Barefoot Bandit: "Anyone Else Would Have Died"

Barefoot Bandit: “Anyone Else Would Have Died”

Editorial Staff

Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Colton Harris-Moore, who stole five airplanes, showed a stark contrast between his remorseful courtroom demeanor and prison emails, where he praised his piloting skills and used derogatory terms for law enforcement.
In monitored correspondence, Harris-Moore boasted about his ability to fly multiple aircraft, including a thousand-mile flight, often in challenging conditions and without formal training, stating confidence that others would have failed.
His attorney argues prosecutors cherry-picked negative statements from 1,500 pages of communications, asserting that most content shows remorse and that Harris-Moore's actions are influenced by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and a difficult upbringing.
The defense is seeking a 70-month sentence and $1.4 million in restitution, which may be covered by a reported movie deal, contrasting with the 78-month term sought by prosecutors.

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In his courtroom appearances, Colton Harris-Moore, the late-teen who stole five airplanes as part of a two-year crime spree, appeared to be remorseful, but he saved his self-praise and color commentary for later, according to new reports. E-mails Harris-Moore sent from prison were monitored by authorities and detailed in a memorandum filed by federal prosecutors ahead of a hearing scheduled to take place in a Seattle court, Friday, Jan. 27. According to that document, the young man referred to police and the prosecution as “fools” and “swine,” among more colorful language. Harris-Moore’s attorney argues the clips are representative of isolated emotions cherry-picked from personal correspondence to negatively impact her client. As released, the e-mails appear to show the young thief had a distinctly more positive opinion of himself and, specifically, of his piloting abilities.

Writing about the aircraft thefts, Harris-Moore said, “I, as a teenager with no formal education in aviation was not only able to pilot multiple aircraft, fly one over a thousand miles to the Bahamas.” He goes on to say that four out of five of those aircraft were “flown through inclement weather or night time — or both, again, without any formal training.” Says Harris-Moore, “I am confident that anyone else would have died.” The young man’s attorney, Emma Scanlon, said prosecutors picked the statements from 1,500 pages of e-mails and phone transcripts that she says mostly show her client’s remorse. “They seem to have been unable to find an e-mail that shows lack of remorse toward his victims,” Scanlon said. Harris-Moore suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, according to his attorney. Scanlon said the condition makes her client impulsive and while he may be angry with prosecutors and a sheriff, “he’s working through his feelings about what’s going on,” the L.A. Times.com reported. Harris-Moore’s upbringing, which was far less than ideal, has also been explored in his defense. Scanlon is hoping for a 70-month sentence for Harris-Moore (as opposed to the 78-month term sought by prosecutors) plus $1.4 million in restitution for victims. That amount could be paid from the movie deal Harris-Moore reportedly signed in December with 20th Century Fox.