Aahana Swrup
Derek Cianfrance’s ‘Roofman’ fictionalizes the wild life story of Jeffrey Manchester, a North Carolina resident, known for his audacious breaking-and-entering robberies. In the late 90s to early 2000s, Manchester committed a string of robberies across multiple states. His usual targets consisted of McDonald’s and other fast food chain restaurants, where he would often corral the employees into walk-in freezers and refrigerators while stealing from the cash registers. Interestingly enough, despite the occasionally violent turn some of his robberies took, the criminal was largely known for his cordial demeanor towards those on the wrong end of his firearm. The authorities captured Manchester in 2000, sending him to prison with a 45-year sentence. However, he managed to escape from the facility, going on the lam. In order to hide from the police, he adopted an alias, John Zorn, and managed to stay hidden inside a Toys “R” Us store for months until his eventual capture.
Leigh Moore’s Cooperation Helped the Police Catch Jeffrey Manchester
Four years after his initial arrest and conviction in 2000, Jeffrey Manchester escaped from Polkton, North Carolina’s Brown Creek Correctional Institution. The planned escape was carried out by fashioning a platform to help him hide in the undercarriage of one of the trucks that came in and out of the prison’s metal shop. Although his jailbreak naturally attracted much attention in the aftermath, the Army veteran managed to ride out the worst of it by hiding out in a Toys “R” Us store in Charlotte. Reportedly, during these days as a fugitive, Manchester made a hideout for himself in a cubbyhole, lived off of candy and baby food, and even messed around with the store’s administrative systems, namely the employees’ schedule, mostly for fun.
Eventually, Manchester ventured out into the city and ended up becoming a familiar face at the Crossroads Presbyterian Church. There, he met Leigh Moore (who went by Wainscott back then), whom he soon began dating. Thus, by day, the fugitive lived under his John Zorn alias, pretending to be a government worker with a highly confidential job, while hiding out at Toys “R” Us by night. During this time, he stole a lot of merchandise from the store to pawn for cash or to simply support the church’s toy drive. Furthermore, he expanded his hideout to an adjoining and abandoned Circuit City store. Months after his escape from prison, Manchester decided to carry out a robbery at the same Toys “R” Us store.
However, things ended up going south when two employees escaped, forcing the robber into an early exit, which led to the discovery of his hideouts by the police. Even though he managed to flee from the scene, evidence led to his discovery as Jeffrey Manchester, aka the Roofman. In the aftermath, the cops asked around and learned about his alias, John Zorn, as well as a number of other details, including his involvement in the arson of a local dentist’s office. From there, the police identified Moore as a point of connection who could lead them to their target. Naturally, the woman was incredibly surprised to learn the truth about her boyfriend and agreed to cooperate. Therefore, she helped them lure Manchester into a trap by playing along with their plans for him to come over for her 40th Birthday celebration. Ultimately, as the unwitting criminal showed up, the authorities were able to arrest him.
Jeffrey Manchester is Currently Serving 35 and 25 Year Prison Sentences
Following his arrest on January 5, 2005, Manchester was once again found guilty of numerous charges. Overall, between his “Roofman” crimes and crimes in Charlotte, he has collected the charges of armed robbery, breaking and entering, arson, and more. For the latter crimes, he received a prison sentence of more than 25 years. On top of that, his previous 35-year-long sentence (of which he served four years in the early 2000s) remains. Notably, these sentences are meant to run concurrently, which means, at the time of writing, Manchester is still expected to be released by/become eligible for parole by 2036. Currently, he’s serving the rest of his sentences at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina. Reportedly, the convict tried to escape from prison two more times in 2009 and 2017, and failed on both occasions.
Jeffrey Manchester Was a Part of Roofman’s Development Process
Initially, when Derek Cianfrance, director and co-writer of ‘Roofman,’ became interested in the project, he wanted the opportunity to speak to the real Jeffrey Manchester. Consequently, the two ended up engaging in regular phone calls that took place three to four times over a week. This correspondence, during which the criminal began calling the filmmaker “Dr. Derek,” helped the latter find the true-to-life details of the case as well as the heart of the story. Notably, learning about Manchester’s nine-year-long experience with solitary confinement, during which he spent his time daydreaming about building a huge house for his family, proved to be an important moment.
Thus, in sharing his story with Cianfrance, entrusting the director to fictionalize it with authenticity, Manchester made a significant contribution to the project’s development. Moreover, he was kept in the loop during the production and even spoke with actor Channing Tatum, who plays his on-screen counterpart in the film. Interestingly enough, the ex-robber was initially skeptical of the casting, wanting someone “uglier” for the role. Nonetheless, he eventually came around to the decision once he got to know the actor. “He’s a wildly charismatic and warm human,” Tatum told People about his phone conversation with Manchester. “He takes care of you on this phone call.”
Reportedly, in his imprisonment, Manchester has caught glimpses of the film and has enjoyed the on-screen portrayal of his story. Additionally, his role as a consultant for the project also brought a reunion of sorts between him and some people from his old days, namely Leigh Moore and Pastor Ron Smith, who both initially knew him as John Zorn. There had never been much bad blood between Moore and Manchester, and the former has since moved on with her life, happily remarried. Likewise, Smith has always believed in allowing Manchester some grace. Therefore, their connection to the film has allowed them to fall back into regular contact with the man.
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