Jamel D. Hatcher Continues His Unrelenting Quest for Early Release From Prison

Content warning: This article mentions murder.

Back in May 2005, Jamel D. Hatcher murdered the mother of his child, Danielle Boone. He found a shotgun and killed her in an apartment on Sunnyslope in Maple Heights, Ohio.

Danielle Boone died instantly, but Hatcher tried to play it off as an accident, blaming his intoxication. Almost three years later, he pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter to avoid a trial and secure a lighter sentence.

In February 2008, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. With that in mind, here's what we know about Jamel D. Hatcher today, including his projected release date.

At the time of writing, Hatcher is serving his sentence at Richland Correctional Institution in Mansfield, Ohio, while still maintaining that Danielle's death was a total accident. He is awaiting a decision from the prosecution, with his parole eligibility date set for late 2025.

Despite this, Hatcher seems fixated on securing an early release, backed by Danielle's grandparents, his wife, and his daughter, Chyanne. Ironically, in 2011, he reached out to Danielle's grandparents, Ernest and Janet Jenkins, to express his remorse and guilt.

Three years later, in 2014, Hatcher reportedly launched The Danielle Project, supposedly aimed at addressing toxic masculinity — something he claimed to have recognized in himself. In 2016, he began actively campaigning for early release, touting his so-called good behavior during his time in prison.

A few years later, the inmate reached out to his friend Janae Bates, a communications director for a faith-based community in Minnesota, seeking her support in his quest for early release. They had known each other since he was 16, so their "friendship" eventually took a turn and blossomed into a romantic relationship. They tied the knot on March 3, 2021, with Danielle's grandparents in attendance via video call.

On Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, Season 5 of Netflix's docuseries I Am a Killer premiered, with the first episode focusing on Hatcher. The episode, titled "Redemption," explores Hatcher's claims of turning his life around by helping fellow inmates.

However, many viewers remain skeptical about the authenticity of his rehabilitation. In fact, the show's subreddit is filled with doubt regarding Hatcher's narrative.

"This guy is guilty," one person stated, adding, "This man is nowhere near done hurting women/girls."

Another user agreed, saying, "There's no way you would leave your 33-week-old baby alone with their dead mother and go sleep with another woman for an alibi if it was an accident. Then to deny it and all of a sudden he's a good person? How are they all falling for it?"

"[I] don't buy his story either. Easy to say it was an accident. If was an accident you don't run and try to get out of it," a third Redditor added. "Feel like everything he is doing in prison is calculated in an attempt to gain early release."

They continued, "He definitely shouldn't be allowed to run a project called the Danielle project. If I was Danielle's family, [I] would never want him to get out. Hopefully, Janae doesn't become another Danielle but I wouldn't be surprised if she did, unfortunately."