At first I thought Gary From Chicago and his fiancé would make for a great reality show, but this is becoming a made for hollywood story. It turns out Gary Alan Coe was released from prison three days before appearing on the Academy Awards. Coe served 20 years.
"His attorney, public defender Karen Nash, posted on Facebook that he had received a life sentence in 1997 for stealing perfume. In California, offenders convicted of multiple crimes can face harsher sentencing."
While paying his debt to society, he said he found Vickie Vines, his fiancee, and religion.
"Change is possible. It's a sad day to be in prison for 20 years and not be able to be a dad, granddad to your children. You know what my son told me today, man, and I almost come to tears. He said he's proud of me. So to hear your children say that they're proud of me means the world to me," Coe said.