Home / Crime and Justice / Lawyer's love: Client escape ends in jail
Lawyer's love: Client escape ends in jail
25 Jul
Summary
- Attorney Mary Evans aided inmate Tim Kirk's escape from prison.
- Evans met Kirk while defending him for murder charges.
- She was sentenced to three years for her role in the escape.
In 1983, Knoxville attorney Mary Evans, 27, made a life-altering decision to aid her client, Tim Kirk, in his escape from Brushy Mountain prison. Kirk was serving a 65-year sentence for armed robbery and facing murder charges. Evans, who had made numerous extensive visits to the prison, pulled a pistol during Kirk's psychological examination, allowing him to bind guards and a therapist.
The duo fled in Evans's car, using their combined savings and adopting new identities. During their near five-month evasion, Kirk was convicted in absentia for voluntary manslaughter and escape-related charges. They were eventually apprehended by the FBI in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Upon her sentencing in 1985, defense psychiatrists testified that Evans suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and hallucinations. However, Tennessee circuit court Judge Buddy Scott showed no leniency, sentencing her to three years for plotting the escape and continuing to live with Kirk. Evans served 11 months of her sentence.
