Escaped Georgia prisoner returns to South Florida on parole

Willie Lee Austin back at place where he assumed false identity, opened business

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. ā€“ A former fugitive spoke exclusively with Local 10 News about being a free man for the first time in 34 years and why it took a return to prison to make it possible.

In August, U.S. marshals captured Willie Lee Austin near his Pompano Beach business, coming as a shock to everyone who knew him. Thatā€™s because no one knew him by that name -- not even his children.

"I don't want my kids to think bad of me," he told Local 10's Amy Viteri. "There's a lot of good men out here -- a lot of good people. You just got to give them a chance."

That chance is something Austin didnā€™t think he would get again. He had been living under the name Larry Jackson for more than three decades, had a driverā€™s license and even registered to vote with that name.

Investigators said Austin fled Georgia in 1981 after serving part of a 15-year prison sentence for his part in an armed robbery that took place in 1974. Austin denies details of his role in the crime. He told Viteri he was granted a leave from prison for good behavior to visit family for Christmas, and he never went back.

"I just wanted to better my life," he said.

Austin said he left to be with the woman he loved, who was in an abusive relationship. They came to South Florida, where he opened a business -- LJ Office Furniture -- and raised a son and daughter in Lauderdale Lakes.

But he had no family photos to share. He said he never took any out of fear he would be recognized.

He said the worst part of returning to a Georgia prison was leaving his children with no explanation.

"I wanted to show them your daddy ain't like that," he said. "No matter how many pictures they paint of me, that's not me."

His family never doubted that. His daughter, Shermona Mercer, spoke with Viteri by phone after the arrest.

"I still love him, and this is the past and everybody has a past," she said.

She said her father gave often to charity, spent holidays feeding the homeless near his business and often hired those who couldn't find work because of a troubled past.

"You made sure to reach out and give those people opportunities. Why was that so important to you?" Viteri asked.

"I know how easy it was to destroy my life, so why not help a person before he destroys his life," Austin said.

Austin's attorneys sought to prove, if prisons seek to reform, Austin had already done that. After just four months, Georgia's Board of Pardons and Paroles saw it that way, too.

"The board considered all the facts concerning his crime, his escape and what occurred during his time while on escape, 34 years, and the board determined it would grant parole," a representative told Local 10 News in a statement.

Austin returned home in December to serve the rest of his sentence on parole. For the first time in decades, he said he's free to live without secrets from those he loves the most.

"It meant a lot that my kids could see I'm not a bad person," he said. "And that's the way I want it."

Austin said he is already giving back to the community and hopes to grow his business. He also said he plans to change his name to Larry Jackson as soon as it's legally possible.