Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Sebastian Smith, Hulu’s ‘Girl on the Run: The Hunt for America’s Most Wanted Woman’ is a documentary series living up to its title in every way conceivable. It revisits the tale of convicted double murderer Sarah Pender, who managed to escape a maximum security prison in Indiana in the summer of 2008 and remained free for nearly 140 days before finally being recaptured. Her initial accomplice was a correctional officer named Scott Spitler and a former cellmate turned friend turned lover named Jamie Long, who admittedly hoped their efforts wouldn’t be in vain.
Jamie Long and Sarah Pender Were More Than Just Friends
Jamie Long is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, who had reproducibly been in and out of trouble with the law almost her entire life by the late 2000s. In fact, according to records, she had between 12 and 15 convictions by that point, most of which were on misdemeanor charges and didn’t really result in her having a lot of prison time. However, she had ended up in Marion County Jail in 2001, which is when she had first come across Sarah Pender. The latter was awaiting trial in connection with the double homicide of her roommates, Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman, alongside her then-boyfriend, Richard “Rick” Hull.
Jamie and Sarah got to know one another during this period and then even better while they were incarcerated at the Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis shortly after. As per their own accounts, they started a sexual relationship during this period that gradually transformed into genuine affection, care, friendship, and love between them. In fact, despite their almost 20-year age difference, Jamie even referred to Sarah as her “wife.” The former was soon released, but their connection persisted as she stood by her emotionally during her trial and then even visited her when she was convicted of the double homicide, sentenced to 110 years in prison, and incarcerated at the Rockville Correctional Facility.
According to Sarah’s account, “what started as a sexual relationship became a deep friendship between (me and Jamie)… I trusted that she would be there for me whenever I got out. One of the things that made me fall in love with Jamie was that she was very defiant, and I admired her guts. Jamie was down for anything. She liked risks, and she liked me.” Therefore, when Sarah decided that she wanted to escape prison and live a free life, she knew she needed trusted accomplices to help her out, and Jamie was among the first people she trusted with it. The latter had managed to attain her own freedom and would be risking a lot, but the convict believed she would take risks for her and their connection.
Jamie Long Willingly Risked Her Own Freedom to Help Sarah Pender Escape
Sarah’s escape was planned for August 4, 2008, and it went quite smoothly as she went to the prison’s gym and changed into civilian clothing provided by correctional officer Scott Spitler. Even though the latter was a married father, they were engaged in a sexual relationship, and he had agreed to help her escape in exchange for $15,000. After she had changed, she simply walked to the fueling area, where Scott was already waiting for her with a van. He ordered her to get inside and hide before driving out of the gate, towards the parking lot, and where Jamie was already waiting for them in her car. Jamie then drove her away, already having some supplies ready until they reached a safe house – a cellphone and some cash.
Jamie left Sarah to get a cell phone, hair dye, and more cash, yet she couldn’t return because officials had already figured out that the inmate had escaped and was close to Jamie. They questioned her extensively, but she denied having any knowledge of the double murderer’s escape or her current whereabouts. However, things changed the next day after Scott was apprehended for his role in the escape, as he confessed to the details before incriminating Jamie, too. So, the US Marshals showed up at her doorstep again, and this time she had no choice but to reveal that while she had helped her love yesterday, she had no idea where she was now.
Jamie even called Sarah right in front of them, but the latter alleges that she made it clear through some false comments about where she had dropped her off that the authorities had gotten involved. Therefore, although she gave the US Marshals Sarah’s number and even arranged for a meet-up, things didn’t pan out as the convict soon ditched the cell phone and then failed to show up at the meeting spot. As a result, on August 7, 2008, Jamie was charged with aiding Sarah’s escape, to which she pleaded guilty 11 days later, on August 11. In a prison interview sometime later, Jamie revealed, “I’m going to be perfectly honest with you, I told her, ‘Don’t look back.’ I loved her enough to let her go,” before admitting she wants her to never be found and be free forever.
After Serving Time in Prison, Jamie Long Prefers to Lead a Quiet Life Today
Jamie Long was 46 on October 7, 2008, when she was sentenced to 7 years in prison for her role in helping Sarah escape. Her elderly husband testified on her behalf during her sentencing hearing, but her confirmed 1990 conviction for cocaine possession, 2004 conviction of operating while intoxicated, and reports of other misdemeanors indicated she was a repeat offender. Therefore, she was not granted any leniency. Jamie appealed her sentence, alleging the court failed to consider her cooperation with law enforcement as a mitigating circumstance, but it was denied because she had only done so after being faced with Scott’s confession. Therefore, she remained in prison until she was released on parole on August 25, 2013, following which she chose to stay well away from the limelight for privacy reasons. From what we can tell, she also hasn’t been in trouble with the law since.
You must be logged in to post a comment.