of life in prison. Mailer agreed and helped to publish In the Belly of the Beast, a book concerning life in the prison system consisting of Abbott's letters to Mailer. Mailer endorsed Abbott's attempts to gain parole. Abbott was released to parole in June 1981, despite the misgivings of prison officials, one of whom questioned Abbott's mental state and whether he was rehabilitated, saying, "I thought ... that Mr. Abbott was a dangerous individual ... I didn't see a changed man. His attitude, his demeanor indicated psychosis." After leaving prison, Abbott went to a halfway house in New York City and made the acquaintance of some of Mailer's literary friends. Manslaughter and return to prison At about 5 a.m. on July 18, 1981, six weeks after being paroled from prison, Abbott and two women, Véronique de St. André and Susan Roxas, went to a small cafe named the Binibon, located at 79 Second Avenue in Manhattan. Richard Adan, the owner's 22-year-old playwright/actor son-in-law, was there working as a waiter. Abbott got up from his table and asked Adan to direct him to the bathroom. Adan explained that the bathroom could be accessed only through the kitchen, and because the restaurant did not have accident insurance for customers, only employees could use the bathroom. Abbott argued with him. Adan led him outside to a dumpster, on 5th St, outside the restaurant, to urinate, and Abbott stabbed Adan to death. The next day, unaware of Abbott's crime, the New York Times published Anatole Broyard's review of In the Belly of the Beast. Fleeing to Louisiana, after some time in hiding, Abbott was recognized by a business owner, and he was detained until the police arrived to arrest him in Morgan City, Louisiana. Abbott was working as a roughneck in an oilfield. He was charged with Adan's murder and represented by a well-known defense attorney Ivan Fisher. At his trial in January 1982, Abbott gained the endorsement of such celebrities as a writer Jerzy Kosinski. He was convicted of manslaughter but acquitted of murder, and sentenced to 15 years to life. Apart from the advance fee of $12,500, Abbott did not receive any revenue from In the Belly of the Beast. Adan's widow successfully sued Abbott for $7.5 million in damages, which meant she would receive all the money from the book's sales. Mailer was criticized for his role in getting Abbott released