This week, we are stepping away from the grim and the gruesome to explore one of the most bizarre, darkly comedic true crime stories in history.

​Meet Steven Jay Russell, the "King Con."

He didn't use shivs, explosives, or violence to beat the Texas justice system.

Armed with a 163 IQ and weaponized confidence, Steven conned his way into a corporate CFO position, embezzled $800,000 to fund a luxurious lifestyle for the man he loved, and then proceeded to walk out of prison four separate times using nothing but a walkie-talkie, a telephone, a typewriter, and a box of green highlighters.

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​Sources & Further Reading

• ​I Love You Phillip Morris: A True Story of Life, Love, and Prison Breaks by Steve McVicker – The definitive investigative book on Steven Jay Russell’s life, crimes, and escapes (and the basis for the 2009 film).
• ​The Houston Chronicle (Archives: 1996–1998) – Contemporary local reporting on the North American Medical Management embezzlement and the resulting Texas manhunts.
• ​Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) – Public offender data and parole review records documenting his initial 144-year sentence, his time in solitary confinement at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit, and his subsequent July 2024 parole release.
• ​On the Run (Discovery Channel / Investigation Discovery) – Televised documentary featuring interviews with the actual Texas authorities and U.S. Marshals who were tasked with hunting down the "bogus corpse."

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