --> 00:12:52,167 I sent him that book and a couple of more books, 269 00:12:52,208 --> 00:12:54,667 which I knew that he wouldn't read that book 270 00:12:54,750 --> 00:12:57,333 because he was more into reading urban novels. 271 00:12:57,417 --> 00:13:01,250 - Inside the book binding is a hacksaw blade 272 00:13:01,375 --> 00:13:05,500 he plans to use to cut a hole in the solid steel ceiling 273 00:13:05,583 --> 00:13:08,208 just out of view of the cameras. 274 00:13:08,292 --> 00:13:09,833 ♪ 275 00:13:09,875 --> 00:13:13,333 But this is Alton, where the latest tech is used 276 00:13:13,375 --> 00:13:16,875 on packages that arrive within its walls. 277 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,333 If the book is X-rayed, it will set off an alarm 278 00:13:20,417 --> 00:13:23,625 and an investigation as to how it got there. 279 00:13:23,708 --> 00:13:24,750 ♪ 280 00:13:24,833 --> 00:13:26,250 - I was in the first cell, 281 00:13:26,375 --> 00:13:29,792 so I saw every time the guards entered. 282 00:13:29,875 --> 00:13:33,250 I saw them pass the book to him. 283 00:13:33,375 --> 00:13:36,042 You could tell he didn't know who sent him the book. 284 00:13:36,042 --> 00:13:39,500 Once they closed his tray slot behind them, 285 00:13:39,542 --> 00:13:41,167 I felt a sense of relief. 286 00:13:41,250 --> 00:13:44,417 I knew that my saw blade had arrived in that. 287 00:13:44,500 --> 00:13:45,375 [chuckles] 288 00:13:45,458 --> 00:13:46,500 ♪ 289 00:13:46,625 --> 00:13:48,083 - Quawntay's bid for freedom 290 00:13:48,208 --> 00:13:51,333 is officially underway. 291 00:13:51,417 --> 00:13:53,375 - I convinced one of the guards 292 00:13:53,458 --> 00:13:55,042 to pass the book to me 293 00:13:55,167 --> 00:13:58,208 and told him that I didn't have anything to read. 294 00:13:58,292 --> 00:14:01,125 It would just be a matter of time for me to start working. 295 00:14:01,208 --> 00:14:03,500 - The bed checks every 30 minutes 296 00:14:03,542 --> 00:14:05,500 present a huge problem. 297 00:14:05,583 --> 00:14:08,417 However, Quawntay has a solution. 298 00:14:08,542 --> 00:14:13,083 He'll use the security of Alton against Alton. 299 00:14:13,167 --> 00:14:15,500 - The benefit of their security system 300 00:14:15,583 --> 00:14:19,042 is that in order to get back there to the cell block, 301 00:14:19,125 --> 00:14:22,667 you have to go through two or three different doors, 302 00:14:22,750 --> 00:14:24,500 and when they would open, 303 00:14:24,583 --> 00:14:26,375 there was a loud buzzing noise. 304 00:14:26,458 --> 00:14:28,292 [buzzing] 305 00:14:28,375 --> 00:14:29,500 [door clanks] 306 00:14:29,583 --> 00:14:33,167 - The door buzzers provide an early warning system, 307 00:14:33,292 --> 00:14:36,125 but that alone isn't enough for Quawntay. 308 00:14:36,208 --> 00:14:37,500 ♪ 309 00:14:37,542 --> 00:14:40,333 - I would study every guard that worked the prison. 310 00:14:40,375 --> 00:14:41,583 The way they walked, 311 00:14:41,667 --> 00:14:44,167 I knew what their footsteps sounded like, 312 00:14:44,250 --> 00:14:47,417 and I knew how long their strides were, 313 00:14:47,542 --> 00:14:50,333 and so I can hear footsteps 314 00:14:50,417 --> 00:14:52,958 before they made it to the cell block, 315 00:14:53,042 --> 00:14:54,708 and when they left, 316 00:14:54,792 --> 00:14:56,625 I started scraping. 317 00:14:56,708 --> 00:14:59,625 [dramatic rock music] 318 00:14:59,708 --> 00:15:01,542 ♪ 319 00:15:01,667 --> 00:15:03,583 [metallic scraping] 320 00:15:03,708 --> 00:15:05,708 ♪ 321 00:15:05,792 --> 00:15:08,417 - He spent literally months 322 00:15:08,500 --> 00:15:12,167 scratching a fraction of an inch at a time 323 00:15:12,208 --> 00:15:15,208 through a stainless steel slab ceiling. 324 00:15:15,292 --> 00:15:16,875 ♪ 325 00:15:16,958 --> 00:15:19,375 - I might saw for 60 seconds 326 00:15:19,375 --> 00:15:22,125 and then pace around, then get up there 327 00:15:22,208 --> 00:15:24,083 and saw for 30 seconds. 328 00:15:24,167 --> 00:15:25,875 Then pace around and get up there 329 00:15:25,958 --> 00:15:27,333 and saw for another minute. 330 00:15:27,417 --> 00:15:30,000 - Over the course of five weeks, 331 00:15:30,083 --> 00:15:31,917 Quawntay meticulously saws 332 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,167 until he finally breaks through. 333 00:15:34,292 --> 00:15:37,708 ♪ 334 00:15:37,792 --> 00:15:39,792 But there's a problem. 335 00:15:39,875 --> 00:15:42,875 The cracks in the ceiling are visible, 336 00:15:42,958 --> 00:15:45,625 easy to spot during inspection. 337 00:15:45,708 --> 00:15:48,917 Q would need to make his own spackling paste. 338 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,000 - They would have little white bars of soap 339 00:15:52,042 --> 00:15:54,375 for us to use. 340 00:15:54,458 --> 00:15:58,208 I would just play around and experiment with the soap 341 00:15:58,292 --> 00:16:00,917 and the clear toothpaste until I got, like, 342 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,375 the right color that matched the ceiling. 343 00:16:03,458 --> 00:16:05,208 ♪ 344 00:16:05,292 --> 00:16:08,542 - The observer is now the chemist. 345 00:16:08,625 --> 00:16:10,500 ♪ 346 00:16:10,542 --> 00:16:13,875 - We were locked in the cells 24 hours a day. 347 00:16:13,958 --> 00:16:16,292 The only time we could come out of those cells 348 00:16:16,375 --> 00:16:19,667 were Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 349 00:16:19,708 --> 00:16:22,042 for five-minute showers. 350 00:16:22,167 --> 00:16:26,417 The guards would go inside of our cell and inspect it. 351 00:16:26,500 --> 00:16:29,958 When you have this cut in the ceiling 352 00:16:30,042 --> 00:16:32,500 that can be discovered at any moment, 353 00:16:32,542 --> 00:16:35,833 those are the most terrifying moments, 354 00:16:35,875 --> 00:16:37,958 and this happens three times a week 355 00:16:38,083 --> 00:16:39,458 at the very least. 