In this and other discussions of this there have been several wrong explanations of why he was released from prison. Here is what actually happened. His senten

In this and other discussions of this there have been several wrong explanations of why he was released from prison. Here is what actually happened. His sentence was for 30 years with 16 suspended, which in effect means a 14 year sentence with the possibility of the other 16 becoming unsuspended if after release he violated the conditions of his release. Inmates in Maryland can earn credits through good behavior, successful participation in work programs, and successful participation in educational programs. These credits knock time off their sentence. You can earn up to 30 days worth of credits in a month if your crime was not violent, was not a large drug crime, and wasn't a sex crime. You cannot earn credits if your crime was a sex crime with a victim under 16. His crime was between those two extemes, allowing up to 20 days of a credit per month. He was able to earn close to that, so after 9 years he had enough credits to cover the remaining 5 years on his 14.