Duane Chapman

Duane Chapman (born February 2, 1953), also known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, is an American television personality, bounty hunter, and former bail bondsman.

Chapman was born February 2, 1953, in Denver, Colorado, the child of Wesley Duane Chapman (1930–2000), a welder (during Dog's childhood) later turned bail bondsman (after Dog started) with Aaron Bail Bonds, who served aboard the USS Irwin during the Korean War, and Barbara Darlene Chapman (Cowell; 1934–1994), an Assemblies of God minister (more specifically, a Sunday school teacher).

He has three siblings: Jolene Kaye Martinez (Chapman; 1955–2016), Michael Chapman, and Paula Hammond (Chapman).

He is of German and English descent on his father's side, and of English descent on his mother's side.

At the age of 15, Chapman joined the Devils Diciples, an outlaw motorcycle club, and ran away from home.

In 1976, Chapman was convicted of third degree murder, and sentenced to five years in a Texas prison.

He had been waiting in a car while a friend went into a house to buy marijuana; the friend shot and killed Jerry Oliver, 69, in a struggle.

Chapman served 18 months at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.

In 1976, Chapman was convicted of third degree murder, and sentenced to five years in a Texas prison.

He had been waiting in a getaway car while his friend, Donald Wayne Kuykendall, went into a house to buy marijuana from Jerry Oliver, 69, allegedly a pimp and drug dealer.

A struggle ensued, during which Kuykendall shot and killed Oliver.

Chapman served 18 months at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.

While he was in prison, his first wife LaFonda divorced him and married his best friend.

During his incarceration, he did field work and acted as the warden's barber.

Luster had been convicted in absentia on 86 counts, including multiple rape charges connected to assaults in 1996, 1997, and 2000.

Chapman was assisted by his hunt team, which consisted of his son, Leland, and an associate, Tim Chapman (no relation).

The three bounty hunters captured Luster in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where they had been living under assumed names.

On their way to bring Luster to the San Diego jail, they were pulled over by Mexican police, and all four of them were jailed.

Dog and Leland were arrested under suspicion of drug use.

Once the authorities confirmed Luster's identity, he was sent to California to face his 125-year sentence.

Chapman and his team, still in the Mexican jail, were initially denied bail, but after his wife Beth alerted the media and aroused public opinion in the United States, they were granted bail.

Once out of jail on bail, they followed their attorney's advice and fled the jurisdiction, thereby becoming international bail-jumpers.

Chapman came to international notice as a bounty hunter for his successful capture of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster in Mexico in 2003 and, the following year, was given his own series, Dog the Bounty Hunter (2004–2012), on A&E.

On June 18, 2003, Chapman made international news by capturing Max Factor cosmetics heir, Andrew Luster, who had fled the United States in the middle of his trial on charges of drugging and raping a number of women.

Mexican authorities had charged all three with "deprivation of liberty," involving the 2003 arrest of Andrew Luster, because bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico.

Since they did not obtain permission to leave the country while out on bail in 2003, the Mexican Government declared the three Chapmans fugitives from justice and tried to get them extradited to Mexico for sentencing.

After spending one night in the federal detention center in Honolulu, Chapman told reporters "The federal marshals treated us with great respect. But let me tell you, you never want to go to a federal prison, because it's terrible."

On September 14, 2006, days before the expiration of the statute of limitations, Chapman, along with his son Leland Chapman and associate Tim Chapman, were arrested by United States Marshals, and jailed in Honolulu on behalf of the Mexican government.

The next day, September 15, 2006, Chapman appeared in a packed Honolulu courtroom with his ankles shackled.

Although the judge agreed that the men were not a significant flight risk, he ordered that each wear an electronic monitoring device around the ankle.

The three men were released on bail ($300,000 for Duane Chapman, $100,000 each for Leland Chapman and Tim Chapman).

Chapman's lead attorney, Brook Hart, reportedly planned to argue that although the charge Chapman faced is a misdemeanor in Mexico, when translated into English, the charge of kidnapping became a felony under American law.

Mexican authorities dismissed Hart's claim and insisted that Chapman had, in fact, been charged with a felony.

An extradition hearing was set for November 16, 2006.

Chapman has speculated that his arrest was due in part to a possible prisoner exchange agreement between the Mexican and American authorities.

According to Chapman, the federal agents "sold him out", by trading him in for a convicted Mexican drug lord.

In a 2007 interview for Fox News, Chapman claimed that while serving his sentence, he tackled an inmate about to be shot for attempting to escape, and a congratulatory remark by a corrections officer inspired him to become a bounty hunter later.

As a result of his felony conviction, Chapman is prohibited from owning firearms, and has been refused entry to the United Kingdom.

After Dog the Bounty Hunter ended, Chapman appeared in Dog and Beth: On the Hunt (2013–2015), a similarly formatted TV show, alongside his wife and business partner, the late Beth Chapman, on CMT.

His latest series, Dog's Most Wanted, aired on WGN America in late 2019.