356 00:16:39,542 --> 00:16:43,458 ♪ 357 00:16:43,458 --> 00:16:46,833 - Six weeks after smuggling in his hacksaw, 358 00:16:46,958 --> 00:16:49,000 Quawntay cuts an oval 359 00:16:49,042 --> 00:16:51,125 about the circumference of a basketball. 360 00:16:51,208 --> 00:16:53,500 He's about to push through it. 361 00:16:53,583 --> 00:16:56,417 It's a feeling he dreams about, 362 00:16:56,500 --> 00:17:00,417 visualizes very day since his incarceration. 363 00:17:00,500 --> 00:17:04,042 - Once my saw had its last stroke, 364 00:17:04,042 --> 00:17:06,792 I had to push up to break the well, 365 00:17:06,875 --> 00:17:09,333 and now you have this plate 366 00:17:09,417 --> 00:17:11,458 and there's nothing holding it now, 367 00:17:11,542 --> 00:17:14,292 so you can't put it back. [chuckles] 368 00:17:14,375 --> 00:17:18,542 So it would just fall through, so I had to just kinda, like, 369 00:17:18,542 --> 00:17:21,000 slide it over on the top of the roof, 370 00:17:21,125 --> 00:17:23,167 and I heard the buzzer. 371 00:17:23,250 --> 00:17:26,667 The guards were on their way back to the cell block. 372 00:17:26,792 --> 00:17:28,500 ♪ 373 00:17:28,583 --> 00:17:30,292 [buzzer blaring] [door clanks] 374 00:17:30,292 --> 00:17:31,625 - It's bed check. 375 00:17:31,708 --> 00:17:33,000 The excitement of the moment 376 00:17:33,083 --> 00:17:36,042 gets the best of the fastidious Quawntay. 377 00:17:36,167 --> 00:17:38,000 The second buzzer sounds. 378 00:17:38,083 --> 00:17:41,292 The guard he fears most, Mike Morelli, 379 00:17:41,375 --> 00:17:44,000 is ever-so-close to his cell. 380 00:17:44,083 --> 00:17:46,292 - Morelli was the super-cop. 381 00:17:46,375 --> 00:17:48,583 Nothing would ever get past him. 382 00:17:48,708 --> 00:17:52,042 But if I got caught this time, no way in the world 383 00:17:52,125 --> 00:17:54,542 would I ever be put in a position 384 00:17:54,625 --> 00:17:56,000 to try to escape again. 385 00:17:56,042 --> 00:17:58,333 - He maneuvers his hands 386 00:17:58,375 --> 00:18:01,083 to put the ceiling section back in place. 387 00:18:01,167 --> 00:18:02,667 [metallic crash] 388 00:18:02,750 --> 00:18:04,292 - He hears the banging. 389 00:18:04,375 --> 00:18:05,667 It's maybe two, three seconds 390 00:18:05,792 --> 00:18:09,417 before the guard comes to my cell to look in. 391 00:18:09,500 --> 00:18:13,167 Ran to the door to kind of, like, try to block his view 392 00:18:13,250 --> 00:18:16,333 so that he wouldn't look and look up in the corner 393 00:18:16,417 --> 00:18:18,333 and see the hole in the ceiling. 394 00:18:18,417 --> 00:18:20,417 - Morelli knocks on the door. 395 00:18:20,542 --> 00:18:24,292 Quawntay is about to come face-to-face with his destiny. 396 00:18:24,375 --> 00:18:26,083 ♪ 397 00:18:30,208 --> 00:18:33,917 [tense music] 398 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:38,833 - After months of cutting through a solid steel ceiling, 399 00:18:38,833 --> 00:18:41,542 Quawntay breaks through. 400 00:18:41,625 --> 00:18:42,667 ♪ 401 00:18:42,708 --> 00:18:44,125 [buzzer blaring] 402 00:18:44,208 --> 00:18:46,292 But as he attempts to put the section of ceiling 403 00:18:46,375 --> 00:18:47,375 back into place... 404 00:18:47,458 --> 00:18:49,458 [metallic crash] It falls... 405 00:18:49,542 --> 00:18:52,250 ♪ 406 00:18:52,333 --> 00:18:56,833 Just as the guard he fears most, Mike Morelli, 407 00:18:56,875 --> 00:18:58,708 does his second bed check. 408 00:18:58,792 --> 00:19:00,458 ♪ 409 00:19:00,542 --> 00:19:04,208 - And I'm standing right there in front of the cell window, 410 00:19:04,208 --> 00:19:06,167 and he's like, "What's going on in there? 411 00:19:06,250 --> 00:19:07,667 What did I hear?" 412 00:19:07,708 --> 00:19:11,667 - He's face-to-face with his nemesis, Mike Morelli. 413 00:19:11,750 --> 00:19:13,208 - I'm in here working out. 414 00:19:13,292 --> 00:19:14,875 And he looked for a moment. 415 00:19:14,958 --> 00:19:16,667 [suspenseful music] 416 00:19:16,708 --> 00:19:18,708 And then he walked off. [chuckles softly] 417 00:19:18,792 --> 00:19:19,958 ♪ 418 00:19:20,042 --> 00:19:21,750 - Quawntay is spared, 419 00:19:21,750 --> 00:19:26,208 but now he'll need a solution to the fallen ceiling plate. 420 00:19:26,292 --> 00:19:30,042 The chemist goes back to the lab. 421 00:19:30,125 --> 00:19:33,417 - There's nothing holding it now, so you can't put it back. 422 00:19:33,500 --> 00:19:34,250 [chuckles] 423 00:19:34,375 --> 00:19:36,500 So it would just fall through. 424 00:19:36,542 --> 00:19:37,583 ♪ 425 00:19:37,667 --> 00:19:40,500 You can order commissary at the jail. 426 00:19:40,583 --> 00:19:44,125 I ordered the little round peppermint candies. 427 00:19:44,208 --> 00:19:45,667 So what I did is, 428 00:19:45,750 --> 00:19:49,125 I let those candies sit inside of water for days. 429 00:19:49,125 --> 00:19:51,750 It just soaked inside of a bowl of water, 430 00:19:51,833 --> 00:19:54,792 and they become real gooey and sticky. 431 00:19:54,875 --> 00:19:57,625 Took that plate and I took the candies 432 00:19:57,708 --> 00:19:59,917 and I stuck it all around the edges 433 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,667 of the top of this plate so it made like a little ledge. 434 00:20:03,708 --> 00:20:08,000 And it dried up real hard so that the plate wouldn't fall. 435 00:20:08,042 --> 00:20:11,417 [tense music] 436 00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:12,583 - With the ceiling secure, 437 00:20:12,667 --> 00:20:15,542 he now faces a moment of truth. 438 00:20:15,667 --> 00:20:18,917 Will the crawlspace above lead to the ventilation system 439 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:20,833 and the outside world? 