A convicted murderer is back behind bars. Naomis Winfrey was arrested by U.S. Marshal's Wednesday night after he cut off his ankle monitor and left his home Monday morning.
Winfrey was sentenced in 1993 to 25 years to life on charges of first-degree murder, burglary and theft in Pima County. He was paroled July 30 to house arrest.
"He was allowed to go grocery shopping. It was just kind of awesome to see all these things that he could do," said Paula White, Winfrey's mother. "His 18-year-old brother teaching him how to use the phone."
White said her 45-year-old son had big plans.
"His five-year goal was to open up a restaurant," she said.
He also planned to produce cooking videos and potentially write a screenplay he hoped to pitch to Netflix.
Winfrey may have thrown it all away though after he cut off his ankle monitor and violated his house arrest.
Mom said it started after a welcome home party.
"He had a beer. It is a violation of his parole," she said, noting later that it was multiple beers.
For some unknown reason, Winfrey's parole officer made him take a random urine test the next day. Then called him into the office on Monday.
"He didn’t want me to go with him, that he prefer I stay home in case they violated him. So that I wouldn’t see them take him away," said White.
Winfrey, who was convicted of murdering a man in Tuscon in 1992, never went to see his parole officer.
"He cut off the ankle monitor out of panic," said White. "He freaked out. He lost it."
The parole officer called Paula to tell her that her son had made a major mistake.
"I felt like my life is going to end. I felt like my son was being taken away from me again," she said.
U.S. Marshals arrested Winfrey in Phoenix less than 72 hours later.
"He didn’t have a dime in his pocket," White said.
White thinks her son should remain free on house arrest, but that reality is highly unlikely.
The Department of Corrections said Winfrey's house arrest would likely be revoked in a few weeks.
He will have to continue serving his original life sentence and hope for parole again in the distant future. New charges will also be filed in connection to cutting off the ankle monitor.
In a few weeks, Winfrey will have a chance to explain to the Clemency Board why he fled home arrest.
