|
Four escapees captured; one found
dead By Ram Luthra Acting on a tip Monday, authorities captured four of the seven convicts who broke out of a Texas prison nearly six weeks ago and allegedly gunned down a policeman on Christmas Eve. Rich Winans, a junior English and Spanish major, said he is happy they were finally caught. He said he regularly watched the news to check on the status of the “Texas Seven.” “These convicts are very smart and dangerous for being on the run so long,” Winans said. “I am just happy that no one (at TCU) was hurt.” A fifth inmate killed himself inside a motor home
that had been surrounded by authorities in Woodland Park, about
50 miles southwest of Denver. The whereabouts of the two other inmates were unknown. Authorities said they may have been in Woodland Park as recently as Sunday and may have left to get more money. “The story is by no means over,” said Mark Mershon, the top FBI official in Colorado. “We have two suspects that are still on the loose.” Danny Meyer, a Physical Plant employee, said he agrees with authorities that it is not over until all seven are in custody. “It doesn’t really matter if two are on the run or if all seven are on the run,” Meyer said. “It only takes one of them to kill you.” Among those arrested was George Rivas, 30, the suspected ringleader who was serving a life sentence for aggravated robbery and kidnapping. Investigators have portrayed Rivas as fearless and shrewd with a powerful hold over the others. The heavily armed inmates — including murderers, rapists and armed robbers — had puzzled and alarmed authorities by remaining together after bluffing their way out of prison Dec. 13. The slaying of the Irving officer 11 days later only increased fears that the inmates might want to go out in a blaze of gunfire. The convicts arrived in the sparsely populated area Jan. 1, Teller County Sheriff Frank Fehn said. He offered no other details of their activities, nor how they covered the more than 800 miles from the prison in south Texas. Emily Berry, a junior chemistry major from Colorado Springs, Colo., said she heard reports of the prisoners’ whereabouts while she was home for Winter Break. “Around New Year’s Day, the newscasts in Colorado kept saying, ‘(The inmates) are in Colorado,’” Berry said. “They said they were in Durango, Colorado Springs and Denver, but I didn’t believe them. There’s nothing to do there but ski, and they would all get caught on the slopes.” Berry said she was not worried about the two remaining escapees hurting her family. “It’s not likely they’ll pick my house out of all the houses,” she said. “My mom is scared because they’re still in Colorado Springs, but I’m not scared because I’m here.” Kelly Ham, a TCU detective of criminal investigations, said he was surprised that the convicts fled to Colorado. “Even though there are many mountains to hide in, it is not the best place because fresh foot prints can be easily found in the snow,” Ham said. Authorities said a weekend tip prompted by the show “America’s Most Wanted” led to the capture. The show had featured the convicts four times since the escape, including the last three Saturday nights. Ham said a lot of good coverage has come out of this incident which was probably the main reason for the capture of the escapees. “If it were not for the immense national coverage, there would not have been as many tips called in or sightings,” Ham said. Undersheriff Kevin Dougherty said authorities were told about the fugitives by the manager of the Coachlight, a combination motel and RV park where the motor home was located. The park, tucked away amid pine trees, was put under surveillance at 2 a.m. Monday, authorities said. Rivas and two others were arrested as they pulled up for gasoline at a convenience store near Woodland Park, Dougherty said. There were weapons in the Jeep, he said, refusing to be more specific. State Patrol Trooper Eric Zachareas, who was at the convenience store, said the captured convicts have told authorities the missing fugitives are apparently seeking more money. He said he didn’t know whether that meant they planned a robbery. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Rivas was captured with inmates Michael Rodriguez and Joseph Garcia. Authorities said inmate Larry Harper killed himself inside the motor home sometime after another convict, Randy Halprin, walked outside. Harper had wanted to speak to his father and authorities arranged for him to do so by cell phone, Fehn said. He was dead from a gunshot wound to the chest by the time the arrangements were made. Still missing were Patrick Murphy Jr., convicted of rape, and Donald Newbury, imprisoned for armed robbery. Fehn said authorities had “no idea” where the pair might be. As a precaution, officials in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, both within 20 miles of Woodland Park, locked down several schools. The seven inmates followed a plan to overpower 13 prison employees during their escape from the maximum-security Connally Unit in Kenedy, southeast of San Antonio. They stole a cache of weapons and drove away unchallenged in a prison pickup. According to authorities, the inmates robbed an Irving sporting goods store and gunned down Officer Aubrey Hawkins when he showed up. He was shot 11 times and his body was run over by a vehicle. The thieves fled with guns, clothing and $70,000 in cash and checks. A $500,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Hawkins’ killer. After the captures, his mother, Jayne Hawkins, said: “I want them to see me ... They will look at me and I want to see what they look like when they look at the mother of a child who is gone.” The escape was the largest from a Texas state prison in modern history. Before last month, Texas had recaptured all but one of the 143 inmates who escaped from its state prisons in the past 10 years. A state review blamed prison employees for the
escape; a warden has since been demoted and other employees disciplined.
“They’re obviously so relieved that no other police officers or innocent people were hurt, and extremely relieved that this thing looks like it’s going to wind down fairly peaceful — answered prayers, to be exact,” he said. This story was compiled with information from the Associated Press. Ram Luthra
|