440 00:20:20,875 --> 00:20:22,042 ♪ 441 00:20:22,167 --> 00:20:24,083 Quawntay waits for his moment, 442 00:20:24,208 --> 00:20:26,667 disappears into the blind spot, 443 00:20:26,750 --> 00:20:29,333 and hoists himself up into the hole. 444 00:20:29,417 --> 00:20:32,375 - So as I stuck my head up through the hole 445 00:20:32,458 --> 00:20:35,292 and I started looking around, it was pitch dark. 446 00:20:35,375 --> 00:20:37,292 It was devastating. 447 00:20:37,375 --> 00:20:38,833 I was boxed in. 448 00:20:38,917 --> 00:20:43,708 I'd just cut into the ceiling and cut myself into a box 449 00:20:43,792 --> 00:20:45,167 that I can't get out of. 450 00:20:45,292 --> 00:20:47,625 - It was difficult to imagine 451 00:20:47,625 --> 00:20:49,375 how anybody had cut through that, 452 00:20:49,458 --> 00:20:52,250 and upside the hole, it's completely pitch black. 453 00:20:52,333 --> 00:20:53,667 There's no light, 454 00:20:53,708 --> 00:20:58,000 so inside there is the interior guts of the roof 455 00:20:58,042 --> 00:21:01,000 of the building and where the ventilation system is. 456 00:21:01,125 --> 00:21:02,792 ♪ 457 00:21:02,875 --> 00:21:04,083 - It's only so long that 458 00:21:04,167 --> 00:21:07,333 I can be out of the view of the camera. 459 00:21:07,417 --> 00:21:09,542 I needed to come up with a way 460 00:21:09,708 --> 00:21:11,500 to where I could crawl around in that vent 461 00:21:11,583 --> 00:21:13,708 for an extended period of time. 462 00:21:13,792 --> 00:21:17,667 ♪ 463 00:21:17,750 --> 00:21:20,417 - Quawntay's solo act needs backup. 464 00:21:20,542 --> 00:21:24,083 Quawntay recruits an unwitting collaborator. 465 00:21:24,167 --> 00:21:26,833 He enlists a fellow prisoner. 466 00:21:26,875 --> 00:21:29,667 - There was another prisoner in there with me. 467 00:21:29,750 --> 00:21:32,042 He liked to call hisself Sammy the Bully. 468 00:21:32,167 --> 00:21:33,083 [chuckles] 469 00:21:33,167 --> 00:21:34,708 Anything to be in trouble 470 00:21:34,833 --> 00:21:36,083 and to [bleep] with the guards, 471 00:21:36,167 --> 00:21:37,917 he'd thrive by it. 472 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,667 So I sent him a note and told him, "Look, 473 00:21:40,750 --> 00:21:42,583 "when a guard come through here, 474 00:21:42,667 --> 00:21:45,167 I want you to create a distraction." 475 00:21:45,208 --> 00:21:46,833 ♪ 476 00:21:46,875 --> 00:21:48,625 - [inaudible] 477 00:21:48,708 --> 00:21:50,333 [tense music] 478 00:21:50,375 --> 00:21:51,500 - [screams] 479 00:21:51,542 --> 00:21:53,500 ♪ 480 00:21:53,583 --> 00:21:55,625 - With him creating a distraction, 481 00:21:55,708 --> 00:21:58,917 the guards would flip their monitors 482 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,167 on his cell in the hallway, 483 00:22:01,208 --> 00:22:04,500 taking the monitor off of my cell. 484 00:22:04,583 --> 00:22:07,750 Made a little dummy out of newspaper 485 00:22:07,750 --> 00:22:10,458 and other little leftover materials there, 486 00:22:10,542 --> 00:22:13,083 took a little cup and I covered the camera. 487 00:22:13,167 --> 00:22:16,417 They wouldn't see me place this dummy in the bed. 488 00:22:16,500 --> 00:22:18,542 Then I come back behind the camera, 489 00:22:18,625 --> 00:22:21,292 and I remove the cup. 490 00:22:21,375 --> 00:22:24,333 - Quawntay carefully lifts his 6'4" frame 491 00:22:24,417 --> 00:22:27,500 into the miniscule hole. 492 00:22:29,625 --> 00:22:31,750 - The space that I'm crawling around in 493 00:22:31,833 --> 00:22:35,375 is at the most 4 feet, and I'm 6'4", 494 00:22:35,458 --> 00:22:37,667 so I'm just squatting down 495 00:22:37,708 --> 00:22:40,875 trying to find any sign of an exit. 496 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:42,500 There was nothing. 497 00:22:42,542 --> 00:22:44,042 Felt like it was over. 498 00:22:44,125 --> 00:22:46,250 Like, I was stuck in there. 499 00:22:46,375 --> 00:22:48,333 - His dreams of freedom 500 00:22:48,417 --> 00:22:50,833 have figuratively and literally 501 00:22:50,917 --> 00:22:52,292 hit a brick wall. 502 00:22:52,375 --> 00:22:55,833 - And I jammed my foot on some piece of metal. 503 00:22:55,917 --> 00:22:57,000 Hurt like hell. 504 00:22:57,083 --> 00:22:58,250 Just outta anger, 505 00:22:58,333 --> 00:23:00,833 I just start rattling it and bending it. 506 00:23:00,917 --> 00:23:02,208 And it broke off. 507 00:23:02,292 --> 00:23:04,375 ♪ 508 00:23:04,458 --> 00:23:06,917 And then I took it and I just start beating. 509 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,333 And I hit the part up here, and I just hit it. 510 00:23:10,417 --> 00:23:12,583 ♪ 511 00:23:12,708 --> 00:23:14,792 And then some debris fell down. 512 00:23:14,875 --> 00:23:16,958 ♪ 513 00:23:17,042 --> 00:23:19,083 I hit it again. 514 00:23:19,167 --> 00:23:20,333 More debris. 515 00:23:20,417 --> 00:23:21,625 And I just kept hitting it. 516 00:23:21,708 --> 00:23:24,292 Debris, debris, debris. 517 00:23:24,375 --> 00:23:27,000 All this insulation came through, 518 00:23:27,083 --> 00:23:28,708 and then there was just a hole. 519 00:23:28,792 --> 00:23:31,833 ♪ 520 00:23:31,958 --> 00:23:34,500 And then I, like, stuck my head through it. 521 00:23:34,542 --> 00:23:35,875 It was nighttime. 522 00:23:35,958 --> 00:23:38,417 [dramatic music] 523 00:23:38,500 --> 00:23:42,667 And I saw light. 524 00:23:42,750 --> 00:23:45,083 And there was this huge exhaust vent, 525 00:23:45,208 --> 00:23:46,917 the exhaust vent that I saw 526 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:48,708 when I first arrived at the jail 527 00:23:48,792 --> 00:23:51,708 that I had been looking for was right there, 528 00:23:51,833 --> 00:23:54,958 And the light from the streetlights outside 529 00:23:55,042 --> 00:23:56,458 were shining through it. 530 00:23:56,542 --> 00:23:57,750 [chuckles] 531 00:23:57,875 --> 00:24:00,167 It was like heaven, the Holy Grail. 