Pheo television series have risen to
heights achieved by Vince Gilligan's
Breaking Bad not only did it survive the
writers strike of 2007-2008 but over its
five season run it earned 16 Primetime
Emmys among countless other Awards and
became one of the highest-rated TV
series of all time yeah this is white
yes science with a spin-off series and
film to its name and considering its
enduring pop culture legacy Breaking Bad
is undeniably among the greatest and
most influential series in television
history who would have thought that the
story of a high school science teacher
cooking meth in Albuquerque New Mexico
would resonate with so many viewers
around the world
so beyond how does it feel to be a
smartass good let's get one thing
straight Breaking Bad is a work of
fiction creator Vince Gilligan began
with the simple concept of starting a
series with a protagonist and having
them evolve into an antagonist
eventually this idea would evolve into
the series we know and love today
without ever drawing direct inspiration
from real life figures I am NOT in
danger Skyler I am the danger with that
being said a life has a tendency to
imitate art and vice-versa and sure
enough there are a number of cases out
there that bear a striking resemblance
to the basic premise of Breaking Bad in
2013 a Montana man by the name of Walter
White received a 12-year sentence when
he was arrested after having distributed
an estimated 32 pounds of meth funnily
enough it was only when he got in an
argument with his son one that resulted
in gunshots that the police managed to
bring his operation to a halt
who knew that building a meth Empire
would cause a rift between father and
son
well family more recently in 2017 a
former high school science teacher in
New Mexico was handed a nine-year
sentence after being caught cooking
methamphetamines and in 2019 two college
professors at Henderson State University
in Arkadelphia Arkansas were arrested
for cooking meth in the universe
science lab prophetically the college
newspaper had once nicknamed one of the
men Henderson's Heisenberg yeah sure but
of all of the real-world Heisenberg's
out there
none bring to mind Bryan Cranston's
character quite as vividly as walter
eddie white of McCaul alabama while the
aforementioned crooks likely took
inspiration from vince gilligan series
or were at least aware of it this man's
career predates the TV character with
whom he shares a name and profession my
name is Walter Hawaii and I'm a mess
cook and for ten years I had the best
meth and Alabama Breaking Bad premiered
in 2008 and by that point in time
Alabama's Walter White was already many
years deep into running his very own
meth Empire did you learn nothing from
my chemistry class no you flunked me
like his small screen counterpart Walter
White was a family man with a wife and
kids rather than teaching science he did
construction weekends were for playing
catch and having family barbecues he
originally started cooking meth as a
side hustle but quickly found that it
was not only easy money but that he also
had a real knack for it he might not
have had a cancer diagnosis to contend
with but white nonetheless had a family
to provide for and these extra earnings
theoretically meant a better life for
them you need to understand one more
time that you did this for the family I
did it for me because the meth he was
producing was of such superior quality
to that of the competition it was in
high demand and so he progressively went
from cooking in the evenings to doing it
full-time
before long white had quietly built
himself a meth Empire that was
generating thousands of dollars a day
like Heisenberg his operation started
small instead of an RV he cooked out of
a small shed and again like Heisenberg
he eventually needed to upgrade to a
bigger space that would also help them
steer clear of authorities and so he and
his partner moved production to a ranch
territory while Heisenberg's method is
quite sophisticated Walter a white kept
things simple even as output increased
the fact of the matter is he had a
straightforward method involving iodine
crystals and he knew how to give the
meth a bump that seemingly no other
producer east of the Mississippi could
compete with and while he never
developed a fancy alter ego white played
it smart he was in business for many
years managing to build his empire
without drawing attention to himself he
was the cook and his partner handled the
distribution significantly reducing his
risk but you know the business and I
know the chemistry unfortunately as fans
of the series know all too well building
a meth Empire however good your
intentions or careful you may be never
ends well Walter E White was making a
fortune but the business changed him and
took its toll on him personally
his wife eventually divorced him and his
relationship with his children got to
the point that he and his eldest son
with whom he worked in construction
stopped speaking altogether though his
personal life was falling apart business
was still booming so like his small
screen counterpart white became consumed
by his criminal endeavor this business
is all I have left now the inevitable
finally happened in 2008 despite trying
to keep a low profile
the reputation of his meth drew the
attention of the authorities in a very
Breaking Bad type moment Walter White
got a call from his problem solving type
lawyer warning him that the cops were
catching on and so white did the smart
thing and stopped cooking but his
partner wasn't willing to call it quits
just yet and ultimately brought the heat
down on both of them Walter E White was
arrested in Tuscaloosa County in 2003
and charged with trafficking among other
related charges
his partner Sammy was busted multiple
times and ultimately earned himself two
life sentences he got me white managed
to score probation but he was too deep
into the world of meth and so he
ultimately wound up getting arrested on
similar charges in biven County in 2012
when he missed his court date
he earned himself a place on the
sheriff's most-wanted list with two
million dollars bond to boot Walter a
white the one-time meth kingpin of
Alabama had hit rock bottom I know she
ated negotiate yes what does that mean
by all rights that could have been the
end of Walter e White's life as he knew
it but for whatever reason the judge
took pity on white and reduced his bond
to just ten thousand dollars so that he
could seek treatment while Bryan
Cranston's terminally ill Walter White
went out in a blaze of glory
Walter a white got a second chance a
group of individuals from his son's
church community
pitched in to pay his bond he was
admitted to the foundry rescue mission
and recovery in Bessemer Alabama where
he turned over a new leaf during this
time he also reconnected with his
estranged family including his eldest
son and granddaughter between his family
and the foundry Walter a white seemingly
found a new lease on life my family's
there they got jobs and laughs I won't
be hurting at this time White's case
received national attention in December
2013 when he was the subject of a vice
documentary at the time he was still
awaiting trial
however he since had his day in court
and all things considered he came out
pretty well
everybody wins it's been reported by
some outlets that he was sentenced to 12
years in prison but that's actually the
other Walter way from Montana
Walter way from Alabama received a much
lighter sentence according to court
records obtained by WatchMojo on March
10th 2014 he was tried for for
drug-related felonies and a misdemeanor
including manufacturing and trafficking
methamphetamine he pled guilty to just
one felony possession of a recreational
controlled substance the jury dismissed
the other charges and white was
sentenced to a fine of $2,000 and 32
months probation and suspended
confinement of course would be to tread
lightly
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bad's Walter White
Alabama's Walter White eventually had to
face the consequences of his actions
fortunately for the meth chef however
his fate turned out to be very different
to his fictional counterparts I liked it
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