Murder At The Binibon

Jack Henry Abbott spent nearly his entire life behind bars. Sent to a Utah reform school at nine, he was later arrested and convicted of forgery shortly after his release. During his sentence at the Utah state penitentiary, he killed an inmate in 1966, claiming self-defense, which nevertheless resulted in an additional 14-year sentence. In 1971, Abbott fled from incarceration and committed a bank robbery in Denver, only to be apprehended later.

While incarcerated again, Abbott learned of Norman Mailer’s project on Gary Gilmore, who was awaiting execution in Utah, and started sending Mailer detailed letters about his alleged mistreatment behind bars. Mailer, who strangely thought that Abbott had talent as a writer, persuaded the New York Review of Books to publish some of his letters. Subsequently, Random House published Abbott’s book, “In the Belly of the Beast.” Pointing out Abbott’s potential in writing, Mailer proposed to hire him as a researcher, and with his backing, on June 5, 1981, Abbott was released to a halfway house in New York City.

Now released, and finding himself embraced by the New York literary scene, Abbott nevertheless felt more at ease among the petty criminals of the city’s Lower East Side. A mere six weeks post-parole, Abbott instigated a confrontation with waiter Richard Adan at the Bonibon restaurant, fatally stabbing him in the chest. Fleeing to a small village in Mexico, but his inability to communicate in Spanish hindered him there, so he was forced to return to the United States.

Deciding to return in a different area, he thought that perhaps he could escape detection. Nevertheless, an extensive search ensued, and Abbott was ultimately captured in the Louisiana oil fields after a two-month chase. The manhunt started when he killed Richard Adan at the Binibon restaurant in New York City on July 18 was finally over. At that time of the murder, Abbott was on parole, a privilege granted in part because of author Norman Mailer’s support of his considerable writing talent, which convinced the authorities. Unfortunately for Adan, the writing skills Abbott had, didn’t do anything to curb his anger.

Incredibly, back in New York, Abbott received the minimum sentence for the murder of Adan. He was sentenced to a mere 15 years to life…partly due to Mailer’s plea for leniency to the court. Mailer believed that “culture is worth a little risk.” I seriously doubt that Adan or his family would agree. As a result of his ability to get off easy, Abbott gained further notoriety, and his book achieved bestseller status. In the end, I suppose one could say that justice was finally served when Abbott took his own life in prison on February 10, 2002.