532 00:24:00,208 --> 00:24:03,250 ♪ 533 00:24:03,333 --> 00:24:06,167 [suspenseful music] 534 00:24:06,208 --> 00:24:09,000 ♪ 535 00:24:09,083 --> 00:24:13,000 - The break he's been waiting for has arrived. 536 00:24:13,083 --> 00:24:14,542 ♪ 537 00:24:14,625 --> 00:24:16,875 The heavenly glow of freedom 538 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:21,917 illuminates the louvers at the end of the attic. 539 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,500 He sees a way out. 540 00:24:24,542 --> 00:24:30,083 The architect now has his blueprint for escape. 541 00:24:35,167 --> 00:24:39,000 [tense music] 542 00:24:39,042 --> 00:24:40,542 - Quawntay Adams is ready 543 00:24:40,667 --> 00:24:43,042 to put his escape plan into action. 544 00:24:43,125 --> 00:24:46,000 He has miraculously avoided the eyes of Alton, 545 00:24:46,083 --> 00:24:49,917 the ever-present cameras that track every move. 546 00:24:49,917 --> 00:24:53,208 But this lone wolf may need an accomplice after all. 547 00:24:53,292 --> 00:24:56,750 ♪ 548 00:24:56,833 --> 00:25:01,000 - The greatest thing that was created for inmates? 549 00:25:01,083 --> 00:25:02,500 Pen pal services. 550 00:25:02,625 --> 00:25:06,167 - Pen pals, relationships between strangers 551 00:25:06,208 --> 00:25:09,375 that are forged and maintained by letter writing, 552 00:25:09,458 --> 00:25:12,792 even in the digital age, 553 00:25:12,875 --> 00:25:15,083 for prisoners to have contact with the world 554 00:25:15,208 --> 00:25:16,375 outside their prison. 555 00:25:16,375 --> 00:25:18,208 - Tonya came into play. 556 00:25:18,292 --> 00:25:20,167 Initially, we started off to where 557 00:25:20,208 --> 00:25:24,042 I figured she was somebody who can share details 558 00:25:24,125 --> 00:25:26,417 about the area with me. 559 00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:30,958 We started talking and we just connected. 560 00:25:31,042 --> 00:25:33,083 - When Quawntay first called me, 561 00:25:33,208 --> 00:25:35,458 I fell in love with his voice. 562 00:25:35,542 --> 00:25:37,583 He was an intelligent individual, 563 00:25:37,667 --> 00:25:39,667 so I was impressed by him. 564 00:25:39,708 --> 00:25:42,583 He was so very soft, sad. 565 00:25:42,667 --> 00:25:44,833 I just felt so bad for him. 566 00:25:44,917 --> 00:25:48,625 - [over PA] "Quawntay Adams, you have a visitor..." 567 00:25:48,708 --> 00:25:51,292 [normally] Were not words he ever expected to hear. 568 00:25:51,375 --> 00:25:52,792 ♪ 569 00:25:52,875 --> 00:25:55,708 He's a one-man operation, controls everything, 570 00:25:55,792 --> 00:25:59,125 but enter Tonya Goodwin, 571 00:25:59,208 --> 00:26:02,167 the unaware and lovesick accomplice. 572 00:26:02,250 --> 00:26:05,750 - I was surprised because no one was on my visiting list. 573 00:26:05,833 --> 00:26:08,625 She somehow convinced them 574 00:26:08,708 --> 00:26:11,167 to let her inside of the jail to see me. 575 00:26:11,250 --> 00:26:12,167 [chuckles] 576 00:26:12,208 --> 00:26:13,542 ♪ 577 00:26:13,625 --> 00:26:16,333 And I was kinda, like, impressed with that. 578 00:26:16,375 --> 00:26:17,708 ♪ 579 00:26:17,792 --> 00:26:19,458 - When I first saw Quawntay, 580 00:26:19,542 --> 00:26:22,417 I thought, "So handsome." 581 00:26:22,500 --> 00:26:24,292 He wasn't paying no attention to me. 582 00:26:24,375 --> 00:26:27,875 He's looking all around, you know, asking questions. 583 00:26:27,958 --> 00:26:31,750 Where the vents were, where are the cameras, 584 00:26:31,833 --> 00:26:34,625 where's the door that I'm coming in and out at. 585 00:26:34,708 --> 00:26:36,500 - The more Quawntay talks to her, 586 00:26:36,583 --> 00:26:39,792 the more Quawntay reads her and feels her. 587 00:26:39,875 --> 00:26:41,375 He start wooing her. 588 00:26:41,375 --> 00:26:42,958 It's like--it's like a drama. 589 00:26:43,042 --> 00:26:47,708 Getting her mind so infatuated by who Quawntay Adams is, 590 00:26:47,792 --> 00:26:49,667 nothing else matters. 591 00:26:49,750 --> 00:26:50,875 - She was cool. 592 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,833 I told her to stand up, and she did. 593 00:26:54,917 --> 00:26:58,167 She looked cute in the clothes that she was wearing. 594 00:26:58,292 --> 00:27:00,542 - Quawntay's a Casanova. 595 00:27:00,625 --> 00:27:03,333 He works his manipulative charms. 596 00:27:03,417 --> 00:27:05,292 - And I made a comment about, 597 00:27:05,375 --> 00:27:07,500 "I wish I could jump 598 00:27:07,583 --> 00:27:09,667 on the other side of this window," 599 00:27:09,667 --> 00:27:11,625 and she made a comment, she said... 600 00:27:11,708 --> 00:27:13,500 - Go ahead, jump. I'll be there to catch you. 601 00:27:13,583 --> 00:27:14,500 [chuckles] 602 00:27:14,542 --> 00:27:17,000 [smooth music] 603 00:27:17,083 --> 00:27:19,750 - Once she made that comment about catching me, 604 00:27:19,875 --> 00:27:22,625 I started asking myself, 605 00:27:22,708 --> 00:27:25,583 "Does she mean she's willing to give me a ride 606 00:27:25,708 --> 00:27:27,125 if I break out of here?" 607 00:27:27,208 --> 00:27:29,875 If I get on the other side of this glass, 608 00:27:29,958 --> 00:27:35,208 will she actually take me away and hide me? 609 00:27:35,292 --> 00:27:36,833 ♪ 610 00:27:36,875 --> 00:27:39,000 - He starts to believe Tonya could be the key 611 00:27:39,042 --> 00:27:41,458 to a successful escape... 612 00:27:41,542 --> 00:27:44,125 once he clears the crowds of Alton. 613 00:27:44,250 --> 00:27:46,000 - Just couldn't get that out of my head, 614 00:27:46,042 --> 00:27:51,125 so I kept seeing if that's really what she meant. 