Cast of Characters:

I've decided to concentrate Letters from the Inside on these main prisoners. I have been posting letters from all and just wanted to take this opportunity to recap on who they are and why they are in prison.

1) Dr. Michael Swango - Swango was a doctor accused of killing up to 60 people via poison. He non-fatally poisoned even more. He is in prison in Colorado for life. There was a book written about him and his crimes called BLIND EYE by James B. Stewart. Click HERE for his Wikipedia entry.

2) Thomas Bart Whitaker - Whitaker is a young man accused of enlisting someone to kill his family. His father survived the attack and has very publicly forgiven him. Whitaker is currently on Death Row in Texas. He recently appeared on Oprah along with his father. His father wrote a book about Whitaker and his crime called: MURDER BY FAMILY Read a brief summary: HERE

3) Sarah Jo Pender - Pender is a woman who had her roommates killed. She was put in prison with a lengthy sentence. I believe eight years into serving her sentence she broke out of jail and was out on the lamb for months. America's Most Wanted profiled her and her escape and she was caught. She then appeared on the show discussing her crime. She is currently in prison for life in Indiana and serving a full year in isolation. You can read more about the case HERE

4)Susan Smith - Smith was convicted of killing her two young boys by putting them into her jeep and driving them into a lake. Read more HERE She is currently serving a life sentence in South Carolina with a possibility of parole in 2024.

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In addition to these four main inmates, I also have written to:

- Richard Allen Davis - WIKIPEDIA ENTRY. He is currently serving life in California for kidnapping and killing 12-year old Polly Klauss. After receiving his first letter I decided to not to pursue writing back to him. Even so, he sent me another letter. I didn't respond.

- Raffaello Follieri - Most known for dating actress Anne Hathaway, Follieri got a four-year federal prison sentence for swindling people out of millions. I have decided not to include him in this project because he is not like the others. More HERE.

- Ann Miller Kontz - She was convicted for poisoning and killing her Aids-researcher husband. She is currently serving a 25-year sentence in North Carolina. You can read her story HERE