A violet thug? Looks black to me. :)
And black privilege is probably the reason he was out. However, I didn't see anything in the article that he was released but should not have been released from jail/prison. Any data?
When Snoopy was infatuated with the novels of Miss Helen Sweetstory (before he discovered she had a lot of cats), one of her books he enjoyed was The Six Bunny-Wunnies and their Layover in Anderson, Indiana.