615 00:27:51,208 --> 00:27:54,750 But at the same time, I didn't want to reveal to her 616 00:27:54,875 --> 00:27:57,667 that I was in the process of escaping, 617 00:27:57,750 --> 00:27:59,500 because I didn't trust her. 618 00:27:59,625 --> 00:28:01,958 I didn't know her like that. 619 00:28:02,042 --> 00:28:04,958 [tense music] 620 00:28:05,042 --> 00:28:05,792 ♪ 621 00:28:05,875 --> 00:28:06,750 - The next time 622 00:28:06,875 --> 00:28:08,792 the star-crossed lovers meet, 623 00:28:08,875 --> 00:28:12,792 Quawntay's hidden messaging system returns. 624 00:28:12,875 --> 00:28:15,375 - Without telling her that I was escaping, 625 00:28:15,458 --> 00:28:19,875 I wrote a note behind a stamp. 626 00:28:19,958 --> 00:28:24,125 - He convinces corrections staff to give Tonya a letter. 627 00:28:24,208 --> 00:28:26,042 - Quawntay kept pointing at the stamp. 628 00:28:26,125 --> 00:28:27,833 The whole time pointing at the stamp, 629 00:28:27,875 --> 00:28:29,958 so I knew something was under there. 630 00:28:30,042 --> 00:28:34,625 I'm thinking it's love messages, sex. 631 00:28:34,708 --> 00:28:35,875 [chuckles] 632 00:28:35,958 --> 00:28:36,792 ♪ 633 00:28:36,875 --> 00:28:38,250 - Underneath the stamp 634 00:28:38,333 --> 00:28:42,417 are details about where she will pick him up 635 00:28:42,500 --> 00:28:44,250 and how she will be contacted. 636 00:28:44,333 --> 00:28:46,917 - He told me he was scheduled to be released. 637 00:28:47,042 --> 00:28:50,750 He had a old warrant for his arrest out in California. 638 00:28:50,833 --> 00:28:53,708 They had 72 hours to re-arrest him on it. 639 00:28:53,792 --> 00:28:55,833 If they didn't do it within 72 hours, 640 00:28:55,917 --> 00:28:58,042 then they weren't gonna do it. 641 00:28:58,167 --> 00:29:02,417 - So I asked if she can give me a ride, 642 00:29:02,500 --> 00:29:06,458 and I told her to park up the street from the jail 643 00:29:06,542 --> 00:29:07,958 for the following three nights 644 00:29:08,042 --> 00:29:12,333 because I wasn't sure which night they would release me. 645 00:29:12,458 --> 00:29:16,167 - This is not what lovesick Tonya was hoping to read. 646 00:29:16,292 --> 00:29:20,167 Nevertheless, it appears she's in. 647 00:29:22,250 --> 00:29:25,625 ♪ 648 00:29:25,708 --> 00:29:27,167 - Tonya didn't have a chance. 649 00:29:27,208 --> 00:29:30,833 You've given Quawntay Adams every opportunity in the world 650 00:29:30,958 --> 00:29:33,625 to caress you with his words, 651 00:29:33,708 --> 00:29:35,958 and when your self-esteem is not good 652 00:29:36,042 --> 00:29:39,167 and you got a man like Quawntay "Bosco" Adams, 653 00:29:39,292 --> 00:29:40,833 you're done. 654 00:29:40,875 --> 00:29:42,792 - I couldn't wait to get him out of jail, 655 00:29:42,875 --> 00:29:44,000 get him home 656 00:29:44,083 --> 00:29:46,667 so we could start our life together. 657 00:29:46,792 --> 00:29:49,208 - The final piece of Quawntay's escape plan 658 00:29:49,333 --> 00:29:50,375 is in place, 659 00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:54,167 but the man whose mantra is "trust no one" 660 00:29:54,208 --> 00:29:56,708 must now put the fate of his future 661 00:29:56,792 --> 00:29:59,125 as a free man and a father 662 00:29:59,208 --> 00:30:02,292 into the hands of a woman he hardly knows. 663 00:30:02,375 --> 00:30:05,292 ♪ 664 00:30:09,667 --> 00:30:11,500 [tense music] 665 00:30:11,583 --> 00:30:13,417 ♪ 666 00:30:13,500 --> 00:30:16,083 - Like a perfect puzzle, 667 00:30:16,208 --> 00:30:20,292 Quawntay's plans are falling into place. 668 00:30:20,375 --> 00:30:24,000 The one piece he's unsure of: will Tonya show up? 669 00:30:24,083 --> 00:30:26,958 If she doesn't, he's doomed to fail. 670 00:30:27,042 --> 00:30:31,458 Regardless, freedom has never felt so close. 671 00:30:31,542 --> 00:30:33,000 ♪ 672 00:30:33,125 --> 00:30:36,667 - I went up during the daytime and I was sawing the vents 673 00:30:36,750 --> 00:30:39,292 and just stared out the vents 674 00:30:39,375 --> 00:30:41,833 and just kind of looked at freedom for a moment. 675 00:30:41,958 --> 00:30:44,500 So I just sat there and just watched people 676 00:30:44,583 --> 00:30:46,250 as they would come and go. 677 00:30:46,375 --> 00:30:48,917 ♪ 678 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:50,292 And started thinking about 679 00:30:50,375 --> 00:30:53,250 seeing my daughter for the first time. 680 00:30:53,250 --> 00:30:55,542 - Quawntay spends several nights 681 00:30:55,667 --> 00:30:57,250 sawing through the final barrier 682 00:30:57,333 --> 00:30:58,792 between him and the outside world. 683 00:30:58,875 --> 00:31:01,000 ♪ 684 00:31:01,042 --> 00:31:03,833 Everything is falling into place, 685 00:31:03,917 --> 00:31:05,708 but before the determined father 686 00:31:05,792 --> 00:31:10,708 can sail off into the sunset, he'll need one last tool. 687 00:31:10,792 --> 00:31:16,958 ♪ 688 00:31:17,042 --> 00:31:19,042 It's about a 30-foot drop to the ground 689 00:31:19,167 --> 00:31:21,292 from the escape vent. 690 00:31:21,375 --> 00:31:24,000 A fall from that height will shatter bones. 691 00:31:24,042 --> 00:31:28,333 - The blankets are, like, 10 feet long and 8 feet wide. 692 00:31:28,417 --> 00:31:30,167 ♪ 693 00:31:30,250 --> 00:31:34,333 I ripped my blanket into these strips to make a rope, 694 00:31:34,417 --> 00:31:35,833 tied 'em together, 695 00:31:35,917 --> 00:31:40,250 made, like, 70 feet out of my blanket. 696 00:31:40,333 --> 00:31:43,083 [tense music] 697 00:31:43,083 --> 00:31:45,292 - It's a few hours before go time 698 00:31:45,375 --> 00:31:48,958 and the observer has designed a flawless plan. 699 00:31:48,958 --> 00:31:52,083 But unexpectedly, Quawntay has a problem. 700 00:31:52,167 --> 00:31:54,000 A change in schedule 701 00:31:54,083 --> 00:31:56,583 has super-cop Mike Morelli on duty. 702 00:31:56,667 --> 00:31:58,083 - Ironically, I told myself 703 00:31:58,208 --> 00:32:02,250 that I would never do it when Officer Morelli was working. 