NBC Dateline: Where is John Manard now in 2022?

NBC Dateline's upcoming episode titled Breakout will recount the story of John Manard, a convicted murderer who escaped prison in February 2006 with the assistance of his then-lover, Toby Dorr, a 48-year-old married mother-of-two and a dog rehab volunteer at Lansing Correctional Facility in Leavenworth, Kansas.

After a 12-day long, high-profile chase, Manard was sent right back to prison with an additional 10 years to his already existing life sentence. The officers claimed that the chase was one of the biggest in the state's history and involved about 40 law enforcement units and two helicopters.

At the time, John Manard was already serving a life sentence when he claimed that he fell in love with Tody Dorr, then Young, as the two got emotionally involved over months. Dorr, however, had a clean slate and was sentenced to serve 27 months in prison, a consequence of her involvement in the prison break.

Here's everything to know about the convicted felon's life before and after the 2006 prison break.

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Convicted felon John Manard was serving time for a 1996 murder when he met Toby Dorr

John Manard was arrested in June 1996 for his involvement in the murder of Donald England, who was fatally shot once. It was revealed that the incident occurred on June 13 when Manard, then 17, and his friends tried to rob a car after getting high on marijuana. They had a firearm in their possession and ended up killing England in the process. The group was apprehended a week later.

Back then, John was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in the case. He was eventually tried and convicted in the murder case. Years later, he described himself as a "17-year-old child" at the time who committed the mistake that resulted in his life sentence in a letter to The Kansas City Star.

John first encountered Toby Dorr (then Toby Young) in October 2005 while he was serving his sentence at the Lansing Correctional Facility. Toby had just started a rehabilitation program that partnered rescued dogs with convicts for subsequent adoption. Despite Toby's marriage, the two reportedly got involved, which culminated in a romance and them hatching prison break plans.

They implemented their strategy in February 2006, two days before Valentine's Day. He escaped the institution unnoticed, hiding in a dog crate inside her van. The pair then went directly to a storage facility, where they boarded a pickup truck and left for Tennessee. They spent 12 days in an isolated cabin after arriving in the state. The pair was ultimately found and apprehended after a high-profile chase.

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An additional ten years were added to John Manard's already existing life sentence

John Manard and Toby Dorr were caught when their vehicle crashed during a high-speed, but brief, chase on Interstate 75 between Chattanooga and Knoxville. Authorities found two firearms, s*x toys, $25,000 cash, supplies to make false identity documents, books, and a guitar, among other things, when they searched the cabin where the couple was allegedly hiding for about two weeks.

Manard was sent back to prison to serve his previous sentence with an additional 10 years added to the term as a result of his attempt to escape. Their prison break case made headlines across the country, with people calling the convicted murderer a sly criminal who used his charm to trap the vulnerable woman only to take advantage of her.

However, John clarified his feelings for Toby in an official statement, saying,

"I loved Toby and was 100 percent committed to her. I’ve always been given the role of the 'master manipulating, scumbag criminal with no morals' and Toby the 'poor manipulated, naive, gullible, depressed, desperate, good girl' that I took advantage of."

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Sources state that John Manard remains incarcerated to date in a New Hampshire prison.