Thomas Edward Silverstein | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Thomas Edward Conway February 4, 1952 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Died | (aged 67) Lakewood, Colorado, U.S.[1] |
| Other names | Terrible Tom, Tommy |
| Known for | Former leader of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder (18 U.S.C. § 1111) (3 counts) Robbery (18 U.S.C. § 2111) |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3–4 |
Span of crimes | 1980–1983 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Illinois |
Thomas Edward Silverstein (born Thomas Edward Conway; February 4, 1952 – May 11, 2019) was an American criminal who spent the last 42 years of his life in prison after being convicted of four separate murders while imprisoned for armed robbery, one of which was overturned.[2] Silverstein spent the last 36 years of his life in solitary confinement for killing corrections officer Merle Clutts at the Marion Penitentiary in Illinois. Prison authorities described him as a brutal killer and a former leader of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang. Silverstein maintained that the dehumanizing conditions inside the prison system contributed to the three murders he committed. He was the longest-held prisoner in solitary confinement within the Bureau of Prisons at the time of his death.[3] Correctional officers refused to talk to Silverstein out of respect for Clutts.[4]
- ^ Prendergast, Alan (May 13, 2019). "Thomas Silverstein, America's Most Isolated Prisoner, Dead at 67". Westword.
- ^ Prendergast, Alan (August 16, 2007). "The Caged Life". Denver Westword. Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- ^ "America's Most Dangerous Prisoner?" BBC News August 2001
- ^ "America's most dangerous prisoner?". August 10, 2001. Retrieved March 3, 2022.