704 00:32:02,375 --> 00:32:04,667 I tell myself that I'm leaving tonight, 705 00:32:04,750 --> 00:32:05,875 so I was up late. 706 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:08,375 Officer Morelli walked by, 707 00:32:08,500 --> 00:32:12,000 looked in my cell and saw that I was standing there. 708 00:32:12,083 --> 00:32:15,083 He asked me, "What are you doing up so late?" 709 00:32:15,167 --> 00:32:17,792 And I told him, "I'm waiting to go home." 710 00:32:17,875 --> 00:32:20,208 [chuckling] And then he said, uh... 711 00:32:20,208 --> 00:32:22,542 "Good luck with that." [chuckles] 712 00:32:22,625 --> 00:32:26,042 And he walked on. 713 00:32:26,125 --> 00:32:29,208 - It's go time for Quawntay. 714 00:32:29,292 --> 00:32:32,167 But in order to kick his plan into action, 715 00:32:32,250 --> 00:32:34,875 he must first create a diversion. 716 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:36,958 For that, Quawntay requires 717 00:32:37,042 --> 00:32:40,917 the trusted services of his favorite bully. 718 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,000 During one of his last one-hour breaks 719 00:32:43,125 --> 00:32:46,375 outside of his cell, he tells his next-door neighbor 720 00:32:46,458 --> 00:32:49,208 exactly when to create a distraction. 721 00:32:49,292 --> 00:32:51,917 - He knew that I was always up to something. 722 00:32:52,042 --> 00:32:53,917 He would never even question it. 723 00:32:54,042 --> 00:32:55,292 He would just say, "You up to something." 724 00:32:55,292 --> 00:32:57,083 [buzzer blaring] That's it. 725 00:32:57,167 --> 00:32:59,333 He would never ask what I was doing, though. 726 00:32:59,417 --> 00:33:01,667 - Quawntay waits for his moment, 727 00:33:01,792 --> 00:33:03,667 puts a cup over the camera, 728 00:33:03,750 --> 00:33:06,542 and carefully moves his dummy into place. 729 00:33:06,625 --> 00:33:08,500 ♪ 730 00:33:08,583 --> 00:33:11,000 He slips into his prison-issued thermals 731 00:33:11,083 --> 00:33:13,792 to avoid standing out on the outside 732 00:33:13,875 --> 00:33:17,125 and then squeezes into the ceiling. 733 00:33:17,208 --> 00:33:18,667 As the mastermind makes his way 734 00:33:18,750 --> 00:33:21,500 towards the light at the end of the tunnel, 735 00:33:21,542 --> 00:33:24,250 the gravity of the operation hits home. 736 00:33:24,375 --> 00:33:25,667 ♪ 737 00:33:25,750 --> 00:33:29,292 - They catch me coming out the vent and trying to flee, 738 00:33:29,375 --> 00:33:31,167 they can shoot and kill me. 739 00:33:31,250 --> 00:33:33,083 ♪ 740 00:33:33,167 --> 00:33:34,833 - Much to Quawntay's delight, 741 00:33:34,875 --> 00:33:37,958 everything is going according to plan. 742 00:33:38,042 --> 00:33:40,417 His ride has arrived. 743 00:33:40,500 --> 00:33:43,250 - I saw Tonya's car parked up there, 744 00:33:43,333 --> 00:33:45,792 popped the slats out of the vent. 745 00:33:45,875 --> 00:33:47,167 - I almost called the jail that night 746 00:33:47,208 --> 00:33:49,833 to see what time Quawntay was being released. 747 00:33:49,917 --> 00:33:52,500 And then I seen something peculiar, 748 00:33:52,583 --> 00:33:54,875 something out of the corner of my eye. 749 00:33:54,958 --> 00:33:57,667 It was the louvers on the side of the jail. 750 00:33:57,750 --> 00:33:59,417 One side kept coming down. 751 00:33:59,500 --> 00:34:01,583 - Got ready to throw the rope out. 752 00:34:01,708 --> 00:34:05,500 Bright lights shined on me right in my face. 753 00:34:05,542 --> 00:34:09,250 Immediately moved out the side of the lights. 754 00:34:09,333 --> 00:34:14,500 It was a truck coming up a alleyway across the street. 755 00:34:14,542 --> 00:34:16,125 - False alarm. 756 00:34:16,208 --> 00:34:19,875 Freedom for Quawntay is a mere 100 yards away. 757 00:34:19,958 --> 00:34:22,417 ♪ 758 00:34:22,500 --> 00:34:25,500 [dramatic music] 759 00:34:25,583 --> 00:34:28,375 - And so I started sliding down 760 00:34:28,458 --> 00:34:30,375 and burnt the palms of my hand 761 00:34:30,458 --> 00:34:33,292 to the point to where I couldn't grip anymore. 762 00:34:33,375 --> 00:34:36,625 So once I was I was, like, 8 feet from the ground, 763 00:34:36,708 --> 00:34:38,958 I just fell. 764 00:34:39,042 --> 00:34:40,750 [thuds] 765 00:34:40,833 --> 00:34:43,750 - Tonya now looks in the direction of the prison 766 00:34:43,833 --> 00:34:45,708 and can't believe her eyes. 767 00:34:45,792 --> 00:34:50,375 - I just took off running in the direction of Tonya's car 768 00:34:50,458 --> 00:34:52,958 just, like, anticipating, like, a, "Freeze!" 769 00:34:53,042 --> 00:34:56,333 Or some bullets just piercing my back. 770 00:34:56,458 --> 00:34:57,583 ♪ 771 00:34:57,667 --> 00:34:59,417 - The dude kept running, kept running, 772 00:34:59,542 --> 00:35:02,083 got up to the car and then I realized it was him. 773 00:35:02,167 --> 00:35:06,083 - She's just looking at me, like, shaking her head. 774 00:35:06,167 --> 00:35:08,208 - We both reached for the door at the same time. 775 00:35:08,292 --> 00:35:11,125 I reach to lock it, he reaches to unlock it. 776 00:35:11,208 --> 00:35:13,333 [locks click] - And she locked the door. 777 00:35:13,375 --> 00:35:14,500 ♪ 778 00:35:14,583 --> 00:35:16,625 - Quawntay broke his cardinal rule 779 00:35:16,708 --> 00:35:18,833 of "trust no one," 780 00:35:18,875 --> 00:35:23,167 the repercussions of which may now show their fickle face. 781 00:35:23,208 --> 00:35:27,333 Tonya has no idea he's planning to escape. 782 00:35:27,375 --> 00:35:29,833 Quawntay is locked out. 783 00:35:29,917 --> 00:35:32,083 ♪ 784 00:35:32,208 --> 00:35:34,375 - And so I'm telling her, like, "Let me in," 785 00:35:34,458 --> 00:35:37,833 and she's just pulling off a little bit slowly. 786 00:35:37,917 --> 00:35:41,167 - This look that he gave me, it was just so pitiful. 787 00:35:41,208 --> 00:35:43,250 It's like, "I can't leave him out there." 