PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — David “Joey” Pedersen spent nearly half his life in prison, building a lengthy rap sheet that includes a conviction for repeatedly hitting a prison guard in the face with a hot iron. He also threatened to kill a federal judge and committed a litany of other crimes including robbery and assault.
But his crimes were never deemed serious enough to warrant a sentence longer than a few years, and Pedersen walked out of prison on May 24 a free man.
He was actually let out three months early for good behavior, despite the fact that he was in prison in the first place for attacking a guard.
Pedersen is now again behind bars, suspected in a murder spree that left four people dead in three Western states.
