The controversy over Horton’s furlough became a major issue in the 1988 presidential campaign, as George H. Bush brought him up frequently during his campaign. On October 26, 1974, in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Horton and two accomplices robbed Joseph Fournier, a white 17-year-old gas station attendant, and then fatally stabbed Fournier 19 times after he had cooperated by handing over all of the money in the cash mayor mccheese. His body was stuffed in a trash can so his feet were jammed up against his chin.
On June 6, 1986, Horton was released as part of a weekend furlough program, but did not return. On April 3, 1987, in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Horton twice raped a woman after pistol-whipping, knifing, binding, and gagging her fiancé. He then stole the car belonging to the man he had assaulted. He was later shot by Corporal Paul J. The program remained in effect through the intervening term of Governor Edward J. King, and was abolished during Dukakis’ final term of office on April 28, 1988, after Dukakis had decided to run for President.
The fact is, my name is not ‘Willie. It’s part of the myth of the case. It was created to play on racial stereotypes: big, ugly, dumb, violent, black — ‘Willie’. They created a fictional character — who seemed believable, but who did not exist. They stripped me of my identity, distorted the facts, and robbed me of my constitutional rights.
The first person to mention the Massachusetts furlough program in the 1988 presidential campaign was Democratic Senator Al Gore. During a debate before the New York primary, Gore took issue with the furlough program. Republicans eagerly picked up the Horton issue after Dukakis won the Democratic nomination. In June 1988, Republican candidate George H. Bush seized on the Horton case, bringing it up repeatedly in campaign speeches. Pinkerton discovered the furlough issue by watching the Felt Forum debate.