LARRY HOOVER SPEAKS AFTER 25 YEARS: “THAT MAN NO LONGER EXISTS”

For the first time in 25 years, Larry Hoover — the man once known as the founder of the Gangster Disciples — is speaking out publicly, this time not as a gang leader, but as an aging man pleading for clemency and redemption. In an exclusive obtained by ABC News, Hoover’s words offer a rare and deeply reflective look at how he views his past, his punishment, and what he hopes for in the time he has left.

“People, when writing about me in the papers, always use photos of me depicting the way I appeared 40 years ago, as if I’m still a young, strong and rebellious gang leader. That man no longer exists,” Hoover wrote in a typed letter to the judge. “I have been involved, and in fact, had initiated, I cannot avoid taking responsibility… I cannot help but to have immense remorse.”

Hoover’s letter carries the tone of a man who’s lived through five decades of confinement — more than 25 of those years in near-total isolation. He wrote about the weight of his actions, acknowledging how his choices once hurt Chicago, his community, and himself. “I wasted my talents,” he admitted, explaining that he now wants nothing to do with the criminal life “now and forever.”

What’s striking in his statement is not just remorse, but a deep sense of time — and what it’s done to him. Hoover said most men his age are trying to steer others away from crime, and that’s what he wants to dedicate his remaining years to doing. He even mentioned a promise to his late mother, saying he doesn’t want to waste what time he has left.

His lawyers describe him as a man transformed. They filed a clemency petition arguing that after half a century behind bars, Hoover has fulfilled the purpose of punishment. He’s reportedly completed over 100 educational and rehabilitation programs, avoided serious disciplinary issues, and serves as one of the few remaining inmates under Illinois’ old indeterminate sentencing system — meaning there’s no set release date unless the parole board decides otherwise.

It’s a system that’s kept Hoover behind bars while others with similar charges — like his co-defendant Andrew Howard, who was paroled over 30 years ago — have long been released. His legal team calls it “continued punishment without purpose.”

But not everyone agrees he should be free. When the Illinois Parole Board denied his release in 2022, it said letting him out “would not be in the interest of public safety,” and could “promote a lack of respect for the law.”

Still, Hoover’s new words have reignited conversations across Chicago and beyond. About redemption. About aging. About justice systems that hold people long after they’ve changed.

If his letter shows anything, it’s that Larry Hoover wants to be remembered not for what he built decades ago — but for what he’s trying to undo before his time runs out.