Stant also admitted that his actions felt "real" when he saw video of the aftermath of the attack.
For the first time in 20 years, the hit man hired to take Nancy Kerrigan out of action prior to the 1994 Winter Olympics is sharing how he didn't think he would be caught after he clubbed the promising figure skater in the leg.
Shane Stant says he was shocked by the round-the-clock coverage generated by the crime. It would only be a few days before cops closed in.
“Once the police showed up at my house, then I knew,” he said of his time on the run. He admitted he was “kind of” surprised that he was nabbed.
Stant also recalled watching her scream in agony in the now-famous video of the attack's aftermath.
“This is when it humanized kind of what I had done,” Stant told Inside Edition. "I think a big part of it too for me was like her dad came and grabbed her. I was like, ‘Wow, this is a family.’ It becomes real when you actually see the pain that you've caused.”
Stant spent 15 months behind bars for whacking Kerrigan in the knee, but the controversy over Tonya Harding's role is still in question, especially after the recent bombshell admission she made to ABC News about what she knew in the days leading up to the attack.
In the interview, Harding was asked: "You weren't involved in the plot?"
"No. I did, however, overhear them talking about stuff, where, 'Well maybe we should take somebody out so we can make sure she gets on the team,'" Harding said, “And I remember telling them, I go, 'What the hell are you talking about?'"
When Stant was asked whether he believed Harding knew about the plot beforehand, he shook his head, saying, “I don’t know.”
Harding seems to be getting a second shot at the spotlight thanks to the new movie, I, Tonya. She's graced the cover of The Hollywood Reporter and attended the Golden Globes with the stars of the film.
Stant says that he's not put off by the revived attention on Harding following the film's release.
“To look at her and go, ‘Oh no, she needs to suffer’ — what good does that do anybody?" he said. "It's been a super long time and why not give her the ability to enjoy part of life?"
Stant says he's now a changed man, having turned his life around and raised his kid sister, Maile, after the death of their father.
“My brother is everyone's best friend," Maile Stant said. "He's the most kind, gentle soul."
Their story is featured in a new documentary, My Hero's Shadow.
"You have a second chance regardless of how big of a mistake that you've made and kind of looking at what we consider hardship and looking at those as a positive,” he said.
Stant has apologized for his horrific actions 24 years ago and knows his name will forever be synonymous with one of the biggest sports controversies.
He said he won’t ever escape being known as the man who attacked Kerrigan and says it is not difficult to shed because “the guy who hit Nancy Kerrigan is not who I am.”
Tonya Harding has denied having any knowledge of the attack on Nancy Kerrigan was being targeted in the attack.
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