Bernice Bowen, convicted in the rampage of Hank Earl Carr that left her son and three officers dead, is scheduled to be released from prison in October.
She had been sentenced to more than 21 years in prison in the fatal spree.
In an account by the St. Petersburg Times, the tragic events of May 19, 1998, began when Bowen's 4-year-old son, Joey Bennett, was shot to death in the Tampa apartment she shared with Carr.
Carr told police that an assault rifle accidentally discharged, killing the boy.
After being handcuffed and taken into custody in Sulphur Springs, Carr used the hidden key to free himself. He grabbed the gun of Tampa detective Ricky Childers' gun and killed him and his partner, Randy Bell. He also gunned down rookie Florida Highway Patrol Trooper James "Brad" Crooks before killing himself in a gas station near State Road 50 in Hernando County.
