The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas has announced that 79-year-old Putnam Darwin Richardson, of Orange, has been sentenced to 24 years and 6 months in federal prison.
If he lives long enough, he'll be 103-years-old when he's released.
Prosecutors say Richardson appeared before U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to charges of Kidnapping and Brandishing a Firearm.
In July of 2024, Richardson kidnapped Beaumont attorney Mel Shelander at gunpoint and he then called Shelander’s wife demanding $1 million dollars for his release, or he would kill Shelander if his demand wasn’t met.
Two days later law enforcement officers found Richardson still holding Shelander at gunpoint at a location in Louisiana.
This is Richardson’s second conviction for kidnapping. He was convicted of the same crime in the 1980s and served prison time.
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