Sad Story Of A Man Who Stayed 67 years In Prison And Refused To Be Released After Being Pardoned

Mary Akanbi

8th August, 2022

Do you ever imagine what it would be like to spend the next 67 years locked away? The story of Joseph Ligon's life reads like this. After being found guilty on two counts of murder, Mr. Ligon was given a life sentence in a Philadelphia prison.

At the tender age of fifteen, Joseph Ligon's story begins. Given that he was accused of killing two people when he was only 15, Ligon had never known true freedom.

The date was February 20th, 1953. At a party, Ligon and his four pals allegedly robbed eight people, stabbing two to death.

More than 67 years into his sentence, he still refused parole in 2016.

Despite this, Ligon did not apply for parole, which would have resulted in his release from prison under close supervision to ensure he did not get into any more trouble.

Ligon, according to his lawyer, did not submit a parole application because he did not think he deserved release after serving 67 years of a life sentence.

Another chance presented itself to him in 2016, but he turned it down for the same reasons he had in the past. At the time, he was 83 years old.

If Joseph Ligon was released, he would be free to go about his life without being monitored by the government.

He refused parole while his fellow inmates accepted it with open arms. Given that he had spent practically all of his life behind bars, some even speculated that he had become acclimated to prison life.

He was released from prison at age 83, but that hasn't stopped him from admitting his guilt. He claimed he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.