788 00:35:43,375 --> 00:35:45,708 So I opened the door and let him in. 789 00:35:45,833 --> 00:35:50,167 - I hopped in and I told her to drive over to Missouri, 790 00:35:50,167 --> 00:35:52,042 go across the river. 791 00:35:52,125 --> 00:35:54,333 - The dreams of freedom for Quawntay 792 00:35:54,458 --> 00:35:59,292 are no longer just dreams, but how long can it last? 793 00:35:59,375 --> 00:36:02,333 - Once we got across the bridge in Missouri, 794 00:36:02,375 --> 00:36:03,625 I started relaxing. 795 00:36:03,708 --> 00:36:05,333 That's when it start hitting me, 796 00:36:05,417 --> 00:36:08,667 like, I'm about to see my daughter for the first time. 797 00:36:08,667 --> 00:36:10,833 It was like the best feeling in the world. 798 00:36:10,875 --> 00:36:14,000 [tense music] 799 00:36:14,083 --> 00:36:16,375 I said, "I need to go to Chicago." 800 00:36:16,500 --> 00:36:18,583 She said, "I can't take you to Chicago," 801 00:36:18,667 --> 00:36:20,500 but she said, "I know a motel room 802 00:36:20,583 --> 00:36:23,417 where I can get it without showing my ID." 803 00:36:23,500 --> 00:36:27,000 So we stopped at a ATM machine. 804 00:36:27,042 --> 00:36:28,875 She started walking away 805 00:36:28,958 --> 00:36:31,708 and she got the key out the car and she said, 806 00:36:31,792 --> 00:36:33,500 "I don't want you to leave me." 807 00:36:33,583 --> 00:36:35,250 ♪ 808 00:36:35,375 --> 00:36:38,833 It had never crossed my mind to do such a thing. 809 00:36:38,917 --> 00:36:42,417 When she did that, it showed she didn't trust me. 810 00:36:42,542 --> 00:36:43,542 ♪ 811 00:36:43,625 --> 00:36:46,167 This is a woman who I don't know. 812 00:36:46,208 --> 00:36:48,167 - Has Quawntay made a fatal mistake 813 00:36:48,292 --> 00:36:50,667 in trusting Tonya, 814 00:36:50,667 --> 00:36:53,000 and will it cost him his freedom? 815 00:36:53,083 --> 00:36:54,417 ♪ 816 00:36:58,708 --> 00:37:00,500 - Quawntay Adams has just scaled down the wall 817 00:37:00,542 --> 00:37:03,167 of Alton Jail with a homemade rope 818 00:37:03,292 --> 00:37:05,292 made of shredded blankets. 819 00:37:05,375 --> 00:37:07,583 Tonya Goodwin, his getaway driver, 820 00:37:07,667 --> 00:37:09,583 is now face-to-face with the reality 821 00:37:09,667 --> 00:37:12,833 of her involvement in a prison break 822 00:37:12,917 --> 00:37:15,583 and by early morning, she's not the only one 823 00:37:15,708 --> 00:37:18,833 who's discovering what Quawntay is really up to. 824 00:37:18,875 --> 00:37:21,833 [tense music] 825 00:37:21,875 --> 00:37:23,667 ♪ 826 00:37:23,708 --> 00:37:26,667 - A paper carrier had seen bedsheets 827 00:37:26,750 --> 00:37:29,125 hanging out of one of the ventilation ducts. 828 00:37:29,208 --> 00:37:31,208 ♪ 829 00:37:31,292 --> 00:37:32,875 - On the morning of May 2nd, 830 00:37:32,958 --> 00:37:36,000 I received a phone call from the jail superintendent. 831 00:37:36,083 --> 00:37:39,000 He told me that a prisoner was missing from his cell. 832 00:37:39,167 --> 00:37:40,792 [siren wailing] 833 00:37:40,875 --> 00:37:44,417 - The manhunt for Quawntay Adams is on. 834 00:37:44,500 --> 00:37:46,833 Local law enforcement goes into action. 835 00:37:46,875 --> 00:37:48,375 [indistinct radio chatter] 836 00:37:48,375 --> 00:37:50,958 - If he had been out for 15 minutes, 837 00:37:51,042 --> 00:37:52,250 then we knew that we had 838 00:37:52,333 --> 00:37:54,667 a 30-mile in diameter area to cover. 839 00:37:54,750 --> 00:37:56,958 If had been out for an hour to two, 840 00:37:57,042 --> 00:37:58,417 then we potentially had 841 00:37:58,500 --> 00:38:02,167 a 120- to 240-mile diameter circle to cover. 842 00:38:02,292 --> 00:38:04,917 It's then a geographic impossibility 843 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:06,875 to seal that area. 844 00:38:06,958 --> 00:38:10,542 - Quawntay has been on the run for almost two hours. 845 00:38:10,625 --> 00:38:14,333 The lone wolf's plan has gone perfectly, 846 00:38:14,417 --> 00:38:16,708 but his introduction to an accomplice 847 00:38:16,833 --> 00:38:18,833 may come at a cost. 848 00:38:18,917 --> 00:38:20,833 ♪ 849 00:38:20,917 --> 00:38:23,542 - We went through all the prisoner logs. 850 00:38:23,542 --> 00:38:24,750 We learned pretty quickly that 851 00:38:24,875 --> 00:38:27,375 Quawntay had made a couple of phone calls to a woman 852 00:38:27,458 --> 00:38:30,125 and had visits from a woman 853 00:38:30,208 --> 00:38:31,333 before the escape, 854 00:38:31,375 --> 00:38:33,000 and her name was Tonya Goodwin. 855 00:38:33,083 --> 00:38:38,625 ♪ 856 00:38:38,708 --> 00:38:40,500 - As soon as we got to the motel, 857 00:38:40,542 --> 00:38:43,333 the first thing Quawntay did was turn on the TV. 858 00:38:43,375 --> 00:38:45,083 All the channels was plastered with it. 859 00:38:45,167 --> 00:38:46,542 That's all you seen. 860 00:38:46,625 --> 00:38:48,667 Breakout, breakout, breakout. 861 00:38:48,792 --> 00:38:50,458 ♪ 862 00:38:50,542 --> 00:38:52,500 - She wanted to stay there at the room with me, 863 00:38:52,625 --> 00:38:54,667 so I told her, "You can't stay here 864 00:38:54,750 --> 00:38:57,167 "because if they see that you're missing, 865 00:38:57,250 --> 00:38:59,125 "you're a willing accomplice. 866 00:38:59,208 --> 00:39:00,708 It's gonna raise a red flag." 867 00:39:00,708 --> 00:39:01,917 ♪ 868 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:06,458 I told her just don't go home until later, 869 00:39:06,542 --> 00:39:08,375 because I knew that once she got home, 870 00:39:08,458 --> 00:39:10,375 they would be there waiting on her. 871 00:39:10,458 --> 00:39:12,375 I called my cousin Rocky. 872 00:39:12,500 --> 00:39:15,917 I told Rock to call one of my other cousins 873 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,917 and they got me a ride coming from Chicago. 874 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:22,292 - Quawntay's access to a vehicle is gone 875 00:39:22,375 --> 00:39:25,333 and his future rides on Tonya's ability 876 00:39:25,417 --> 00:39:27,542 to throw off the authorities. 877 00:39:27,625 --> 00:39:30,000 - I drove home and I just sat there 878 00:39:30,042 --> 00:39:33,750 and the cops were there probably within 15 minutes. 879 00:39:33,833 --> 00:39:35,833 - You're harboring a federal fugitive. 880 00:39:35,875 --> 00:39:38,667 This is potentially prison time for you. 881 00:39:38,750 --> 00:39:39,917 ♪ 882 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:42,125 - It became a pretty forceful interview, 883 00:39:42,208 --> 00:39:44,042 and she gave up the actual location 884 00:39:44,208 --> 00:39:45,792 where she had taken him. 885 00:39:45,875 --> 00:39:47,625 ♪ 886 00:39:47,708 --> 00:39:50,917 - To not go to jail for nobody, not even Quawntay. 887 00:39:51,042 --> 00:39:55,667 ♪ 888 00:39:55,750 --> 00:39:59,250 - Quawntay's greatest fears are realized. 889 00:39:59,375 --> 00:40:02,000 His accomplice cracks under pressure. 890 00:40:02,042 --> 00:40:03,333 ♪ 891 00:40:03,417 --> 00:40:06,167 Police are closing him on him, 892 00:40:06,208 --> 00:40:08,583 and now it's a race against time. 893 00:40:08,667 --> 00:40:11,083 Who will arrive first? 894 00:40:11,167 --> 00:40:15,625 His ride to freedom or his ride back to jail? 895 00:40:15,708 --> 00:40:17,250 ♪ 896 00:40:17,333 --> 00:40:19,500 - Our vehicles drove as fast as we could 897 00:40:19,542 --> 00:40:20,625 to the motel in Wentzville. 898 00:40:20,708 --> 00:40:22,750 ♪ 899 00:40:22,833 --> 00:40:25,625 We quickly approached the room, 900 00:40:25,708 --> 00:40:28,375 got our bearings together ready to hit the door. 901 00:40:28,458 --> 00:40:29,958 - I heard a bunch of noise... 902 00:40:30,083 --> 00:40:31,583 [thudding] 903 00:40:31,667 --> 00:40:35,083 And that's when I knew, like, the cops are out here 904 00:40:35,167 --> 00:40:36,792 and they're coming to get me. 905 00:40:36,875 --> 00:40:38,208 ♪ 906 00:40:38,333 --> 00:40:39,875 - Kicked it open. 907 00:40:39,958 --> 00:40:42,208 ♪ 908 00:40:42,292 --> 00:40:44,500 When we came in, guns out on him, 909 00:40:44,542 --> 00:40:46,000 he was laying in bed. 910 00:40:46,083 --> 00:40:47,417 It reminded me of a child. 911 00:40:47,542 --> 00:40:49,208 He responded like a child would. 912 00:40:49,292 --> 00:40:52,833 He grabbed the sheets and just pulled them up to his nose 913 00:40:52,958 --> 00:40:56,500 as if to hide for the very last time, 914 00:40:56,583 --> 00:40:59,042 but the look in his eyes was, "I'm done. 915 00:40:59,125 --> 00:41:01,917 ♪ 916 00:41:02,042 --> 00:41:04,417 - I just knew everything was over then. 917 00:41:04,500 --> 00:41:06,583 I'm never getting out of prison. 918 00:41:06,667 --> 00:41:08,958 I'm never, ever going to see my daughter. 919 00:41:09,042 --> 00:41:10,167 ♪ 920 00:41:10,250 --> 00:41:12,667 - Quawntay Adams is arrested. 921 00:41:12,708 --> 00:41:14,583 He's sentenced to 35 years 922 00:41:14,708 --> 00:41:17,542 based on his earlier marijuana trafficking charge 923 00:41:17,625 --> 00:41:19,875 and now his attempted escape. 924 00:41:19,958 --> 00:41:23,875 - I'm going to a supermax federal prison 925 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:26,833 where I'm gonna be buried alive until I die. 926 00:41:26,875 --> 00:41:28,417 ♪ 927 00:41:28,542 --> 00:41:32,542 - But the escape artist has one last trick up his sleeve. 928 00:41:32,625 --> 00:41:33,917 - In the beginning, 929 00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:37,458 I focused on finding loopholes in their security. 930 00:41:37,542 --> 00:41:38,750 But ultimately, 931 00:41:38,875 --> 00:41:42,042 I started finding loopholes in the system. 932 00:41:42,125 --> 00:41:43,458 - After being sent 933 00:41:43,542 --> 00:41:45,042 to the Federal Correctional Institution 934 00:41:45,167 --> 00:41:46,958 in Victorville, California, 935 00:41:47,042 --> 00:41:51,417 where was to serve a 35-year term, 936 00:41:51,500 --> 00:41:54,708 Quawntay began the appeal process. 937 00:41:54,792 --> 00:42:00,458 He hired lawyers and soon realized he could go it alone. 938 00:42:00,542 --> 00:42:03,250 He fired his team, hit the books, 939 00:42:03,333 --> 00:42:06,042 and became his own defense attorney. 940 00:42:06,125 --> 00:42:09,000 The observer won his case in federal court 941 00:42:09,042 --> 00:42:13,000 and was released from prison on July 24, 2020, 942 00:42:13,042 --> 00:42:17,333 after serving 16 years of his 35-year sentence. 943 00:42:17,375 --> 00:42:18,833 [upbeat music] 944 00:42:18,917 --> 00:42:21,500 - The jail has granted me immediate release, 945 00:42:21,583 --> 00:42:24,167 and I saw my daughter for the first time 946 00:42:24,250 --> 00:42:25,958 as a free person. 947 00:42:26,042 --> 00:42:27,875 ♪ 948 00:42:27,958 --> 00:42:31,250 - Quawntay took full custody of his daughter 949 00:42:31,375 --> 00:42:33,000 and began a new life. 950 00:42:33,083 --> 00:42:35,750 - When Quawntay Adams won his appeal, 951 00:42:35,833 --> 00:42:38,458 that was the most ultimate prison break 952 00:42:38,458 --> 00:42:40,417 a man could ever want in life. 953 00:42:40,500 --> 00:42:43,333 - Here I am, producing a movie, 954 00:42:43,333 --> 00:42:44,667 published a book, 955 00:42:44,792 --> 00:42:46,917 working with foundations 956 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:49,833 to help prevent other young people 957 00:42:49,875 --> 00:42:52,917 from taking the same road that I did. 958 00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:56,542 - Quawntay Adams offers a rare example 959 00:42:56,667 --> 00:43:01,500 of someone beaten down by life and the system 960 00:43:01,583 --> 00:43:05,458 who in the end, overcomes it all. 961 00:43:05,542 --> 00:43:06,667 ♪